News
Tesla Model X transports final COVID-19 patient from Dubai hospital
A Tesla Model X transported the final COVID-19 patient from the Dubai Field Hospital in the United Arab Emirates on June 7.
Hiroaki Fujita, a Japanese man who was diagnosed with the novel coronavirus earlier this year, left the makeshift hospital in Dubai on July 7 after defeating the virus. After making his way down the hallway of the medical facility, Fujita was greeted by doctors and nurses. The medical staff applauded the patient’s strength as he had fully recovered from the illness that has taken the lives of over 540,000 people across the world.
The medical staff who attended to Fujita since his contraction of the coronavirus were still wearing protective equipment like facemasks, bidding farewell to the final patient who resided at the hospital because of the deadly illness.
When Fujita left the hospital, a Tesla Model X had its Falcon Wing doors opened, ready to transport the man to his next destination.
#Dubai field hospital bids farewell to the last coronavirus patient.@DHA_Dubai @DXBMediaOffice pic.twitter.com/ywV4ppJe94
— حسن سجواني 🇦🇪 Hassan Sajwani (@HSajwanization) July 7, 2020
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In a brief interview with the AFP News Agency, Fujita said, “I ask everyone to take a more safer way. Feeling very good that I am about to go out.”
Symbolically, a Tesla electric vehicle transported the final COVID-19 infected patient from the hospital.
When the COVID-19 pandemic swooped through the United States in March and April, Tesla CEO Elon Musk offered a helping hand by providing extra FDA-approved ventilators to any hospital that would need them immediately.
“Will ship to hospitals worldwide within Tesla delivery regions. Device & shipping cost are free. Only requirement is that the vents are needed immediately for patients, not stored in a warehouse. Please [let] me or @Tesla know,” Musk tweeted on March 31.
-->Tesla then began developing in-house ventilators using parts from its electric vehicles. The company also offered its Giga New York solar production plant in Buffalo, NY, to Medtronic, a medical supply company.
According to WorldOMeters.info, the United Arab Emirates has been affected by 52,068 confirmed cases of the COVID-19 virus. 40,721 infected patients have recovered, and 324 people have unfortunately passed away due to the illness.
To treat those infected by the virus, the City of Dubai opened the Field Hospital inside of its World Trade Centre on Saturday, April 18, LiveMint reported. The 3,000-bed capacity hospital was put together to prepare for a potential surge in coronavirus cases within Dubai.
Although the hospital is now empty, Manal Taryam, the facility’s director, stated that medical equipment would be left at the site and continuously sterilized in case another outbreak occurs.
“If we need, we can reactivate the field hospital within hours. But, we are confident while closing it,” Taryam added. “Today, thanks to efforts, we have been able to put the pandemic under control.”
-->Watch Hiroaki Fujita leave the Dubai Field Hospital after defeating the COVID-19 pandemic below.
#DubaiFieldHospital bids farewell to the last coronavirus patient. pic.twitter.com/IbZgFeCBBU
— هيئة الصحة بدبي (@DHA_Dubai) July 7, 2020
News
Tesla Model 3 named New Zealand’s best passenger car of 2025
Tesla flipped the switch on Full Self-Driving (Supervised) in September, turning every Model 3 and Model Y into New Zealand’s most advanced production car overnight.
The refreshed Tesla Model 3 has won the DRIVEN Car Guide AA Insurance NZ Car of the Year 2025 award in the Passenger Car category, beating all traditional and electric rivals.
Judges praised the all-electric sedan’s driving dynamics, value-packed EV tech, and the game-changing addition of Full Self-Driving (Supervised) that went live in New Zealand this September.
Why the Model 3 clinched the crown
DRIVEN admitted they were late to the “Highland” party because the updated sedan arrived in New Zealand as a 2024 model, just before the new Model Y stole the headlines. Yet two things forced a re-evaluation this year.
First, experiencing the new Model Y reminded testers how many big upgrades originated in the Model 3, such as the smoother ride, quieter cabin, ventilated seats, rear touchscreen, and stalk-less minimalist interior. Second, and far more importantly, Tesla flipped the switch on Full Self-Driving (Supervised) in September, turning every Model 3 and Model Y into New Zealand’s most advanced production car overnight.
FSD changes everything for Kiwi buyers
The publication called the entry-level rear-wheel-drive version “good to drive and represents a lot of EV technology for the money,” but highlighted that FSD elevates it into another league. “Make no mistake, despite the ‘Supervised’ bit in the name that requires you to remain ready to take control, it’s autonomous and very capable in some surprisingly tricky scenarios,” the review stated.
-->At NZ$11,400, FSD is far from cheap, but Tesla also offers FSD (Supervised) on a $159 monthly subscription, making the tech accessible without the full upfront investment. That’s a game-changer, as it allows users to access the company’s most advanced system without forking over a huge amount of money.
News
Tesla starts rolling out FSD V14.2.1 to AI4 vehicles including Cybertruck
FSD V14.2.1 was released just about a week after the initial FSD V14.2 update was rolled out.
It appears that the Tesla AI team burned the midnight oil, allowing them to release FSD V14.2.1 on Thanksgiving. The update has been reported by Tesla owners with AI4 vehicles, as well as Cybertruck owners.
For the Tesla AI team, at least, it appears that work really does not stop.
FSD V14.2.1
Initial posts about FSD V14.2.1 were shared by Tesla owners on social media platform X. As per the Tesla owners, V14.2.1 appears to be a point update that’s designed to polish the features and capacities that have been available in FSD V14. A look at the release notes for FSD V14.2.1, however, shows that an extra line has been added.
“Camera visibility can lead to increased attention monitoring sensitivity.”
Whether this could lead to more drivers being alerted to pay attention to the roads more remains to be seen. This would likely become evident as soon as the first batch of videos from Tesla owners who received V14.21 start sharing their first drive impressions of the update. Despite the update being released on Thanksgiving, it would not be surprising if first impressions videos of FSD V14.2.1 are shared today, just the same.
-->Rapid FSD releases
What is rather interesting and impressive is the fact that FSD V14.2.1 was released just about a week after the initial FSD V14.2 update was rolled out. This bodes well for Tesla’s FSD users, especially since CEO Elon Musk has stated in the past that the V14.2 series will be for “widespread use.”
FSD V14 has so far received numerous positive reviews from Tesla owners, with numerous drivers noting that the system now drives better than most human drivers because it is cautious, confident, and considerate at the same time. The only question now, really, is if the V14.2 series does make it to the company’s wide FSD fleet, which is still populated by numerous HW3 vehicles.
News
Waymo rider data hints that Tesla’s Cybercab strategy might be the smartest, after all
These observations all but validate Tesla’s controversial two-seat Cybercab strategy, which has caught a lot of criticism since it was unveiled last year.
Toyota Connected Europe designer Karim Dia Toubajie has highlighted a particular trend that became evident in Waymo’s Q3 2025 occupancy stats. As it turned out, 90% of the trips taken by the driverless taxis carried two or fewer passengers.
These observations all but validate Tesla’s controversial two-seat Cybercab strategy, which has caught a lot of criticism since it was unveiled last year.
Toyota designer observes a trend
Karim Dia Toubajie, Lead Product Designer (Sustainable Mobility) at Toyota Connected Europe, analyzed Waymo’s latest California Public Utilities Commission filings and posted the results on LinkedIn this week.
“90% of robotaxi trips have 2 or less passengers, so why are we using 5-seater vehicles?” Toubajie asked. He continued: “90% of trips have 2 or less people, 75% of trips have 1 or less people.” He accompanied his comments with a graphic showing Waymo’s occupancy rates, which showed 71% of trips having one passenger, 15% of trips having two passengers, 6% of trips having three passengers, 5% of trips having zero passengers, and only 3% of trips having four passengers.
The data excludes operational trips like depot runs or charging, though Toubajie pointed out that most of the time, Waymo’s massive self-driving taxis are really just transporting 1 or 2 people, at times even no passengers at all. “This means that most of the time, the vehicle being used significantly outweighs the needs of the trip,” the Toyota designer wrote in his post.
-->Cybercab suddenly looks perfectly sized
Toubajie gave a nod to Tesla’s approach. “The Tesla Cybercab announced in 2024, is a 2-seater robotaxi with a 50kWh battery but I still believe this is on the larger side of what’s required for most trips,” he wrote.
With Waymo’s own numbers now proving 90% of demand fits two seats or fewer, the wheel-less, lidar-free Cybercab now looks like the smartest play in the room. The Cybercab is designed to be easy to produce, with CEO Elon Musk commenting that its product line would resemble a consumer electronics factory more than an automotive plant. This means that the Cybercab could saturate the roads quickly once it is deployed.
While the Cybercab will likely take the lion’s share of Tesla’s ride-hailing passengers, the Model 3 sedan and Model Y crossover would be perfect for the remaining 9% of riders who require larger vehicles. This should be easy to implement for Tesla, as the Model Y and Model 3 are both mass-market vehicles.
Tesla Model 3 named New Zealand’s best passenger car of 2025
Tesla starts rolling out FSD V14.2.1 to AI4 vehicles including Cybertruck
