

News
Tesla Gigafactory Texas site surprises with cryptic Boring Company equipment
A recent flyover of the Tesla Gigafactory Texas site has revealed something rather interesting and unexpected: amidst the growing number of machinery on the location lay some equipment labeled with the logo of Elon Musk’s tunneling startup, The Boring Company.
An image of the rather cryptic Boring Company equipment was shared on YouTube by drone operator Jeff Roberts, who has been documenting Gigafactory Texas’ developments since the plant’s construction began. Roberts’ footage was brief, though it depicted what appeared to be a fuel or water tank with the Boring Company’s now-unmistakable logo.
Details about the Boring Company equipment on the Giga Texas site are still very slim for now, of course, though the presence of the tunneling startup’s equipment in the same area as the electric car maker’s newest and possibly largest plant opens a lot of possibilities. For example, Tesla could leverage some Boring Company technologies for Giga Texas’ operations, similar to what Elon Musk suggested three years ago for the Fremont Factory.
During an earnings call in February 2018, then-CTO JB Straubel admitted that issues emerge when transporting materials to the Fremont Factory, especially when there are multiple shipments involved. Musk followed this up by noting that Tesla is looking to build tunnels using The Boring Company’s technology to connect the Fremont Factory to the company’s dedicated car seat plant, located a few miles away.
Such a concept would be a great fit for Giga Texas considering the massive size of the complex. Building underground connections within the Giga Texas site would also mean that the tunnels themselves would be short, allowing the Boring Company to build them quickly. This could play a useful role in optimizing Giga Texas’ operations, especially considering Tesla’s plans to open a battery plant in the location.
The Boring Company has started to establish its presence in the Lone Star State, with reports back in December noting that the tunneling startup has leased an industrial space with two buildings in Pflugerville, Travis County, Texas. The building, which is located about 23 miles away from Giga Texas, is built on 14 acres of land. The Boring Company has also initiated a hiring ramp for employees who will be based in Texas.
Check out Jeff Roberts’ recent flyover of the Giga Texas site in the video below.
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News
Tesla Robotaxi and Supercharger Diner are killing a dreaded consumer tradition
Tesla is still just charging strictly for its services–while asking for zero tips.

Tesla’s Robotaxi service and its newly launched Supercharger Diner are killing a longtime but increasingly dreaded consumer tradition in the United States. Based on videos taken of consumers using the Robotaxi service in the Bay Area, Tesla is still just charging strictly for its services–while asking for zero tips.
Tesla Services with Zero Tips
When Tesla launched the Robotaxi pilot in Austin, users quickly noticed that the company was not allowing riders to leave a tip for the service. If one were to try leaving a tip after a Robotaxi ride, the app simply flashes an image of Tesla’s meme hedgehog mascot with a “Just Kidding” message.
At the time, this seemed like a small tongue-in-cheek joke from the electric vehicle maker. The initial Robotaxi pilot in Austin was rolled out on a small scale, after all, and some social media users speculated that tipping may eventually just be introduced to the service.
But upon the opening of the Tesla Supercharger Diner, consumers also observed that the facility does not allow tipping. Tesla’s notice is simple: “Gratuity: Tesla covers tipping for staff.” This means that employees who work at the Tesla Diner make enough to not rely on gratuities from consumers.
And with the launch of the Robotaxi service in the Bay Area, users observed once more that Tesla is still not allowing tipping. This was highlighted by longtime Tesla owner @BLKMDL3, who shared a video of the Tesla Robotaxi app also briefly displaying the hedgehog mascot with a “Just Kidding” message when he tried leaving a tip.
Out of Control
As noted in a report from The Guardian, tipping has been a longstanding business practice in the United States, were service workers typically make less than the federal minimum wage. With this system in place, service workers end up relying on gratuities to make ends meet. This was understandable, but after the pandemic, tipping culture ended up going out of control.
On platforms such as Reddit, users have also complained about services like Uber asking for large tips for using their services. Consumers have also shared shocking experiences involving some services that ask for tips. These include self-checkout counters, drive-throughs, hotdog stands, drug stores, a bottled water stall at a jazz festival, an airport vending machine, a used bookstore, a cinema box office, and a children’s arcade, among others.
Investor's Corner
Tesla tailwinds could drive momentum-filled finish to 2025: analyst
Tesla is heading toward some momentum to finish out the year, one Wall Street firm believes.

Tesla has some tailwinds that could drive it toward a momentum-filled finish to the year, one Wall Street analyst is predicting.
The tailwinds are joined by some minor risks that have impacted the broader electric vehicle market, but overall, this firm believes Tesla has many catalysts moving forward.
Emmanuel Rosner of Wolfe Research believes that Tesla has plenty of things that could drive the stock upward as we approach the end of the year. With Q3 well underway, Tesla has about five months of catalysts to rely on to erase the roughly 18 percent drop in stock price it has so far this year.
At first glance, it is easy to see the things that would have investors bullish on Tesla for the rest of 2025 and even beyond. Initially, the Robotaxi launch and expansion, which spread to Northern California last night, provide potentially huge tailwinds for the company moving forward.
Along with that, and slightly related, are the advancements in Full Self-Driving that the company has made over the past few months.
This includes the potential launch of the FSD suite in regions like Europe and Australia, where the company believes it will make some progress on regulatory approval in the coming months.
Finally, Wolfe says the company’s Optimus project, which is expected to enter scale production sometime next year, is the third catalyst for Tesla moving forward.
With these three projects in motion, Tesla truly can begin to work on rebounding from a rough 2025 on the market.
Rosner writes:
“This name trades more around the narrative than the numbers. And net-net, we tactically see an improving narrative from here. Tesla has several catalysts coming up w/r/t FSD and Robotaxi, including an expansion of their AV service into several new U.S. markets (San Francisco, Nevada, Arizona, Florida, etc.). The company plans to unlock hands-free/eyes-off autonomy for FSD owners in select U.S. locations by YE25. Supervised FSD in China and Europe is expected to launch over the next ~12 months. And, Optimus is expected to enter scale production in 2026.”
Tesla is currently trading around $310 at around 3:20 p.m. on the East Coast.
News
Two driverless Waymo cars collide at Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport
Two Waymo vehicles collided at Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport in Arizona

Two driverless Waymo cars collided at Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport on Wednesday, but details are incredibly slim as the accident has barely been mentioned on many social media platforms.
The video of the two Waymo vehicles was shared on Reddit’s r/SelfDrivingCars subreddit by u/HIGH_PRESSURE_TOILET (an interesting username), showing the two Jaguar I-PACE EVs at a standstill.
They were still making contact in the video, with one front driver-side quarter panel still in contact with the other’s front passenger door:
🚨 Waymo accident in Arizona at Sky Harbor Airport in Phoenix: https://t.co/UjyWvu3ZGF pic.twitter.com/Z5ASKMEuXw
— TESLARATI (@Teslarati) July 30, 2025
There are relatively no details on the matter, but we reached out to Waymo earlier today, and an employee was able to share the following information.
Waymo told Teslarati that the accident occurred at a low speed, which is evident based on the lack of major damage done to either vehicle. Waymo did not reveal a specific speed at which the accident occurred, but they did mention it was a low speed.

The message Waymo’s vehicles showed after the accident in Phoenix. (Credit: Reddit | u/HIGH_PRESSURE_TOILET)
Additionally, there were no passengers inside either vehicle at the time of the crash. The cause of the accident is still unknown, but the company is currently investigating any potential causes and aims to have more answers in the coming days.
This is an expected growing pain of driverless vehicles, as autonomous rides are still in their very early phases. We have seen Waymo vehicles encounter a variety of challenges over the past several years, including getting stuck at construction zones in other cities.
Here’s one example of one nearly driving into a trench:
Waymo self driving car almost drives into a trench at construction site
Waymo is in direct competition with Tesla Robotaxi, which is operating in both Austin, Texas, and the San Francisco Bay Area. Waymo operates in both of these areas.
As Waymo updates us with more details, we will share them here and update the article.
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