Tesla has some of the most technologically advanced and sustainable vehicles consumers can buy on the market today. However, as Tesla Raj notes in one of his newest videos, his Tesla Model 3, along with other vehicles in the company’s lineup, are missing some of the most basic features that are available on models from other companies that are several years old. This begs the question: Would Tesla vehicles be even better with the five basic features Raj requests?
Cross-Traffic Alert System
One of the most important features that Raj lists is the Cross-Traffic Alert System. Noting that his wife’s 2016 Toyota RAV4 Hybrid has the system, which is highly effective in alerting the driver of an oncoming obstacle that is out of sight, Raj said his Model 3 lacks this somewhat basic safety feature.
While the Model 3 does offer wide-angle views from both rear quarter panels that could assist in a little more of a view, it still does not utilize any sort of system to sense objects, people, or vehicles that may be moving toward the Model 3. In a crowded Supermarket parking lot, Cross-Traffic Alert Systems are highly effective in keeping the driver vigilant as others look for a spot or shoppers head in or out of the store, perhaps with a heavy cart full of food. This simple addition could keep the car undamaged and could even save a life. Raj’s daughter, who was riding a scooter in the demonstration, was below the vehicles on either side of the Tesla. She was impossible to see until she entered the vehicle’s repeater camera view, which would likely give the driver a fraction-of-a-fraction of a second to stop.
As you can see in the pictures below, smaller obstacles, like shopping carts, as well as small children, are hidden by the vehicles parked next to Raj’s Model 3. A child is not seen until they are right behind the vehicle. These would be solved with basic sensors, which Tesla already has installed in their vehicles.
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- The Tesla Model 3’s rear-view cameras lack a Cross-Traffic Alert System, which would help drivers see smaller obstacles that could be hidden by nearby vehicles (Credit: Tesla Raj)
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- The Tesla Model 3’s rear-view cameras lack a Cross-Traffic Alert System, which would help drivers see smaller obstacles that could be hidden by nearby vehicles (Credit: Tesla Raj)
360-Degree Camera Views
Raj’s wife’s 2016 RAV4 Hybrid also equips a 360-degree camera, which the Model 3 also lacks. In October 2020, Tesla CEO Elon Musk confirmed that a Birds-Eye, 360-degree view of the vehicle would be coming with Full Self-Driving. It has not been released with the current iteration of Tesla’s semi-autonomous driving program, but Musk may have meant that the feature would not be released until FSD is actually complete, which would activate the company’s plans for a Robotaxi Fleet. However, so many vehicles have this feature already, which would activate full-range views of every obstacle around the car. The wide-range perspective would even help complement the previously-mentioned Cross-Traffic Alert System.
Vector-space bird’s eye view coming with FSD
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 3, 2020
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Tesla does offer those repeater cameras to help with a wider view of the car. However, they do not show a Birds-Eye angle, nor do they show the sides of the car.
Apple Music + CarPlay
If you follow Raj and Elon Musk on Twitter, you will know that Raj has requested the Tesla CEO to add this feature on many occasions, and for good reasons. While Tesla does currently offer Spotify, the world’s largest streaming platform for music and podcasts, and Tidal, another streaming app, the cars do not feature Apple Music support. Spotify does offer high-quality streaming, granted you are connected to a network that can support high download speeds. Tesla’s sound system, which has been noted as high quality by many, including Musk himself (surprise, surprise), is not getting used to its full capabilities without high-quality streaming services.
Apple Music supports Dolby Atmos’ spatial audio, which allows for high-quality streaming.
It would also support a lot of Tesla owners, as a poll Raj conducted showed 74 percent of the 2,292 votes received came from Apple owners utilizing iOS.
Tesla Owners what operating system is on your phone?
— Tesla Raj (@tesla_raj) July 28, 2022
Apple’s CarPlay is also highly intuitive, easy to use, and is supported by most automotive brands. I’m not sure if this comes down to some tech-based rivalry or just the fact that Tesla is not willing to license Apple’s software, but it would be a huge upside if these features were compatible with the vehicle.
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Ease of Access to the Frunk
The lack of an engine in electric vehicles allows the Frunk – or Front Trunk – to exist. It gives owners just a little bit more room to store things like luggage or groceries, and it varies from vehicle to vehicle. The F-150 Lightning, for example, has a sizeable Frunk, basically adding a sedan-sized trunk to the already large bed area.
Ford F-150 Lightning unveiled: Price, Release date, Range, Features and more
The Model 3 Frunk is not easy to access, at least in Raj’s opinion. He would like to see an exterior Frunk access button or sensor that could remove the need to open the hood with the Tesla App or from the interior touch screen. Some vehicles have a sensor for trunks located underneath the rear bumper. It can be tapped with a foot to open and comes in handy when your hands might be full of groceries.
Tesla Model 3 frunk cargo space [Source: PTFI via Twitter]
The Frunk is one of the most underrated parts of an electric vehicle, in my opinion. It should be easier to access, and you should not need a screen to do so.
Fleet-based User Generated Content
This is perhaps one of the most practical ideas Raj included in his video and is something that navigation apps like Waze and Apple Maps have included in their platforms. Alerting other drivers of hazards, police, accidents, stoppages, and other important occurrences on the road would be ideal to share between Tesla drivers. Reporting things like road debris or an officer shooting radar would most certainly be advantageous to the safety of drivers. It has allowed people to communicate with road conditions and is constantly updated by asking future drivers whether the hazard or obstacle is still present.
Credit: Apple
What do you think about Tesla Raj’s list? Be sure to let him know on Twitter @tesla_raj, and be sure to comment your thoughts below.
Elon Musk shed two new bits of detail on Starship following its 13th test launch, which was an overwhelming success.
SpaceX launched Starship for the 13th time last Friday after two delays: one on Monday when several Raptor engines did not ignite, and another on Thursday due to unfavorable weather conditions in Starbase, Texas.
The launch was overwhelmingly successful. SpaceX was able to complete a necessary test of the heat shield tiles by increasing the acceleration of Starship from launch throughout the flight; 20 Starlink v3 satellites were released with no issue; the Super Heavy Booster landed safely in the Gulf of America, Ship successfully reignited engines while in space; and it also splashed down without incident in the Indian Ocean.
SpaceX Starship just nailed something it’s never done before
Nevertheless, more details are coming out about Starship, and Musk is doing the talking.
Starship Will Be Retrieved in the Ocean
Musk revealed on Tuesday night that Starship would be recovered by a ship in the Indian Ocean. SpaceX routinely tries to recover Starship after splashdown in an effort to find out more about the flight by examining the spacecraft afterward.
We’re sending a ship out to recover Starship https://t.co/fUqUZTITO9
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 28, 2026
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This helps engineers find out more about why things might have happened, allows them to examine any potential damage or anomalies that might have occurred, and increases the chances of an even more successful flight next time thanks to the additional information recovered.
Ship Could Have Been Caught by Tower Arms, Musk claims
Musk has already indicated that SpaceX will plan to attempt a catch of Starship with the 14th test flight. While this would be a major accomplishment, it would be an expected next step, considering the fact that the Super Heavy Booster has already been caught by the chopsticks on numerous occasions.
The ship landing was precise, meaning that it would have been caught by the tower arms https://t.co/6nbNrRfX9P
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 29, 2026
A ship catch would be a great indication of where SpaceX stands in terms of reusability and launch cadence. A successful catch with relatively no incidents would be a good sign that SpaceX is nearing a more frequent launch of Starship, but also that the reusability of the massive rocket would be something many would expect in the near future.
It is a necessity to make life multiplanetary.
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Elon Musk has updated his timeline for when humans will walk on Mars and for when ships will simply get there.
The objective of getting to Mars has been one of Musk’s biggest goals since becoming a serial entrepreneur and realizing that time on Earth is limited. Musk has said several times he hopes to die on Mars, and not by impact.
Musk now believes that people will be on Mars in “roughly 5 to 7 years.” He said that a Mars lander will get there “a few years sooner.”
People on Mars in roughly 5 to 7 years.
Mars lander a few years sooner.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 29, 2026
The response from Musk comes after NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said that SpaceX’s biggest priority is the Moon and not Mars. Because of this, Isaacman conceded that he believes nuclear power and propulsion investments will provide “potentially the pathway with the fewest miracles required to put four people on Mars in the next 10 to 15 years.”
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Of course, this is what NASA can do through taxpayer funding and nuclear investments, he added.
Musk’s grand ambitions are much more optimistic than most, and it is certainly a double-edged sword. This is not the first time timelines for Mars have been somewhat lofty, especially to those normal thinkers like you and me, not super geniuses like Musk.
In fact, the SpaceX and Tesla frontman has said on at least a dozen occasions that we could be on Mars in the coming years. Musk said 2020 would be the big year as early as 2009. In 2020, he was “highly confident” of a landing in 2026, and had even said 2024 in a best-case scenario.
The point is, the range has varied, and it’s anyone’s guess when we’ll get there. This latest adjustment to the timeline is typical of Musk, and while the Moon has seemingly taken priority over Mars, it is still worth mentioning that the ultimate goal is to make life multiplanetary, and it starts potentially with the Red Planet.
SpaceX (NASDAQ: SPCX) got an absolutely crazy price target rating from Raymond James after the company experienced a tough first few weeks following its Initial Public Offering (IPO).
Despite the tumultuous start, SpaceX has plenty of believers, and the company’s massively successful Starship launch last Friday, its 13th test flight of the massive rocket, went so smoothly that Raymond James analysts pushed its price target on the company to roughly 7 times its current trading level.
SpaceX Starship just nailed something it’s never done before
The firm officially put a “Strong Buy” rating and an $800 price target on the stock. It currently trades at around $113. Its all-time high is $225.64, reaching this trading level shortly after shares first went public.
Raymond James’ price target is tied to the firm’s confidence after Starship’s 13th test flight. Analysts at the firm said it was an incremental step that reduces engineering risks, citing the widely successful heat shield test that CEO Elon Musk recently detailed, the smooth deployment of Starlink V3 satellites, and a successful in-space engine relight.
SpaceX also managed to see Starship splash down safely in the Indian Ocean, while the Super Heavy Booster fell down to the Gulf of America with no incidents.
It is interesting to see these launches have such a tremendous impact on the stock and what investors think of it. After SpaceX initially delayed the Starship launch last week, shares fell tremendously. Most probably did not realize that the stand-down is a standard practice, especially if everything is not perfect.
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The mission was initially aborted due to an issue with Raptor engines. This was resolved, and Starship launched last Friday after another delay on Thursday, which was caused by weather.
Now that analysts have seen what SpaceX launches are capable of and how impressive the feat is, firms are adjusting their price targets accordingly, making it known that they have high expectations for the space exploration company.
Elon Musk sheds two new bits of detail on Starship after 13th test launch
Elon Musk updates the SpaceX timeline for Mars
