News
New details on fatal Tesla crash in Texas revealed in Fire Marshal report
A report from the Harris County Fire Marshal’s Office has provided several new details about the high-profile, fatal Tesla Model S crash that happened earlier this month in Texas. The incident, which triggered a wave of inaccurate reports suggesting that the ill-fated vehicle was “driverless,” has rekindled conversations about Tesla’s response to misinformation and the dangers of irresponsible driving.
Immediately after the crash, Harris County Pct. 4 Constable Mark Herman remarked that reconstructionists who responded to the accident were “100% certain that no one was in the driver seat driving that vehicle at the time of impact.” This triggered reports alleging that Autopilot was somehow involved. Herman also remarked that the blaze that resulted from the crash took about four hours to be extinguished, and that firefighters had to call for Tesla for tips on how to address the ill-fated Model S’ battery fire.
These statements were promptly corrected by CEO Elon Musk, who noted that data logs indicate that Autopilot was not enabled during the incident. Fire Chief of The Woodlands Township Fire Department Palmer Buck also corrected reports about the Model S’ battery fire, noting that the blaze was controlled within two to three minutes. After this, it was no longer an active fire, as the fire department was just focused on keeping the battery as cool as possible. Buck also noted that fire personnel did not call Tesla for help on how to handle the vehicle fire.
According to the recent report from the Harris County Fire Marshal’s Office, the vehicle had sustained a “significant front-end collision” that may have damaged its battery, power distribution system, or battery-temperature control systems. While investigator Chris Johnson noted that he was unable to determine the first heat source of the blaze, he concluded that the fire was caused by the Model S’ collision with the tree. The report also noted that the fire was well underway by the time authorities were on the scene, destroying most parts of the vehicle.
The report provided some details about the ill-fated Model S’ two passengers, both of whom perished in the incident. According to the report, the vehicle’s interior had extensive fire damage when some authorities arrived, and most of the combustible materials in the space had already been destroyed. The crash’s victims, William Varner, 59, and Everette Talbot, 69, were on seats whose frames were already visible due to extensive fire damage.
“Decedent 1 was located in a seated position, a few inches forward of the front right (passenger) seat. Decedent 1’s upper torso was in a forward-leaning position, with both arms forward… Decedent 2 was located in a seated position within the rear left (passenger) seat. Decedent 2’s upper torso was in a rear-leaning position, with both arms rolled back in a pugilistic pose,” the report read.
As noted by Tesla in its Q1 earnings call, the company is currently working directly with local authorities, the NTSB, and the NHTSA, to investigate the incident. Tesla Vice President of Vehicle Engineering Lars Moravy added that so far, an inspection of the ill-fated vehicle revealed that the steering wheel was deformed. This, together with the fact that Autopilot was not activated and that all seatbelts post-crash were unbuckled, hints at the likelihood that someone was in the driver’s seat at the time of the crash.
The report from the Harris County Fire Marshal’s Office could be accessed below.
Tesla TX Crash Fire Marshal Incident Report by Simon Alvarez on Scribd
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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.
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.
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.
Elon Musk
Elon Musk denies Starlink’s price cuts are due to Amazon Kuiper
“This has nothing to do with Kuiper, we’re just trying to make Starlink more affordable to a broader audience,” Musk wrote in a post on X.
Elon Musk has pushed back on claims that Starlink’s recent price reductions are tied to Amazon’s Kuiper project.
In a post on X, Musk responded directly to a report suggesting that Starlink was cutting prices and offering free hardware to partners ahead of a planned IPO and increased competition from Kuiper.
“This has nothing to do with Kuiper, we’re just trying to make Starlink more affordable to a broader audience,” Musk wrote in a post on X. “The lower the cost, the more Starlink can be used by people who don’t have much money, especially in the developing world.”
The speculation originated from a post summarizing a report from The Information, which ran with the headline “SpaceX’s Starlink Makes Land Grab as Amazon Threat Looms.” The report stated that SpaceX is aggressively cutting prices and giving free hardware to distribution partners, which was interpreted as a reaction to Amazon’s Kuiper’s upcoming rollout and possible IPO.
In a way, Musk’s comments could be quite accurate considering Starlink’s current scale. The constellation currently has more than 9,700 satellites in operation today, making it by far the largest satellite broadband network in operation. It has also managed to grow its user base to 10 million active customers across more than 150 countries worldwide.
Amazon’s Kuiper, by comparison, has launched approximately 211 satellites to date, as per data from SatelliteMap.Space, some of which were launched by SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket. Starlink surpassed that number in early January 2020, during the early buildout of its first-generation network.
Lower pricing also aligns with Starlink’s broader expansion strategy. SpaceX continues to deploy satellites at a rapid pace using Falcon 9, and future launches aboard Starship are expected to significantly accelerate the constellation’s growth. A larger network improves capacity and global coverage, which can support a broader customer base.
In that context, price reductions can be viewed as a way to match expanding supply with growing demand. Musk’s companies have historically used aggressive pricing strategies to drive adoption at scale, particularly when vertical integration allows costs to decline over time.
News
Tesla Giga Berlin makes a statement of solidarity amid IG Metall conflict
The display comes as tensions between Tesla and IG Metall continue to escalate.
Tesla Giga Berlin is sending a strong message of solidarity amid its ongoing legal dispute with German union IG Metall.
In a post on social media platform X, Giga Berlin plant manager André Thierig shared an image of the facility’s lobby covered with a large banner that reads: “Progress. Innovation. Success.” He added that the slogan reflects what the facility has stood for since Day One.
“Our lobby at Giga Berlin covered in a huge banner these days. Progress. Innovation. Success – this is what we stand for since we started production in 2022 and how we will go into our future!” Thierig wrote in his post on X.
The display comes as tensions between Tesla and IG Metall continue to escalate.
The dispute began after Tesla accused a union representative of secretly recording a works council meeting at Giga Berlin. Tesla stated that it filed a criminal complaint after the alleged incident. Police later confirmed they had seized a computer belonging to an IG Metall member as part of their investigation.
“What has happened today at Giga Berlin is truly beyond words! An external union representative from IG Metall attended a works council meeting. For unknown reasons he recorded the internal meeting and was caught in action! We obviously called police and filed a criminal complaint!” Thierig wrote on X at the time.
IG Metall denied the accusation and characterized Tesla’s move as an election tactic ahead of upcoming works council elections. The union subsequently filed a defamation complaint against Thierig. Authorities later confirmed that an investigation had been opened in connection with the matter.
Giga Berlin began production in 2022 and has since become one of Tesla’s key European manufacturing hubs, producing the Model Y, the company’s best-selling vehicle. The facility has expanded capacity over the past years despite environmental protests, labor disputes, and regulatory scrutiny.
xAI’s Grok approved for Pentagon classified systems: report
Elon Musk denies Starlink’s price cuts are due to Amazon Kuiper
