

News
Nikola receives $1.7M grant from US Department of Energy for fuel cell research
Nikola Motors was recently awarded by the US Department of Energy with a $1.7 million grant to help the startup advance its research into fuel cell membrane electrode assembly (MEA) technology. The grant comes amidst the potential Tesla Semi rival’s continued efforts to develop durable hydrogen technology for commercial trucking.
In a press release, Jesse Schneider, Nikola’s executive vice president of Hydrogen & Fuel Cell Technologies, stated that the Department of Energy’s grant would allow the aspiring truck accelerate the development of hydrogen technology for its vehicles, which the company believes could potentially disrupt the lucrative trucking market.
“This award provides an opportunity for the highly talented Nikola team to leverage expertise in academia and exceptional resources within the DOE Fuel Cell Consortium for Performance and Durability to accelerate a breakthrough that will benefit the entire hydrogen and fuel cell industry and community,” Schneider said.
Nikola’s grant was given by the US Department of Energy’s Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) Transportation Office, as part of the recently announced FY19 Commercial Trucks and Off-Road Applications FOA. NEL Hydrogen of Oslo, Nikola’s hydrogen partner, was also awarded a $2 million grant by the DoE.
The trucking startup’s fuel cell membrane electrode assembly (MEA) research is aimed at developing an architecture that could satisfy the power output needs and durability requirements of heavy-duty applications, such as the operations of the company’s long-haul vehicles like the Nikola One. The truckmaker noted in its press release that its research is being conducted alongside academics from Carnegie Mellon University, Northeastern University, and Georgia Institute of Technology.
Nikola claims that it currently has 14,000 orders for its Class 8 trucks. The vehicles are expected to be manufactured in a factory in Coolidge, AZ. Testing is expected to begin on Arizona roads this year, with full production to commence in late 2022. Nikola is yet to reveal if its initial production runs will involve the original Nikola One sleeper truck, or the smaller, newer Nikola Two daycab, which was formally unveiled last April.
This timeframe would likely result in Nikola’s electric trucks entering the market later than the Tesla Semi, which is already undergoing extensive testing on multiple states across the US. Production of the Tesla Semi is expected to begin sometime next year, as noted by the electric car maker’s executives in the company’s first-quarter earnings call.
News
SpaceX calls off Starship 10 flight attempt once again
SpaceX is calling off a potential launch of Starship this evening, marking the second consecutive night the tenth test flight of the massive rocket will be delayed.

SpaceX is calling off a potential launch of Starship this evening, marking the second consecutive night the tenth test flight of the massive rocket will be delayed.
Originally planning to launch on Sunday at 6:30 p.m. local time in Starbase, Texas, SpaceX was forced to delay the tenth launch of Starship due to a hardware issue.
“Ground side liquid oxygen leak needs to be fixed. Aiming for another launch attempt tomorrow,” CEO Elon Musk posted on the social media platform X.
Starship Flight 10 rescheduled as SpaceX targets Monday launch
The launch was then pushed to Monday night, and the launch window was set to start at the same time as Sunday. However, SpaceX would push it back to 6:44 p.m. due to some weather issues.
Eventually, Starship seemed like it was trending toward a launch, but weather continued to persist in the area, with thunder, rain, and lightning all threatening in the area.
At around 7:03 p.m., SpaceX decided to stand down once again, confirming weather was the culprit of yet another delay:
Launch called off for tonight due to anvil clouds over launch site (lightning risk)
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) August 26, 2025
SpaceX will likely try again on Tuesday night, but the company has not yet confirmed if it will open another launch window.
News
WATCH: SpaceX Starship Flight 10 launch

SpaceX is set to launch its tenth test flight of the Starship program, with a launch window that will open at 6:44 p.m. local time, or 7:44 p.m. on the East Coast.
Starship’s tenth test flight was originally scheduled for launch yesterday with a one-hour window that opened at 7:30 p.m. ET, but it was called off 17 minutes before that window even had a chance to open.
Starship Flight 10 rescheduled as SpaceX targets Monday launch
SpaceX moved the flight to tonight. It was also originally scheduled to have a launch window at the same time as Sunday, but it was pushed back 14 minutes to around 6:30 p.m. ET. There are storms in the area, as well as clouds over Starbase, so there is the off chance for another launch delay.
There are several big objectives for this launch, including the expansion of the operating envelope for the Super Heavy booster. SpaceX says there are “multiple landing burn tests planned.”
The booster will also be performing a few in-flight experiments to help with data collection. Specifically, real-world performance data on future flight profiles and off-nominal scenarios will be on the list of things SpaceX will be looking for.
Starship itself will have a few in-flight objectives that include the deployment of eight Starlink simulators that are similar in size to the next-gen satellites for the internet service. SpaceX was set to test this with Starship’s seventh test flight, which occurred in January 2025. However, the task was abandoned as the vehicle was destroyed before deployment could occur.
Liftoff conditions are currently looking favorable, and SpaceX will be eager to improve upon its Starship launch program as CEO Elon Musk has big plans for it in the coming years.
You can watch the launch below via SpaceX:
Watch Starship’s tenth flight test → https://t.co/UIwbeGoo2B https://t.co/MQg9ZAjCip
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) August 25, 2025
Elon Musk
Tesla looks to expand Robotaxi geofence once again with testing in new area
It looks as if Tesla is preparing for its next expansion of the geofence, potentially moving toward a much larger service area that could eclipse 150 square miles.

Tesla looks to be preparing for the potential expansion of the Robotaxi geofence once again, as the company was spotted testing the suite in an area well outside of the Austin service area.
After it first launched the Robotaxi platform on June 22, Tesla has managed to expand its geofence twice, essentially doubling the travel area both times.
The most recent expansion took the size of the geofence from 42 square miles to about 80 square miles, bringing new neighborhoods and regions of the city into the realm of where the driverless vehicles could take passengers.
However, it looks as if Tesla is preparing for its next expansion of the geofence, potentially moving toward a much larger service area that could eclipse 150 square miles.
Over the weekend, one fan noticed a Robotaxi validation vehicle testing in Bee Cave, Texas, which is roughly 25 minutes from the edge of the current geofence:
Tesla spotted doing Robotaxi validation testing in Bee Cave, Texas, about 15 miles west of Austin (20-25 minute drive from current edge of geofence). pic.twitter.com/JCOcoys8SJ
— Sawyer Merritt (@SawyerMerritt) August 23, 2025
Tesla has been testing vehicles in the western suburbs of Austin for some time, and it seems the company is laying some groundwork to push its geofence expansion into Plaid Mode as competition with Waymo continues to be at the forefront of the conversation.
Waymo has been expanding with Tesla for some time, as the pace of expansion for the two companies has been relatively accelerated for the past couple of months.
Tesla’s expansions of the geofence sent a clear message to competitors and doubters, but it is still aiming to keep things safe and not push the envelope too quickly.
The geofence expansion is impressive, but Tesla is also focusing on expanding its vehicle fleet in both Austin and the Bay Area, where it launched a ride-hailing service in July.
Tesla Bay Area autonomous fleet to grow to over 100 units: Elon Musk
Still, safety is the priority at the current time.
“We are being very cautious. We do not want to take any chances, so we are going to go cautiously. But the service areas and the number of vehicles in operation will increase at a hyper-exponential rate,” CEO Elon Musk said during the Q2 Earnings Call.
-
Elon Musk3 days ago
Elon Musk takes aim at Bill Gates’ Microsoft with new AI venture “Macrohard”
-
Elon Musk15 hours ago
Elon Musk argues lidar and radar make self driving cars more dangerous
-
News2 weeks ago
Elon Musk reaffirms Tesla Semi mass production in 2026
-
News2 weeks ago
Tesla Model Y L spotted in Europe ahead of expected September China launch
-
News2 weeks ago
Tesla plans to use Unreal Engine for driver visualization with crazy upgrade
-
News5 days ago
Tesla offers new deal on used inventory that you won’t want to pass up
-
Elon Musk2 weeks ago
Tesla warns consumers of huge, time-sensitive change coming soon
-
News4 days ago
Tesla watchers spot mysterious castings at Fremont Factory