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Tesla Model X with FSD beta drives itself to service center with no interventions

Credit: Tesla Owners Silicon Valley/Twitter

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When Tesla achieves its autonomy targets and rolls out the full-featured version of its Full Self-Driving system, the idea of electric cars driving themselves to their respective service appointments may very well be the norm. The current iteration of Tesla’s FSD Beta is not fully autonomous yet, but the system already achieved such a feat recently, when a Model X drove itself from its owner’s home to a service center with zero interventions. 

The drive, which was shared on YouTube, was posted by John, a Tesla Model X owner and the founder of the Tesla Owners of Silicon Valley group. According to the electric vehicle advocate, his Model X, which was running FSD beta 8.1 (2020.48.35.1), had a service appointment. This presented an opportunity to see if the current iteration of the FSD beta could handle a drive from a residential area to the Tesla service center. 

As could be seen in the trip’s footage, FSD beta 8.1 was able to handle the entire trip without requiring a single human intervention. Granted, traffic was light in a good number of the roads that the FSD beta traveled on, but the feat was impressive nonetheless. It did, if any, provide a glimpse at how Tesla owners in the future could simply have their vehicles drive to their respective service appointments on their own. Such a concept would make the Tesla ownership experience even more convenient. 

Tesla’s FSD beta has gone through numerous iterations since it was launched to its first batch of testers in late October last year. Since then, the advanced driver-assist system has become progressively better, with recent iterations behaving almost like a cautious human driver. This was exhibited in a drive through San Francisco’s streets when the FSD beta had to deal with several skateboarders who decided to counterflow while the system had the right of way. 

The FSD Beta’s safety was something highlighted by Elon Musk during his conversation with automotive teardown expert Sandy Munro. Musk noted that Tesla aims to make Teslas so far that they would not crash even under extremely challenging circumstances. 

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Watch Tesla’s FSD beta drive from a residential area to a service center without interventions in the video below. 

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Simon is an experienced automotive reporter with a passion for electric cars and clean energy. Fascinated by the world envisioned by Elon Musk, he hopes to make it to Mars (at least as a tourist) someday. For stories or tips--or even to just say a simple hello--send a message to his email, simon@teslarati.com or his handle on X, @ResidentSponge.

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Elon Musk

Tesla’s popular side business is going to get bigger, Elon Musk says

It took several years to get the Diner developed, built, and opened. On July 21, Tesla launched the Diner to the public at 4:20 p.m. local time (of course), after years of development. Musk first offered the idea of a drive-in Supercharger Diner back in December 2018.

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tesla diner in los angeles during daytime
Credit: Matt Hartman

Tesla will open two new Diner locations in the United States after its first location in Los Angeles has been a raging success, as it is constantly packed and serving food for 24 hours a day, every day.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk said that the initial Diner location on Santa Monica Boulevard is “going well,” and based on reviews and its constant out-the-door lines, it is safe to say it has been a major outlet of interest for people in the area.

It features two massive movie screens, a menu that is locally sourced and has been created by a world-class chef, and Supercharging for EVs. It truly is the perfect stop for those who are hungry, need entertainment, or need a quick charge.

tesla diner

Credit: Tesla

So far, Tesla has not released too many details on the success of the restaurant, but it did state in a graphic for its Q3 Supercharging stats that it sold roughly 50,000 burgers at the Diner in Q3, roughly 715 each day. Burgers are not the only thing on the menu, either.

With how well it has gone, Musk is now considering the possibility of new locations that are notable to Tesla, including Austin and Palo Alto.

On Friday, Musk revealed he believes it “probably makes sense to open one” near Gigafactory Texas and Engineering HQ in Palo Alto:”

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It took several years to get the Diner developed, built, and opened. On July 21, Tesla launched the Diner to the public at 4:20 p.m. local time (of course), after years of development. Musk first offered the idea of a drive-in Supercharger Diner back in December 2018.

By 2023, Tesla had secured building permits and broken ground on the site in September of that year.

Since its launch, it has been a popular hotspot for Tesla fans and others to visit, although it has attracted unwanted attention from protestors as well.

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They look hungry. If they walked inside and ordered some food, maybe they’d stop yelling into microphones and threatening Musk.

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Elon Musk’s AI empire grows as xAI leases Palo Alto space near Tesla

The expanding footprint of Elon Musk’s companies in Palo Alto bodes well for the CEO’s plans in the area.

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Credit: xAI/X

Elon Musk’s artificial intelligence startup, xAI, is expanding its Silicon Valley footprint, leasing roughly 105,000 square feet of office space at Palo Alto’s Page Mill Center, just blocks away from Tesla’s engineering complex.

Musk’s deepening Silicon Valley footprint

People familiar with the matter have informed the San Francisco Business Times that xAI’s lease at Page Mill Center may already have been finalized, adding to the company’s existing headquarters at 1450 Page Mill Road. The two offices share a parking lot, reflecting Musk’s strategy of consolidating his ventures. Tesla’s engineering hub is also just a few blocks away.

The new offices form a growing cluster of Musk-led companies in the heart of the Valley and come as xAI has listed over 250 job openings. These include listings for engineers, designers, and technical staff, among others. 

xAI’s aggressive hiring push hints at rapid scaling, which makes quite a lot of sense considering the company’s ambitious projects. xAI oversees the large language model Grok and other AI initiatives such as the newly launched Grokipedia, and the startup has also acquired the social media platform X. Real estate owner Hudson Pacific Properties, the owners of Page Mill Center, have so far declined to comment.

AI demand and Silicon Valley’s office rebound

Silicon Valley’s office market, long subdued by remote work trends, is seeing renewed activity from AI firms. Hudson Pacific told investors this summer that tenant demand has reached a three-year high, with over half of new leases driven by artificial intelligence companies. Vacancy rates have now fallen for four straight quarters to 16.6% as well, CBRE reported.

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The expanding footprint of Elon Musk’s companies in Palo Alto bodes well for the CEO’s plans in the area. Musk, after all, has previously butted heads with officials, resulting in his two biggest ventures, electric vehicle maker Tesla and private space company SpaceX, officially relocating their headquarters to Texas.

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Starship lunar update shows SpaceX will not give up the Moon without a fight

SpaceX stated that the revised concept aims to “result in a faster return to the moon while simultaneously improving crew safety.”

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Credit: SpaceX

SpaceX is reassessing its Starship mission plan for NASA’s Artemis 3 program, exploring what it calls a “simplified” architecture that could accelerate the first crewed lunar landing of the 21st century. 

The private space company stated that the revised concept aims to “result in a faster return to the moon while simultaneously improving crew safety,” following NASA’s decision to reopen the lunar mission contract to new competition.

SpaceX outlines HLS progress

In a blog post titled To the Moon and Beyond, SpaceX detailed recent Starship milestones and reaffirmed its role as a “core enabler” of NASA’s lunar ambitions. As per SpaceX, its efforts are not just aimed at returning to the Moon. It is aimed at establishing a permanent, sustainable presence on the lunar surface. 

“Since the contract was awarded, we have been consistently responsive to NASA as requirements for Artemis III have changed and have shared ideas on how to simplify the mission to align with national priorities. In response to the latest calls, we’ve shared and are formally assessing a simplified mission architecture and concept of operations that we believe will result in a faster return to the Moon while simultaneously improving crew safety,” SpaceX wrote in its post.

The post described Starship’s vast potential for lunar operations, noting that a single vehicle provides over 600 cubic meters of pressurized habitable volume, roughly two-thirds that of pressurized volume of the entire International Space Station, and is “complete with a cabin that can be scaled for large numbers of explorers and dual airlocks for surface exploration.” 

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SpaceX also mentioned its fixed-price NASA contract, which ensures taxpayer protection while incentivizing milestone-based progress. As part of its preparations for a Moon mission, SpaceX plans to conduct a key in-space refueling demonstration in 2026, as noted in a Space.com report. Regerdless, SpaceX is still continuing the parallel development of its “core” Starship for Mars and deep-space exploration.

SpaceX’s update followed NASA concerns

NASA Acting Administrator Sean Duffy recently voiced frustration over Starship’s pace, noting on CNBC that SpaceX “pushed their timelines out” while the U.S. remains in a race against rivals. In a comment, Duffy stated that NASA will not wait for one company as it pushes forward with its Artemis program.

“I love SpaceX. It’s an amazing company. The problem is, they’re behind. They’ve pushed their timelines out, and we’re in a race against China. The president and I want to get to the Moon in this president’s term, so I’m going to open up the contracts. I’m going to let other space companies compete with SpaceX, like Blue Origin,” Duffy said.

Elon Musk publicly criticized Duffy over his remarks, but SpaceX’s latest update has shifted the focus back to technical progress and mission readiness. While SpaceX did not elaborate on the details of its simplified architecture, Musk hinted that Starship could eventually accomplish “the whole moon mission” on its own. “Starship will build Moonbase Alpha,” Musk wrote in a recent post on X. 

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