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Tesla video conference developer launches service with Model 3 giveaway

(Credit: Beacon)

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Mass Luminosity officially launched Beacon, its video conferencing platform. The company is also responsible for Beacon 4 Tesla, the first platform to make video conference calls from Tesla vehicles possible. 

Beacon officially exited its beta phase with the launch of Beacon X, the free version of the platform. Up to six users can chat with each other with Beacon X for an unlimited amount of time. Other plans for Beacon will roll out later this year, including Beacon PLUS and Beacon MAX.

Beacon PLUS is a premium version of the platform that allows up to 25 users to talk with each other for $4.95 per month. Beacon MAX, on the other hand, allows up to 100 users for $14.94 per month. 

(Credit: Beacon)

Mass Luminosity is also working on Beacon 4 Tesla. As the name entails, the developers of Beacon want to bring the service into Tesla cars so drivers can be more productive on the road. Founder and CEO of Mass Luminosity, Angel Munoz, owns a Tesla Model S and believes Beacon would be useful to Tesla owners like himself. Munoz developed Beacon closely with Beacon’s Senior VP of Technology, Teodor Atroshenko. 

The pair had been testing Beacon 4 Tesla using Munoz’s Model S, with positive results. Since Beacon can be used through browsers, Beacon X users can try it out in their Tesla vehicles as well. Munoz and Atroshenko hope to work with Tesla directly in the future. They wish to fully integrate Beacon with Teslas by using the cars’ in-cabin cameras.

Interestingly enough, Munoz chose to commemorate Beacon’s launch with a global giveaway. And the grand prize happens to be a 2022 Tesla Model 3, wrapped in Beacon’s purple color. Mass Luminosity is also giving away 85 secondary prizes, listed below. 

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  • 20 Steiger Dynamics Branded T-Shirts
  • 15 XFX Baseball Caps with Gaiter Masks
  • 10 Resident Evil Village PC Games 
  • 10 NZXT H510 COMPACT mid-tower Chassis
  • 10 EKWB EK – AIO 240 MM D – RGB CPU Liquid Cooler
  • 10 Seasonic Focus PX – 850, 850W 80+ Platinum Power Supply
  • 10 Logitech G Pro X Wireless Headset w/ Blue Voice Mic

Kevin O’Leary, a.k.a “Mr. Wonderful” from Shark Tank, celebrated Beacon’s launch with Angel Munoz with a short video. 

“Angel has done something—well, I would call it very disruptive, definitely very entrepreneurial,” Mr. Wonderful said. “He’s launched Beacon, a revolutionarily video conferencing experience that’s potentially even more secure, better quality, and even easier to use.”

The main creators of Beacon, Munoz and Atroshenko, focused on three core essentials when creating the platform, namely simplicity, quality, and security. Mr. Wonderful seems to think Beacon hit all three of these right on the mark. 

The Teslarati team would appreciate hearing from you. If you have any tips, email us at tips@teslarati.com or reach out to me at maria@teslarati.com.

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Maria--aka "M"-- is an experienced writer and book editor. She's written about several topics including health, tech, and politics. As a book editor, she's worked with authors who write Sci-Fi, Romance, and Dark Fantasy. M loves hearing from TESLARATI readers. If you have any tips or article ideas, contact her at maria@teslarati.com or via X, @Writer_01001101.

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Tesla Model Y and Model 3 named safest vehicles tested by ANCAP in 2025

According to ANCAP in a press release, the Tesla Model Y achieved the highest overall weighted score of any vehicle assessed in 2025.

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Credit: ANCAP

The Tesla Model Y recorded the highest overall safety score of any vehicle tested by ANCAP in 2025. The Tesla Model 3 also delivered strong results, reinforcing the automaker’s safety leadership in Australia and New Zealand.

According to ANCAP in a press release, the Tesla Model Y achieved the highest overall weighted score of any vehicle assessed in 2025. ANCAP’s 2025 tests evaluated vehicles across four key pillars: Adult Occupant Protection, Child Occupant Protection, Vulnerable Road User Protection, and Safety Assist technologies.

The Model Y posted consistently strong results in all four categories, distinguishing itself through a system-based safety approach that combines structural crash protection with advanced driver-assistance features such as autonomous emergency braking, lane support, and driver monitoring. 

This marked the second time the Model Y has topped ANCAP’s annual safety rankings. The Model Y’s previous version was also ANCAP’s top performer in 2022.

The Tesla Model 3 also delivered a strong performance in ANCAP’s 2025 tests, contributing to Tesla’s broader safety presence across segments. Similar to the Model Y, the Model 3 also earned impressive scores across the ANCAP’s four pillars. This made the vehicle the top performer in the Medium Car category.  

ANCAP Chief Executive Officer Carla Hoorweg stated that the results highlight a growing industry shift toward integrated safety design, with improvements in technologies such as autonomous emergency braking and lane support translating into meaningful real-world protection.

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“ANCAP’s testing continues to reinforce a clear message: the safest vehicles are those designed with safety as a system, not a checklist. The top performers this year delivered consistent results across physical crash protection, crash avoidance and vulnerable road user safety, rather than relying on strength in a single area.

“We are also seeing increasing alignment between ANCAP’s test requirements and the safety technologies that genuinely matter on Australian and New Zealand roads. Improvements in autonomous emergency braking, lane support, and driver monitoring systems are translating into more robust protection,” Hoorweg said.

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Tesla Sweden uses Megapack battery to bypass unions’ Supercharger blockade

Just before Christmas, Tesla went live with a new charging station in Arlandastad, outside Stockholm, by powering it with a Tesla Megapack battery.

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Credit: Tesla Charging/X

Tesla Sweden has successfully launched a new Supercharger station despite an ongoing blockade by Swedish unions, using on-site Megapack batteries instead of traditional grid connections. The workaround has allowed the Supercharger to operate without direct access to Sweden’s electricity network, which has been effectively frozen by labor action.

Tesla has experienced notable challenges connecting its new charging stations to Sweden’s power grid due to industrial action led by Seko, a major Swedish trade union, which has blocked all new electrical connections for new Superchargers. On paper, this made the opening of new Supercharger sites almost impossible.

Despite the blockade, Tesla has continued to bring stations online. In Malmö and Södertälje, new Supercharger locations opened after grid operators E.ON and Telge Nät activated the sites. The operators later stated that the connections had been made in error. 

More recently, however, Tesla adopted a different strategy altogether. Just before Christmas, Tesla went live with a new charging station in Arlandastad, outside Stockholm, by powering it with a Tesla Megapack battery, as noted in a Dagens Arbete (DA) report. 

Because the Supercharger station does not rely on a permanent grid connection, Tesla was able to bypass the blocked application process, as noted by Swedish car journalist and YouTuber Peter Esse. He noted that the Arlandastad Supercharger is likely dependent on nearby companies to recharge the batteries, likely through private arrangements.

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Eight new charging stalls have been launched in the Arlandastad site so far, which is a fraction of the originally planned 40 chargers for the location. Still, the fact that Tesla Sweden was able to work around the unions’ efforts once more is impressive, especially since Superchargers are used even by non-Tesla EVs.

Esse noted that Tesla’s Megapack workaround is not as easily replicated in other locations. Arlandastad is unique because neighboring operators already have access to grid power, making it possible for Tesla to source electricity indirectly. Still, Esse noted that the unions’ blockades have not affected sales as much.

“Many want Tesla to lose sales due to the union blockades. But you have to remember that sales are falling from 2024, when Tesla sold a record number of cars in Sweden. That year, the unions also had blockades against Tesla. So for Tesla as a charging operator, it is devastating. But for Tesla as a car company, it does not matter in terms of sales volumes. People charge their cars where there is an opportunity, usually at home,” Esse noted. 

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Elon Musk’s X goes down as users report major outage Friday morning

Error messages and stalled loading screens quickly spread across the service, while outage trackers recorded a sharp spike in user reports.

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Credit: Linda Yaccarino/X

Elon Musk’s X experienced an outage Friday morning, leaving large numbers of users unable to access the social media platform.

Error messages and stalled loading screens quickly spread across the service, while outage trackers recorded a sharp spike in user reports.

Downdetector reports

Users attempting to open X were met with messages such as “Something went wrong. Try reloading,” often followed by an endless spinning icon that prevented access, according to a report from Variety. Downdetector data showed that reports of problems surged rapidly throughout the morning.

As of 10:52 a.m. ET, more than 100,000 users had reported issues with X. The data indicated that 56% of complaints were tied to the mobile app, while 33% were related to the website and roughly 10% cited server connection problems. The disruption appeared to begin around 10:10 a.m. ET, briefly eased around 10:35 a.m., and then returned minutes later.

Credit: Downdetector

Previous disruptions

Friday’s outage was not an isolated incident. X has experienced multiple high-profile service interruptions over the past two years. In November, tens of thousands of users reported widespread errors, including “Internal server error / Error code 500” messages. Cloudflare-related error messages were also reported.

In March 2025, the platform endured several brief outages spanning roughly 45 minutes, with more than 21,000 reports in the U.S. and 10,800 in the U.K., according to Downdetector. Earlier disruptions included an outage in August 2024 and impairments to key platform features in July 2023.

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