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SpaceX first Super Heavy ‘test tank’ is almost ready for prime time
SpaceX has almost completed a ‘test tank’ meant to ensure that Starship’s Super Heavy booster is capable of withstanding the immense thrust of more than two-dozen Raptor engines.
Believed to be known as test tank BN2.1, the prototype’s latest appearance comes on the heels of news from CEO Elon Musk that SpaceX has upgraded Super Heavy with one extra Raptor engine – with plans to add another three down the road. The results of that tank’s imminent test campaign will likely be crucial as the company shifts its focus sending Starship to orbit (or close) as soon as possible.
Prior to a new Super Heavy booster ‘thrust puck’ design first spotted on May 29th, at least two separate booster engine section prototypes completed in the last few months sported an earlier variant more akin to a donut. At that point, Super Heavy’s design had a central cluster of eight gimballing, throttleable Raptors surrounded by a ring of 20 Raptor Boost (“RBoost”) engines – a variant meant to trade the ability to throttle for ~25% more thrust.
While Super Heavy booster BN1’s almost immediate scrapping – prior to a single test – guaranteed that major design changes were on the way, exactly what those changes would be was anyone’s guess. The appearance of a new booster ‘thrust puck’ design and Musk’s subsequent announcement that Super Heavy will “initially” have 29 – not 28 – Raptors likely mean that that engine section redesign was a major contributor to BN1’s instant obsolescence. The only other major change SpaceX clearly made with booster BN2 was switching the positions of its liquid methane and liquid oxygen tanks, ensuring that Super Heavy’s heavier oxidizer is closer to the rocket’s base.
Musk also stated that SpaceX will eventually upgrade Super Heavy to 32 engines, giving future boosters a central cluster of 12 engines that the SpaceX CEO says will significantly improve the efficiency of boostback burns.
With 29 identical Raptors, the simplest possible Super Heavy booster would produce up to 5800 tons (12.8M lbf) of thrust at liftoff. If SpaceX has already completed Raptor Boost’s design and qualification and kicked off mass production of a 250-mTf engine, that liftoff thrust climbs to 6800 tons (~15M lbf). If SpaceX achieves performance goals (~210 mTf stock; ~300 mTf RBoost) mentioned by Musk last year, a 32-engine Super Heavy could achieve peak liftoff thrust greater than 8500 metric tons (~18.7M lbf).
Even in its weakest configuration, Super Heavy will still be more than 60% more powerful than Saturn V and 25% more powerful than N1 – the largest rockets to have ever successfully or unsuccessfully flown. That immense thrust demands a structure capable of surviving those extreme forces while simultaneously feeding dozens of Raptors up to ~28 metric tons (~61,000 lb) of propellant every second and withstanding several thousand tons of liquid oxygen – all without leaking, cracking, or flexing too much.
While BN2.1 wont have any of the plumbing associated with dozens of Raptors, nine hydraulic rams will let SpaceX subject its Super Heavy thrust structure to the simulated thrust of some number of engines. Given the presence of nine rams and nine clustered engines, it’s unclear if BN2.1 will only test that main thrust structure or if those rams will somehow be spread out to simulate the thrust of a full 29 engines – 20 of which will instead transfer most or all of their thrust into Super Heavy’s skirt.
Regardless, if successful, BN2.1’s test campaign should leave SpaceX on track to attempt Starship’s inaugural spaceflight as early as Q3 2021. If issues arise, that target could easily slip to Q4 or into 2022, but SpaceX’s test tank campaigns have historically been very successful.
Tesla has launched a new Model Y configuration in the “Premium” trim, and it comes with three highly requested features that have launched in markets outside of the U.S. and in other trims.
Tesla announced on Monday night that it has officially launched the Model Y Premium in a seven-seat configuration, which also comes standard with a 16″ touchscreen and black headliner, both of which are featured in the Model Y Performance trim.
The seven-seat configuration is highly requested by consumers and helps fill out the more spacious SUV offering that the lineup has missed outside of the Model X, which prices out many consumers. This new upgrade only costs $2,500 extra for all three features, bringing the cash price to $48,990.
This also comes with the larger 16” touchscreen! pic.twitter.com/aiAxWUTKZa
— TESLARATI (@Teslarati) January 13, 2026
The move to add the seven-seat configuration with the black headliner and additional screen size is a welcome addition, as many Tesla fans have asked the company to come out with an SUV with more seating capacity. Although it is not a full-size SUV, the additional seating will certainly attract some buyers with bigger families.
It appears the third row is slightly more spacious than the past iteration of the seven-seat Model Y, which was available in the previous design pre-Juniper:
Credit: Tesla
However, it definitely still appears to be pretty cramped in terms of legroom. It will definitely be a seating arrangement for smaller passengers, mostly reserved for children.
The other two upgrades are the black headliner, which was launched in other markets and in the Model Y Performance. Many owners have wanted this change, and Tesla listened, but is only offering it with the seven-seat configuration. It also has a larger 16″ touchscreen, also present in the Model Y Performance exclusively:
Credit: Tesla
It is a nice touch to add these highly requested features to the all-electric crossover, which was the best-selling vehicle in the world for the third consecutive year.
Tesla has expanded its branded ‘For Business’ Supercharger program that it launched last year, as yet another company is using the platform to attract EV owners to its business and utilize a unique advertising opportunity.
Francis Energy of Oklahoma is launching four Superchargers in Norman, where the University of Oklahoma is located. The Superchargers, which are fitted with branding for Francis Energy, will officially open tomorrow.
It will not be the final Supercharger location that Francis Energy plans to open, the company confirmed to EVWire.
Back in early September, Tesla launched the new “Supercharger for Business” program in an effort to give businesses the ability to offer EV charging at custom rates. It would give their businesses visibility and would also cater to employees or customers.
“Purchase and install Superchargers at your business,” Tesla wrote on a page on its website for the new program. “Superchargers are compatible with all electric vehicles, bringing EV drivers to your business by offering convenient, reliable charging.”
The first site opened in Land O’ Lakes, Florida, which is Northeast of Tampa, as a company called Suncoast launched the Superchargers for local EV owners.
Tesla launches its new branded Supercharger for Business with first active station
The program also does a great job at expanding infrastructure for EV owners, which is something that needs to be done to encourage more people to purchase Teslas and other electric cars.
Francis Energy operates at least 14 EV charging locations in Oklahoma, spanning from Durant to Oklahoma City and nearly everywhere in between. Filings from the company, listed by Supercharge.info, show the company’s plans to convert some of them to Tesla Superchargers, potentially utilizing the new Supercharger for Business program to advertise.
Moving forward, more companies will likely utilize Tesla’s Supercharger for Business program as it presents major advantages in a variety of ways, especially with advertising and creating a place for EV drivers to gain range in their cars.
Tesla Cybercab is perhaps the most highly-anticipated project that the company plans to roll out this year, and as it is undergoing its testing phase in pre-production currently, there are some things to work through with it.
Over the weekend, an image of the Cybercab being loaded onto a tow truck started circulating on the internet, and people began to speculate as to what the issue could be.
Hmmmmmm… https://t.co/L5hWcOXQkb pic.twitter.com/OJBDyHNTMj
— TESLARATI (@Teslarati) January 11, 2026
The Cybercab can clearly be seen with a Police Officer and perhaps the tow truck driver by its side, being loaded onto, or even potentially unloaded from, the truck.
However, it seems unlikely it was being offloaded, as its operation would get it to this point for testing to begin with.
It appears, at first glance, that it needs assistance getting back to wherever it came from; likely Gigafactory Texas or potentially a Bay Area facility.
The Cybercab was also spotted in Buffalo, New York, last week, potentially undergoing cold-weather testing, but it doesn’t appear that’s where this incident took place.
It is important to remember that the Cybercab is currently undergoing some rigorous testing scenarios, which include range tests and routine public road operation. These things help Tesla assess any potential issue the vehicle could run into after it starts routine production and heads to customers, or for the Robotaxi platform operation.
This is not a one-off issue, either. Tesla had some instances with the Semi where it was seen broken down on the side of a highway three years ago. The all-electric Semi has gone on to be successful in its early pilot program, as companies like Frito-Lay and PepsiCo. have had very positive remarks.
The Cybercab’s future is bright, and it is important to note that no vehicle model has ever gone its full life without a breakdown. It happens, it’s a car.
Nevertheless, it is important to note that there has been no official word on what happened with this particular Cybercab unit, but it is crucial to remember that this is the pre-production testing phase, and these things are more constructive than anything.
Tesla Model Y gets fresh configuration with three highly requested features
Tesla expands its branded ‘For Business’ Superchargers
