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Tesla’s education grant for Nevada offers students with more opportunities to pursue robotics
In a high school in Nevada last Monday, Tesla officials, together with education leaders from the state, announced a new effort to encourage students to pursue robotics. The new program, which is part of Tesla’s initiatives to promote the STEM field to students, was unveiled at the Cimarron-Memorial High School in Las Vegas, NV.
Last month, Tesla announced that it would be releasing the first $1.5 million of the company’s pledged $37.5 million grant to Nevada’s education sector. The grant was outlined in the company’s documents from October 2014, where Tesla listed the $37.5 million donation as part of Gigafactory 1’s incentive package. Tesla pledged to make direct contributions to the state’s K-12 programs in its filings to the state, as part of a program that would provide opportunities for students who would like to pursue STEM-related careers.
Cimarron-Memorial High School’s students fit the bill for Tesla’s target demographic. The high school current hosts a robotics team named the High Rollers (also known as FIRST Team 987), which has garnered several wins from competitions under their belt. Students from Cimarron-Memorial have also been involved in mentoring other robotics teams throughout the Clark County School District in Nevada.
For their efforts and the progress the school has made so far in its robotics program, Tesla awarded Cimarron-Memorial with its first-ever Tesla Spark Inspiration Award. Together with other STEM-focused nonprofits such a FIRST, Tesla is now looking to build on the high school’s success, with a goal of establishing a robotics team in every school in the state. In a statement to local news network Las Vegas Now, Cimarron-Memorial High School student Jessica Spierer noted that she is glad to be part of the emerging robotics field.
“The economy and everything is changing, and the world is changing into technology and more robots and more technical fields, and it’s very good to get into it. I’m very happy to be in it,” she said.
Tesla’s grant to the Nevada education system is expected to be rolled out on a quarterly basis. The recipients of the company’s initial $1.5 million grant were selected by Tesla, teachers, business leaders, and government officials last month. For the initial $1.5 million grant, the round of recipients included FIRST Nevada, which would receive $315,550, the Robotics Education and Competition Foundation, which would receive $127,100, and the DRI at UNR, which would receive $263,924 to help develop teacher training programs on robotics and STEM. Other recipients included The Envirolution, Inc., Jobs for Nevada Graduates, and Sierra Nevada Journeys.
Apart from its pledged $37.5 million grant to the Nevada school system, Tesla’s filings submitted for Gigafactory 1 in 2014 also outlined plans to fund battery development research at the UNL. Tesla also mentioned a program to support the state’s veterans by providing them with employment opportunities.
“Tesla will make direct contributions to K-12 education of $37.5 million beginning August 2018; grant $1 million to fund advanced battery research at UNLV; prioritize the employment of Nevadans and Veterans.”
Tesla’s Gigafactory 1 is tasked with the monumental task of building the drivetrain and battery pack of the Model 3, the company’s first attempt at a true mass-market electric sedan. Tesla’s incentive deal for the facility notes that the factory is expected to increase regional employment by 10% with a total economic impact of roughly $100 billion. Gigafactory 1 is also expected to generate approximately $1.9 billion in total financial impacts.
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Tesla adjusts Robotaxi safety monitor strategy in Austin with new service area
The positioning of the driver, as well as the driver’s hands being closer to the steering wheel, is more similar to what Tesla is doing in the Bay Area Robotaxi program than it is to what it has done in Austin.
Tesla has adjusted its Robotaxi safety monitor strategy in Austin after it expanded its service area in the city last week for the third time.
Tesla has been operating its Robotaxi platform in Austin since June 22. The vehicles have been operated without a driver, but Tesla has placed safety monitors in the passenger’s seat as a precaution.
The safety monitors are responsible for performing any necessary interventions and maintaining a safe and comfortable cabin for riders as they experience Tesla’s first venture into the driverless ride-sharing space.
Last week, Tesla expanded its service area in Austin for the third time, expanding it from about 90 square miles to 170 square miles. The expansion included new territory, including the Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, Tesla’s Gigafactory Texas, and several freeways.
Tesla Robotaxi geofence expansion enters Plaid Mode and includes a surprise
The freeway is an area that is uncharted territory for the Tesla Robotaxi program, and this fact alone encouraged Tesla to switch up its safety monitor positioning for the time being.
For now, they will be riding in the driver’s seat when routes require freeway travel:
Sept 1 in Austin and our Robotaxi arrived with Tesla safety driver in the driver seat, similar to the Bay area (no logo on the car). Here’s that first moment when I realized, our autonomous car was heading onto the freeway. pic.twitter.com/1QfyN2Ubzf
— Gail 🇺🇸 (@gailalfaratx) September 2, 2025
The positioning of the driver, as well as the driver’s hands being closer to the steering wheel, is more similar to what Tesla is doing in the Bay Area Robotaxi program than it is to what it has done in Austin.
This is sure to draw criticism from skeptics, but it is simply a step to keep things controlled and safe while the first Robotaxi drives take passengers on the highway with this version of the Full Self-Driving software.
This FSD version differs from the one that customers have in their own vehicles, but CEO Elon Musk has indicated something big is coming soon. FSD v14 is coming to vehicles in the near future, and Musk has said its performance is pretty incredible.
Tesla’s Elon Musk shares optimistic teaser about FSD V14: “Feels sentient”
News
Tesla has best month ever in Turkey with drastic spike in sales
Tesla managed to sell 8,730 Model Y vehicles in Turkey, outpacing almost every competitor by a substantial margin. Only one brand sold better than Tesla in August in Turkey, and it was Renault.
Tesla had its best monthly performance ever in Turkey in August, thanks to a drastic spike in sales.
Tesla saw an 86 percent bump in sales of the new Model Y in Turkey in August compared to July, dominating the market.
The performance was one of Tesla’s best in the market, and the company’s sales for the month accounted for half of all EV sales in Turkey for August, as it dominated and led BYD, which was the second-best-selling brand with just 1,639 units sold.
Tesla managed to sell 8,730 Model Y vehicles in Turkey, outpacing almost every competitor by a substantial margin. Only one brand sold better than Tesla in August in Turkey, and it was Renault.
Turkey reported 8,730 Tesla sales and 10.6% market share in August. BEV penetration is 21.3% and Tesla has 49.9% of this segment. 🇹🇷
• Market share is 558 basis points or 111% above the 3-month trailing average of 5.0%
• Tesla second best-selling brand
• Model Y best-selling… pic.twitter.com/qLhX7VQWXp— Roland Pircher (@piloly) September 2, 2025
Electric vehicles are, in some ways, more desirable than their gas counterparts in Turkey for several reasons. Most of the reasoning is financial.
First, EVs are subject to a lower Special Consumption Tax in Turkey. EVs can range from 25 percent to up to 170 percent, but this is less than the 70 to 220 percent rate that gas-powered vehicles can face. The tax is dependent on engine size.
Additionally, EVs are exempt from the annual Motor Vehicle Tax for the first ten years, providing consumers with a long-term ownership advantage. There are also credits that can amount to $30,000 in breaks, which makes them more accessible and brings down the cost of ownership.
Let’s not forget the other advantages that are felt regardless of country: cheaper fuel costs, reduced maintenance, and improved performance.
The base Model Y is the only configuration available in Turkey currently.
News
Tesla is upgrading airbag safety through a crazy software update
“This upgrade builds upon your vehicle’s superior crash protection by now using Tesla Vision to help offer some of the most cutting-edge airbag performance in the event of a frontal crash.”
Tesla is upgrading airbag safety through a crazy software update, which will utilize the company’s vision-first approach to enable better protection in the event of an accident.
Over the years, Tesla has gained an incredible reputation for prioritizing safety in its vehicles, with crash test ratings at the forefront of its engineers’ minds.
This has led to Tesla gaining numerous five-star safety ratings and awards related to safety. It is not just a statistical thing, either. In the real world, we’ve seen Teslas demonstrate some impressive examples of crash safety.
Everything from that glass roof not caving in when a tree falls on it to a Model Y surviving a drive off a cliff has been recorded.
However, Tesla is always looking to improve safety, and unlike most companies, it does not need a physical hardware update to do so. It can enhance features such as crash response and airbag performance through Over-the-Air software updates, which download automatically to the vehicle.
In Tesla’s 2025.32 Software Update, the company is rolling out a Frontal Airbag System Enhancement, which aims to use Tesla Vision, the company’s camera-based approach to self-driving, to keep occupants safe.
The release notes state (via NotaTeslaApp):
“This upgrade builds upon your vehicle’s superior crash protection by now using Tesla Vision to help offer some of the most cutting-edge airbag performance in the event of a frontal crash. Building on top of regulatory and industry crash testing, this release enables front airbags to begin to inflate and restrain occupants earlier, in a way that only Tesla’s integrated systems are capable of doing, making your car safer over time.”
The use of cameras to predict a better time to restrain occupants with seatbelts and inflate airbags prior to a collision is a fantastic way to prevent injuries and limit harm done to those in the vehicle.
The feature is currently limited to the Model Y.
Tesla adjusts Robotaxi safety monitor strategy in Austin with new service area
Tesla has best month ever in Turkey with drastic spike in sales
Tesla is upgrading airbag safety through a crazy software update
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