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Elon Musk candidly shows how Tesla’s factory is balancing robots and human work
Back in 2016, Elon Musk described that Tesla’s factory would be “the machine that builds the machine.” Speaking to investors then, Musk noted that the codename for the project was the “Alien Dreadnought,” a machine similar to the massive extraterrestrial crafts depicted in iconic sci-fi films. Musk noted then that the Alien Dreadnought would likely be operational in 2018, with the factory churning out the Model 3 en masse.
As the Model 3 production ramp has shown, getting the Alien Dreadnought up to speed with the company’s manufacturing process turned out to be a much more challenging task than Musk had expected. Amidst delays in the Model 3 production ramp, Elon Musk noted in an interview with CBS earlier this year that humans are “underrated.” Musk also mentioned this in the company’s Q1 2018 earnings call, when he described how Tesla learned that some aspects of the manufacturing process are best done by human hands.
A look into Tesla’s electric car production process at the Fremont factory was recently uploaded on YouTube by noted tech reviewer Marques Brownlee, better known as MKBHD. After his interview with Elon Musk himself, the YouTube host was given a tour of the Tesla factory, particularly the Model S and Model X line. Musk candidly discussed several aspects of the factory, including how Tesla’s robots are programmed and how their operations are integrated with human work. Musk also lightly discussed how he is fond of the Fremont factory’s “dumb robots,” which are easier to program and perform nearly without fault.
Brownlee’s Tesla factory tour with Elon Musk was brief, (MKBHD notes that Musk was eventually pulled into a meeting), but it showed something that has been hidden for quite a while now — it showed an Elon Musk that was funny, optimistic, and seemingly still full of wonder at how the factory is operating. Musk was cracking jokes in the interview, and his inner nerd was in full force as he described to the YouTube host how some of the facility’s robots are named after characters in Marvel’s X-Men series.
In a way, the Elon Musk who went on an interview and toured the Fremont factory with The YouTube host looked like a CEO who was tired and exhausted, but one who is still passionate at what he is doing. Elon Musk’s emotional and psychological state has been a particular focus in the media lately, particularly following an honest interview with the New York Times. Musk showed a notable degree of vulnerability in the Times interview, even admitting that the past 12 months have been the most difficult and painful year of his career.
Tesla’s critics were quick to pounce on Musk’s exhaustion and the vulnerability he exhibited during the interview. And in a way, they are right — Elon Musk is underslept, overworked, and deathly tired. But behind all this is a man who is still pushing hard to get his targets done. Elon Musk in the factory tour with Brownlee was evidently exhausted and overworked, but despite this, he still retains that wit, optimism, and sense of wonder that made him a household name over the years.
Watch MKBHD’s tour of Tesla’s Fremont factory with Elon Musk in the video below.
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Tesla is building its largest East Coast Supercharger in New York City, planning to bring a 64- to 68-stall station to Queens, New York.
It will end up being tied for the largest Supercharger on the East Coast with this number of stalls. The largest on the Eastern Seaboard is located in Halifax, North Carolina, and is also 68 stalls.
Tesla is currently building a new 64-stall Supercharger station in Queens, New York. This will be the biggest Supercharger station on the East Coast of the U.S.
It will also have two pull-through stalls for EVs with trailers. Thx for the pics @LetsCleanNYC. pic.twitter.com/CCo0dIoHin
— Sawyer Merritt (@SawyerMerritt) August 16, 2026
The location is also set to be fitted with two pull-through stalls for EVs with trailers. We’ve seen Tesla implement these types of parking spots at newer locations as EV ownership continues to expand to those who do more than simply drive their cars.
There are plenty of Superchargers in the New York City metro, but they are mostly located in boroughs outside of Manhattan. There are five Superchargers in various neighborhoods of Manhattan, but there are limited plugs; usually only four per location. There are plenty of Destination Chargers in the Big Apple, though.
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Queens, the Bronx, and Brooklyn have become popular locations for companies to build out charging infrastructure for those who live in the highly populated boroughs. There is simply much more real estate to build effective EV charging stations.
The Supercharger will be located in Maspeth, Queens, at 48-26 54th Road. Maspeth has I-495 running through it, so this will be a great location for Tesla owners to hop off the highway on their way to Long Island or to Manhattan to charge up before continuing their journey.
Tesla has done a really great job of expanding its charging footprint throughout the past several years, especially by building large-scale projects that cater to areas that have a high volume of traffic and are main routes of travel to major areas. Tesla is making an effort to make charging less stressful and more widely available in these concentrated regions.
News
SpaceX just launched a secret payload from California
SpaceX launched a classified Space Force mission from Vandenberg, revealing almost nothing about its payload.
SpaceX launched a classified Falcon 9 mission for the U.S. Space Force from Vandenberg Space Force Base on Saturday night, and the government released almost nothing about what was on board. The mission, designated USSF-366, lifted off from Space Launch Complex 4E with a window that opened at 9:52 p.m. ET and ran into the early hours of Sunday, according to SpaceX’s own mission page, which described the payload only as classified. SpaceX confirmed the launch on its X account and pointed viewers to a livestream that began roughly ten minutes before liftoff.
Watch Falcon 9 launch the USSF-366 mission from pad 4E in California https://t.co/FFEzeYOds1
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) August 16, 2026
The lack of detail did not stop analysts from filling in the blanks. Independent tracking of the rocket’s stage drop zones matched the pattern SpaceX has used on previous Starlink Group 15 missions, according to reporting from Outer Space Today, which pointed to Starshield as the likely payload rather than a one off government satellite. Starshield is SpaceX’s national security product, a version of the Starlink satellite bus built to Pentagon specifications for earth observation, communications and hosted payloads. Unlike consumer Starlink, government agencies do not have to disclose what Starshield satellites are actually doing once they reach orbit.
USSF-366 is the latest entry in a steady flow of classified and semi classified work between SpaceX and the Space Force. The company picked up a $178.5 million task order in April to launch missile tracking satellites for the Space Development Agency, as Teslarati reported at the time, and followed that in July with a $1.6 billion award covering 18 more Falcon 9 missions from Vandenberg through the end of 2027, also detailed by Teslarati. Add those contracts up and SpaceX’s Pentagon business for 2026 alone tops $8 billion.
SpaceX scores another massive Pentagon deal to support military satellites
The Falcon 9 that flew Saturday landed back near the launch site, producing the sonic booms that have become routine for residents near Vandenberg. What is less routine is how little the public will likely ever learn about what the rocket carried. SpaceX and the Space Force have not confirmed the Starshield connection, and government satellite programs built on commercial buses rarely get identified beyond a mission number and a general orbit. For a company that live streams almost everything else it does, from Starship test flights to Optimus robot demos, USSF-366 is a reminder that some of SpaceX’s busiest work now happens entirely out of public view.
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On Friday, Tesla launched the Outlet Adapter that enabled Vehicle-to-Load (V2L) energy transfer, meaning owners could essentially utilize their cars as a power source for things like laptops, electric grills, or string lights.
However, even owners of some of the newest builds of the Model Y are finding out that their cars are not compatible with the new $80 accessory, stirring up a new complaint among members of the community.
Tesla launches V2L Outlet Adapter for Premium Model Y in the U.S.
Upon the release of the Outlet Adapter on Friday, I signed into my Tesla account to order the accessory. However, I was met with the dreaded “This product is not compatible with your 2026 Model Y” message at the bottom of the screen.
Some said their accounts also displayed the same message, but they ordered anyway. However, they might be surprised to find that this is no mistake; some of the newest Model Ys do not have the appropriate Power Conversion System (PCS). Mine, which was ordered on this day last year and delivered on August 31, has the old 48A, single-phase PCS.
Vehicles with the new, two-piece PCS are able to utilize V2L features on their cars:
🚨 Looks like you can hit the Parts Catalog and enter your VIN and check to see if your Model Y will be able to use the adapter for V2L.https://t.co/QA9zRk7n2k
h/t to @SawyerMerritt for finding this out.
-I am sad but this isn’t a huge loss. https://t.co/AYpI12QVV9 pic.twitter.com/LRFSrtRywo
— TESLARATI (@Teslarati) August 16, 2026
Obviously, it’s disappointing. Many owners have taken delivery this year and still can not utilize the Outlet Adapter because their cars feature the old PCS:
Took delivery in February of 2026. I have the older one, so not going to work for me pic.twitter.com/RcOVq8gvvT
— Russell (@QuietTesla) August 16, 2026
It looks like if you have one of these older PCS units, you can upgrade, but the parts alone are $1,750, and that’s before Tesla adds labor for installing. It is honestly more logical to get some kind of portable power supply or power station at that point.
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It is great that Tesla has enabled V2L for Model Y vehicles, but it is also unfortunate that vehicles that are less than one year old are not able to take advantage of this awesome new feature.
With that being said, it truly is a first-world problem; can you really complain when Full Self-Driving is available, maintenance is incredibly inexpensive, and the car has been so good through a year of ownership?
Tesla is building its largest Supercharger on the East Coast in New York City
SpaceX just launched a secret payload from California
