Connect with us

News

SpaceX blows up Starship tank to test new metal alloy

Another Starship test tank bites the dust - for science. (LabPadre)

Published

on

SpaceX has destroyed the third Starship ‘test tank’ prototype since it began building and testing the stout steel structures earlier this year.

Much like the third test tank SpaceX built was fashioned out of in-work hardware originally destined to become the full-scale Starship SN2 prototype, the latest tank was built with parts that may have initially been meant for Starship SN7. While SN7’s purpose – stress-testing new designs and manufacturing techniques – was largely identical to its predecessors, the test tank was by far the most radical departure from past hardware yet. The reason: SN7 was built entirely out of a different stainless steel alloy.

Deemed 304L, the type of steel is still readily available off the shelf and only 10-20% more expensive than the 301 alloy SpaceX has used to build all Starship prototypes up to SN7. The biggest change it brings to the table is improved ductility (malleability), particularly at the cryogenic temperatures Starship’s tanks will often be held at. By reducing brittleness, Starships built out of 304L steel should be able to fail far more gracefully by developing stable leaks instead of violently decompressing. In fact, the very same test tank destroyed on June 23rd demonstrated that capability perfectly when it sprung a leak during its first pressure test on June 15th.

During its first cryogenic pressure test with liquid nitrogen, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk revealed that the SN7 test tank managed to reach 7.6 bar (~110 psi) before it began to leak – technically satisfactory for orbital Starship launches with an industry-standard 25% safety factor. Thanks to the general flexibility of steel, including the new 304L alloy SN7 was built with, SpaceX was able to simply repair the leak it identified, readying the test tank for a second cryogenic pressure test barely a week later.

The remains of Starship test tank SN7 after a June 23rd pressure test. (NASASpaceflight – bocachicagal)

The tank’s second test was all but identical to the first up to the end, where its lower dome appeared to more or less unzip from the steel ring it was welded to. It remains to be seen if SN7 was able to beat its previous record during the second test but the failure mode was quite a bit different from any previous test tank, meaning that SpaceX has gathered useful new data regardless. If the 304L steel tank matched or beat a 301 tank’s current record of ~8.5 bar (~125 psi), SpaceX will very likely build all future Starship tanks out of the material.

According to Musk, another 304L test tank is already in the works and should be able to take SN7’s place very shortly. At the same time, SpaceX appears to finally be ready to roll the next full-scale Starship prototype (SN5) to the launch pad as early as June 24th to kick off cryogenic proof testing, Raptor static fires, and (hopefully) flight tests.

Advertisement

Check out Teslarati’s Marketplace! We offer Tesla accessories, including for the Tesla Cybertruck and Tesla Model 3.

Eric Ralph is Teslarati's senior spaceflight reporter and has been covering the industry in some capacity for almost half a decade, largely spurred in 2016 by a trip to Mexico to watch Elon Musk reveal SpaceX's plans for Mars in person. Aside from spreading interest and excitement about spaceflight far and wide, his primary goal is to cover humanity's ongoing efforts to expand beyond Earth to the Moon, Mars, and elsewhere.

News

Tesla MultiPass in Europe expands, allowing ease of access to non-Tesla chargers

Published

on

Credit: TeslaCharging | X

The Tesla MultiPass program in Europe is expanding to new countries. The program was launched earlier this year to assist Tesla owners in having an easier charging experience at non-Tesla EV chargers.

In September, Tesla launched the MultiPass program to owners in the Netherlands, which aimed to enable charging for Tesla owners at third-party stations using the app or keycard. It was developed to avoid having to use multiple apps for each charging manufacturer.

Tesla launches MultiPass to simplify charging at non-Tesla stations

Both access and payment would be performed through the Tesla app, streamlining the entire process.

Today, Tesla expanded the program to Sweden, Germany, the United Kingdom, France, and Belgium, building on its initial rollout and partnering with companies like Fastned to improve EV roaming coverage across the continent.

The program is still in its early stages, and it appears to have some issues, which were highlighted by owners.

Some state that the different designs between chargers can create a bit of a hassle, especially as some do not properly display charging rates and inconsistent pricing displays.

Additionally, Tesla’s Trip Planner and other route planner integrations are not as descriptive as they should be, so some owners suggested reliability and visibility improvements.

Tesla partnered with Electrify America, Rivian’s Adventure Network, and other networks to expand charging availability and make options more readily available.

Tesla’s Supercharger presence in Europe has expanded quite a bit over the past few years, but EVs are much more prevalent there than they are here in the U.S. The company has done a great job of growing the Supercharger presence this year, and there are currently over 11,000 stalls on the continent.

This year, Tesla added 200 total stations and roughly 1,250 total stalls, a 16 percent increase from last year. Europe also has a high concentration of V4 Superchargers, as nearly 42 percent of the stalls on the continent are V4, giving higher charging rates of up to 500 kW.

Continue Reading

Cybertruck

Tesla announces delivery timeline for Cybertruck in new market

“Coming soon! Estimated deliveries in Q1 for UAE.”

Published

on

Credit: Tesla

Tesla announced its delivery timeline for the Cybertruck as it heads to a new market.

Tesla Cybertruck deliveries started in the United States and Canada back in late 2023. However, the company has been looking to expand the all-electric pickup to new markets, including the Middle East, for which it opened up orders for earlier this year.

Initially, Tesla planned to launch deliveries late this year, but there has been a slight adjustment to the timeline, and the company now anticipates the pickup to make its way to the first adopters in the United Arab Emirates in Q1 2026.

This was confirmed by the Tesla Cybertruck program’s lead engineer, Wes Morrill:

Tesla first opened orders for the Cybertruck in the Middle East in mid-September of this year. It will be priced at AED 404,900 for the Dual Motor All-Wheel-Drive ($110,254) and AED 454,900 ($123,869) for the Cyberbeast trim.

The Cybertruck has been a highly anticipated vehicle in many parts of the world, but its ability to be sold in various regions is what is truly causing delays in the company’s efforts to bring the electric pickup worldwide.

Tesla confirms Cybertruck will make its way out of North America this year

In Europe, various agencies have challenged the design of the Cybertruck, arguing that it is unsafe for pedestrians due to its sharp edges and “boxy” design.

Agencies in the EU have said the vehicle’s “blade-like” protrusions are a violation of rules that ban sharp exterior edges that could cause severe injuries.

In Asia, Tesla will likely have to develop a smaller, more compact version of the vehicle as it does not align with local standards for urban environments. However, Tesla filed for energy consumption approval for the Cybertruck in December 2024, but there has been no real update on the status of this particular inquiry.

Overall, these issues highlight a real bottleneck in futuristic vehicle designs and the out-of-date regulations that inhibit the vehicle from becoming more widely available. Of course, Tesla has teased some other designs, including a more traditional pickup or even a compact Cybertruck build, but the company is not one to shy away from its commitments.

Nevertheless, the Cybertruck will appear in the Middle East for the first time in 2026.

Continue Reading

Elon Musk

Tesla teases new AI5 chip that will revolutionize self-driving

Published

on

Credit: Tesla

Elon Musk revealed new information on Tesla’s AI5, previously known as Hardware 5, chip, for self-driving, which will be manufactured by both Samsung and TSMC.

The AI5 chip is Tesla’s next-generation hardware chip for its self-driving program, Optimus humanoid robots, and other AI-driven features in both vehicles and other applications. It will be the successor to the current AI4, previously known as Hardware 4, which is currently utilized in Tesla’s newest vehicles.

Elon Musk reveals Tesla’s HW5 release date, and that it won’t be called HW5

AI5 is specially optimized for Tesla use, as it will work alongside the company’s Neural Networks to focus on real-time inference to make safe and logical decisions during operation. It was first teased by Tesla in mid-2024 as Musk called it “an amazing design” and “an immense jump” from the current AI4 chip.

It will be roughly 4o times faster, have 8 times the raw compute, 9 times the memory capacity, 5 times the memory bandwidth, and 3 times the efficiency per watt.

It will be manufactured by both TSMC and Samsung at their Arizona and Texas fab locations, respectively.

Here’s what Musk revealed about the chip yesterday:

Different Versions

Samsung and TSMC will make slightly different versions of the AI5 chip, “simply because they translate designs to physical form differently.” However, Musk said the goal is that its AI software would work identically.

This was a real concern for some who are familiar with chip manufacturing, as Apple’s A9 “Chipgate” saga seemed to be echoing through Tesla.

Back in 2015, it was found that Apple’s A9 chips had different performances based on who manufactured them. TSMC and Samsung were both building the chips, but it was found that Samsung’s chips had shorter battery life than TSMC-fabricated versions.

Apple concluded that the variance was about 2-3 percent. However, Tesla will look to avoid this altogether.

Release and Implementation into Vehicles

Musk said that some samples will be available next year, and “maybe a small number of units” would equip the chip as well. However, high-volume production is only possible in 2027.

This means, based on Tesla’s own timeline for Cybercab production in Q2 2026, early iterations of the vehicle would rely on AI4. Many believe AI4 can be utilized for solved self-driving, but the power of subsequent versions, including AI5 and beyond, will be more capable.

AI6 and Beyond

AI6 will utilize the same fabs as AI5, but there would be a theoretical boost in performance by two times with this version.

AI6 could enter volume production by mid-2028. However, AI7, which Musk only briefly mentioned, “will need different fabs, as it is more adventurous.”

Continue Reading

Trending