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Tesla Model S Plaid reaches 140 MPH during first place run at Pikes Peak Hill Climb

Credit: Louis Yio | Pikes Peak International Hill Climb on Twitter

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The Tesla Model S Plaid, driven by veteran Unplugged Performance team member Randy Probst, continues its domination of the Exhibition Divison at the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb. The Unplugged Model S Plaid recently took down the fastest practice lap time during the Wednesday session, leading fellow Tesla driver Daijiro Yoshihara by a 5.3-second gap. Yoshihara is in a Model 3 Performance. The all-electric sedans took the first and second-fastest lap times of the practice session.

The Model S Plaid, Tesla’s fastest production vehicle to date and the quickest 1/4-mile production car ever created, is dominating the field at the Hill Climb in the practice sessions so far. Probst, a veteran driver and familiar face at the Pikes Peak Hill Climb, is dominating the field with a time of 4:10.342 in the Exhibition Divison with a top speed of 140.

Earlier this week, Probst ran an impressive 2:40-second time on a different section of the hill climb. The Model S Plaid topped out at 136 MPH while driving at 14,000 feet above sea level.

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Only three vehicles could best Probst time in the Model S Plaid, but they were not in the same division. Three cars in the Open Wheel division recorded times better than Probst, but these vehicles are much more suited for the tight corners and difficult terrain of the Pikes Peak Hill Climb. Open Wheel vehicles, also called Modifieds in some race promotions, have relatively open chassis designs, and the vehicle’s body does not cover the tires. These cars are known for impressive handling and speed. The record time for the Open Wheel division was set by Paul Dallenbach, brother of 8-year NASCAR veteran Wally Dallenbach. Dallenbach’s time of 3:52.497 was an Open Wheel Division qualifying record, according to Racer.

As previously noted, Probst’s time of 4:10.342 was the best in the Exhibition class, but he wasn’t in the only Tesla running lightning-quick laps. Daijiro Yoshihara is driving a 2018 Tesla Model 3 and ran his best time of 4:15.653 during Wednesday’s session. Another Model 3 driven by Joshua Allan, who drove a Model 3 in the 2020 event, ran the fifth-quickest time in the Exhibition division on Wednesday with a time of 4:33.940.

The fastest time during Wednesday’s session was run in the Time Attack 1 Division by 2021 Bentley Continental GT3 driver Rhys Millen, who ran an unbelievable 2:25.40 second lap.

Check out Probst’s run from Wednesday below, courtesy of Unplugged Performance on YouTube.

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Joey has been a journalist covering electric mobility at TESLARATI since August 2019. In his spare time, Joey is playing golf, watching MMA, or cheering on any of his favorite sports teams, including the Baltimore Ravens and Orioles, Miami Heat, Washington Capitals, and Penn State Nittany Lions. You can get in touch with joey at joey@teslarati.com. He is also on X @KlenderJoey. If you're looking for great Tesla accessories, check out shop.teslarati.com

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Tesla begins Robotaxi certification push in Arizona: report

Tesla seems serious about expanding its Robotaxi service to several states in the coming months.

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Credit: Tesla

Tesla has initiated discussions with Arizona transportation regulators to certify its driverless Robotaxi service in the state, as per a recent report from Bloomberg News. The move follows Tesla’s launch of its Robotaxi pilot program in Austin, Texas, as well as CEO Elon Musk’s recent comments about the service’s expansion in the Bay Area.

The Arizona Department of Transportation confirmed to Bloomberg that Tesla has reached out to begin the certification process for autonomous ride-sharing operations in the state. While details remain limited, the outreach suggests that Tesla is serious about expanding its driverless Robotaxi service to several territories in the coming months.

The Arizona development comes as Tesla prepares to expand its service area in Austin this weekend, as per CEO Elon Musk in a post on X. Musk also stated that Tesla is targeting the San Francisco Bay Area as its next major market, with a potential launch “in a month or two,” pending regulatory approvals.

Tesla first launched its autonomous ride-hailing program on June 22 in Austin with a small fleet of Model Y vehicles, accompanied by a Tesla employee in the passenger seat to monitor safety. While still classified as a test, Musk has said the program will expand to about 1,000 vehicles in the coming months. Tesla will later upgrade its Robotaxi fleet with the Cyercab, a two-seater that is designed without a steering wheel.

Sightings of Cybercab castings around the Giga Texas complex suggests that Tesla may be ramping the initial trial production of the self-driving two-seater. Tesla, for its part, has noted in the past that volume production of the Cybercab is expected to start sometime next year.

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In California, Tesla has already applied for a transportation charter-party carrier permit from the state’s Public Utilities Commission. The company is reportedly taking a phased approach to operating in California, with the Robotaxi service starting with pre-arranged rides for employees in vehicles with safety drivers.

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Tesla sets November 6 date for 2025 Annual Shareholder Meeting

The automaker announced the date on Thursday in a Form 8-K.

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Credit: Tesla

Tesla has scheduled its 2025 annual shareholder meeting for November 6, addressing investor concerns that the company was nearing a legal deadline to hold the event. 

The automaker announced the date on Thursday in a Form 8-K submitted to the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The company also listed a new proposal submission deadline of July 31 for items to be included in the proxy statement.

Tesla’s announcement followed calls from a group of 27 shareholders, including the leaders of large public pension funds, which urged Tesla’s board to formally set the meeting date, as noted in a report from The Wall Street Journal

The group noted that under Texas law, where Tesla is now incorporated, companies must hold annual meetings within 13 months of the last one if requested by shareholders. Tesla’s previous annual shareholder meeting was held on June 13, 2024, which placed the July 13 deadline in focus.

Tesla originally stated in its 2024 annual report that it would file its proxy statement by the end of April. However, an amended filing on April 30 indicated that the Board of Directors had not yet finalized a meeting date, at least at the time.

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The April filing also confirmed that Tesla’s board had formed a special committee to evaluate certain matters related to CEO Elon Musk’s compensation plan. Musk’s CEO performance award remains at the center of a lengthy legal dispute in Delaware, Tesla’s former state of incorporation.

Due to the aftermath of Musk’s legal dispute about his compensation plan in Delaware, he has not been paid for his work at Tesla for several years. Musk, for his part, has noted that he is more concerned about his voting stake in Tesla than his actual salary.

At last year’s annual meeting, TSLA shareholders voted to reapprove Elon Musk’s compensation plan and ratified Tesla’s decision to relocate its legal domicile from Delaware to Texas.

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Grok coming to Tesla vehicles next week “at the latest:” Elon Musk

Grok’s rollout to Tesla vehicles is expected to begin next week at the latest.

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Credit: Tesla China

Elon Musk announced on Thursday that Grok, the large language model developed by his startup xAI, will soon be available in Tesla vehicles. Grok’s rollout to Tesla vehicles is expected to begin next week at the latest, further deepening the ties between the two Elon Musk-led companies.

Tesla–xAI synergy

Musk confirmed the news on X shortly after livestreaming the release of Grok 4, xAI’s latest large language model. “Grok is coming to Tesla vehicles very soon. Next week at the latest,” Musk wrote in a post on social media platform X.

During the livestream, Musk and several members of the xAI team highlighted several upgrades to Grok 4’s voice capabilities and performance metrics, positioning the LLM as competitive with top-tier models from OpenAI and Google.

The in-vehicle integration of Grok marks a new chapter in Tesla’s AI development. While Tesla has long relied on in-house systems for autonomous driving and energy optimization, Grok’s integration would introduce conversational AI directly into its vehicles’ user experience. This integration could potentially improve customer interaction inside Tesla vehicles.

xAI and Tesla’s collaborative footprint

Grok’s upcoming rollout to Tesla vehicles adds to a growing business relationship between Tesla and xAI. Earlier this year, Tesla disclosed that it generated $198.3 million in revenue from commercial, consulting, and support agreements with xAI, as noted in a report from Bloomberg News. A large portion of that amount, however, came from the sale of Megapack energy storage systems to the artificial intelligence startup.

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In July 2023, Musk polled X users about whether Tesla should invest $5 billion in xAI. While no formal investment has been made so far, 68% of poll participants voted yes, and Musk has since stated that the idea would be discussed with Tesla’s board.

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