Connect with us

News

Tesla Semi image with Cybertruck and Elon Musk hints appearance on ‘Jay Leno’s Garage’

Tesla Cybertruck and Tesla Semi with Elon Musk for Jay Leno's Garage (Source: teslacybertruck | Instagram)

Published

on

Tesla CEO Elon Musk was recently spotted with legendary TV host Jay Leno near the SpaceX headquarters in the Cybertruck. Latest images that surfaced online hint that it will be a Tesla electric truck party at Jay Leno’s Garage soon — and the Tesla Semi will also make an appearance.

An image posted on a Tesla Cybertruck Instagram fan page shows a red all-electric truck Tesla Semi in the same frame as the Cybertruck and Elon Musk. Upon close inspection, lighting equipment can be seen on the other side of the Semi, the same setup seen when Musk and Jay Leno’s Garage crew reportedly filmed a segment for the Emmy Award-winning motoring show. The said TV series segment was framed near the Supercharger station next to the Tesla Design Center in Hawthorne, California.

On Friday, the roads around the SpaceX headquarters and Tesla Design Center were teeming with sightings of the Cybertruck and the billionaire entrepreneur. Musk even smiled and waved back when a Tesla fan spotted him on the passenger seat of the Cybertruck while comedian and car guru Jay Leno was busy behind the wheels along Crenshaw Blvd.

https://www.instagram.com/p/B7ywjx9nGM6/

Advertisement

Someone also captured a snapshot of the Tesla chief next to the all-electric pickup truck while a film crew was busy working around him.

An appearance of the Tesla Semi on Jay Leno’s Garage will surely attract the curiosity of the electric vehicle community. The electric car maker has been conducting real world tests on the electric truck since 2017 and according to a leaked email last week, the Tesla Semi will enter a limited production phase starting in the second half of 2020.

Elon Musk and his automotive brand markets the Semi as the safest and most comfortable truck ever. Just like it’s smaller siblings in the Tesla stable, the Semi will have Autopilot capabilities. The Silicon Valley-based vehicle manufacturer also promises that the electric truck will have electric energy costs half those of diesel or more than $200K in fuel savings. Aside from its badass performance, a fully loaded Semi will still be able to accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in just 20 seconds using its four independent motors.

The Tesla Semi will have an expected base price of $150K for its 300-mile range version and $180K for its 500-mile range version.

Advertisement

Vocal Tesla supporter Jay Leno will surely have a blast featuring two vehicles that are set to disrupt the industry on his show. The Cybertruck has received more than 250,000 reservations since its unveiling while companies looking to cut their carbon footprints and more cost-efficient tractor-trailers have their eyes on the Semi.

Aside from the Tesla Cybertruck and the Tesla Semi, a Tesla employee who gave a Model 3 owner an early tour of the Model Y’s interior mentioned that the much-awaited electric crossover will also be appearing at Jay Leno’s Garage.

Here are some of the snapshots of the Tesla Cybertruck and Elon Musk captured last Friday while filming a segment for Jay Leno’s Garage.

Advertisement

A curious soul who keeps wondering how Elon Musk, Tesla, electric cars, and clean energy technologies will shape the future, or do we really need to escape to Mars.

Advertisement
Comments

News

Tesla Cybercab display highlights interior wizardry in the small two-seater

Photos and videos of the production Cybercab were shared in posts on social media platform X.

Published

on

Credit: Tesla Robotaxi/X

The Tesla Cybercab is currently on display at the U.S. Department of Transportation in Washington, D.C., and observations of the production vehicle are highlighting some of its notable design details. 

Photos and videos of the production Cybercab were shared in posts on social media platform X.

Observers of the Cybercab display unit noted that the two-seat Robotaxi provides unusually generous legroom for a vehicle of its size. Based on the vehicle’s video, the compact two-seater appears to offer more legroom than Tesla’s larger vehicles such as the Model Y, Model X, and Cybertruck.

The Cybercab’s layout allows Tesla to dedicate nearly the entire cabin to passengers. The vehicle is designed without a steering wheel or pedals, which helps maximize interior space.

Advertisement

Footage from the display also highlights the Cybercab’s large center screen, which is positioned prominently in front of the passenger bench. The display appears intended to provide entertainment and ride information while the vehicle operates autonomously.

Images of the vehicle also show an additional camera integrated into the Cybercab’s C-pillar. The extra camera appears to expand the vehicle’s field of view, which would be useful as Tesla works toward fully unsupervised Full Self-Driving.

Tesla engineers have previously explained that the Cybercab was designed to be highly efficient both in manufacturing and in operation. Cybercab Lead Engineer Eric E. stated in 2024 that the Robotaxi would be built with roughly half the number of parts used in a Model 3 sedan.

“Two seats unlocks a lot of opportunity aerodynamically. It also means we cut the part count of Cybercab down by a substantial margin. We’re gonna be delivering a car that has roughly half the parts of Model 3 today,” the Tesla engineer said.

Advertisement

The Tesla engineer also noted that the Cybercab’s cargo area can accommodate multiple golf bags, two carry-on suitcases, and two full-size checked bags. The trunk can also fit certain bicycles and a foldable wheelchair depending on size, which is quite impressive for a small car like the Cybercab.

Continue Reading

Elon Musk

Elon Musk’s xAI wins permit for power plant supporting AI data centers

The development was reported by CNBC, citing confirmation from the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ).

Published

on

Mississippi regulators have approved a permit allowing Elon Musk’s artificial intelligence company xAI to construct a natural gas power plant in Southaven. The facility is expected to support the company’s expanding AI infrastructure tied to its Colossus data center operations near Memphis.

The development was reported by CNBC, citing confirmation from the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ).

According to the report, regulators “voted to approve the permit” of xAI subsidiary MZX Tech LLC to construct a power plant featuring 41 natural gas-burning turbines “after careful consideration of all public comments and community concerns.”

The Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality stated that the permit followed a regulatory review process that included public comments and community input. Jaricus Whitlock, air division chief for the MDEQ, stated that the project met all applicable environmental standards.

Advertisement

“The proposed PSD permit in front of the board today not only meets all state and federal permitting regulations, but goes above and beyond what is required by law. MDEQ and the EPA agree that not a single person around our facilities will be exposed to unhealthy levels of air pollution,” Whitlock stated.

The planned facility will help provide electricity for xAI’s AI computing infrastructure in the Memphis region.

The Southaven project forms part of xAI’s efforts to scale computing capacity for its artificial intelligence systems.

The company currently operates two major data centers in Memphis, known as Colossus 1 and Colossus 2, which provide computing power for xAI’s Grok AI models. xAI is also planning to build another large data center in Southaven called Macrohardrr, which would be located in a warehouse previously used by GXO Logistics.

Advertisement

Large-scale AI training requires substantial computing power and electricity, prompting technology companies to develop dedicated energy infrastructure for their data centers.

SpaceX President Gwynne Shotwell previously stated that xAI plans to develop 1.2 gigawatts of power capacity for its Memphis-area AI supercomputer site as part of the federal government’s Ratepayer Protection Pledge. The commitment was announced during an event with United States President Donald Trump.

“As part of today’s commitment, we will take extensive additional steps to continue to reduce the costs of electricity for our neighbors. xAI will therefore commit to develop 1.2 GW of power as our supercomputer’s primary power source. That will be for every additional data center as well. We will expand what is already the largest global Megapack power installation in the world,” Shotwell said.

“The installation will provide enough backup power to power the city of Memphis, and more than sufficient energy to power the town of Southaven, Mississippi where the data center resides. We will build new substations and invest in electrical infrastructure to provide stability to the area’s grid.”

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Elon Musk

Tesla China teases Optimus robot’s human-looking next-gen hands

The image was shared by Tesla AI’s account on Weibo and later reposted by Tesla community members on X.

Published

on

Credit: Tesla China

A new teaser shared by Tesla’s China team appears to show a pair of unusually human-like hands for Optimus. 

The image was shared by Tesla AI’s account on Weibo and later reposted by Tesla community members on X.

As could be seen in the teaser image, the new version of Optimus’ hands features proportions and finger structures that look strikingly similar to those of a human hand. Their appearance suggests that they might have dexterity approaching that of a human hand.

If the image reflects a new generation of Optimus’ hands, it could indicate Tesla is continuing to refine one of the most critical components of its humanoid robot.

Advertisement

Hands are widely viewed as one of the most difficult engineering challenges in robotics. For Optimus to perform complex real-world work, from manufacturing tasks to household activities, its hands would need to be the best in the industry.

Elon Musk has repeatedly described Optimus as Tesla’s most important long-term product. In posts on social media platform X, Musk has stated that Optimus could eventually become the first real-world Von Neumann machine.

In theory, a Von Neumann machine is a self-replicating system capable of building copies of itself using available materials. The concept was originally proposed by mathematician John von Neumann in the mid-20th century.

“Optimus will be the first Von Neumann machine, capable of building civilization by itself on any viable planet,” Musk wrote in a post on X.

Advertisement

If Optimus is expected to carry out complex work autonomously in the future, high levels of dexterity will likely be essential. This makes the development of advanced robotic hands a key step towards Musk’s long-term expectations for the product.

Continue Reading