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Tesla App gets updated with new UI, fresh features, and direct access to shop

Credit: Teslascope/Twitter and Whole Mars catalog/Twitter

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Tesla has rolled out an update to its mobile app recently, featuring a completely revamped user interface, some novel new functions, and direct access to the online Tesla Shop. The Tesla mobile app will play a significant role once the company opens up its Supercharger network to non-Tesla electric vehicles. 

One of the biggest changes to the Tesla App is the Tesla Shop, which would allow owners to order accessories and other items for their vehicles directly from their mobile devices. “Shop the Tesla catalog and view and manage your orders (available in select countries),” notes the description of the update.

Apart from direct access to the Tesla Shop, the new app also provides improved graphics that accurately depict the configuration of owners’ vehicles, such as the color of the seats in the cars’ interior. The app’s Summon page has been revamped as well, and a video tutorials page — which highlights how to properly use a Tesla’s features — has also been rolled out.

The Tesla App will be instrumental when the company opens up its Supercharger Network to other EVs because it will be the main point of interaction for car owners at the charging stations. EV owners who want to avail the services at Tesla charging stations will need to download the company’s mobile app for transactions. Seeing the robust features of the Tesla app may encourage some EV owners to try out the company’s vehicles for themselves. 

“We’re currently thinking it’s a real simple thing where you just download the Tesla app, and you go to Supercharger. And you just indicate which stall you’re in. So you plug in your car, even if it’s not Tesla. And then you just access the app and say, turn on this stall that I’m in for how much electricity. And this should basically work with, I think, almost any manufacturer’s cars,” explained Elon Musk at the last earnings call.

The notes of the update reveal that Tesla did have Supercharging in mind in the latest update. “View Supercharging history and ability to pay outstanding Supercharging or service balance (available in select countries),” said the Tesla App’s “What’s New” section.

Other notable updates to the Tesla App are listed below. 

  • Refreshed vehicle and energy homepage 
  • Streamlined Summon experience
  • Enhanced phone key support – vehicle no longer needs to be selected
  • Send commands to vehicle immediately upon opening app
  • Use Go Off-Grid to seamlessly disconnect your home from the Grid with Powerwall

The Teslarati team would appreciate hearing from you. If you have any tips, reach out to me at maria@teslarati.com or via Twitter @Writer_01001101.

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Maria--aka "M"-- is an experienced writer and book editor. She's written about several topics including health, tech, and politics. As a book editor, she's worked with authors who write Sci-Fi, Romance, and Dark Fantasy. M loves hearing from TESLARATI readers. If you have any tips or article ideas, contact her at maria@teslarati.com or via X, @Writer_01001101.

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Elon Musk

County vote hands Elon Musk’s Vegas tunnel network a huge new target

Clark County approved 19 more Vegas Loop stations, pushing Boring Company’s entitled total to 123.

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The Boring Company just got permission to nearly double how far Vegas Loop can reach. Clark County commissioners approved 19 additional stations for the underground transit system, bringing the total entitled to 123, the company said in a post on X thanking the county for the vote. Elon Musk’s tunneling company also flagged the direction it sees the project heading long term. “Because Loop is point-to-point with no intermediate stops, in the limit, one could have a Loop station in every driveway,” the company wrote.

That framing captures how far the ambitions have moved. The Vegas Loop opened its first stretch of tunnel in 2021 and has grown its footprint through a string of county approvals since. In 2023, commissioners signed off on 18 additional stations, part of a plan that later doubled the system’s target to 69 stations across 65 miles. By the end of that year the company was describing a build out closer to 93 planned stations. Last year the long term design called for 104 stations across 68 miles of tunnel. The new approval pushes that number to 123, another jump in a project that keeps outgrowing its own blueprints.

The Boring Company gets approval for more stations in Las Vegas

Station count on paper is still well ahead of what riders can actually use. As Teslarati reported earlier this month, the network has about 11 open stations and has carried more than 4 million passengers since it began running, with newer stops at Fontainebleau and Sahara among the latest additions to the Strip corridor. A tunnel connection to Harry Reid International Airport remains under construction and has already slipped past its original first quarter target. The company is also racing to finish a Westgate to Paradise Road segment that Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority CEO Steve Hill has said it hopes to have running in time for November’s Formula 1 race.

The gap between entitled stations and operating ones is where the real story sits. Regulatory approval gives Boring Company the legal runway to keep tunneling toward new resorts, residential pockets and eventually the airport, but building each connection still comes down to boring machines, fire safety sign offs and construction timelines that have slipped before. The company’s Prufrock series machines set an internal record in March with a 2.28 mile tunnel near Westgate, evidence that construction has been picking up even as the list of approved destinations grows faster than the tunnels themselves.

Musk’s driveway comment reads as aspirational rather than a near term plan, but it fits how Boring Company has talked about Vegas Loop from the start: treat every approval as a floor, not a ceiling, and keep pushing county officials for room to dig.

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Elon Musk

SpaceX announces new Starbase for ‘thousands of Starship launches annually’

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Credit: SpaceX

SpaceX announced today that it would expand its launch capabilities into a new U.S. state: Louisiana.

Today, SpaceX, in conjunction with the Louisiana Economic Development Office, said that it will establish a new launch facility, which it will call Starbase, Louisiana. It will be located near Vermilion Parish, supporting thousands of launches each year, at least eventually.

CEO Elon Musk commented by stating, “Starbase Louisiana will ultimately have over a dozen launch towers, enabling more than 30 Starship flights per day and making it the biggest launch site on Earth!”

The expansion is SpaceX’s latest move to push its launch cadence to be more frequent than ever. SpaceX said that Starbase, Louisiana, will be built to “support thousands of Starship flights a year,” with the first coming in 2029.

SpaceX announced the new facility in partnership with the Louisiana Economic Development Office as it will bring a major influx of jobs and investments into the area. Currently, it will produce more than 3,000 new jobs in Louisiana, and SpaceX plans to invest at least $100 billion into the entire facility, ensuring that many jobs are created as a result.

Environmental Responsibility

SpaceX acknowledges the impact launches could have on marshlands, local wildlife, and water sources. Here’s how the company plans to help with the issues in Vermilion Parish:

  • Restoring the Shoreline: “In Vermilion Parish, the shoreline is eroding between 3.3 and 23 feet per year. We’re partnering with state and federal agencies to expand Louisiana’s Coastal Master Plan and Coastal Wetlands Planning, Protection and Restoration Act projects, including Gulf shoreline protection breakwaters designed to reduce wave energy and slow loss along the Gulf edge.”
  • Rebuilding the Marshlands: “In working with the state, we’re planning thousands of acres of marsh creation using beneficial-use placement of dredged material and offshore sediment sources. Restoration will also include interior marsh bank stabilization and rebuilding marsh in remnant canals. These projects can reconnect fragmented wetlands, restore natural buffers against storms, and return habitat that has been lost to erosion and historic canalization.”
  • Preserving Coastal Wildlife: “Pecan Island and nearby wetlands are high-value habitat for migratory waterfowl, shorebirds, wading birds, and other coastal wildlife. SpaceX is not developing the full footprint of the land and will preserve wetlands and wildlife habitat. At existing launch sites, waterfowl and other birds continue to use nearby habitat during operations. Working with wildlife agencies, landowners, and conservation groups, SpaceX will support monitoring and management so this habitat stays productive and hunting, fishing, birding, and other recreational activities that are part of this coast’s culture can continue.”

SpaceX shares rose about 2.5 percent on the news.

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Cybertruck

Tesla just made Cybertruck more expensive

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Credit: Tesla

Tesla Cybertruck trims saw a big price change, at least on two of the three available to consumers, as demand for the all-electric pickup appears to be increasing.

Tesla bumped up its Base All-Wheel-Drive trim level up to $74,990 from $69,990 and the Premium All-Wheel-Drive configuration from $79,990 to $84,990. The Cyberbeast price remains unchanged at $99,990.

Despite questions of demand for the truck, Tesla is bumping its two least expensive trims up $5,000 to signal that there are plenty of buyers. Although SpaceX has been buying Tesla Cybertruck units to utilize as company vehicles, it is no secret that the Cybertruck is among the most sought-after Tesla models out there.

The issue has always been pricing, at least for the most part. When Tesla initially launched the Cybertruck AWD at $59,990 a few months back, the company stated that price would remain intact for just ten days due to the influx of orders it received.

Cybertruck Sales: Is It the Product or Pricing?

Depending on who you ask, you will likely hear one of two explanations for relatively low Cybertruck sales: either the product itself or the pricing.

Yes, this is the best-selling all-electric pickup on the market. However, there are people who simply hate the look of it, which I understand, but do not agree with. Look is totally subjective, and I love the look of the Cybertruck.

Some people will not buy the Cybertruck because of the look, but I am under the impression that sales would be much better if this truck were priced lower; something that might not be possible considering Tesla’s need to make money on its products. When it was unveiled in 2019, its most expensive trim level was $69,990. Now, the cheapest trim level is more expensive than that.

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I would be in a Cybertruck if it were more affordable. I LOVE my Model Y, but Cybertruck is the best vehicle Tesla makes, and it’s not particularly close. Even in the base model, the steer-by-wire, the space, storage, and performance make it more desirable than the Model Y to me. I cannot be the only Tesla owner without a Cybertruck who feels this way.

If you’re interested in buying a Tesla vehicle, use my referral link.

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