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Tesla Semi burns rubber and shows off turning circle in new Giga Nevada sighting

Credit: Sawyer Merritt/YouTube

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Back in November, PepsiCo CEO Ramon Laguarta remarked that his company was expecting its first Tesla Semi deliveries in the fourth quarter. This was a surprise to electric vehicle enthusiasts, as Tesla CEO Elon Musk noted during the 2021 Annual Shareholder Meeting that the Class 8 all-electric hauler would be hitting volume production in 2023. Yet if recent sightings at the Giga Nevada area are any indication, it appears that the Semi is now in limited production — and Tesla is doing some interesting tests with its freshly made trucks. 

The Semi’s new video, which was shared on YouTube by Tesla advocate Sawyer Merritt, was shot last Friday near Gigafactory Nevada. The truck in the footage was reportedly manufactured in a production facility that has been constructed near Tesla’s massive battery plant. While the Semi in the footage looked quite similar to the white painted, updated prototypes that have been spotted several times this year, the new truck reportedly did not have any stickers from the Department of Transportation, nor did it have manufacturer plates. 

Sightings of the Tesla Semi have been going on for some time, but what makes last Friday’s footage quite special was that it showcased a clear tire-shredding acceleration run from the Class 8 all-electric truck. The footage was brief, lasting only two and a half minutes, but it was enough to show just how quick the Semi really is when it accelerates at full speed. Granted, the Semi was not pulling a trailer when it was captured on video, but it’s still remarkable to see such a large all-electric vehicle run like a sports car on the road. 

Also quite interesting was the Semi’s incredibly tight turning radius. After running the length of the production facility near Giga Nevada, the Semi simply took a U-turn to head back. The vehicle then proceeded to showcase its turning circle several more times, and just like its acceleration, the Semi’s turning radius is pretty remarkable. This bodes well for the Semi’s maneuverability, which would likely help it stand apart from its more conventional, more traditional competitors.  

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If recent reports are accurate and the Tesla Semi has indeed entered limited production, it would suggest that the company might be working with some of its first customers as part of its efforts to refine and finalize the Class 8 hauler. Considering CEO Laguarta’s statements last November, PepsiCo could very well be one of these first customers. PepsiCo has been dropping hints about its upcoming Tesla Semi fleet as of late, after all. Earlier this year, the company noted that it was expecting to receive 15 units of the Semi by the end of 2021. PepsiCo has also received a permit for a Tesla Megacharger at its Modesto, California facility. 

Watch the Tesla Semi burn some rubber in the video below.  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pGcO04zwMvk

Don’t hesitate to contact us with news tips. Just send a message to tips@teslarati.com to give us a heads up.

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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 launches new Model 3 financing deal with awesome savings

Tesla is now offering a 0.99% APR financing option for all new Model 3 orders in the United States, and it applies to all loan terms of up to 72 months.

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Credit: Tesla

Tesla has launched a new Model 3 financing deal in the United States that brings awesome savings. The deal looks to move more of the company’s mass-market sedan as it is the second-most popular vehicle Tesla offers, behind its sibling, the Model Y.

Tesla is now offering a 0.99% APR financing option for all new Model 3 orders in the United States, and it applies to all loan terms of up to 72 months.

It includes three Model 3 configurations, including the Model 3 Performance. The rate applies to:

  • Model 3 Premium Rear-Wheel-Drive
  • Model 3 Premium All-Wheel-Drive
  • Model 3 Performance

The previous APR offer was 2.99%.

Tesla routinely utilizes low-interest offers to help move vehicles, especially as the rates can help get people to payments that are more comfortable with their monthly budgets. Along with other savings, like those on maintenance and gas, this is another way Tesla pushes savings to customers.

The company had offered a similar program in China on the Model 3 and Model Y vehicles, but it had ended on January 31.

The Model 3 was the second-best-selling electric vehicle in the United States in 2025, trailing only the Model Y. According to automotive data provided by Cox, Tesla sold 192,440 units last year of the all-electric sedan. The Model Y sold 357,528 units.

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Tesla hasn’t adopted Apple CarPlay yet for this shocking reason

Many Apple and iPhone users have wanted the addition, especially to utilize third-party Navigation apps like Waze, which is a popular alternative. Getting apps outside of Tesla’s Navigation to work with its Full Self-Driving suite seems to be a potential issue the company will have to work through as well.

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Credit: Michał Gapiński/YouTube

Perhaps one of the most requested features for Tesla vehicles by owners is the addition of Apple CarPlay. It sounds like the company wants to bring the popular UI to its cars, but there are a few bottlenecks preventing it from doing so.

The biggest reason why CarPlay has not made its way to Teslas yet might shock you.

According to Bloomberg‘s Mark Gurman, Tesla is still working on bringing CarPlay to its vehicles. There are two primary reasons why Tesla has not done it quite yet: App compatibility issues and, most importantly, there are incredibly low adoption rates of iOS 26.

Tesla’s Apple CarPlay ambitions are not dead, they’re still in the works

iOS 26 is Apple’s most recent software version, which was released back in September 2025. It introduced a major redesign to the overall operating system, especially its aesthetic, with the rollout of “Liquid Glass.”

However, despite the many changes and updates, Apple users have not been too keen on the iOS 26 update, and the low adoption rates have been a major sticking point for Tesla as it looks to develop a potential alternative for its in-house UI.

It was first rumored that Tesla was planning to bring CarPlay out in its cars late last year. Many Apple and iPhone users have wanted the addition, especially to utilize third-party Navigation apps like Waze, which is a popular alternative. Getting apps outside of Tesla’s Navigation to work with its Full Self-Driving suite seems to be a potential issue the company will have to work through as well.

According to the report, Tesla asked Apple to make some changes to improve compatibility between its software and Apple Maps:

“Tesla asked Apple to make engineering changes to Maps to improve compatibility. The iPhone maker agreed and implemented the adjustments in a bug fix update to iOS 26 and the latest version of CarPlay.”

Gurman also said that there were some issues with turn-by-turn guidance from Tesla’s maps app, and it did not properly sync up with Apple Maps during FSD operation. This is something that needs to be resolved before it is rolled out.

There is no listed launch date, nor has there been any coding revealed that would indicate Apple CarPlay is close to being launched within Tesla vehicles.

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Starlink restrictions are hitting Russian battlefield comms: report

The restrictions have reportedly disrupted Moscow’s drone coordination and frontline communications.

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A truckload of Starlink dishes has arrived in Ukraine. (Credit: Mykhailo Fedorov/Twitter)

SpaceX’s decision to disable unauthorized Starlink terminals in Ukraine is now being felt on the battlefield, with Ukrainian commanders reporting that Russian troops have struggled to maintain assault operations without access to the satellite network. 

The restrictions have reportedly disrupted Moscow’s drone coordination and frontline communications.

Lt. Denis Yaroslavsky, who commands a special reconnaissance unit, stated that Russian assault activity noticeably declined for several days after the shutdown. “For three to four days after the shutdown, they really reduced the assault operations,” Yaroslavsky said.

Russian units had allegedly obtained Starlink terminals through black market channels and mounted them on drones and weapons systems, despite service terms prohibiting offensive military use. Once those terminals were blocked, commanders on the Ukrainian side reported improved battlefield ratios, as noted in a New York Post report.

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A Ukrainian unit commander stated that casualty imbalances widened after the cutoff. “On any given day, depending on your scale of analysis, my sector was already achieving 20:1 (casuality rate) before the shutdown, and we are an elite unit. Regular units have no problem going 5:1 or 8:1. With Starlink down, 13:1 (casualty rate) for a regular unit is easy,” the unit commander said.

The restrictions come as Russia faces heavy challenges across multiple fronts. A late January report from the Center for Strategic and International Studies estimated that more than 1.2 million Russian troops have been killed, wounded, or gone missing since February 2022.

The Washington-based Institute for the Study of War also noted that activity from Russia’s Rubikon drone unit declined after Feb. 1, suggesting communications constraints from Starlink’s restrictions may be limiting operations. “I’m sure the Russians have (alternative options), but it takes time to maximize their implementation and this (would take) at least four to six months,” Yaroslavsky noted. 

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