Connect with us
Opinion: Tesla is working hard to make 'fantasy' into reality Opinion: Tesla is working hard to make 'fantasy' into reality

News

Opinion: Tesla is working hard to make ‘fantasy’ into reality

Image credit: JC

Published

on

Tesla is working hard to make what Reuters called a fantasy into a reality. In reality, Tesla has already achieved the impossible several times.

Just after the Tesla Q2 2022 earnings call last Wednesday wrapped up, Reuters published this article about Tesla’s investors betting on “recovery and fantasy.”

The article said that Tesla is losing some of its specialness yet its valuation still projects that specialness. To me, the article seemed a bit on the negative side and was trying to match the tone of the headline. It seemed to imply that Tesla’s shareholders who believe in Elon Musk and the company are delusional.

The author didn’t say that, but the tone was there. However, Tesla’s CEO Elon Musk handled the insult pretty well. And it was an insult not just to Tesla’s shareholders, but also to its hardworking employees.

Tesla’s employees are as revolutionary as Tesla itself is

Hiro Mizuno, a member of Tesla’s board of directors, shared his thoughts about the article on Twitter and he is, in my opinion, 100% on point. Hiro pointed out that it’s always those working hard to make the fantasy a reality who change the world.

It’s almost never talked about but Elon Musk is always giving credit to Tesla’s employees. Even during the earnings call itself, Elon made a point to highlight Tesla’s employees.

“I think people will be amazed at what we’re able to show off on AI Day. So basically, there’s a tremendous amount to look forward to in the second half of this year. And I want to thank all of our employees and suppliers for their super hard work during these challenging times. Super appreciate it.”

Tesla has already achieved the impossible

Tesla has already achieved the impossible many times over. One notable achievement that resurfaced in my own Twitter feed was Tesla proving that it could produce 500,000 EVs in 2020.

Advertisement

I wrote about this in 2021 for CleanTechnica. For Tesla, 2020 was a year that seemed like the company was the lead actor on stage. It had four acts. The first act recapped the 2014 article published in Seeking Alpha that claimed Tesla selling 500,000 cars in 2020 was absurd.

The following two acts were results of the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic. First, the newly opened Gigafactory Shanghai was closed down. Then once it opened up, the Fremont factory closed down.

Despite all the challenges that 2020 presented for Tesla as well as the world, Tesla still met its goal.

 

Advertisement

Tesla is transforming ‘fantasy’ into reality

Tesla has already done the impossible, several times over. And all the while doing it, critics were there, mocking and criticizing every move of Elon Musk. It’s still doing this today.

And it seems to overlook the fact that Tesla has a history of achieving the unachievable. No one thought 6 years ago that EVs would be so popular. We have Tesla to thank for that.

Johnna Crider is a Baton Rouge writer covering Tesla, Elon Musk, EVs, and clean energy & supports Tesla's mission. Johnna also interviewed Elon Musk and you can listen here

Advertisement
Comments

News

Ford is charging for a basic EV feature on the Mustang Mach-E

When ordering a new Ford Mustang Mach-E, you’ll now be hit with an additional fee for one basic EV feature: the frunk.

Published

on

Credit: Ford Motor Company

Ford is charging an additional fee for a basic EV feature on its Mustang Mach-E, its most popular electric vehicle offering.

Ford has shuttered its initial Model e program, but is venturing into a more controlled and refined effort, and it is abandoning the F-150 Lightning in favor of a new pickup that is currently under design, but appears to have some favorable features.

However, ordering a new Mustang Mach-E now comes with an additional fee for one basic EV feature: the frunk.

The frunk is the front trunk, and due to the lack of a large engine in the front of an electric vehicle, OEMs are able to offer additional storage space under the hood. There’s one problem, though, and that is that companies appear to be recognizing that they can remove it for free while offering the function for a fee.

Advertisement

Ford is charging $495 for the frunk.

Interestingly, the frunk size varies by vehicle, but the Mustang Mach-E features a 4.7 to 4.8 cubic-foot-sized frunk, which measures approximately 9 inches deep, 26 inches wide, and 14 inches high.

Advertisement

When the vehicle was first released, Ford marketed the frunk as the ultimate tailgating feature, showing it off as a perfect place to store and serve cold shrimp cocktail.

Ford Mach-E frunk is perfect for chowders and chicken wings, and we’re not even joking

It appears the decision to charge for what is a simple advantage of an EV is not going over well, as even Ford loyal customers say the frunk is a “basic expectation” of an EV. Without it, it seems as if fans feel the company is nickel-and-diming its customers.

It will be pretty interesting to see the Mach-E without a frunk, and while it should not be enough to turn people away from potentially buying the vehicle, it seems the decision to add an additional charge to include one will definitely annoy some customers.

Advertisement
Continue Reading

News

Tesla to improve one of its best features, coding shows

According to the update, Tesla will work on improving the headlights when coming into contact with highly reflective objects, including road signs, traffic signs, and street lights. Additionally, pixel-level dimming will happen in two stages, whereas it currently performs with just one, meaning on or off.

Published

on

Credit: @jojje167 on X

Tesla is looking to upgrade its Matrix Headlights, a unique and high-tech feature that is available on several of its vehicles. The headlights aim to maximize visibility for Tesla drivers while being considerate of oncoming traffic.

The Matrix Headlights Tesla offers utilize dimming of individual light pixels to ensure that visibility stays high for those behind the wheel, while also being considerate of other cars by decreasing the brightness in areas where other cars are traveling.

Here’s what they look like in action:

As you can see, the Matrix headlight system intentionally dims the area where oncoming cars would be impacted by high beams. This keeps visibility at a maximum for everyone on the road, including those who could be hit with bright lights in their eyes.

Advertisement

There are still a handful of complaints from owners, however, but Tesla appears to be looking to resolve these with the coming updates in a Software Version that is currently labeled 2026.2.xxx. The coding was spotted by X user BERKANT:

Advertisement

According to the update, Tesla will work on improving the headlights when coming into contact with highly reflective objects, including road signs, traffic signs, and street lights. Additionally, pixel-level dimming will happen in two stages, whereas it currently performs with just one, meaning on or off.

Finally, the new system will prevent the high beams from glaring back at the driver. The system is made to dim when it recognizes oncoming cars, but not necessarily objects that could produce glaring issues back at the driver.

Tesla’s revolutionary Matrix headlights are coming to the U.S.

This upgrade is software-focused, so there will not need to be any physical changes or upgrades made to Tesla vehicles that utilize the Matrix headlights currently.

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Elon Musk

xAI’s Grok approved for Pentagon classified systems: report

Under the agreement, Grok can be deployed in systems handling classified intelligence analysis, weapons development, and battlefield operations. 

Published

on

xAI-supercomputer-memphis-environment-pushback
Credit: xAI

Elon Musk’s xAI has signed an agreement with the United States Department of Defense (DoD) to allow Grok to be used in classified military systems.

Previously, Anthropic’s Claude had been the only AI system approved for the most sensitive military work, but a dispute over usage safeguards has reportedly prompted the Pentagon to broaden its options, as noted in a report from Axios.

Under the agreement, Grok can be deployed in systems handling classified intelligence analysis, weapons development, and battlefield operations. 

The publication reported that xAI agreed to the Pentagon’s requirement that its technology be usable for “all lawful purposes,” a standard Anthropic has reportedly resisted due to alleged ethical restrictions tied to mass surveillance and autonomous weapons use.

Advertisement

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is scheduled to meet with Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei in what sources expect to be a tense meeting, with the publication hinting that the Pentagon could designate Anthropic a “supply chain risk” if the company does not lift its safeguards. 

Axios stated that replacing Claude fully might be technically challenging even if xAI or other alternative AI systems take its place. That being said, other AI systems are already in use by the DoD. 

Grok already operates in the Pentagon’s unclassified systems alongside Google’s Gemini and OpenAI’s ChatGPT. Google is reportedly close to an agreement that will result in Gemini being used for classified use, while OpenAI’s progress toward classified deployment is described as slower but still feasible. 

The publication noted that the Pentagon continues talks with several AI companies as it prepares for potential changes in classified AI sourcing.

Advertisement
Continue Reading