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Tesla’s ‘Big Green’ Semi truck gets a shoutout from Kimbal Musk

[Credit: Kimbal Musk/Instagram]

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The Tesla Semi recently got a shoutout from someone who is part of Elon Musk’s most intimate circle — Kimbal Musk. In a recent post on his Instagram page, Kimbal dubbed the electric long-hauler as a “Big Green” Tesla Semi, referencing his nonprofit organization aimed at building Learning Gardens for schools across the United States.

Quite interestingly, Kimbal Musk’s projects, such as Big Green and Square Roots, could benefit from using the Tesla Semi. Big Green, for one, is involved with building interactive, modular gardens where young American students can learn about real food and healthy eating habits. Considering Kimbal Musk’s goal of building 100,000 Learning Gardens across the US, having an electric truck that can haul materials would be a good idea.

The Tesla Semi is also a perfect match for Kimbal’s Square Roots farming project. Square Roots involves converting old shipping crates into advanced, climate-controlled indoor farms that can yield more than 50 pounds of organic, non-GMO, pesticide-free greens each week. So far, Square Roots is only operating its shipping container-farms in Brooklyn, NY, but it’s not too difficult to see a future where the farming startup’s indoor farms can be transported and set up in other key US cities.

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bj4v7w4Apa6/?taken-by=kimbalmusk

Since being unveiled last November, the Tesla Semi has been sighted numerous times across the United States. Back in March, Elon Musk announced in his social media pages that Tesla would start using the all-electric trucks as transport vehicles to haul battery packs from Gigafactory 1 in Sparks, NV to the Fremont factory in CA. The two Tesla Semi prototypes have also been spotted conducting transport runs between Tesla’s headquarters in Palo Alto, CA and Fremont.

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During its unveiling back in November, Elon Musk outlined several of the Semi’s impressive specs. Just like Tesla’s other vehicles, the Semi is capable of quick acceleration, thanks to its four Model 3-derived electric motors that produce instant torque. From a dead stop, the Semi is capable of sprinting from 0-60 mph in just 5 seconds, compared to about 15 seconds on a similar Class 8 diesel truck. With a full 80,000-pound load, the Semi can hit 60 mph in 20 seconds. On average, diesel-powered Class 8 trailers hit highway speeds in about a minute.

The Tesla Semi is capable of climbing 5% grades at a steady 65 mph, unlike diesel trucks that max out at 45 mph on 5% grades. Lastly, thanks to an upcoming network of Megachargers, the Semi will be capable of charging up to 400 miles of range in just 30 minutes.

The interior of the Tesla Semi as spotted during the 2018 Annual Shareholder Meeting. [Credit: TeslaModel11/Reddit]

During Tesla’s Q1 2018 earnings call, both Elon Musk and CTO JB Straubel noted that the production version of the Semi’s long-range variant would likely have almost 600 miles of range per charge. These statements, of course, stand in stark contrast to criticisms from Tesla’s competitors, especially Daimler AG head of trucks Martin Daum, who threw shade at Tesla earlier this year by suggesting that the Semi’s rated specs, if accurate, defy the laws of physics. According to Straubel, much of competitors’ criticisms come from a misunderstanding of Tesla’s battery technology.

“There’s a fundamental misunderstanding, I think, of what the current technology in our existing products can actually do. Maybe that’s just a misunderstanding of the current status of the technology versus others in the industry. If they’re benchmarking sort of the best battery pack they can buy from a supplier, and then mapping that with what the Semi could do, it doesn’t solve,” Straubel said.

While Tesla is not actively pushing sales for the Semi, Straubel noted during the first-quarter earnings call that the all-electric long-hauler has roughly 2,000 reservations to date. Production of the Tesla Semi is expected to begin in 2019.  

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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 confirms cryptic X post was related to SpaceX, not TSLA stock

Musk shared his update in a post on social media platform X.

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Joel Kowsky, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Elon Musk has confirmed that a cryptic post he shared earlier this month was related to his private sale enterprise, SpaceX, not electric vehicle maker Tesla. 

Musk shared his update in a post on social media platform X. 

Musk’s cryptic post

Earlier this month, the CEO posted the cryptic words “You’ll Thank Me Later” on X. The post quickly gained attention on social media, as Tesla watchers and Elon Musk fans speculated on what the words could mean. With the announcement that Musk has purchased $1 billion of TSLA stock in the open market, some speculated that the cryptic post was a teaser of sorts to shareholders.

Musk’s massive TSLA purchase was the biggest in history, and it also stood as a notable vote of confidence for the company as it attempts to enter a new era led by robots, AI, and autonomous driving. This was likely one of the reasons why Tesla stock saw a notable rise on Monday’s trading. In another post, however, Musk confirmed that his cryptic post was not in any way related to his stock purchase.

All SpaceX

Considering that all the words in Musk’s post started with an uppercase letter, some space fans immediately speculated that the CEO was teasing something related to SpaceX. The company’s three drone ships, Just Read the Instructions (JRTI), Of Course I Still Love You (OCISLY), and A Shortfall of Gravitas (ASOG), after all, follow similar naming styles. 

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This was one of the reasons why some TSLA shareholders noted on X that Musk’s post was likely SpaceX-related. In response to one of these comments, Musk stated that these speculations are “Correct.”

The only question now is what exactly Musk was referring to in his post. Perhaps the CEO really was hinting at the name of the drone ship that will be tasked to retrieve Starship in the middle of the ocean.

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Tesla Model Y leads as weekly registrations in China hit Q3 high

Out of Tesla China’s 15,350 registrations, the Model Y once again accounted for the majority.

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Credit: Tesla China

Tesla recorded 15,350 insurance registrations in China during the week of September 8–14, marking a 7.3% increase compared to the prior week. The figure also represents the highest weekly result so far in the third quarter of 2025.

Model Y still leads demand

Out of the 15,350 registrations, the Model Y once again accounted for the majority. Data shows 9,460 registrations for the standard Model Y, complemented by 1,030 units of the newly launched extended wheelbase, six-seat Model Y L. Tesla also logged 4,860 Model 3 sedans for the week as well, as noted in a CNEV Post report.

The Model Y L, which debuted in late August, registered a modest uptick from the 900 registrations it saw the week before. Volumes remain relatively low, suggesting that the variant will not meaningfully change Tesla’s third-quarter sales trajectory. That being said, Tesla China’s previous comments about the Model Y L’s demand suggest that an uptick in registrations may be coming in the next weeks.

The ramp of the Model Y L will likely be a notable topic among Tesla watchers, as its ramp will still be quite a task despite the vehicle being just a new variant of the all-electric crossover. With this in mind, meaningful numbers of Model Y L registrations may hit their pace in the next quarter instead.

Tesla China’s momentum

As per data from the China Passenger Car Association (CPCA), Tesla’s retail sales in August 2025 totaled 57,152 units. That figure marked a 9.9% decline from August 2024’s 63,456 units, but a significant 40.7% increase from July’s 40,617 deliveries.

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Quarter-to-date, Tesla China’s results show a 34.4% gain compared to the previous quarter but remain down 11% year-over-year. Year-to-date, Tesla is down about 7% in China versus the same period in 2024. With only a couple more weeks before the end of the third quarter, Tesla China’s registrations may help determine whether the company could catch up to its 2024 numbers this year. 

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Tesla Supercharger access has proven to be a challenge for one company

Interestingly, it seems to be the Volkswagen brand specifically that is having issues with compatibility with Tesla Superchargers. Other brands under the VW umbrella, like Audi and Porsche, have already gained access to the charging network.

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Credit: MarcoRP | X

Tesla Supercharger access has proven to be quite the challenge for one company, as it continues to delay the date that it will enable its owners to charge at the most expansive network in the world.

Tesla Superchargers have been opening up to other brands for well over a year, and many car companies that are manufacturing electric vehicles now have access to the vast network that has over 70,000 locations worldwide.

Tesla to launch Supercharger access for VW owners later this year

However, one brand has experienced some issues with what it is calling “technical challenges,” specifically failing to enable cross-compatibility between its vehicles and Tesla Superchargers.

Volkswagen has had to delay its ability to enable customers to charge at Superchargers because there have been some difficulties getting things to run smoothly. A report from PCMag cites a quote from a Volkswagen spokesperson who said there are still plans to deliver this year, but there have been some delays:

“Volkswagen looks forward to making it possible for ID. Buzz and ID.4 vehicle owners to gain access to the Tesla NACS Partner Superchargers. The timeline has been delayed by technical challenges, and we ask for customers’ patience. We still expect to deliver access this year.”

Interestingly, it seems to be the Volkswagen brand specifically that is having issues with compatibility with Tesla Superchargers. Other brands under the VW umbrella, like Audi and Porsche, have already gained access to the charging network.

Volkswagen EV owners will need to use an official VW adapter to access the Tesla Supercharger Network once the issues are resolved. It still plans to launch access to its owners later this year, but its spokesperson did not announce any planned timeline.

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