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Tesla Model X saves family and pet after being struck at an intersection

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“I waited 4 years for this one and would wait 4 more if that is what it took to protect my family like this” are the words that resonate in orthopaedic surgeon Jonathan Braman’s head after he and five passengers, plus their family pet, survived a horrific crash in their Tesla Model X.

According to Braman, he and his family were entering an intersection near E. Bush Lake Road in Bloomington, Minnesota when a GMC SUV ran through a red light at high speed striking the Model X near the right front quarter panel. The impact caused all airbags to deploy – some in areas Braman admits he didn’t realize existed – and provide safety around all passengers within the vehicle. Braman tells Teslarati, “I rapidly got out of the car and was lucky enough to have a group of young men who were behind me in line at the light help extract us from the car.  I quickly got my family as far away from the GMC as I could.  I was unsure if the gasoline in that car was stable and worried that his car would catch fire.”

Luckily everyone walked away unharmed. “We are alive. I’m pretty sure any other 7 passenger vehicle would have rolled if hit by this distracted Detroit Missile.”, says Braman.

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What’s remarkable about this story is the fact that, despite being struck at high speed by a heavy and fast-moving SUV, and above the axis of rotation, the Model X didn’t roll. Braman who practices orthopaedic surgery and has been witness to some of the more extreme cases of spinal injury realizes the significance in this. Had the Model X rolled or even spun, there could have been serious neck and spinal injuries involved.

Braman’s father who was sitting inches from the point of impact was protected by the Model X’s large front crumple zone and airbags throughout, including never-before-seen leg airbags that deployed. “The other car was forced to glance off of us and came to a stop. The crumple zones worked, and my father who was sitting several inches from the point of impact was seen and discharged from the hospital. He would have been much more seriously injured if there were less safety protections. The leg airbags (and the others as well) deployed protecting him even further. The glass was not injured except by the airbag and never came out of any of the windows.”, tells us.

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Despite being shook up from the incident, Braman a Roadster owner since 2010 says he waited over four years to receive his Model X P90D(L) and will wait another four if it means getting into a vehicle that will, not only protect the climate and his children’s future, but protect his family from this type of crash, and have them all walk away safely.

“I waited 4 years for this one and would wait 4 more if that is what it took to protect my family like this.”

This incident serves as a great example of why the Model X truly is the best car everNot because of the vehicle’s countless technological innovations: that’s a given, but because Tesla truly did put safety in mind before anything else. If you recall, CEO Elon Musk’s opening remark from the Model X unveiling event was around safety – something Braman’s story of survival can surely attest to.

Elon Musk

SpaceX is preparing to launch Starship V2 one final time

The mission will test reentry dynamics, new landing burn configurations, and heat-shield upgrades.

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Credit: SpaceX/X

SpaceX is preparing to launch its final Starship V2 rocket on October 13, 2025. The launch closes the curtain on Starship V2 and marks the start of the ambitious spacecraft’s V3 era. 

Liftoff for Flight 11 is scheduled for 7:15 p.m. ET from Starbase in South Texas, with a 75-minute launch window. The mission will test reentry dynamics, new landing burn configurations, and heat-shield upgrades ahead of the transition to the next-generation Starship V3.

Starship V3 and beyond

Elon Musk confirmed on X that Starship V3 is already in production and could be “built & tested” and perhaps even flown before the end of 2025. The new version is expected to feature major performance and scale improvements, with Musk stating that Starship V3, provided that things go well, might be capable of reaching Mars, though V4 is more likely to perform a full-scale mission to the red planet. 

“Only one more V2 left to launch,” Musk wrote back in August following Starship’s successful Flight 10 mission. In another post, Musk stated that “Starship V3 is a massive upgrade from the current V2 and should be through production and testing by end of year, with heavy flight activity next year.”

Starship V2’s final mission

Flight 11 is designed to push the limits of Starship V2. SpaceX engineers have intentionally removed heat-shield tiles in vulnerable areas to analyze how the vehicle handles atmospheric reentry under stress, as noted in a Space.com report. The test will also refine subsonic guidance algorithms and new landing burn sequences for the Super Heavy booster that would be used for Starship V3.

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“Super Heavy will ignite 13 engines at the start of the landing burn and then transition to a new configuration with five engines running for the divert phase. Previously done with three engines, the planned baseline for V3 Super Heavy will use five engines during the section of the burn responsible for fine-tuning the booster’s path, adding additional redundancy for spontaneous engine shutdowns. 

“The booster will then transition to its three center engines for the end of the landing burn, entering a full hover while still above the ocean surface, followed by shutdown and dropping into the Gulf of America,” SpaceX wrote in a post on its official website.

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xAI’s new facility will save Memphis 5 billion gallons of water annually

The project was described as a long-needed solution for the region as it will be capable of recycling up to 13 million gallons of greywater daily.

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Credit: xAI Memphis/X

Elon Musk’s artificial intelligence startup, xAI, has officially broken ground on its $80 million wastewater treatment facility in Memphis, Tennessee. The project aims to reduce strain on the Memphis aquifer by 9% and repurpose 20% of wastewater from the nearby Memphis T.E. Maxson wastewater facility that would otherwise flow back into the Mississippi River.

A major step towards sustainability

City officials, including Councilman J. Ford Canale and Memphis Chamber of Commerce CEO and President Ted Townsend, joined xAI staff at the October 10 ceremony. The project was described as a long-needed solution for the region as it will have a treatment capacity of 13 million gallons daily, which would then be used for industrial cooling use xAI and the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA). 

This means that the facility will help conserve 5 billion gallons of potable water annually, easing demand on Memphis’ primary water system. At these levels, xAI Memphis noted that its wastewater treatment facility will feature the largest ceramic membrane MBR in the world, using 13,000 membrane modules that collectively span over 900,000 square feet, roughly the size of 16 football fields. 

Construction permits have been secured for the pump station, while the main operations permit from the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation remains under review.

A privately funded push

The wastewater treatment facility represents a rare privately funded water reclamation initiative, with xAI covering construction costs, as noted in a Yahoo News report. The company filed preliminary plans through its affiliate CTC Property LLC in 2024, hinting at the startup’s long-term commitment to sustainable infrastructure around its growing Memphis operations. TVA CEO and President Don Moul shared his excitement for the project.

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“This is a big day for Memphis, Tennessee. This initiative not only reduces our need to purchase water from MLGW for our nearby Allen Combined Cycle Plant, but it also eases demand on the region’s potable water system. By recycling water for cooling purposes, we’re helping to preserve drinking water for the community and advancing a solution that benefits both the environment and the Greater Memphis area,” he said.

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Japan paves the way for Tesla Full Self-Driving domestic rollout

Tesla’s vehicles are allowed to be retrofitted with a software update that could enable the activation of self-driving features.

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Credit: Tesla AI/X

Japan seems to be taking some serious steps to pave the way for the domestic rollout of Tesla’s Full Self-Driving (FSD) system in the country. 

This was hinted at by a decision from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Ministry.

FSD update

As noted in a report from Nikkei, Tesla’s artificial intelligence-powered vehicles are allowed to be retrofitted with a software update that could enable the activation of their self-driving features. These features would be rolled out through an over-the-air (OTA) software update for vehicles that have already been sold to consumers.

Previous reports have indicated that Tesla Japan has started the testing of FSD technology on public roads. At the time, reports indicated that Tesla Japan employees have been conducting the tests, and the company is planning to release its FSD software to consumers in the near future, at least pending compliance with safety standards and guidelines. 

New guidelines

In a comment on X, former Tesla Board Member Hiro Mizuno explained that the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Ministry’s decision is no small matter, as it could pave the way for the smooth rollout of features like FSD to Tesla consumers in Japan. 

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“The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism’s decision to allow retrofitting of autonomous driving through software updates is significant. Currently, Tesla is the only manufacturer actively pursuing this, but I had thought that if actual autonomous driving were to begin, it would be impossible to keep up if the approval process had to be repeated for every software update. As a result, this decision will make it easier for all manufacturers to introduce autonomous driving in Japan,” he wrote in a post on X.

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