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Tesla Semi caught being transported by truck near customer Ruan’s HQ
Tesla’s short-range, matte black Semi prototype has been sighted on a highway in Des Moines, IA, as it was being transported on a flatbed truck. The latest Tesla Semi sighting was shared by Instagram user John Gee, who was able to snap two photographs of the vehicle late Sunday.
Conversing with Teslarati on the social media platform, Gee noted that the truck was heading east into I-80 in the Des Moines, IA area. The Tesla enthusiast further stated that he noticed some equipment at the back of the short-range Semi.
“There looked to be a ‘charging terminal’ on the back of the trailer, so I imagine they were taking it somewhere to set up testing,” Gee wrote.
The “charging terminal” equipment that the Tesla enthusiast noticed at the back of the electric truck is noteworthy, especially since the Elon Musk-led company previously revealed that it is developing the Semi’s on-site “Megachargers” in collaboration with its customers. The in-house charging infrastructure will be hosted by the Semi’s buyers, and would be strategically located in key areas that are frequently traveled by fleet operators and spaced close enough to maximize the electric truck’s range.
- The Tesla Semi being transported on a trailer at Des Moines, IA. [Credit: John Gee/Instagram]
- The Tesla Semi being transported on a trailer at Des Moines, IA. [Credit: John Gee/Instagram]
While the reason behind the Tesla Semi’s presence in Des Moines, IA remains unknown, the city does host the headquarters of one of the vehicle’s reservation holders — Ruan Transportation Management Systems — which announced its orders for the Tesla Semi back in January.
According to Ruan, the company has been in touch with Tesla even before the quad-motor all-electric trucks were unveiled last year. Ruan also stated that Tesla had invited representatives from the company to take part in several on-site meetings and discussions six months before the trucks were unveiled to the public. In a press release about its Semi reservations, Ruan Vice President of Fleet Services James Cade stated that the Tesla trucks have the potential to revolutionize the transport industry.
“These new trucks stand to revolutionize interstate transport and change the way we do business. Ruan has always been a leader in efficient transport and logistics, so it makes perfect sense to explore what these trucks could do for us and our customers,” Cade said.
Ruan has been involved in environmentally-friendly initiatives even before it placed orders for the Tesla truck. The company is one of the official partners in the US Environmental Protection Agency’s SmartWay Transport Partnership — a program by the freight industry and the EPA aimed at decreasing greenhouse gases and air pollution. Ruan’s participation in this program has been admirable so far, with the company earning the SmartWay Excellence Award from the EPA for three years.
Sightings of the Tesla Semi prototypes in the wild have increased over the past month. Just a few weeks ago, the silver, long-range Semi was spotted in the Anheuser-Busch brewery in St. Louis, MO. A week after that, the same vehicle was sighted at private demo for PepsiCo employees in Dallas, TX. The two Semi prototypes were also spotted seemingly driving in “Convoy Mode” on a CA highway last week.
The Tesla Semi is powered by four Model 3-derived electric motors, and is capable of hauling a maximum 80,000 pounds of cargo. The Class 8 long-hauler is also capable of going from 0-60 mph in just 20 seconds with a full 80,000-pound load. Without cargo, the Tesla Semi is capable of hitting 60 mph in as little as 5 seconds.
Elon Musk
Texas township wants The Boring Company to build it a Loop system
The township’s board unanimously approved an application to The Boring Company’s “Tunnel Vision Challenge.”
The Woodlands Township, Texas, has formally entered The Boring Company’s tunneling sweepstakes.
The township’s board unanimously approved an application to The Boring Company’s “Tunnel Vision Challenge,” which offers up to one mile of tunnel construction at no cost to a selected community.
The Woodlands’ proposal, dubbed “The Current,” features two parallel 12-foot-diameter tunnels beneath the Town Center corridor near The Waterway. Teslas would shuttle passengers between Waterway Square, Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion, Town Green Park and nearby hotels during concerts and large-scale events, as noted in a Chron report.
Township officials framed the tunnel as a solution for the township’s traffic congestion issues. The Pavilion alone hosts more than 60 shows each year and can accommodate crowds of up to 16,500, often straining Lake Robbins Drive and surrounding intersections.
“We know we have traffic impacts and pedestrian movement challenges, especially in the Town Center area,” Chris Nunes, chief operating officer of The Woodlands Township, stated during the meeting.
“The Current” mirrors the Loop system operating beneath the Las Vegas Convention Center, where Tesla vehicles transport passengers through underground tunnels between venues and resorts.
The Boring Company issued its request for proposals (RFP) in mid-January, inviting cities and districts to pitch local uses for its tunneling technology. The Woodlands must submit its application by Feb. 23, though no timeline has been provided for when a winning community will be announced.
Nunes confirmed that the board has authorized a submission for “The Current’s” proposal, though he emphasized that the project is still in its preliminary stages.
“The Woodlands Township Board of Directors has authorized staff to submit an application to The Boring Company, which has issued an RFP for communities interested in leveraging their technology to address community challenges,” he said in a statement.
“The Board believes that an underground tunnel would provide a safe and efficient means to transport people to and from various high-use community amenities in our Town Center.”
News
Tesla Model Y wins 2026 Drive Car of the Year award in Australia
The Model Y is already Australia’s best-selling EV in 2025 and the tenth best-selling vehicle overall.
The Tesla Model Y has been named 2026 Drive Car of the Year overall winner, taking the top honor after being judged as the vehicle that “moves the game forward the most for Australian new car buyers.”
The Model Y is already Australia’s best-selling EV in 2025 and the tenth best-selling vehicle overall, but the vehicle’s Juniper update strengthened its case with new ownership benefits and expanded software capability.
Drive’s overall award compares category winners and looks at which model most significantly advances the local new car market. In 2026, judges pointed to the Model Y’s five-year warranty and the availability of Full Self-Driving (Supervised) as a monthly subscription as key differentiators.
Priced from AU$58,900 before on-road costs, the all-electric crossover SUV offers a lot of value compared to similarly sized petrol and hybrid rivals. The ability to access Tesla’s Supercharger network across Australia also reduces friction for buyers moving to EV ownership.
Owners can add FSD (Supervised) for AU$149 per month. While it still requires driver oversight, the system expands the vehicle’s advanced driver-assistance capabilities and reflects Tesla’s software-first approach.
“The default choice for a reason. The Tesla Model Y makes the transition to electric both effortless and rewarding,” Drive wrote.
The 2025 Model Y facelift also sharpened the vehicle’s exterior, highlighted by a distinctive rear light bar that gives the crossover SUV a more modern road presence.
Drive described the Model Y as a benchmark for combining practicality, efficiency and technology at an accessible price point. With eligibility for federal Fringe Benefit Tax exemptions through novated leasing, its value proposition has improved for numerous buyers.
For 2026, the Model Y’s combination of range efficiency, charging access and software capability proved decisive. Ultimately, the award all but cements the Model Y’s position as one of the most influential vehicles in Australia’s evolving new-car market today.
Elon Musk
Elon Musk reiterates rapid Starship V3 timeline with next launch in sight
Musk shared the update in a brief post on X, writing, “Starship flies again next month.”
Elon Musk has confirmed that Starship will fly again next month, reiterating SpaceX’s aggressive timeline for the first launch of its Starship V3 rocket.
Musk shared the update in a brief post on X, writing, “Starship flies again next month.” The CEO’s post was accompanied by a video of Starship’s Super Heavy booster being successfully caught by a launch tower in Starbase, Texas.
The timeline is notable. In late January, Musk stated that Starship’s next flight, Flight 12, was expected in about six weeks. This placed the expected mission date sometime in March. That estimate aligned with SpaceX’s earlier statement that Starship’s 12th flight test “remains targeted for the first quarter of 2026.”
If the vehicle does indeed fly next month, it would mark the debut of Starship V3, the upgraded platform expected to feature the rocket’s new Raptor V3 engines.
Raptor V3 is designed to deliver significantly higher thrust than earlier versions while reducing cost and weight. Starship V3 itself is expected to be optimized for manufacturability, a critical step if SpaceX intends to scale production toward frequent launches for Starlink, lunar missions, and eventually Mars.
Starship V3 is widely viewed as the version that transitions the program from experimental testing to true operational scaling. Previous iterations have completed multiple integrated flight tests, with mixed outcomes but steady progress. Expectations are high that SpaceX is now working on Starship’s refinement.
An aggressive launch schedule supports several priorities at once. It advances Starlink’s next-generation satellite deployment, supports NASA’s lunar ambitions under Artemis, and keeps SpaceX on track for its longer-term Moon and Mars objectives.

