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The Tesla Blockade Coming from Legacy Automakers and Trump
Look, as the great Hunter S. Thompson used to write, the “fat is in the fire.” The auto industry is ready to do what it does best, rest on its laurels and block any disruption on their March to Mediocrity. The recent picks, by the Trump transition team, show that Tesla is not getting invited to the “economic party” and will endure real obstacles in trying to sell its range of products.
GM’s Mary Barra, the ring-leader of mediocrity in the automotive universe, was invited last week to the exclusive, inner-circle by Mr. Trump to discuss job creation. As the New York Times reported, Elon Musk wasn’t there. The man that has lead to the creation of 30,000 manufacturing jobs in the last eight years between SpaceX, Tesla Motors and the newly acquired Solar City.
And, just think about how many more jobs could have been if Texas, Iowa, Utah, Connecticut and Michigan would just say yes to America.
I digress but Tesla is the only hope for a successful transition to sustainable transport, with an administration that doesn’t want anything to do with this disruptor. It’s “all or nothing” with these king-hell, greed freaks and the sooner Tesla nation understands this ugly truth, the better. And, most do.
Sustainable Transport Competition?
So, what about the upcoming Bolt versus Model 3 showdown? Green Car Reports just bestowed the 2017 green car of the year to the Bolt. So, how did GM parlay this prestigious award into a marketing tidal wave? They didn’t. Amazingly, there wasn’t one press release about the accolade since mid-November 2016.
I also did a quick search for 2016 for other press releases on the Bolt and there’s only one. It’s about the Bolt’s plant and its green manufacturing credentials in Ontario.
Seems like one mention of the #Bolt in 2016 isn't exactly getting behind the product https://t.co/0FVduPBa8P #GM @GreenCarReports
— Grant Gerke (@grantgerke) December 8, 2016
Plus, GM will have a limited release of the Bolt in 2017 — for practical profit reasons — and on a recent Talking Tesla podcast; the fellas mentioned the scarcity of Volts currently in California. Yes, California.
However, there’s good news on the horizon for Tesla as I like the chances of the Model 3 arriving on time in 2017. In the most recent shareholder letter, financial analyst Daniel Sparks noted that Tesla seems keen on Model 3 volume manufacturing for the second half of 2017. From the Q3 shareholder letter in November:
“Gigafactory construction and Model 3 development both remain on plan to support volume Model 3 production and deliveries in the second half of 2017.”
Plus, it seems the masses are waiting for the Model 3. A recent CleanTechnica article shows that the BMW 3 Series sales are declining. See figure below.
BMW 3 Series Sales Getting Clobbered In USA As Tesla Model 3 Looms (Down 44,000 In… https://t.co/mBfjwNMpfq pic.twitter.com/8ynAZkxuhL
— CleanTechnica (@cleantechnica) December 12, 2016
However, the Tesla squeeze is coming from these oil-based cretins, and it may come in the form of limited service centers as it’s the only way to knock out Tesla. My prediction is for states to stay in opposition to consumer rights groups and block Tesla out of states like Texas, Utah and, of course, Michigan.
Some are pointing to Trump’s meeting with Silicon Valley tech leaders today as a way to extend an olive branch to Musk and others. I see it as Trump playing to the room and having Musk spill any information on the company’s plans. I doubt Musk will be too forthcoming and this meeting is probably all optics on some level.
With this mutant power structure in place and legacy automakers following, Tesla is the only hope for sustainable transport and Musk knows it.
Elon Musk
Elon Musk handed Grok something no other AI company can get their hands on
Elon Musk says SpaceX will feed engineering data into Grok’s next model, avoiding restricted material.
Elon Musk said Tuesday that SpaceX will feed its internal engineering data into the next major training run for Grok, the AI model now folded into SpaceX following February’s merger. In a post on X, Musk wrote that SpaceX’s “massive corpus of world-class engineering data,” excluding anything restricted under U.S. arms export law, will be added during supplemental training of what he called the “2T run,” a reference to a roughly two trillion parameter model that would nearly double the parameters behind the latest Grok 4.5 that’s rolling out.
SpaceX’s massive corpus of world-class engineering data (excluding material blocked by ITAR) will be added during supplemental training of the 2T run.
This will dramatically improve Grok’s engineering capabilities. https://t.co/BbQEViFByn
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 21, 2026
The excluded material that Musk is referring to would fall under the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR), which restricts export of technical data tied to defense and space hardware. That likely rules out propulsion specifics for Merlin and Raptor engines along with guidance and control details for SpaceX’s launch vehicles, but leaves manufacturing knowledge, materials science, and Starlink hardware design on the table.
The announcement extends a pattern that has been building since SpaceX’s Nasdaq debut in June, when the company went public with Grok and xAI’s Colossus supercomputer folded into the pitch to investors.
Days after that listing, SpaceX closed its $60 billion all stock acquisition of coding startup Cursor, giving xAI both enterprise software distribution and a stream of real world developer data to train on. Grok 4.5 launched July 8 running partly on that Cursor training data, with Musk describing it as roughly comparable to Anthropic’s Opus 4.7 but faster and cheaper to run.
Feeding SpaceX’s own engineering data into the next AI model follows the same logic Musk has applied across xAI’s sister companies. Tesla supplies real world driving data and manufacturing expertise, X supplies conversational data, and now SpaceX supplies aerospace engineering data built up since 2002.
Musk did not give a release date for the upcoming AI model, referred to elsewhere as Grok 4.6. He has said the two trillion parameter run is in its final training phase and expected to wrap this week.
Tesla has extended its Bay Area ride-hailing service to include pickups and drop-offs at San Francisco International Airport (SFO). The update, shared via the company’s official channels on July 21, allows users in the region to request rides directly to and from one of California’s busiest airports.
The expansion builds on Tesla’s secured limousine permit for SFO operations. Public records show the permit became effective March 20, 2026, and remains active through January 31, 2027. Tesla vehicles operating the service now display authorized limousine permits issued by the City and County of San Francisco.
Our Bay Area rideshare service now goes to SFO ✈️
— Tesla AI (@Tesla_AI) July 21, 2026
Tesla’s ride-hailing program in California relies on Model Y vehicles equipped with Full Self-Driving (Supervised) technology. Human safety drivers remain present in compliance with state regulations, distinguishing the service from fully driverless operations.
The Bay Area geofence covers a broad area spanning north of San Francisco to south of San Jose, offering extensive connectivity across the region.
UPDATE: Elon Musk reveals why Tesla didn’t say ‘Robotaxi’ upon California launch
This SFO addition follows earlier progress at other Bay Area airports. Tesla previously expanded service to San Jose Mineta International Airport (SJC) in late 2025. The company had engaged with SFO, SJC, and Oakland International Airport officials as early as September 2025 to secure necessary approvals for passenger transport.
The service provides a new option for travelers seeking electric, app-based transportation integrated with Tesla’s ecosystem. Rides are booked through Tesla’s dedicated ride-hailing application, which handles matching, routing, and payments. Pricing follows standard ride-hailing models, with potential adjustments based on distance, time, and demand.
Tesla’s California ride-hailing program launched in July 2025 with an initial invite-only rollout in the Bay Area. It started alongside operations in Austin, Texas, marking the company’s second major U.S. market.
The Bay Area remains a primary focus in California, with service centered on high-demand corridors connecting residential, commercial, and now major transportation hubs. This latest airport integration represents a practical step in Tesla’s broader mobility ambitions within the state.
Tesla has officially revealed its 2026 Summer Update, which comes with a variety of crazy new features, including Navigation fixes that owners have been wanting for months.
Tesla routinely releases a larger update with the Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter updates, where it ships a variety of new features, bug fixes, and other additions to customer cars.
The 2026 Spring Update featured things like “Hey Grok” voice assistance, a redesigned self-driving app, Unreal Engine visual upgrades, and more.
🚨 TESLA’S SUMMER UPDATE FOR 2026 IS HERE:
Featuring:
✅ Self-Driving Stats in Mobile App
✅ Caraoke with Scoring
✅ Automatic Navigation
✅ Preferred Routes
✅ Set Arrival Energy from Mobile App
✅ Send Custom Wraps from Mobile App
✅ Rear Display Lock
✅ Other Improvements
🔌… https://t.co/C9IW3egEhH— TESLARATI (@Teslarati) July 21, 2026
Tesla’s Summer Release has about ten new features; we’ll show you each and detail them below:
New Grok Voice Commands
“Grok can now make phone calls, search and play music, adjust climate, open the glovebox, and answer questions about your Tesla.”
Self-Driving Stats in Mobile App
“View and share self-driving stats from the mobile app.”
Caraoke With Scoring
“Caraoke now scores your singing while in Park. High scores are saved to your Tesla profile.”
Automatic Navigation
“Automatic Navigation now adapts to your routine.
In addition to Home, Work, and upcoming calendar events, your vehicle can now suggest and route to places you visit regularly – like a school drop-off on the way to work, or the gym on the way home.”
Preferred Routes
“For a more personalized experience, navigation now prioritizes routes that you’ve taken before”
Set Arrival Energy from Mobile App
“Set your desired Arrival Energy from your phone.”
Send Custom Wraps from Mobile App
“Skip the USB drive and upload a custom wrap of your car from the mobile app. Instructions for creating a custom wrap here: https://github.com/teslamotors/custom-wraps.”
Rear Display Lock
“Kids can watch content on the rear screen, but only the front row can control it through the rear screen app.”
Other Improvements
- Find Superchargers by name when searching for a destination
- Add Apple Music songs to queue from search and artist page
- Set your preferred zoom level for the Self-Driving visualization
- Intro animations for new Model 3 and Y
Tesla Mobile App gets a new feature that wrap fans are going to love
Elon Musk handed Grok something no other AI company can get their hands on
