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Tesla Semi & Convoy Mode are a perfect fit for EU Commission’s updated mobility strategy

(Credit: teslasemi_ via Instagram)

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The Tesla Semi and its Convoy Mode feature could gain a strong foothold in Europe now that the EU Commission has released its plans to promote sustainable and smart transportation options in the region. The EU Commission released its Sustainable and Smart Mobility strategy last week.

The strategy focused on three key factors, namely sustainability, smart mobility, and resilience. It included goals for the passenger car industry, but also prominently discussed making public transportation and heavy-duty vehicles carbon neutral.

Zero-Emission Lorries and the Tesla Semi

The EU Commission plans to have at least 30 million zero-emission cars and 80,000 carbon neutral lorries, or heavy duty trucks like the Tesla Semi, in operation by 2030. It will propose a revision in CO2 standards for cars and vans in Europe by June 2021 and review carbon standards for heavy-duty vehicles by 2022. 

The EU Commission’s plans for zero-emission lorries puts the Tesla Semi in an advantageous position. Besides being carbon neutral, the Tesla Semi also aligns with the EU Parliament’s truck manufacturing law. 

(Credit: European Federation for Transport and Environment)

Last year, the EU Parliament voted for a law that required heavy-duty vehicle manufacturers to produce more aerodynamic, energy efficient trucks. Regulations in the law depicted a truck with 80-90 cm cabs and bigger windshields for a better view of the road. The European Federation for Transport and Environment released an illustration of the EU Parliament’s ideal heavy-duty vehicle design and it was very similar to the Tesla Semi. 

Between the EU Commission and EU Parliament, it seems the game has been set for Tesla. The scales seems to tip more in favor for Tesla and the Semi when the Commission’s Smart Mobility plan comes into play.

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Tesla Semi’s Convoy Mode in Europe

As for Smart Mobility, the EU Commission wants to proactively create favorable conditions for the development of new technologies. The Commission even stated that it would provide “all necessary legislative tools for their [new technologies’] validation.”

Support for autonomous vehicles is specifically mentioned in the EU Commission’s strategy, giving the Tesla Semi yet another advantage in Europe’s heavy-duty vehicle industry. Tesla’s advanced driver-assist software, Full Self-Driving, has been laid with some restrictions in Europe, but that may change in the future. 

Tesla’s autonomous software development will definitely make it to the Semi and one feature in particular could be a gamer changer in the industry–Convoy Mode. Back in 2017, when Tesla unveiled the Semi, Elon Musk shared that the company’s Class 8 truck was already capable of Convoy Mode, which would allow multiple Semis to semi-autonomously draft in close proximity with each other. Since then, Tesla’s FSD and Autopilot software have gone through vast improvements, suggesting that Convoy Mode only improved as well. 

Trucking veteran Sean Chenault was impressed by the Semi’s feature set and was particularly taken by Convoy Mode. “Having autonomous vehicles, you don’t need to pay a driver, and you don’t need to worry about hours of services,” he said. The trucking industry has been struggling with a shortage of drivers lately due mostly to safety concerns. Features like Convoy Mode have been one possible solution to solving driver shortage.

The Tesla Semi’s place in the EU Future

Chenault said the Semi was “a good thing for the trucking industry as a whole.” And it may be good for the EU Commission’s Sustainable and Smart Mobility strategy, too, specifically when it pertains to lorries. 

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Tesla’s business as an all-electric car maker would definitely benefit for the EU Commission’s new strategy. Tesla has already been gaining some more ground in Europe over the years with the Tesla Model 3. Next year could be another big year for Tesla in Europe with Giga Berlin and the release of the Model Y in the region. With the Semi in the picture, Tesla could cement itself as a key player in the region’s transportation sector. 

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 posts Optimus’ most impressive video demonstration yet

The humanoid robot was able to complete all the tasks through a single neural network.

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Credit: Tesla Optimus/X

When Elon Musk spoke with CNBC’s David Faber in an interview at Giga Texas, he reiterated the idea that Optimus will be one of Tesla’s biggest products. Seemingly to highlight the CEO’s point, the official Tesla Optimus account on social media platform X shared what could very well be the most impressive demonstration of the humanoid robot’s capabilities to date.

Optimus’ Newest Demonstration

In its recent video demonstration, the Tesla Optimus team featured the humanoid robot performing a variety of tasks. These include household chores such as throwing the trash, using a broom and a vacuum cleaner, tearing a paper towel, stirring a pot of food, opening a cabinet, and closing a curtain, among others. The video also featured Optimus picking up a Model X fore link and placing it on a dolly.

What was most notable in the Tesla Optimus team’s demonstration was the fact that the humanoid robot was able to complete all the tasks through a single neural network. The robot’s actions were also learned directly from Optimus being fed data from first-person videos of humans performing similar tasks. This system should pave the way for Optimus to learn and refine new skills quickly and reliably.

Tesla VP for Optimus Shares Insight

In a follow-up post on X, Tesla Vice President of Optimus (Tesla Bot) Milan Kovac stated that one of the team’s goals is to have Optimus learn straight from internet videos of humans performing tasks, including footage captured in third person or by random cameras.

“We recently had a significant breakthrough along that journey, and can now transfer a big chunk of the learning directly from human videos to the bots (1st person views for now). This allows us to bootstrap new tasks much faster compared to teleoperated bot data alone (heavier operationally).

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“Many new skills are emerging through this process, are called for via natural language (voice/text), and are run by a single neural network on the bot (multi-tasking). Next: expand to 3rd person video transfer (aka random internet), and push reliability via self-play (RL) in the real-, and/or synthetic- (sim / world models) world,” Kovac wrote in his post on X.

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Starship Flight 9 nears as SpaceX’s Starbase becomes a Texan City

SpaceX’s launch site is officially incorporated as Starbase, TX. Starship Flight 9 could launch on May 27, 2025. 

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(Credit: Jenny Hautmann/Wikimedia Commons)

SpaceX’s Starbase is officially incorporated as a city in Texas, aligning with preparations for Starship Flight 9. The newly formed city in Cameron County serves as the heart of SpaceX’s Starship program.

Starbase City spans 1.5 square miles, encompassing SpaceX’s launch facility and company-owned land. A near-unanimous vote by residents, who were mostly SpaceX employees, led to its incorporation. SpaceX’s Vice President of Test and Launch, Bobby Peden, was elected mayor of Starbase. The new Texas city also has two SpaceX employees as commissioners. All Starbase officials will serve two-year terms unless extended to four by voters.

As the new city takes shape, SpaceX is preparing for the Starship Flight 9 launch, which is tentatively scheduled for May 27, 2025, at 6:30 PM CDT from Starbase, Texas.

SpaceX secured Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) approval for up to 25 annual Starship and Super Heavy launches from the site. However, the FAA emphasized that “there are other licensing requirements still to be completed,” including policy, safety, and environmental reviews.

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On May 15, the FAA noted SpaceX updated its launch license for Flight 9, but added: “SpaceX may not launch until the FAA either closes the Starship Flight 8 mishap investigation or makes a return to flight determination. The FAA is reviewing the mishap report SpaceX submitted on May 14.”

Proposed Texas legislation could empower Starbase officials to close local highways and restrict Boca Chica Beach access during launches. Cameron County Judge Eddie Trevino, Jr., opposes the Texas legislation, insisting beach access remain under county control. This tension highlights the balance between SpaceX’s ambitions and local interests.

Starbase’s incorporation strengthens SpaceX’s operational base as it gears up for Starship Flight 9, a critical step in its mission to revolutionize space travel. With growing infrastructure and regulatory hurdles in focus, Starbase is poised to become a cornerstone of SpaceX’s vision, blending community development with cutting-edge aerospace innovation.

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The Boring Company accelerates Vegas Loop expansion plans

The Boring Company clears fire safety delays, paving the way to accelerating its Vegas Loop expansion plans.

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Credit: The Boring Company/X

After overcoming fire safety hurdles, the Boring Company is accelerating its Vegas Loop expansion. The project’s progress signals a transformative boost for Sin City’s transportation and tourism.

Elon Musk’s tunneling company, along with The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA) and Clark County, resolved fire safety concerns that delayed new stations.

“It’s new. It’s taken a little time to figure out what the standard should be,” said Steve Hill, LVCVA President and CEO, during last week’s board meeting. “We’ve gotten there. We’re excited about that. We’re ready to expand further, faster, than we have.”

Last month, the company submitted permits for tunnel extensions connecting Encore to a parcel of land owned by Wynn and Caesars Palace. The three tunnels are valued at $600,000 based on country records.

Plans for a Tropicana Loop are also advancing, linking UNLV to MGM Grand, T-Mobile Arena, Allegiant Stadium, Mandalay Bay, and the upcoming Athletics’ ballpark. Downtown extensions from the convention center to the Strat, Fremont Street Experience, and Circa’s Garage Mahal are also in the permitting process.

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“Those are all in process,” Hill noted. “We’ve got machines that are available to be put in the ground. I think we’ve reached a framework for how these projects are going to work and how they’ll be permitted from a safety standpoint, as well as a building standpoint.”

The Boring Company has six boring machines, with three currently active in Las Vegas. Last week, TBC announced that it successfully mined continuously in a Zero-People-in-Tunnel (ZPIT) configuration, enabling it to build more tunnels faster, safer, and at a more affordable rate.

Tunneling under Paradise Road is underway as The Boring Company works on the University Center Loop. The University Center Loop is expected to connect to the Las Vegas Convention Center within two months, linking to the Westgate tunnel. The full Vegas Loop will span 104 stations and 68 miles. Even though The Boring Company’s tunnel network in Las Vegas isn’t nearly finished, it has already become a key attraction in the city.

“It’s such a great attraction for shows that are looking at this building (convention center) and we’re going to be connected to everybody in town,” Hill said. “It’s a real difference-maker.”

A few Vegas Loop stations are already operational, including those connected to Resorts World, Westgate, Encore, and all the Las Vegas Convention Center Loop stations. The Downtown Loop, which connects to the downtown area, and the Riviera Station, the hub that leads to Resorts World with Westgate destinations, are also operational.

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As The Boring Company accelerates the Vegas Loop, its tunnels are poised to redefine mobility and tourism in Las Vegas, blending cutting-edge technology with practical urban solutions.

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