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Tesla Semi draws eyes with its stunning red wrap in recent Fremont sighting
As the Tesla Semi’s expected production date draws nearer, the company appears to be ramping the road tests of its two electric truck prototypes. Apart from sightings of the silver Semi test mule across the United States, the red wrapped prototype that re-emerged last month seems to be racking up some real-world miles as well.
Just recently, the red wrapped electric truck was spotted conducting a run close near Tesla’s Fremont factory in CA. Unlike the red truck’s previous sightings, where it was spotted pulling a trailer, the Semi was running on its own this time around (known as “bobtailing” in the trucking industry). As could be seen in a video of the vehicle, the Semi is especially nimble on the road without a trailer attached.
Considering its red color scheme, the Tesla Semi prototype is undoubtedly eye-catching. When it was initially spotted, some members of the Tesla community even thought that the red vehicle was an entirely new prototype. That said, it eventually became evident that the truck was just a wrapped version of the matte black test mule that debuted back in 2017.
When the newly-wrapped truck was first spotted last month, Tesla enthusiast and r/TeslaMotors member u/CardSpecialist encountered the vehicle at the Kettleman Supercharger, where he was able to speak with the red Semi’s driver briefly. As noted by the Tesla community member, the Semi’s driver lightly pointed out that the red wrap had been attracting a lot more attention to the vehicle compared to its previous matte black paint scheme.
Tesla did not really provide any details as to why it opted to wrap the matte black Semi prototype in such an eye-catching color. With such a noticeable hue, though, it is difficult to argue that the all-electric long-hauler stands out even more, making it more noticeable for potential reservation holders.
The Tesla Semi, just like the company’s other vehicles like the Model 3, has the potential to disrupt a lucrative, high-profile industry. The trucking market, after all, presents a lot of opportunities, with the sector handling the transportation of up to 71% of the US’ food, retail goods, and other cargo being delivered every day. In the American Trucking Associations’ American Trucking Trends 2018 report, it was stated that the US trucking industry generated over $700 billion in economic activity in 2017. That’s a big market, and one that is just waiting to be disrupted and tapped.
In true Tesla fashion, the Semi is equipped with semi-autonomous features. During the vehicle’s unveiling, Musk hinted at an upcoming “Convoy Mode,” which would allow several trucks to draft close to each other semi-autonomously. Concept videos of Convoy Mode in action also hint at one manned Semi leading a couple of unmanned electric trucks. In his presentation for the Semi, Musk mentioned that the feature was already something that Tesla can accomplish with its existing technology.
The Tesla Semi is expected to start production sometime in 2019. That said, following statements from Tesla head of investor relations Martin Viecha hinted that the electric car maker would “earnestly” start manufacturing the truck by 2020.
Watch the red Tesla Semi prototype’s most recent sighting in the video below, courtesy of Aiyman Hadi.
https://www.facebook.com/aiymanh/videos/10161340036005608/
Elon Musk said he is planning to give “every one of his SpaceX shares to every kid in America” in 2027, stating that “this will be the first of many.”
SpaceX went public earlier this year, and its stock price has been relatively stable since leveling off shortly after its IPO. Based on its current price, it’s a gift of just over $10 billion to children across the United States.
It appears to be closely related to President Donald Trump’s bank accounts for children, which were set up earlier this year as Trump Accounts.
Just hours earlier, Anthropic had announced the establishment of its Anthropic Public Benefit Fund, “a new wholly-owned entity dedicated entirely to public benefit.” Musk responded by stating he recommended “giving the shares directly to the public,” and that he would be doing it that way.
Just a little bit later, Musk said children across the U.S. would be getting a share from him:
Next year, I will give one of my SpaceX shares to every kid in America.
This will be the first of many.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 19, 2026
There are roughly 70 million children, meaning someone under the age of 18, in the United States, according to the Federal Interagency Forum on Child and Family Statistics. Musk’s ownership of SpaceX stock shows he has around 849 million Class A shares of SpaceX stock, according to filings with the SEC.
Elon Musk revealed in a post on X that “Permits were impossible to get,” explaining the fate of The Boring Company’s most ambitious East Coast proposal.
The comment responded to a query about what became of his July 20, 2017 announcement that he had “just received verbal govt approval” for an underground Hyperloop connecting New York City, Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Washington, D.C., capable of carrying passengers from the Big Apple to the Nation’s Capital in just 29 minutes.
The Boring Company receives verbal ‘approval’ to build NY to DC Hyperloop tunnel
The 2017 post, which envisioned city-center stations and multiple elevators in each city, sparked immediate scrutiny. Local and state officials in New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore, and D.C. said they had no knowledge of any approval. A White House spokesperson confirmed only “promising conversations” about the transformative infrastructure.
Musk clarified shortly after that there was “still a lot of work” to do for formal approvals.
@cybrtrkguy Permits were impossible to get
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 19, 2026
Limited progress followed, as Maryland Governor Larry Hogan’s administration issued a conditional utility permit and supported work near Fort Meade. In 2018, Washington, D.C., granted a preliminary permit for site preparation and excavation on a vacant lot at 53 New York Ave. NE in the NoMa neighborhood, which The Boring Company said could become a station.
A draft environmental assessment for a D.C.-Baltimore segment was released in 2019. Yet, by April 2021, the company had removed the project from its website, and the Federal Highway Administration reported receiving no indication of further interest. Communication with Maryland officials had ceased.
The full corridor would have required coordination among the District of Columbia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, New York, the Federal Highway Administration, the Army Corps of Engineers, the National Park Service, and other agencies.
Environmental reviews under the National Environmental Policy Act, utility clearances, and approvals for novel infrastructure added to the overall complexity of the project and its approval.
Speculation on the permitting barriers centers around a few factors, but a multi-state, multi-level route involving unproven high-speed vacuum-tube technology inherently triggers exhaustive safety, environmental, and engineering reviews that can stretch for years, even for conventional projects.
There are also other elements, of course, like officials who may face political exposure if a privately funded, untested system encountered anything such as cost overruns, delays, or safety issues. On the outset of this project, there were limited things such as engineering plans or demonstrated technology maturity, which also added to the potential skepticism.
The East Coast vision for Boring Co., once framed as a privately funded revolution that could reshape Northeast travel, quietly ended without construction of the promised network. Musk’s recent statement frames the outcome as a regulatory impasse, unfortunate but not unexpected.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk took to his social media platform X on Sunday to remind everyone that the Roadster’s true meaning is not about company growth or adding dollars to shareholders’ pockets. Sometimes, you just do things because you can.
Following the Roadster’s epic unveiling event last Thursday, skeptics and critics of the company or the project itself came out to say that the vehicle is a pointless project because it is not geared toward growing the company, delivering supreme margins for profitability, nor does it contribute to the big picture of Artificial/Super Intelligence.
But that’s just the thing: Roadster is not meant to be some shareholder dream; it’s meant to be a vehicle that people buy just because it is something awesome, unique, and the first of its kind.
Tesla Roadster: Three configs, one can fly, 0-60 in 0.8 seconds
Musk had to remind those who are skeptical about the Roadster’s importance to the company mission that while it is not a major contributor to Tesla’s long-term goals, it is something that is being built just because it can be:
“Optimus and Cybercab will be the vast majority of Tesla’s value. The only things that will scale to incredible size (K2 and beyond) economically are super intelligence, robots, solar power, and mass to space. And, of course, if you have the first two, the rest will follow. But Roadster is super cool, so we’re doing it anyway.”
Musk has said on many occasions that Optimus would be the project that would make up the vast majority of Tesla’s value in the coming years.
Robotics will be a major focus of Tesla over the coming years, especially as Musk believes Optimus will enable work to be optional for humans and will enable what he calls “High Universal Income.”
Optimus and Cybercab will be the vast majority of Tesla’s value.
The only things that will scale to incredible size (K2 and beyond) economically are super intelligence, robots, solar power and mass to space.
And, of course, if you have the first two, the rest will follow.
But Roadster is super cool, so we’re doing it anyway.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 18, 2026
Cybercab will be a passive income opportunity for owners, Musk and Tesla have said for a very long time, as a fleet of self-driving vehicles will operate within a ride-hailing Robotaxi service that won’t require a human driver to be present.
Tesla investors are more than enthusiastic about the company’s future projects, at least from a general consensus perspective. However, it is important to note that the Roadster is a fun and cool project that pushes the boundaries of what people thought was possible for an automobile.
What we saw last week was the first true example of a flying car, and despite the backlash about how it might not contribute to Tesla’s grand ambitions, it’s okay to have fun sometimes, too.
Elon Musk will give ‘every kid in America’ a SpaceX share in 2027
Elon Musk reveals why Boring Co’s biggest East Coast project never happened
Tesla CEO Elon Musk reminds everyone about Roadster’s true meaning
SpaceX reveals how its 1 Million AI satellite network will work and prevent space collisions
Tesla Roadster: Three configs, one can fly, 0-60 in 0.8 seconds
