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Tesla wraps matte black Semi prototype in stunning red amid continued road tests

[Photo: Derek Rasina/Twitter]

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Tesla has seemingly decided to spice up the road tests of its all-electric truck, wrapping one of its test mules in a stunning matte red color. The vehicle, which has caught the attention of the Tesla community, was spotted on the 405 in LA, before being sighted in the Kettleman City Supercharger.

While Tesla’s silver and matte black Semi prototypes are eye-catching trucks in their own right, there is no doubt that the matte red wrap makes the vehicle downright stunning. Inasmuch as initial sightings of the red test mule suggested that Tesla had produced another prototype, though, details such as the truck’s license plate and its trailer proved that the vehicle was just a wrapped version of the matte black prototype that Elon Musk debuted during the long-hauler’s unveiling.

Unlike prior sightings of the Semi, the matte red test mule appears to have stayed at the Kettleman City Supercharger for a rather long time. Tesla enthusiast and r/TeslaMotors member u/CardSpecialist, who sighted the vehicle in the Supercharger after sundown, noted that he was able to speak briefly with the Semi’s driver. According to the Tesla enthusiast, the driver of the vehicle stated that the red wrap has been getting a lot more looks compared to the truck’s previous matte black paint scheme.

The Tesla Semi in matte red. (Photo: Derek Rasina and Tim Alguire/Twitter)

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Tesla is yet to provide any details behind its decision to change the color of one of its Semi test mules. That said, the new wrap does make the vehicle stand out more, resulting in more visibility for the upcoming all-electric long-hauler. With such an eye-popping color scheme, after all, the vehicle would likely catch the attention of even more potential reservation holders.

The Tesla Semi might be taking a backseat to the Model 3 for now, but the vehicle has a lot of potential to disrupt a very lucrative industry. To say that the trucking market presents a huge opportunity for Tesla is an understatement, considering that it is responsible for handling the transportation of up to 71% of the United States’ food, retail goods, and other cargo being delivered every day. The American Trucking Associations’ American Trucking Trends 2018 report, for one, noted that the US trucking industry generated $700.3 billion in economic activity last year. This is a market that Tesla could breach if the Semi proves to be a success.

The Tesla Semi definitely appears to have the necessary goods to disrupt the trucking industry. The Semi is a Class 8 truck, allowing it to haul a considerable amount of cargo. Performance-wise, the Semi also stands to shame its diesel counterparts, thanks to its four Model 3-derived electric motors that allow it to accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in 5 seconds flat without a trailer. With a full load, the Semi reaches highway speeds in 20 seconds, considerably faster than its fossil fuel-powered counterparts.

The Tesla Semi is also set to be equipped with semi-autonomous features. Among these is “Convoy Mode,” which would allow multiple trucks to semi-autonomously draft in close proximity with each other. Concept videos of the feature posted by Tesla show one manned Semi leading a couple of unmanned electric trucks. Musk noted during the vehicle’s unveiling that the Semi’s convoy tech is something that Tesla can already accomplish today.

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The Tesla Semi is expected to start production sometime in 2019, though later statements from Tesla head of investor relations Martin Viecha suggested that the company would “earnestly” start producing the vehicle by 2020. 

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 FSD (Supervised) fleet passes 8.4 billion cumulative miles

The figure appears on Tesla’s official safety page, which tracks performance data for FSD (Supervised) and other safety technologies.

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Credit: Tesla

Tesla’s Full Self-Driving (Supervised) system has now surpassed 8.4 billion cumulative miles.

The figure appears on Tesla’s official safety page, which tracks performance data for FSD (Supervised) and other safety technologies.

Tesla has long emphasized that large-scale real-world data is central to improving its neural network-based approach to autonomy. Each mile driven with FSD (Supervised) engaged contributes additional edge cases and scenario training for the system.

Credit: Tesla

The milestone also brings Tesla closer to a benchmark previously outlined by CEO Elon Musk. Musk has stated that roughly 10 billion miles of training data may be needed to achieve safe unsupervised self-driving at scale, citing the “long tail” of rare but complex driving situations that must be learned through experience.

The growth curve of FSD Supervised’s cumulative miles over the past five years has been notable. 

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As noted in data shared by Tesla watcher Sawyer Merritt, annual FSD (Supervised) miles have increased from roughly 6 million in 2021 to 80 million in 2022, 670 million in 2023, 2.25 billion in 2024, and 4.25 billion in 2025. In just the first 50 days of 2026, Tesla owners logged another 1 billion miles.

At the current pace, the fleet is trending towards hitting about 10 billion FSD Supervised miles this year. The increase has been driven by Tesla’s growing vehicle fleet, periodic free trials, and expanding Robotaxi operations, among others.

With the fleet now past 8.4 billion cumulative miles, Tesla’s supervised system is approaching that threshold, even as regulatory approval for fully unsupervised deployment remains subject to further validation and oversight.

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Elon Musk fires back after Wikipedia co-founder claims neutrality and dubs Grokipedia “ridiculous”

Musk’s response to Wales’ comments, which were posted on social media platform X, was short and direct: “Famous last words.”

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UK Government, CC BY 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

Elon Musk fired back at Wikipedia co-founder Jimmy Wales after the longtime online encyclopedia leader dismissed xAI’s new AI-powered alternative, Grokipedia, as a “ridiculous” idea that is bound to fail.

Musk’s response to Wales’ comments, which were posted on social media platform X, was short and direct: “Famous last words.”

Wales made the comments while answering questions about Wikipedia’s neutrality. According to Wales, Wikipedia prides itself on neutrality. 

“One of our core values at Wikipedia is neutrality. A neutral point of view is non-negotiable. It’s in the community, unquestioned… The idea that we’ve become somehow ‘Wokepidea’ is just not true,” Wales said.

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When asked about potential competition from Grokipedia, Wales downplayed the situation. “There is no competition. I don’t know if anyone uses Grokipedia. I think it is a ridiculous idea that will never work,” Wales wrote.

After Grokipedia went live, Larry Sanger, also a co-founder of Wikipedia, wrote on X that his initial impression of the AI-powered Wikipedia alternative was “very OK.”

“My initial impression, looking at my own article and poking around here and there, is that Grokipedia is very OK. The jury’s still out as to whether it’s actually better than Wikipedia. But at this point I would have to say ‘maybe!’” Sanger stated.

Musk responded to Sanger’s assessment by saying it was “accurate.” In a separate post, he added that even in its V0.1 form, Grokipedia was already better than Wikipedia.

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During a past appearance on the Tucker Carlson Show, Sanger argued that Wikipedia has drifted from its original vision, citing concerns about how its “Reliable sources/Perennial sources” framework categorizes publications by perceived credibility. As per Sanger, Wikipedia’s “Reliable sources/Perennial sources” list leans heavily left, with conservative publications getting effectively blacklisted in favor of their more liberal counterparts.

As of writing, Grokipedia has reportedly surpassed 80% of English Wikipedia’s article count.

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Tesla Sweden appeals after grid company refuses to restore existing Supercharger due to union strike

The charging site was previously functioning before it was temporarily disconnected in April last year for electrical safety reasons.

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Credit: Tesla Charging

Tesla Sweden is seeking regulatory intervention after a Swedish power grid company refused to reconnect an already operational Supercharger station in Åre due to ongoing union sympathy actions.

The charging site was previously functioning before it was temporarily disconnected in April last year for electrical safety reasons. A temporary construction power cabinet supplying the station had fallen over, described by Tesla as occurring “under unclear circumstances.” The power was then cut at the request of Tesla’s installation contractor to allow safe repair work.

While the safety issue was resolved, the station has not been brought back online. Stefan Sedin, CEO of Jämtkraft elnät, told Dagens Arbete (DA) that power will not be restored to the existing Supercharger station as long as the electric vehicle maker’s union issues are ongoing. 

“One of our installers noticed that the construction power had been backed up and was on the ground. We asked Tesla to fix the system, and their installation company in turn asked us to cut the power so that they could do the work safely. 

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“When everything was restored, the question arose: ‘Wait a minute, can we reconnect the station to the electricity grid? Or what does the notice actually say?’ We consulted with our employer organization, who were clear that as long as sympathy measures are in place, we cannot reconnect this facility,” Sedin said. 

The union’s sympathy actions, which began in March 2024, apply to work involving “planning, preparation, new connections, grid expansion, service, maintenance and repairs” of Tesla’s charging infrastructure in Sweden.

Tesla Sweden has argued that reconnecting an existing facility is not equivalent to establishing a new grid connection. In a filing to the Swedish Energy Market Inspectorate, the company stated that reconnecting the installation “is therefore not covered by the sympathy measures and cannot therefore constitute a reason for not reconnecting the facility to the electricity grid.”

Sedin, for his part, noted that Tesla’s issue with the Supercharger is quite unique. And while Jämtkraft elnät itself has no issue with Tesla, its actions are based on the unions’ sympathy measures against the electric vehicle maker. 

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“This is absolutely the first time that I have been involved in matters relating to union conflicts or sympathy measures. That is why we have relied entirely on the assessment of our employer organization. This is not something that we have made any decisions about ourselves at all. 

“It is not that Jämtkraft elnät has a conflict with Tesla, but our actions are based on these sympathy measures. Should it turn out that we have made an incorrect assessment, we will correct ourselves. It is no more difficult than that for us,” the executive said. 

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