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Sandy Munro spits facts about Tesla, the Detroit 3 & the trajectory of the US vehicle industry

(Credit: Tesla)

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Munro Live has become a channel where car expert Sandy Munro can educate the public on the inner workings of vehicles. In his latest video, Munro doesn’t hold back and spits out truths about the US government’s approach towards improving the local auto industry and its chosen champions in the fight to dominate the global car market.

Munro drives home two main points in his video. First, American EV maker Tesla doesn’t get the recognition or credit it deserves, particularly regarding their technological advancements like its artificial intelligence development. Second, legacy OEMs such as General Motors and Ford don’t have the technology to beat Chinese automakers in the global car market, specifically when talking about autonomous driving technologies. 

Munro’s Tesla AI Day Review

Munro seemed very impressed by the technology and progress Tesla revealed during its AI day event. In his video, he particularly focused on Tesla’s D1 chip, which was developed in-house. 

“It defies the imagination. One chip, one chip that Tesla has developed in recent history here could take the place of pretty much any major computer that might’ve been hanging around in the early 2000’s. These advancements are things that will save lives. Lots of lives,” he said.

While Tesla AI Day seemed to be a success by Munro’s standards, the government’s reaction to Tesla incurred his ire. He noticed that the same week Tesla AI Day took place, both the NHTSA and US Congress started investigating the EV maker’s Autopilot system. 

To put things in perspective, Munro spit out some facts about vehicle safety. He shared that 212,500 vehicles fires were responsible for 560 civilian deaths in 2018. Teslarati was able to confirm Munro’s numbers on vehicle fires with National Fire Protection Association (NFPA).

In 2018, a little over 17 million vehicles were sold in the United States, and EVs only made up 2% of total vehicle sales. A total of about 360,000 electric vehicles were sold in 2018, and 38% of that number was just the Tesla Model 3. 

Over the years, Tesla vehicles and fires have been a mainstay in mainstream media (MSM). With regards to EV fires, Munro pointed out that gasoline burns easier than batteries and even invited people to try it out—although his video editors warned people against doing so at home. According to the NFPA, collisions were the main cause of vehicle fires that resulted in death.

Munro’s Rant

After spitting some facts about electric vehicle safety. Munro drove his point home. “I’ve driven almost every self-driving car or even autopilot car and it’s crap,” Munro said about the progress legacy OEMs have made with autonomous technology. He chided the government for continuously praising traditional automakers for their “participation” in self-driving development while continuously bashing Tesla for making actual progress in the field. 

He also noted that Tesla was the only US car company that still made true, blue American vehicles that could trump the main competition in the global autonomous car market: China’s upcoming EV makers that are just as focused on tech as Tesla. 

“The Chinese are creating [self-driving] systems right now that are equivalent or better than anything GM, VW, BMW, Daimler, Toyota, Honda, Kia, Ford, and anybody else that’s out there is gonna be making, and we’re crushing the only source of real American ingenuity? Are you kidding me?” Munro remarked. 

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Overall, Munro’s message was clear: veteran OEMs in the United States and the traditional auto sector in general are on track to be overtaken by fast-moving, upstart automakers in China that prioritize tech and innovation in their vehicles. Tesla is ahead of the pack right now, but if the company slows down due to continued resistance from the powers-that-be, then it would not be surprising if China’s champions like NIO and Xpeng become the golden standard for in-car tech and autonomous driving in the near future. 

Watch Sandy Munro’s self-described “rant” in the video below. 

The Teslarati team would appreciate hearing from you. If you have any tips, reach out to me at maria@teslarati.com or via Twitter @Writer_01001101.

Maria--aka "M"-- is an experienced writer and book editor. She's written about several topics including health, tech, and politics. As a book editor, she's worked with authors who write Sci-Fi, Romance, and Dark Fantasy. M loves hearing from TESLARATI readers. If you have any tips or article ideas, contact her at maria@teslarati.com or via X, @Writer_01001101.

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Tesla Theater might be getting plenty more streaming platforms

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Credit: YouTube/Tesla Theater

The in-car Tesla Theater is among the most unique features available within the cars. When charging, parked, camping, or just hanging out, vehicle occupants can access a variety of streaming platforms on the large center screen, helping keep them entertained during downtime.

However, the Theater might be getting plenty more streaming platforms, something that owners have requested for some time.

Tesla owners recently discovered that visiting Apple TV in the vehicle browser can launch a fullscreen interface that looks and behaves like a dedicated application rather than an ordinary webpage:

The experience drops the usual address bar and browser chrome, presenting catalogs, continue watching rows, and playback controls in the same window Tesla Theater already uses for its listed services. Independent testers soon found similar treatment for HBO Max, Paramount+, Peacock, Disney+, and Prime Video when those sites are opened from the car browser.

This shift is a plausible early signal that Tesla is widening Theater support without a formal software note. Theater has long been a set of web views rather than native applications, so recognizing extra domains and stripping the browser frame is a small server-side change that can expand the catalog quickly.

Owners still lack permanent Theater icons for the newly recognized services, and video remains limited to Park, yet the smoother launch is a meaningful step toward a broader lounge while charging.

Tesla Theater arrived with software version 10 in September 2019. The first video services were Netflix, YouTube, and Hulu, available only while parked and originally tied to WiFi. Spotify arrived in the same era as music rather than Theater video. Disney+ joined officially in July 2021 with the 2021.24 update, giving owners another major catalog on the center screen. Twitch and TikTok later appeared among the default Theater tiles, and Tesla Tutorials remained a persistent educational tile.

Not every addition stayed put. In December 2023, a Holiday software build removed the Disney+ tile for many United States owners after a public dispute involving advertising on X. Hulu stayed visible even though Disney owned it. Visiting disneyplus.com in the browser often restored the tile, which suggested the removal was a recognition list change rather than a complete block. Owners have also reported occasional blank Theater grids after updates, usually fixed by language toggles, resets, or later firmware.

Tesla axes Disney+ from vehicles with Musk-Iger rivalry, but there’s a workaround

Code archives from 2024 listed many unused source names, including Apple TV and Prime Video, that never became official icons, which now looks like groundwork for the current fullscreen browser behavior.

Now that this hint toward an expanded Theater experience has been recognized, Tesla could follow through with these additional shortcuts as a sign that more streaming platforms are available in Teslas than ever before.

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Tesla Semi’s biggest adoptee gives an update on production timeline

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Credit: Tesla

Tesla recently received its largest order for the all-electric Semi from Einride, a Swedish transport service, for 500 units, a groundbreaking invoice to receive before the first deliveries begin.

Even more remarkable, Einride CEO Roozbeh Charli said in a recent interview that he expects his company to take delivery of all 500 — the entire order — before the end of 2027. He even expects to have 75 Tesla Semi units in the Einride fleet before the end of this year.

Charli said the Tesla partnership was part of a broader push, along with its earlier partnership with Amazon. Einride is assisting Amazon with the use of its Saga AI platform, which helps eliminate questions about budgeting and forecasting for logistics companies.

The Semi, as well as Tesla’s production and subsequent delivery of the units to Einride, will help the company “to have a good supply of vehicles that we can deploy on the [Saga AI] platform,” Charli said. “Tesla is also a relationship we’ve had for a while, and as the Tesla Semi deliveries are firming up, we decided to do a larger commitment to that and deploy that on our platform.”

In its initial announcement, Einride said it anticipated taking delivery of the trucks over the next two years, but now it appears the company is expecting all 500 units within the next 16 months.

Tesla Semi gets its largest order yet

Built at a dedicated factory in Sparks, Nevada, the Tesla Semi has been perhaps the biggest and most intensive testing process the company has ever had for a single vehicle model. For the past several years, Tesla has been working with many companies, most notably Frito-Lay and PepsiCo, to gain knowledge on the performance on regional routes.

Tesla plans to launch the Semi officially on September 24, five months after production started ramping.

Additionally, drivers have said they are happy about the Semi’s performance and that its numerous safety and productivity features have made their jobs and routes much easier.

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Tesla Cybercab uses a unique strategy for picking up the right rider

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Credit: ARTSIMAGE | X

Tesla Cybercab is using a unique strategy for picking up the correct rider, which is a crucial part of ride-hailing to ensure people end up in the right place and are charged the correct price.

Cybercab will utilize an RGB strip in its front light bar that will illuminate in a variety of different colors to mark itself.

This identifying mark will also appear in the Robotaxi app, giving riders in the same location a notable distinction in an effort to avoid any confusion regarding who should get in each vehicle.

Other ride-hailing services use similar strategies: Lyft and Uber rides are recognizable through driver identity, vehicle type and color, as well as license plate. Waymo will display the rider’s initials on top of the vehicle, letting them know that the specific vehicle for them has arrived.

Tesla’s strategy is unique and interesting, but there are some flaws. Cybercab’s main purpose is aimed toward being an autonomous ride for all, including those who have disabilities like being blind or even color blind.

Tesla will likely have something in the pipeline for those who cannot see colors or have limited vision. There will definitely be multiple ways to identify which vehicle is the one that “you” specifically ordered.

Cybercab is set to start giving public rides next Thursday, September 3, in Austin, as it announced a dedicated event last week and invited many members of the Tesla community.

Tesla will launch Cybercab on September 3

Additionally, members of the public will be invited as well. Tesla has been offering employee rides in Cybercab for nearly two months.

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