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Tesla Model 3 takes a 45-minute joyride on Autopilot with no intervention
The current iterations of Tesla’s Navigate on Autopilot hint that the company’s plans for a Full-Self Driving Robotaxi future may not be that far away.
As Model 3 owner and YouTube channel host Cf Tesla shows, Autopilot doesn’t have a lot of trouble driving through 8 miles of city streets and three highways with zero intervention from the driver. Autopilot took over the steering wheel for a whole 45 minutes and 20 seconds before the driver had to take over. Cf Tesla’s Model 3 comes with the Full Self-Driving package and was in Mad Max mode during testing.
A closer look at the video shows the car drove smoothly through city streets for the first 16 minutes. During the time, the driver used the turn signal, telling the car to make a lane change, which it did on its own. Later, 22 minutes in, the car made a sharp 90-degree into the highway and had no problems navigating the freeway and taking the off-ramp as it exited into a second highway with Tesla’s driving-assist feature.
The experience was similar during the drive through the second and third highways. He noticed a few minor glitches, none of which made a difference in the driving experience. Cf Tesla says the car sometimes makes a lane change even if there’s no car in front of it and then goes back to the previous lane. The car also turns its blinker on when passing an exit, which may be attributed to a flaw in the mapping system.
Although it was not full self-driving since the car didn’t have to navigate a roundabout or stop at a stoplight, going 45 minutes on Autopilot without the driver having to do anything except for making a command to change lanes signifies that Tesla may be another step closer to a real autonomous driving experience.
“There’s so much to go in terms of actually being full self-driving, but come on, 45 minutes? That’s a long time to go without having to actually steer or use the brake or the accelerator myself, blinkers, all of that. That’s pretty cool. That’s the closest I’ve ever been to a full self-driving car,” says Cf Tesla.
At Tesla’s Q3 2019 earnings call, Elon Musk predicted that Tesla will be releasing a feature-complete FSD suite to members of its early access program by the end of 2019. Tesla vehicles equipped with FSD will be able to recognize stop signs, stoplights, and other road markings encountered during city driving. Musk clarified that while a feature-complete FSD will be able to drive the car from one destination to the other without the driver having to intervene, the driver will still be required to keep a close eye on the car.
“So it will still be supervised, but it will be able to drive—it will fill in the gap from low-speed autonomy—low-speed autonomy with Summon,” Musk said. “You’ve got high-speed autonomy on the highway and intermediate speed autonomy, which really just means traffic lights and stop signs.”
When asked earlier this year when a feature-complete FSD is coming out, the Tesla chief only had one word to say: “Soon.”
News
Tesla seeks approval to test FSD Supervised in new Swedish city
Tesla has applied to conduct local Full Self-Driving (Supervised) testing in the city of Jönköping, Sweden.
Tesla has applied to conduct local Full Self-Driving (Supervised) testing in the city of Jönköping, Sweden.
As per local outlet Jönköpings-Posten, Tesla has contacted the municipality with a request to begin FSD (Supervised) tests in the city. The company has already received approval to test its Full Self-Driving (Supervised) software in several Swedish municipalities, as well as on the national road network.
Sofia Bennerstål, Tesla’s Head of Public Policy for Northern Europe, confirmed that an application has been submitted for FSD’s potential tests in Jönköping.
“I can confirm that we have submitted an application, but I cannot say much more about it,” Bennerstål told the news outlet. She also stated that Tesla is “satisfied with the tests” in the region so far.
The planned tests in Jönköping would involve a limited number of Tesla-owned vehicles. Trained Tesla safety drivers would remain behind the wheel and be prepared to intervene if necessary.
Tesla previously began testing in Nacka municipality after receiving local approval. At the time, the company stated that cooperation between authorities, municipalities, and industry enables technological progress and helps integrate future transport systems into real-world traffic conditions, as noted in an Allt Om Elbil report.
If approved, Jönköping would become the latest Swedish municipality to allow local Full Self-Driving (Supervised) testing.
Tesla’s Swedish testing program is part of the company’s efforts to validate its supervised autonomous driving software in everyday traffic environments. Municipal approvals allow Tesla to gather data in urban settings that include roundabouts, complex intersections, and mixed traffic conditions.
Sweden has become an increasingly active testing ground for Tesla’s driver-assistance software in Europe, with regulatory coordination between local authorities and national agencies enabling structured pilot programs.
Elon Musk
Microsoft partners with Starlink to expand rural internet access worldwide
The update was shared ahead of Mobile World Congress.
Microsoft has announced a new collaboration with Starlink as part of its expanding digital access strategy, following the company’s claim that it has extended internet connectivity coverage to more than 299 million people worldwide.
The update was shared ahead of Mobile World Congress, where Microsoft detailed how it surpassed its original goal of bringing internet access to 250 million people by the end of 2025.
In a blog post, Microsoft confirmed that it is now working with Starlink to expand connectivity in rural and hard-to-reach regions.
“Through our collaboration with Starlink, Microsoft is combining low-Earth orbit satellite connectivity with community-based deployment models and local ecosystem partnerships,” the company wrote.
The partnership is designed to complement Microsoft’s existing work with local internet providers and infrastructure companies across Africa, Latin America, and India, among other areas. Microsoft noted that traditional infrastructure alone cannot meet demand in some regions, making low-Earth orbit satellite connectivity an important addition.
Kenya was cited as an early example. Working with Starlink and local provider Mawingu Networks, Microsoft is supporting connectivity for 450 community hubs in rural and underserved areas. These hubs include farmer cooperatives, aggregation centers, and digital access facilities intended to support agricultural productivity and AI-enabled services.
Microsoft stated that 2.2 billion people globally remain offline, and that connectivity gaps risk widening as AI adoption accelerates.
Starlink’s expanding constellation, now numbering more than 9,700 satellites in orbit, provides near-global coverage, making it one of the few systems capable of delivering broadband to remote regions without relying on terrestrial infrastructure.
Starlink is expected to grow even more in the coming years as well, especially as SpaceX transitions its fleet to Starship, which is capable of carrying significantly larger payloads compared to its current workhorse, the Falcon 9.
Elon Musk
Tesla expands US LFP battery supply with LG Energy Solution deal: report
The report was initially published by TheElec, citing industry sources.
LG Energy Solution (LGES) will manufacture lithium iron phosphate (LFP) energy storage system (ESS) batteries for Tesla at its Lansing, Michigan facility.
The report was initially published by TheElec, citing industry sources.
LG Energy Solution’s Lansing plant, formerly known as Ultium Cells 3, was previously operated as a joint venture with General Motors. LGES acquired GM’s stake in May 2025 and now fully owns the site. With a production capacity of 50 GWh per year, it is one of the company’s largest facilities in North America.
LG Energy Solution is converting part of the Lansing factory to produce LFP batteries for energy storage systems. Equipment orders for the new lines have already been placed, and mass production is reportedly expected to begin in the second half of next year.
Last July, LG Energy Solution disclosed a 5.94 trillion won battery supply agreement running from August 2027 to July 2030. While the company did not name the customer, industry sources pointed to Tesla as the buyer.
Tesla has primarily used CATL’s prismatic batteries for its Megapack systems. The move to source prismatic LFP cells from LG Energy Solution’s U.S. plant could then be seen as part of Tesla’s efforts to bolster its North American supply base for its energy storage business.
For the Lansing conversion, LG Energy Solution reportedly plans to use electrode equipment originally ordered under its Ultium Cells venture with General Motors. Suppliers reportedly include CIS and Hirano Tecseed for electrode systems, TSI for mixing equipment, CK Solution for heat exhaust systems, A-Pro for formation equipment, and Shinjin Mtech for assembly kits.
Tesla currently manufactures energy storage products at facilities in California and Shanghai, though another Megafactory that produces the Megapack is also expected to be built in Texas. As per recent reports, the Texas Megafactory recently advanced with a major property sale.
Tesla seeks approval to test FSD Supervised in new Swedish city
Microsoft partners with Starlink to expand rural internet access worldwide
