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Tesla Semi glides over to Addison, IL for hands-on time with UPS employees

[Credit: IllinoisUPSers/Twitter]

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Not long after visiting J.B. Hunt’s headquarters in Arkansas and getting spotted at Chicago’s Rolling Meadows Supercharger, the Tesla Semi has been sighted visiting UPS’ hub in Addison, IL. Just like its previous visits to the facilities of other reservation holders, UPS employees were given a chance to get some hands-on experience with the electric long-hauler.

Images and video clips of the Semi’s visit to the UPS Addison hub were uploaded by the parcel service’s official Twitter account in the state, @IllinoisUPSers. Pictures of the event uploaded on Monday show that Tesla’s VP for Truck and Programs Jerome Guillen accompanied the vehicle during its visit as well. One of the videos uploaded by UPS further referenced “rides,” which suggest that Tesla might have given some lucky employees a chance to experience the Semi firsthand.

https://twitter.com/IllinoisUPSers/status/1034163909484335105

https://twitter.com/IllinoisUPSers/status/1034162962611752970

Tesla appears to be starting its push for the Tesla Semi to its reservation holders. As of the Q1 2018 earnings call last May, Tesla has revealed that it has around 2,000 pre-orders for the vehicle. The company has not announced an updated number of reservations for the Semi yet, though Tesla did state during the Q2 2018 earnings call that the electric truck had now been given several improvements since its unveiling last year. Real-world tests of the vehicle are continuing as well, with the all-electric truck being spotted across several states in the US.

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While there have been numerous sightings of the Semi since the vehicle was unveiled last November, the recent batch of sightings also indicates that Tesla personnel accompanying and operating the truck are now very willing to answer questions about the vehicle. As noted by Tesla enthusiast @Rec1pr0city on Twitter, the company’s employees answered every question about the Semi and openly allowed photos to be taken while the truck was making a stopover at Rolling Hills Supercharger in Chicago. Coupled with what appears to be an increasing frequency of visits to reservation holders, it appears that Tesla is now starting to increase its push for the electric truck.

The Tesla Semi at UPS’ Addison, IL hub. [Credit: IllinoisUPSers/Twitter]

The Tesla Semi could very well be the company’s most disruptive vehicle in its lineup. The American trucking industry is vast, responsible for handling the transportation of up to 71% of food, retail goods, construction supplies, as well as other cargo delivered to customers and businesses every day — and it continues to grow by the year. In 2017 alone, the US trucking industry generated $700.3 billion in economic activity, a 3.5% increase compared to the $676.6 billion it made in 2016. This is a market that Tesla could tap into with the Semi.

That said, there remains a number of dedicated doubters who are betting against the Tesla Semi. In a recent statement to Bloomberg, Jon Mills, a spokesman for Cummins Inc., a prominent engine-maker, argued that all-electric trucks like the Semi still have a long way to go before they can be considered as a real competition for diesel trucks. Allen Schaeffer, executive director of the Diesel Technology Forum trade group, is also highly skeptical of the Semi’s quoted specs and operating costs. According to the diesel veteran, Elon Musk’s quotes for the Semi’s estimated $1.26 per mile operating cost have no proof.

The Tesla Semi might look very sleek and futuristic, but it is a vehicle designed from the ground up to be a tough machine. The Semi is equipped with four Model 3-derived electric motors, which give the vehicle instant torque and a 0-60 mph time of 5 seconds without cargo. The long-hauler is also classified as a Class 8 truck, which allows it to haul as much load as conventional diesel trucks. Tesla also listed a range of 300-500 miles per charge for the Semi, though Elon Musk has since noted that the truck’s long-range variant would probably have closer to 600 miles of range per charge.

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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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Tesla Robotaxi’s biggest challenge seems to be this one thing

That big bright thing in the sky might be Tesla’s biggest challenge in terms of Robotaxi.

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Credit: Tesla

Tesla Robotaxi launched just a few days ago to a limited number of riders in Austin, Texas, but its biggest challenge seems to be how the automaker will figure out one thing: the Sun.

Among the company’s unique strategies, its emphasis on using cameras for self-driving is perhaps the most interesting. No other company has adopted the same strategy, as others have relied on cameras with either sensors or LiDAR rigs to accomplish their self-driving deployments.

Tesla, on the other hand, has called LiDAR unnecessary. CEO Elon Musk once called it “a fool’s errand,” stating it was not needed to build an effective self-driving fleet of vehicles.

Musk compared cameras to eyes. Humans don’t need sensors or LiDAR to operate vehicles on the road, so why should cars? This brought up some questions, especially regarding sun glare. Musk said that Tesla would use direct photon counting to see directly into brigt sunlight or even in the darkest conditions at night.

His quote during a recent earnings call was:

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“Actually, it does not blind the camera. We use an approach which is direct photon count. When you see a processed image, so the image that goes from the sort of photon counter — the silicon photon counter — that then goes through a digital signal processor or image signal processor, that’s normally what happens. And then the image that you see looks all washed out, because if you point the camera at the sun, the post-processing of the photon counting washes things out.”

So far, this strategy has yielded mixed results. We have seen examples of both:

The Good

We’ve had a handful of people state that they have had no issue using the Robotaxi when it is driving into direct sunlight.

There are plenty of examples:

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The Bad

The Verdict

This is obviously a weird case, and it seems that this could be one of the challenges Tesla will face with the deployment of Robotaxi.

While it will get figured out, this is something that could ultimately push back Tesla’s goal of having no safety monitor in the vehicles. However, the instance will be learned and used to improve in the future through its Neural Nets.

The first intervention was captured yesterday, requiring the Tesla safety monitor to stop the vehicle manually on the car’s touchscreen.

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Tesla owners take stand as Stockholm insists on blocking FSD tests

Despite the Tesla owners’ efforts, city officials appear unwilling to budge.

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Credit: Tesla China

Tesla owners in Sweden are taking it upon themselves to lobby for the approval of FSD-style tests in the City of Stockholm. The owners’ efforts come amidst city officials’ continued refusal to allow Tesla to test its autonomous driving system in the capital.

In open letters and social media posts, Tesla owners have urged Stockholm to reconsider its stance, pointing to broader support for FSD trials across Europe. But despite their efforts, city officials appear unwilling to budge, reinforcing the capital’s hardline stance on the Elon Musk-led EV maker.

Public support shows brand loyalty

A group of Swedish Tesla owners recently sent an open letter to Stockholm leaders. Among them is Alexander Kristensen, who has written a letter to officials urging them to allow Tesla to test FSD in the region.

“Members of the Traffic Committee are politically appointed by the Stockholm City Council, whose mandate is determined by the popular vote. Your stance—continuing to block a conditional pilot of FSD— is thus a political decision and fully subject to the electorate’s judgment in the next municipal election.

“When the City prevents tests that could validate and refine the technology locally, it is perceived as hampering life-saving innovation,” the Tesla owners wrote.

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The Swedish Transport Administration issued a response, acknowledging the Tesla owners’ feedback. The Transport Administration noted that it could proceed to grant a permit for Tesla to test FSD, but the company would still have to secure approval from local governments where the FSD-style tests will be conducted.

Stockholm remains firm

Despite this, Stockholm doubled down shortly after, stating that Tesla’s FSD software remains prohibited on city roads.

“Thank you for your comments and for taking an interest in traffic issues concerning the City of Stockholm. As previously stated, the City’s assessment of the current application remains unchanged and our position is set out in the opinion,” the City of Stockhom wrote.

In light of the city’s response, some Tesla owners have vowed to campaign against current officials in the next election.

The push for FSD testing comes as Tesla faces ongoing challenges in Sweden, including a labor dispute with unions over collective bargaining agreements. Since late 2023, the conflict has resulted in strikes, blockades, and legal battles, none of which appear close to resolution. Despite regulatory and labor headwinds, Tesla continues to expand in the region, including the recent installation of Superchargers in union-backed areas.

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xAI welcomes Memphis pollution results, environmental groups push back

Tests were conducted at Macedonia Church in Boxtown, The Links at Whitehaven, and City Hall Downtown.

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xAI-supercomputer-memphis-environment-pushback
(Credit: xAI)

The City of Memphis has released initial air quality test results from three sites across the city, including one near Elon Musk’s xAI data center in South Memphis. 

According to city officials, the results showed no dangerous levels of pollutants. “At every site and for every pollutant tested, levels were either too low to detect or well below established safety thresholds,” the city’s report read.

xAI Welcomes Air Quality Test Results

Tests were conducted at Macedonia Church in Boxtown, The Links at Whitehaven, and City Hall Downtown. Memphis Mayor Paul Young stated that the data only represents a “snapshot in time” and that continued monitoring will take place.

“The City doesn’t control air quality regulations, but we stepped up to find answers. The initial results showed no dangerous levels of air pollutants at any of the tested sites. We are committed to ongoing testing to continue to inform and protect our community,” Mayor Young stated.

xAI, which opened a facility in Boxtown to house its Colossus supercomputer, welcomed the city’s initial findings. The artificial intelligence startup shared its comments in a post on social media platform X.

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“xAI welcomes the independent third-party data showing no dangerous pollutant levels at test sites near our Memphis data center. We have built a world-class data center in Memphis and we couldn’t have done it without the support of the local community and its leaders,” the company stated.

Critics Are Not Satisfied

Environmental advocates and local leaders, however, were not satisfied with the city’s initial tests. The Southern Environmental Law Center criticized the city’s approach, arguing that smog-forming emissions, including nitrogen oxides from xAI’s turbines, pose health risks that the city’s testing did not account for, as noted in a FOX 13 Memphis report.

“The city failed to measure ozone pollution–better known as smog–which we already know is a major problem in the Memphis area… As community members have warned for the last year, smog-forming pollution is a major concern with the unpermitted turbines being run at xAI’s South Memphis data center,” the group noted.

State Representative Justin J. Pearson (D-Memphis) echoed the group’s criticism.

“We do not need any more misleading reports that are more concerned with finding a conclusion conducive to Mayor Young’s unwavering support of xAI, rather than discovering the truth. Our review of the information released by the City of Memphis earlier this evening revealed a glaring and critical omission in their pollution testing and results: the monitoring of ozone which is a considerable factor in air pollution problems in Memphis,” he noted.

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