News
Tesla Addresses Congress on Security for Connected Cars
Representatives from Tesla Motors, Toyota and GM spoke on Wednesday before a Subcommittee on Information Technology about the safety, security and driving benefits of increasingly connected vehicles.
Diarmuid O’Connell, Vice President of Business Development for Tesla Motors told the committee members, “Tesla believes that in order to maintain the pace of reducing injury and fatality rates, vehicles will need to increasingly use computerized vehicle systems to avoid crashes, with particular opportunity afforded in the fully connected vehicle space.”
In a prepared statement submitted to the House Oversight Committee, O’Connell laid out four principles Tesla thinks are vital to limiting unauthorized intrusion into the digital systems that will define “The Internet Of Cars”.
As summarized on EVannex, first, O’Connell encourages all manufacturers to use “signing,” a standard cryptography technology that ensures any software updates are authorized by the manufacturer, something Tesla already does.
Second, O’Connell urged provisions that would make it impossible to connect directly to a vehicle over the internet, as happened in a widely publicized cyber attack on a Jeep earlier this year. Once again, O’Connell said Tesla does this by following industry standards for filtering, firewalling, and designs that do not required direct incoming connections.
Third, O’Connell testified that is it vital to isolate networked systems from the mechanical systems of the vehicle. He said that some manufacturers do this with technology called a “gateway,” however Tesla employs a physically separate gateway processor in order to provide added safety.
Lastly, he recommends that all manufacturers use industry standard encrypted communications protocols for connections from the vehicle.
Tesla has been highly proactive in working with experts outside the company to verify and maintain the security of its onboard digital systems. “Tesla is seeing increased vehicle security interest and scrutiny from academic and industry security researchers. Tesla encourages and applauds this assistance — to the extent of even providing financial rewards for the best research. Tesla encourages other manufacturers to do the same, because we are all safer when we work together on vehicle safety and security.”
Of course, every legislative committee thinks its proper role is to promulgate new laws and regulations. O’Connell urged the legislators to use restraint when seeking to regulate this new technology. “One possible impediment to advanced technologies, and the safety benefits of connected vehicles, is of course overly restrictive regulation. Regulation at a time of rapid innovation runs the risk of limiting the realization of the full extent of safety advances.”
While it is important for Tesla to be a leader in digital security, it is also important that other stakeholders are constantly vigilant as well. News about such things as the hacked Jeep Grand Cherokee undermine the public’s faith in the integrity of digitally connected cars. For the technology to succeed in the marketplace, it is vital that consumer confidence in the vehicles made by all manufacturers be kept at the highest possible level.
Elon Musk
SpaceX weighs Nasdaq listing as company explores early index entry: report
The company is reportedly seeking early inclusion in the Nasdaq-100 index.
Elon Musk’s SpaceX is reportedly leaning toward listing its shares on the Nasdaq for a potential initial public offering (IPO) that could become the largest in history.
As per a recent report, the company is reportedly seeking early inclusion in the Nasdaq-100 index. The update was reported by Reuters, citing people familiar with the matter.
According to the publication, SpaceX is considering Nasdaq as the venue for its eventual IPO, though the New York Stock Exchange is also competing for the listing. Neither exchange has reportedly been informed of a final decision.
Reuters has previously reported that SpaceX could pursue an IPO as early as June, though the company’s plans could still change.
One of the publication’s sources also suggested that SpaceX is targeting a valuation of about $1.75 trillion for its IPO. At that level, the company would rank among the largest publicly traded firms in the United States by market capitalization.
Nasdaq has proposed a rule change that could accelerate the inclusion of newly listed megacap companies into the Nasdaq-100 index.
Under the proposed “Fast Entry” rule, a newly listed company could qualify for the index in less than a month if its market capitalization ranks among the top 40 companies already included in the Nasdaq-100.
If SpaceX is successful in achieving its target valuation of $1.75 trillion, it would become the sixth-largest company by market value in the United States, at least based on recent share prices.
Newly listed companies typically have to wait up to a year before becoming eligible for major indexes such as the Nasdaq-100 or S&P 500.
Inclusion in a major index can significantly broaden a company’s shareholder base because many institutional investors purchase shares through index-tracking funds.
According to Reuters, Nasdaq’s proposed fast-track rule is partly intended to attract highly valued private companies such as SpaceX, OpenAI, and Anthropic to list on the exchange.
Elon Musk
The Boring Company’s Prufrock-2 emerges after completing new Vegas Loop tunnel
The new tunnel measures 2.28 miles, making it the company’s longest single Vegas Loop tunnel to date.
The Boring Company announced that its Prufrock-2 tunnel boring machine (TBM) has completed another Vegas Loop tunnel in Las Vegas. The company shared the update in a post on social media platform X.
According to The Boring Company’s post, the new tunnel measures 2.28 miles, making it the company’s longest single Vegas Loop tunnel to date.
The new tunnel marks the fourth tunnel constructed near Westgate Las Vegas as the Vegas Loop network continues expanding across the city.
The Boring Company also noted that the new tunnel surpassed its previous internal record of 2.26 miles for a single Vegas Loop segment.
Construction of the tunnel involved moving roughly 68,000 cubic yards of dirt. The excavation process also used about 4.8 miles of continuous conveyor belt, powered by six motors totaling 825 horsepower.
The Boring Company’s Prufrock-series all-electric tunnel boring machines are designed to support the rapid expansion of company’s underground transportation projects, including the growing Vegas Loop network. Prufrock machines are designed for reusability, thanks in no small part to their capability to be deployed and retrieved easily through their “porposing” feature.
The Vegas Loop, specifically the Las Vegas Convention Center (LVCC) Loop segment, has already been used during major events. Most recently, the LVCC Loop supported the 2026 CONEXPO-CON/AGG construction trade show, which was held from March 3-7, 2026.
As per The Boring Company, the LVCC Loop transported roughly 82,000 passengers across the convention center campus during the event’s duration.
CONEXPO-CON/AGG is one of the largest construction trade shows in North America, drawing more than 140,000 construction professionals from 128 countries this year.
The LVCC Loop forms the initial segment of the broader Vegas Loop network, which remains under active development as The Boring Company continues building new tunnels throughout the city.
News
Tesla gathers Cybercab fleet in Gigafactory Texas
Images and video of the Cybercab fleet were shared by longtime Giga Texas observer Joe Tegtmeyer in posts on social media platform X.
Tesla appears to be assembling a growing number of Cybercabs at Gigafactory Texas as preparations continue for the vehicle’s mass production. Recent footage shared online has shown over 30 Cybercabs being transported by trucks or staged near testing areas at the facility.
The images and video were shared by longtime Giga Texas observer and drone operator Joe Tegtmeyer in posts on social media platform X.
Interestingly enough, Tegtmeyer noted that many of the Cybercabs being loaded onto transport trucks were still equipped with steering wheels. This suggests that the vehicles are likely testing units rather than the final driverless configuration expected for the company’s Robotaxi service.
The vehicles could potentially be headed to testing sites across the United States as Tesla prepares to expand its Robotaxi fleet.
Additional footage captured at Gigafactory Texas also showed the Cybercab’s side and rear camera washer system operating as vehicles were being loaded onto transport trucks.
The growing number of Cybercabs at Giga Texas comes amidst the company’s announcement that the first production Cybercab has been produced at the facility. Full Cybercab production is expected to begin in April.
The vehicle is expected to play a central role in Tesla’s Robotaxi ambitions as the company looks to expand autonomous ride-hailing operations beyond its early deployments using Model Y vehicles.
Tesla has also linked Cybercab production to its proposed Unboxed manufacturing process, which assembles large vehicle modules separately before integrating them. The approach is intended to reduce production costs and accelerate output.
Musk has also noted that the Cybercab’s ramp will likely begin slowly due to the number of new components and manufacturing steps involved. However, he stated that once the process matures, Cybercab production could scale quickly.
SpaceX weighs Nasdaq listing as company explores early index entry: report
The Boring Company’s Prufrock-2 emerges after completing new Vegas Loop tunnel
