News
Tesla AI Day News Roundup: Optimus, FSD Beta & Dojo updates
Tesla AI Day has officially kicked off. Guests have started entering the venue already.
AI Day is an event mainly held to recruit talented people and welcome them to Tesla. However, it is still a Tesla event, so everyone expects some product surprises and updates, specifically about the company’s humanoid robot, Optimus, Dojo, and Full Self-Driving.
Teslarati will be closely following the event. This is our news roundup for 2022 AI Day, covering key information Tesla reveals at the event.
Photos and Videos aren’t allowed during the event from attendees. However, guests were able to capture some cool photos of a Tesla Semi with Cybertruck graffiti, a literal fork on the road, and some other cool set ups around the premises.
Tesla’s former AI Head, Andrej Karpathy, has brought out the (metaphorical) popcorn. His brief “comment” hints that AI Day 2022 might be as exciting as everyone anticipates.
Elon Musk set some expectations about Optimus, reminding everyone that during AI Day 2021, Tesla’s humanoid bot was just “a guy in a robot suit.” Musk also laid out the topics for AI Day 2022, saying that Tesla will talk about Autopilot and Dojo, too.
Optimus Takes the Stage
Tesla didn’t waste any time and brought out Optimus immediately. According to a Tesla mechanical engineer, AI Day 2022 is the first time Optimus has been “let out”– so to speak– without any external support.
“This is literally the first time the robot has walked on stage without a tether, on stage tonight,” Musk added. “The robot can actually do a lot more than we showed you. We just don’t want it to fall on its face.”
Tesla reveals videos of Optimus or in this case “Bumble-Cee” doing “work” around the Tesla office. Optimus carried a box from one area to another, watered plants, and even worked at the factory for a bit. The Tesla bot’s vision is very similar Autopilot.
Tesla also revealed Optimus’ potential final unit one production design. “Our goal is to make a useful humanoid robot as soon as possible,” said Elon Musk. The Tesla CEO also shared that Tesla aims to make Optimus’ price less than $20,000 or cheaper than a car.
Tesla is using some of the technology in its car in Optimus’ body as well, such as the battery pack, cooling system and more. The company also uses that same technology it uses for its cars to simulate Optimus’ movements and reactions to external collisions.
Tesla is basing Optimus’ body design on the human body. The company has been closely studying the structure of the human body while making the humanoid robot’s overall design. For instance, Tesla designed Optimus’ hands with the idea that factories worldwide are designed ergonomically, or optimized for the human hand. Teslarati briefly covered the significance of robots’ hands in a previous article, linked below.
FSD Beta Updates
The Tesla FSD Beta now has 160,000 customers, compared to 2,000 customers in 2021. Tesla is expected to release v.10.69.2.3 after AI Day, although a precise roll out date has not be announced yet.
Tesla explained the progress its made with Full Self-Driving Beta. The Tesla FSD experts explained how the Full Self-Driving makes decision to AI day guests and the role that customer data played to refine the software. The company also explained occupancy and the role it plays with 3D mapping and providing a birds-eye-view for the car. Tesla is working hard to optimize its video model training as well.
Tesla also talked a lot about its FSD Lane Networks during AI Day 2022. In the past few weeks, Teslarati has received reports from FSD testers, who specifically brought up issues with lane selection. To see “under the hood”–so to speak–somewhat explains the lane issues FSD testers experience on the road.
After multiple test loops and drives, there’s really just one main problem remaining for me at this point on 10.69.2, it’s significant, and that is lane selection,” noted long-time FSD tester Les.
Tesla has developed a new auto-labeling machine to help with 3D labeling. The FSD experts explained how the software uses other clips to fill out the picture under certain conditions when the camera shows an unclear picture.
Tesla also talked a bit about simulation. The experts showed how it could simulate worlds or environments, using the data gathered from its fleet. It revealed a simulation of San Francisco that was created within two weeks by one employee. Tesla may update a simulated world quickly and as updated develop.
Dojo Updates
Tesla’s goal with Dojo is to build a single accelerator. A key step to realizing its goals was its training tile, which it unveiled during AI Day 2021. Tesla has been trying to figure out how to make its Dojo design scalable and has run into challenges along the way. However, the company’s “fail fast” mindset has helped it push through road blocks and move forward.
The Dojo team showed images of a Cybertruck and Semi running on Mars using stable diffusion achieved through Dojo.
Tesla experts explained that Dojo reduced work that would usually take months to a single week.
Tesla plans to build its first Exapod by 2023, which is expected to significantly increase its autolabeling output . It will be the first Exapod of 7 that Tesla plans to build in Palo Alto.
Tesla ended AI Day 2022 by answering questions from attendees. Tesla hopes that through their thorough explanations during the event, the company would be seen as more than an automaker. And, of course, Tesla hopes that its AI Day 2022 presentation also entices talented individuals to join the company.
The Teslarati team would appreciate hearing from you. If you have any tips, contact me at maria@teslarati.com or via Twitter @Writer_01001101.
News
Tesla Roadster livestream: everything Tesla has revealed before Thursday night
Tesla will stream the Roadster event Thursday at 7:55 p.m. Central. Here is what’s known.
Tesla will stream its next generation Roadster event live this Thursday, October 15, at 7:55 p.m. Central, according to a post from the official Tesla account shared late Monday. Texas is on daylight time, and outlets have read the post as local Central time, which puts the Tesla Roadster livestream at 8:55 p.m. Eastern and 5:55 p.m. Pacific. The stream is expected on Tesla’s X account, where the announcement went up.
This is the second date for the event. Tesla posted a “Go for launch” image on September 12 that set the unveil for October 1, and invitations sent to reservation holders placed it in Waco, Texas, at 8:30 p.m. Eastern, for guests 21 and older with tickets that could not be transferred. Until this week, Tesla had not said the event would be broadcast at all.
Roadster event streaming live this Thursday at 7:55pm CST https://t.co/AbsmpVucui
— Tesla (@Tesla) October 14, 2026
On September 28, Tesla moved the event to October 15, citing severe weather and the fact that the demo can only be held outdoors. Elon Musk then said the cause was high winds, a comment that pushed speculation that the car will leave the ground on stage.
The event will be held in Waco, which sits close to SpaceX’s McGregor rocket test site, where the FAA closed airspace up to 10,000 feet from September 18 through October 2 for the original date. Another restriction covering Wednesday, October 14, has been reported near the site, which could mean a rehearsal, though that is unconfirmed.
What Tesla will actually show comes from speculative reports that the vehicle will be unmanned, and spectators will be kept several hundred yards back for safety. A SpaceX package is reportedly code named A71, and linked to what Musk has hinted at in the past – thrusters that could bring 0 to 60 mph down to about one second, compared with the 1.9 seconds quoted for the base car in 2017. Tesla also closed its Semi event with a Roadster teaser suggesting a design that looks different from the original prototype, and has said the event will include pricing, specifications, and production targets.
The 2017 figures remain the only official ones: 620 miles of range, a top speed above 250 mph, and prices of $200,000 for the base car and $250,000 for the Founders Series. Tesla reopened reservations last month with a $5,000 card payment followed by a $45,000 wire within ten days, and the deposit is refundable. Production is expected at Giga Texas in 2027 or 2028.
Tesla reports third quarter earnings on October 21, six days after the stream, so whatever price or timeline appears Thursday night will land just ahead of that call.
Elon Musk
SpaceX just combined Grok, Cursor, and X into one mega plan
SpaceXSI merges Grok, Cursor, and X Premium into one plan, raising questions for Tesla owners.
SpaceX Super Intelligence has rolled out The X Subscription, a single plan that combines Grok, Grok Bot, Cursor, and X Premium.
There are five levels, including a free plan that includes daily Grok access and a starter allowance for Cursor’s coding agents. Plus is $8 per month, Premium is $30, Super is $100, and Ultra is $200. Usage scales as you move up, with Premium offering four times the Plus allowance, Super 15 times, and Ultra 50 times. Annual billing brings the prices down a bit further, with Premium at $300 per year.
We’ve unified plans across Grok, Cursor, and X Premium.
Introducing The X Subscription. https://t.co/SvkrVvBa0p
— SpaceX Super Intelligence (@SpaceXSI) October 12, 2026
The $30 Premium tier is where SpaceXSI says it packs the benefits of SuperGrok, Cursor Pro, and X Premium+, which previously added up to $90 per month. Grok Bot, the agent that handles tasks like ordering food or managing a calendar, is included from Premium upward but not on Plus. Paid plans share one weekly usage pool across Grok and Cursor, and each plan includes at least twice the coding usage of the comparable Cursor plan. Third party models in Cursor remain available on Premium and above, but they are billed separately at API list prices.
That last detail matters because of what has happened around Cursor this year. SpaceX exercised its option to buy the company for $60 billion in June, and the deal closed in August. Weeks later, OpenAI said it will cut Cursor’s access to its models on November 12. Bundling Cursor with Grok usage gives SpaceXSI a reason to steer developers toward its own models.
Tesla integrates Grok Bot into its vehicles for the ultimate personal assistant
For Tesla owners, the connection is Grok Bot. Tesla brought it into its vehicles last month, and at that point access inside the car was limited to SuperGrok Heavy subscribers. Grok Bot is now enabled across every Cybercab and the rest of the Model Y Robotaxi fleet. Neither SpaceXSI nor Tesla has said how the new plans change inside the car access for owners, or whether a $30 Premium subscription now covers Grok Bot in a personal Tesla. That is the question owners will want answered first.
The company is also changing its name along the way. The rollout follows the rebrand Musk announced on October 4, when he said SpaceXAI would become SpaceXSI, and the plan page now carries that branding.
The X Subscription is available to new customers starting now, and SpaceXSI says it will reach everyone globally over the next few days. Existing SuperGrok, Cursor, and X Premium subscribers do not have to switch. The option to move will appear gradually in billing settings, with a prorated refund for the unused time on the old plan. Switching is permanent once the accounts are unified, and old plans are closed to new sign ups.
Energy
Taiwan power firm bets big on Tesla Megapacks as AI data center thirst grows
Taiwan’s Apollo Power orders 260 Tesla Megapacks, betting AI data centers will need more electricity.
A Taiwanese power company has ordered 260 Tesla Megapack 2XL units, roughly 1GWh of storage, betting that electricity rather than chips will decide how fast AI data centers come online. Apollo Power signed the contract with Tesla’s Taiwan energy arm on October 8, according to the company’s filing with the Taiwan stock exchange.
The filing says the units are meant for behind the meter storage and resilient grid projects, with delivery in batches from the end of 2027 and sites operating in 2028. Apollo and Tesla did not disclose a price, citing a confidentiality agreement. Apollo plans to pay for the equipment through a cash capital increase and bank financing, and it noted the purchase is not revenue and does not mean it holds firm orders from its partners.
Biggo reported that only about 33 units are under signed customer contracts, with roughly 150 more in negotiation. The same report put total project investment near NT$130 billion, but that figure includes installation work, with the equipment itself making up about 40 to 50 percent. In other words, a large share of this order is Apollo reserving supply ahead of demand. Apollo’s chairman told local media global large storage supply is tight, which is why the company locked in the units early, according to Yahoo Taiwan Finance.
Apollo also launched an AI data center and grid resilience alliance with Phison, Gigabyte and Shihlin Electric. The pitch rests on a pilot at Phison’s Zhunan plant, where Apollo and Tesla Energy Taiwan installed grid forming Megapack 2XLs in June. Tesla Energy Taiwan general manager Sun Hsiao-Han said the project went from demo to 1GWh in four months, and that Tesla Energy has deployed more than 50GWh worldwide.
Taiwan’s cabinet has approved amendments that would require large energy users to install their own generation and storage, which gives enterprise storage a regulatory tailwind.
The deal fits a pattern Teslarati has tracked. Tesla’s Megablock targets 1GWh commissioned in 20 business days, a pitch aimed squarely at fast moving data center builds. Megapacks already back xAI’s Colossus in Memphis and a 400MW AI campus in Brazil. Sun Media adds that Megapack 2XL was named among the first products in Nvidia’s DSX Ready qualification for battery storage in AI factories.
Deliveries are more than a year away, so the real test is how much of that 260 unit order turns into signed customer contracts.
Tesla Roadster livestream: everything Tesla has revealed before Thursday night
SpaceX just combined Grok, Cursor, and X into one mega plan
Taiwan power firm bets big on Tesla Megapacks as AI data center thirst grows
The Pentagon taps Elon Musk to design the battlefield of the future
Tesla Roadster’s new patent preps white-knuckle speeds, keeping it grounded
