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Tesla Semi with trailer spotted in run between Fremont and Palo Alto HQ

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Tesla’s all-electric Semi was recently photographed by a Model 3 owner as it was traveling in CA-237 near Sunnyvale, CA, seemingly in the middle of a transport run between the company’s Fremont factory and its Palo Alto headquarters.

The latest image of the Tesla Semi was shared by Model 3 owner and r/TeslaMotors subreddit member u/AMG76, who stated that the picture was taken just this past weekend. This was not the first time that the Semi was spotted in the same area, however. Back in January, the black matte Tesla Semi was sighted accelerating in Elko Drive, Sunnyvale, CA.

Unlike the January Sunnyvale sighting, the Tesla Semi was hauling a trailer this time around. Apart from this, the silver Semi’s rear wheels in the photograph were also fitted with covers that are reminiscent of the Model 3’s Aero Wheels. 

A Model 3 owner was able to recently snap a photo of the Tesla Semi. [Credit: AGM76/Reddit]

Tesla initially announced its plans to become the electric long-hauler’s first customer last year. During a talk in the Netherlands, Tesla VP of Truck programs Jerome Guillen stated that the massive electric vehicles would be used to transport components between Tesla’s factories in Fremont and Nevada.

“Tesla will be the first customer for its own truck. So we will use our own trucks to carry cargo in the US between our different facilities. We have (an) assembly factory in California, we have a battery factory in Nevada, so we’ll use our truck to carry things in between,” the Tesla executive said.

Back in March, Elon Musk proved Guillen’s statements right. In a series of posts on social media, Musk revealed that the two electric trucks would be transporting battery packs manufactured in Gigafactory 1 to the Fremont facility. During Musk’s announcement, the silver Semi, the company’s long-range hauler, as well as the smaller matte black were both deployed for the 250-mile transport run between the two factories.

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The two electric trucks have been spotted in the Fremont, CA – Sparks, NV route multiple times since then. Even Guillen has begun posting photos of the Tesla Semi in his personal LinkedIn account, the most recent of which featured the electric truck “asking” a diesel-powered semi to get out of its way.

Apart from doing transport runs between Fremont and Nevada, or Palo Alto and Fremont, for that matter, the Tesla Semi has also been spotted visiting some of its biggest buyers during the past few months. The silver Tesla Semi, for one, was sighted in the Anheuser-Busch Brewery in St. Louis, MO, and in the Dallas, TX area, where it was demoed for PepsiCo employees. The black matte Semi, on the other hand, was spotted being transported on the back of a truck at a highway near Des Moines, IA, close to the headquarters of Ruan Transportation Management Systems.

Production of the Tesla Semi is expected to begin sometime next year. For now, Tesla is currently working with some of its largest customers in designing and building ultra-high-powered charging stations for the vehicles. Dubbed as the Megachargers, the Tesla Semi charging stations will be installed at key locations that are frequently traveled by fleet operators and close enough so that electric truck drivers could travel between facilities without needing to recharge each time they load and unload their cargo.

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 to launch in India in July with vehicles already arriving: report

Tesla is finally making serious moves toward launching in India, with showrooms opening in July, a report claims.

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Credit: Tesla

Tesla is finally bringing its business to India, a new report indicates, as the company is already shipping vehicles from China to the market where it has attempted to launch business for several years.

We first heard of Tesla planning to launch in India about a decade ago when CEO Elon Musk and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi met in California at the Fremont Factory in 2015.

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Over the years, the two have hinted that the automaker would eventually land in India, but issues with import duties have delayed Tesla’s attempts.

Now, there seems to be some serious movement in Tesla’s plans, as it has reportedly shipped the first batch of vehicles from China to India, according to Bloomberg. The outlet says these are Model Y Rear-Wheel-Drive configurations.

Tesla is also planning for other parts of the launch, like preparing for Supercharging, aftermarket parts and merchandise purchasing for vehicle owners and fans, and spare parts from various regions, including the United States, China, and the Netherlands.

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The company and the Indian government must have come to some sort of agreement that was catalyzed by Musk and Modi’s meeting in February in the U.S.

It is a long time coming, and it now gives Tesla access to an incredibly vast market in India, where a very small percentage of 2024’s total automotive sales were comprised of electric vehicles.

Another interesting tidbit about the launch is that the vehicles will be coming from Gigafactory Shanghai and not Gigafactory Berlin as previously thought. Reports from other publications, like Reuters, indicated the German production facility was building vehicles for India early last year.

India has a very strict policy that favors domestic manufacturing, which is why the import duties were so high for foreign automakers looking to bring their product into the market. These duties were reduced from 110 percent to just 15 percent, as long as companies aim to invest in India and meet certain investment and sales targets.

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SpaceX and Elon Musk share insights on Starship Ship 36’s RUD

Starship Ship 36 experienced a Rapid Unscheduled Disassembly during a static fire attempt.

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Elon Musk and SpaceX provided an explanation for the Rapid Unscheduled Disassembly (RUD) of Starship Ship 36 on Wednesday. As per Musk, preliminary data suggests that a nitrogen composite overwrapped pressure vessel (COPV) in the vehicle’s payload bay failed below its proof pressure.

On Wednesday evening, Ship 36 experienced a RUD during a static fire attempt. Videos of the incident that were shared online showed Starship Ship 36 exploding into a massive fireball at its launchpad in Starbase, Texas. Images taken in the aftermath of the explosion showed significant damage to the plumbing in the area. The site’s pad structure was also destroyed.

Elon Musk shared some information immediately after the incident. In a response to a post from space enthusiast @Erdayastronaut, Musk stated that “Preliminary data suggests that a nitrogen COPV in the payload bay failed below its proof pressure.”

Musk also noted that, “If further investigation confirms that this is what happened, it is the first time ever for this design.”

SpaceX provided more insight into the incident in a post on its official website.

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“After completing a single-engine static fire earlier this week, the vehicle was in the process of loading cryogenic propellant for a six-engine static fire when a sudden energetic event resulted in the complete loss of Starship and damage to the immediate area surrounding the stand.

“The explosion ignited several fires at the test site, which remains clear of personnel and will be assessed once it has been determined to be safe to approach. Individuals should not attempt to approach the area while safing operations continue,” SpaceX wrote in its post.

SpaceX highlighted that despite Starship Ship 36’s RUD, the incident will not result in any hazards to the surrounding communities in the Rio Grande Valley. And in a post on X, SpaceX also confirmed that everyone in the Starship team was safe and accounted for after Ship 36’s explosion.

While Ship 36’s RUD is a speed bump for the Starship program, SpaceX is a company that is known to grow stronger with every adversity. Thus, it would not be surprising if SpaceX implemented numerous improvements to Starship after this incident–improvements that would make the vehicle more reliable and safer than before.

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Tesla has started rolling out initial round of Robotaxi invites

Tesla is putting safety above all in its initial Robotaxi rollout.

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Credit: @BLKMDL3/X

Tesla has started rolling out an initial round of invites for its upcoming Robotaxi service in Austin, Texas.

Screenshots shared by several Tesla community members who received the invites provided a quick overview of the autonomous ride-hailing service.

As noted in a techAU report, the initial round of Robotaxi service invites has gone to longtime Tesla owners and active members of the EV community. These include owners such as @SawyerMerritt, @BLKMDL3, @WholeMarsBlog, @ItsKimJava, and @HerbertOng, all of whom shared screenshots of the invitation that Tesla has sent about the upcoming service.

You’re Invited to Early Access of Tesla Robotaxi!

The Future is Now! You’re invited to Early Access of Tesla’s Robotaxi service in Austin, TX!

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As an Early Access rider, you can be among the first to use our new Robotaxi App and experience an autonomous ride within our geofenced area in Austin. Through this exclusive preview, you’ll have the opportunity to provide valuable feedback on our Robotaxi service.

Based on Tesla’s message, it appears that participation in the service would be strictly invite-only for now. Participants must also download Tesla’s dedicated Robotaxi App to hail a ride. Rides can also be requested and initiated to and from any location within a geofenced area of Austin.

The robotaxi service will be available from 6:00 AM to 12:00 AM, seven days a week, though these hours may change depending on factors such as inclement weather. Interestingly enough, Tesla is inviting the first participants of the Robotaxi program to share photos and videos of their experience with the service.

While the vehicles themselves are autonomous and would operate without human input, the Robotaxis would still be accompanied by a Tesla staff member to monitor the vehicle. This strategy suggests that Tesla is really putting safety above all in its initial Robotaxi rollout.

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