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Tesla Model S ‘Plaid’ variants spied with center display like Model 3 in return from Nurburgring

(Credit: Andre Weller/Imugr)

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After setting impressive unofficial lap times at the Nurburgring, Tesla’s two Model S Plaid Powertrain prototypes have been spotted in a transport trailer in the United States. Quite interestingly, images taken of one of the Plaid vehicles hinted at what appears to be a center-mounted display similar to the 15″ touchscreen on the Tesla Model 3. 

Images of the two track warriors from Tesla were photographed by electric car enthusiast Andre Weller, who shared the photos of the vehicles on the r/TeslaMotors subreddit. It did not take long before some members of the online community pointed out that the blue Model S Plaid prototype seemed to be fitted with a display that’s reminiscent to the one used by the electric car maker in its midsize sedan. 

While this is all speculation for now, it should be noted that an interior refresh for the Model S has been rumored for some time now. This would not be the first time that Tesla used Model 3 parts on the Plaid Model S either, as the tri-motor sedan the company used to set a record at Laguna Seca was curiously equipped with a Model 3 steering wheel.

This is quite different from the current setup of the Model S, which utilizes a 17″ touch panel in portrait orientation for its infotainment system. But this is not all. The blue vehicle also appeared to have a complete interior, as shown by the unmistakable outline of seats in Weller’s photographs. This contrasts with previous reports about the blue vehicle, which alleged that its interior was stripped down. 

Also noteworthy is the red Model S Plaid prototype that was tied down right behind the blue unit. Prior to Tesla’s departure from the Nurburgring, reports emerged stating that the red Plaid Model S had crashed during a high-speed run. While the accident reportedly rendered the car unusable for the remaining days of the company’s stay in Germany, the driver of the vehicle was unharmed. 

Looking at photos of the red vehicle, it appears that the Plaid Model S was not very damaged from its Nurburgring mishap. Its front fenders and panels seem to be intact, and there are no noticeable dents on its hood. The only thing that seems quite off with the vehicle were its wheels, which were mismatched for some reason, as well as its driver’s side window, which was opened during transit.

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(Credit: Andre Weller/Imugr)

Tesla’s two Plaid Model S prototypes were able to set some impressive unofficial times before they departed the iconic German racetrack this year. During the company’s first round of Nurburgring sessions, the red Model S Plaid prototype reportedly completed a hand-stopped lap in 7:23, significantly faster than the 7:42 set by the Porsche Taycan Turbo.

This time was eventually beaten twice by the blue Plaid Model S in the company’s second round of Nurburgring sessions, with the vehicle reportedly completing a hot lap in 7:13. That’s almost half a minute faster than Porsche’s own unofficial record for the Taycan Turbo. 

The Tesla Model S Plaid prototypes are equipped with larger battery packs, three motors, and seven seats, as per Twitter updates from Elon Musk. Musk has also noted that the updated vehicles will be entering production sometime in late 2020, and they will command a price that’s higher than the Raven Model S Performance, but “less than competitors.”

Simon is an experienced automotive reporter with a passion for electric cars and clean energy. Fascinated by the world envisioned by Elon Musk, he hopes to make it to Mars (at least as a tourist) someday. For stories or tips--or even to just say a simple hello--send a message to his email, simon@teslarati.com or his handle on X, @ResidentSponge.

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Elon Musk

The Boring Company’s latest Tesla tunnel truck mod “fits like a glove”

The Boring Company has modified a Tesla powered tunnel truck to carry freight containers underground.

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The Boring Company has found a second job for the Tesla hardware it already runs underground. In a post on X, Elon Musk’s tunneling company showed its latest Prufrock Liner Truck modified to carry a standard 20 foot shipping container. “Using TBC tunnels to transport freight,” the company wrote. “The latest Prufrock Liner Truck (using Tesla Model 3 batteries and drive units) has been modified to carry a standard 20′ shipping container. Fits like a glove!”

The photo shows a red container sitting on a long, low white chassis parked outside, with drive hardware visible at one end. The Boring Company did not say where or when freight hauling would start, which customers it has in mind, or how many trucks it is converting.

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Until now, the liner trucks have hauled concrete. Teslarati reported in August on Liner Truck 3, which uses Model 3 battery packs and drive units to move more than 22,000 pounds of precast tunnel segments to the boring machine. It has 28 miles of range, tops out at 12 mph, and is piloted remotely from the company’s operations center in Texas. The freight version appears to be the same platform with a different bed, and The Boring Company has not said whether it will also be remotely piloted.

Freight has been on the company’s menu for years. When TBC updated its product lineup in 2021, its freight tunnel was described as sized to fit a standard shipping container, “barely.” The company later used the idea at Tesla’s own factory, where Prufrock 3 dug a tunnel to Giga Texas that now moves finished Cybertrucks away from the production line.

The Boring Company closed a $3 billion Series D in September at a $23 billion valuation, and Teslarati has covered how that money is tied to a UAE tunneling push and a faster Nashville build. In Nashville, Prufrock MB1 and MB2 are mining at the same time, and a third machine is expected to launch in late October. Each machine needs a steady supply of liner trucks, so any design that works for segments and containers alike gives the company more use out of the same Tesla parts.

The Vegas Loop remains the only Boring Company system open to the public, and it moves passengers in Tesla vehicles. A freight service would be a separate product, and the post gave no indication that one is close to launch. For now, it is a truck, a container and a short caption saying they fit together.

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Elon Musk will give ‘every kid in America’ a SpaceX share in 2027

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Credit: Grok Imagine

Elon Musk said he is planning to give “every one of his SpaceX shares to every kid in America” in 2027, stating that “this will be the first of many.”

SpaceX went public earlier this year, and its stock price has been relatively stable since leveling off shortly after its IPO. Based on its current price, it’s a gift of just over $10 billion to children across the United States.

It appears to be closely related to President Donald Trump’s bank accounts for children, which were set up earlier this year as Trump Accounts.

Just hours earlier, Anthropic had announced the establishment of its Anthropic Public Benefit Fund, “a new wholly-owned entity dedicated entirely to public benefit.” Musk responded by stating he recommended “giving the shares directly to the public,” and that he would be doing it that way.

Just a little bit later, Musk said children across the U.S. would be getting a share from him:

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There are roughly 70 million children, meaning someone under the age of 18, in the United States, according to the Federal Interagency Forum on Child and Family Statistics. Musk’s ownership of SpaceX stock shows he has around 849 million Class A shares of SpaceX stock, according to filings with the SEC.

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Elon Musk reveals why Boring Co’s biggest East Coast project never happened

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(Credit: The Boring Company)

Elon Musk revealed in a post on X that “Permits were impossible to get,” explaining the fate of The Boring Company’s most ambitious East Coast proposal.

The comment responded to a query about what became of his July 20, 2017 announcement that he had “just received verbal govt approval” for an underground Hyperloop connecting New York City, Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Washington, D.C., capable of carrying passengers from the Big Apple to the Nation’s Capital in just 29 minutes.

The Boring Company receives verbal ‘approval’ to build NY to DC Hyperloop tunnel

The 2017 post, which envisioned city-center stations and multiple elevators in each city, sparked immediate scrutiny. Local and state officials in New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore, and D.C. said they had no knowledge of any approval. A White House spokesperson confirmed only “promising conversations” about the transformative infrastructure.

Musk clarified shortly after that there was “still a lot of work” to do for formal approvals.

Limited progress followed, as Maryland Governor Larry Hogan’s administration issued a conditional utility permit and supported work near Fort Meade. In 2018, Washington, D.C., granted a preliminary permit for site preparation and excavation on a vacant lot at 53 New York Ave. NE in the NoMa neighborhood, which The Boring Company said could become a station.

A draft environmental assessment for a D.C.-Baltimore segment was released in 2019. Yet, by April 2021, the company had removed the project from its website, and the Federal Highway Administration reported receiving no indication of further interest. Communication with Maryland officials had ceased.

The full corridor would have required coordination among the District of Columbia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, New York, the Federal Highway Administration, the Army Corps of Engineers, the National Park Service, and other agencies.

Environmental reviews under the National Environmental Policy Act, utility clearances, and approvals for novel infrastructure added to the overall complexity of the project and its approval.

Speculation on the permitting barriers centers around a few factors, but a multi-state, multi-level route involving unproven high-speed vacuum-tube technology inherently triggers exhaustive safety, environmental, and engineering reviews that can stretch for years, even for conventional projects.

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There are also other elements, of course, like officials who may face political exposure if a privately funded, untested system encountered anything such as cost overruns, delays, or safety issues. On the outset of this project, there were limited things such as engineering plans or demonstrated technology maturity, which also added to the potential skepticism.

The East Coast vision for Boring Co., once framed as a privately funded revolution that could reshape Northeast travel, quietly ended without construction of the promised network. Musk’s recent statement frames the outcome as a regulatory impasse, unfortunate but not unexpected.

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