News
Tesla shares updates on workplace safety, CAL-OSHA investigation results
During the recently-held third quarter earnings call, CEO Elon Musk and VP for Environmental, Health and Safety (EHS) Laurie Shelby briefly discussed the safety initiatives that the company has implemented to keep its factory workers as safe as possible. In one of her remarks, the VP of EHS noted that it is an exciting time for Tesla today, as the company is making the “safest cars made by the safest people.”
In a recent blog post on Tesla’s official website, Laurie Shelby elaborated further on the company’s safety programs that were rolled out over the past year. Since joining Tesla back in October 2017, Shelby stated that her EHS team had grown to 250 employees, including 35 EHS staff in the Fremont factory alone. Several programs, some of which were teased during the earnings call, have also been started as part of Tesla’s pursuit of becoming the safest car factory on the market.
Back in June, for example, Tesla the started transitioning to a new occupational health clinic in the Fremont factory. These clinics are overseen by a leading California orthopedic surgeon specializing in the diagnosis and treatment of musculoskeletal injuries, which comprise around 85-90% of injuries in Tesla’s facilities. Shelby pointed out in her update that prior to its current system, Fremont’s health facility provided a lineup of services that was primarily focused on triage and first aid. With the newly rolled out clinic, Tesla’s workers can receive on-site, specialized care from full-time physicians who can provide medical assessments and immediate diagnosis.
As part of Tesla’s Early Symptom Intervention program, the company has also begun sending professional athletic trainers on the factory lines to identify potential injuries before they occur. These trainers are tasked with offering on-site evaluations and suggestions for improved ergonomic safety. So far, trainers have conducted more than 6,000 consultations with Tesla employees from the General Assembly, Seats, and Production Control lines, to name a few.
Perhaps most notable in the EHS VP’s update, though, was additional information on the CAL-OSHA investigation that was conducted earlier this year. Back in April, an expose by news agency Reveal based on accounts from alleged insiders and previous workers at Tesla accused the company of intentionally misreporting its injury rates. The expose blamed much of Tesla’s alleged safety problems on Elon Musk himself. At one point, for example, the publication noted that Tesla didn’t have enough hazard markings on the factory floor because “Elon does not like the color yellow.” Tesla promptly fired back, strongly denying the allegations in the report. A CAL-OSHA investigation into Tesla’s alleged malpractice eventually followed.
During the third quarter earnings call, Laurie Shelby noted that the CAL-OSHA investigation lasted four months, and the organization found no misreporting on Tesla’s part.
“The company here had a 4-month long Cal-OSHA investigation. And it basically proves that we are recording properly and doing as we should be. So it’s much different than what you would read about in the press,” she said.
In her safety update, Shelby added that after an extensive review of Tesla’s legally mandated records, injury logs, and safety policies, CAL-OSHA identified only two minor issues. One was an extension cord connected to a fan that created a potential trip hazard, and another was a date of injury that was incorrectly logged. Tesla promptly addressed the extension cord issue, while the incorrectly logged date of injury was immediately clarified and confirmed by a medical provider.
In true Tesla fashion, the company has ambitious goals when it comes to the safety of its employees. Earlier this year, for one, Shelby wrote a post announcing the company’s target of becoming the safest car factory in the world. The VP for EHS noted then that ultimately, workplace safety comes down to a combination of common sense, a culture that values safety, and a series of proactive preventive measures. If her recent update is any indication, it appears that over the past year, Tesla has started to make progress on all three fronts.
The full text of Tesla VP for EHS Laurie Shelby’s entire update could be accessed here.
News
Tesla adds awesome new driving feature to Model Y
Tesla is rolling out a new “Comfort Braking” feature with Software Update 2026.8. The feature is exclusive to the new Model Y, and is currently unavailable for any other vehicle in the Tesla lineup.
Tesla is adding an awesome new driving feature to Model Y vehicles, effective on Juniper-updated models considered model year 2026 or newer.
Tesla is rolling out a new “Comfort Braking” feature with Software Update 2026.8. The feature is exclusive to the new Model Y, and is currently unavailable for any other vehicle in the Tesla lineup.
Tesla writes in the release notes for the feature:
“Your Tesla now provides a smoother feel as you come to a complete stop during routine braking.”
🚨 Tesla has added a new “Comfort Braking” update with 2026.8
“Your Tesla provides a smoother feel as you come to a complete stop during routine braking.” https://t.co/afqCpBSVeA pic.twitter.com/C6MRmzfzls
— TESLARATI (@Teslarati) March 13, 2026
Interestingly, we’re not too sure what catalyzed Tesla to try to improve braking smoothness, because it hasn’t seemed overly abrupt or rough from my perspective. Although the brake pedal in my Model Y is rarely used due to Regenerative Braking, it seems Tesla wanted to try to make the ride comfort even smoother for owners.
There is always room for improvement, though, and it seems that there is a way to make braking smoother for passengers while the vehicle is coming to a stop.
This is far from the first time Tesla has attempted to improve its ride comfort through Over-the-Air updates, as it has rolled out updates to improve regenerative braking performance, handling while using Full Self-Driving, improvements to Steer-by-Wire to Cybertruck, and even recent releases that have combatted Active Road Noise.
Tesla holds a unique ability to change the functionality of its vehicles through software updates, which have come in handy for many things, including remedying certain recalls and shipping new features to the Full Self-Driving suite.
Tesla seems to have the most seamless OTA processes, as many automakers have the ability to ship improvements through a simple software update.
We’re really excited to test the update, so when we get an opportunity to try out Comfort Braking when it makes it to our Model Y.
News
Tesla finally brings a Robotaxi update that Android users will love
The breakdown of the software version shows that Tesla is actively developing an Android-compatible version of the Robotaxi app, and the company is developing Live Activities for Android.
Tesla is finally bringing an update of its Robotaxi platform that Android users will love — mostly because it seems like they will finally be able to use the ride-hailing platform that the company has had active since last June.
Based on a decompile of software version 26.2.0 of the Robotaxi app, Tesla looks to be ready to roll out access to Android users.
According to the breakdown, performed by Tesla App Updates, the company is preparing to roll out an Android version of the app as it is developing several features for that operating system.
🚨 It looks like Tesla is preparing to launch the Robotaxi app for Android users at last!
A decompile of v26.2.0 of the Robotaxi app shows some progress on the Android side for Robotaxi 🤖 🚗 https://t.co/mThmoYuVLy
— TESLARATI (@Teslarati) March 13, 2026
The breakdown of the software version shows that Tesla is actively developing an Android-compatible version of the Robotaxi app, and the company is developing Live Activities for Android:
“Strings like notification_channel_robotaxid_trip_name and android_native_alicorn_eta_text show exactly how Tesla plans to replicate the iOS Live Activities experience. Instead of standard push alerts, Android users are getting a persistent, dynamically updating notification channel.”
This is a big step forward for several reasons. From a face-value perspective, Tesla is finally ready to offer Robotaxi to Android users.
The company has routinely prioritized Apple releases because there is a higher concentration of iPhone users in its ownership base. Additionally, the development process for Apple is simply less laborious.
Tesla is working to increase Android capabilities in its vehicles
Secondly, the Robotaxi rollout has been a typical example of “slowly then all at once.”
Tesla initially released Robotaxi access to a handful of media members and influencers. Eventually, it was expanded to more users, so that anyone using an iOS device could download the app and hail a semi-autonomous ride in Austin or the Bay Area.
Opening up the user base to Android users may show that Tesla is preparing to allow even more users to utilize its Robotaxi platform, and although it seems to be a few months away from only offering fully autonomous rides to anyone with app access, the expansion of the user base to an entirely different user base definitely seems like its a step in the right direction.
News
Lucid unveils Lunar Robotaxi in bid to challenge Tesla’s Cybercab in the autonomous ride hailing race
Lucid’s Lunar robotaxi is gunning for Tesla’s Cybercab in the autonomous ride hailing race
![Lucid Lunar robotaxi concept [Credit: Rendering by TESLARATI]](https://www.teslarati.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/lucid-lunar-robotaxi-concept-teslarati-rendering.jpg)
Lucid Group pulled back the curtain on its purpose-built autonomous robotaxi platform dubbed the Lunar Concept. Announced at its New York investor day event, Lunar is arguably the company’s most ambitious concept yet, and a direct line of sight toward the autonomous ride haling market that Tesla looks to control.
At Lucid Investor Day 2026, the company introduced Lunar, a purpose-built robotaxi concept based on the Midsize platform.
A comparison to Tesla’s Cybercab is unavoidable. The concept of a Tesla robotaxi was first introduced by Elon Musk back in April 2019 during an event dubbed “Autonomy Day,” where he envisioned a network of self-driving Tesla vehicles transporting passengers while not in use by their owners. That vision took another major step in October 2024 when, Musk unveiled the Cybercab at the Tesla “We, Robot” event held at Warner Bros. Studios in Burbank, California, where 20 concept Cybercabs autonomously drove around the studio lot giving rides to attendees.
Fast forward to today, and Tesla’s ambitions are finally materializing, but not without friction. As we recently reported, the Cybercab is being spotted with increasing frequency on public roads and across the grounds of Gigafactory Texas, suggesting that the company’s road testing and validation program is ramping meaningfully ahead of mass production. Tesla already operates a small scale robotaxi service in Austin using supervised Model Ys, but the Cybercab is designed from the ground up for high-volume, low-cost production, with Musk stating an eventual goal of producing one vehicle every 10 seconds.
At Lucid Investor Day 2026, the company introduced Lunar, a purpose-built robotaxi concept based on the Midsize platform.
Into this landscape steps Lucid’s Lunar. Built on the company’s all-new Midsize EV platform, which will also underpin consumer SUVs starting below $50,000. The Lunar mirrors the Cybercab’s core philosophy of having two seats, no driver controls, and a focus on fleet economics. The platform introduces Lucid’s redesigned Atlas electric drive unit, engineered to be smaller, lighter, and cheaper to manufacture at scale.
Unlike Tesla’s strategy of building its own ride hailing network from scratch, Lucid is partnering with Uber. The companies are said to be in advanced discussions to deploy Midsize platform vehicles at large scale, with Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi publicly backing Lucid’s engineering credentials and autonomous-ready architecture.
In the investor day event, Lucid also outlined a recurring software revenue model, with an in-vehicle AI assistant and monthly autonomous driving subscriptions priced between $69 and $199. This can be seen as a nod to the software revenue stream that Tesla has long championed with its Full Self-Driving subscription.
Tesla’s Cybercab is targeting a price point below $30k and with operating costs as low as 20 cents per mile. But with regulatory hurdles still ahead, the window for competition is open. Lucid’s Lunar may not have a launch date yet, but it arrives at a pivotal moment, and when the robotaxi race is no longer viewed as hypothetical. Rather, every serious EV player needs to come to bat on the same plate that Tesla has had countless practice swings on over the last seven years.
Tesla adds awesome new driving feature to Model Y
Tesla finally brings a Robotaxi update that Android users will love
![Lucid Lunar robotaxi concept [Credit: Rendering by TESLARATI]](https://www.teslarati.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/lucid-lunar-robotaxi-concept-teslarati-rendering-80x80.jpg)
