News
Tesla Semi spotted Supercharging thousands of miles from factory as real-world tests continue
Tesla’s all-electric Semi truck continues its real-world testing, with the long-hauler recently being spotted nearly 2,000 miles away from the Fremont factory at the Catoosa, Oklahoma Supercharger station, off of Interstate 44. The electric truck’s recent sighting comes a day after the vehicle was spotted cruising in New Mexico on I-40, more than 600 miles away.
The Catoosa sighting was shared on the r/TeslaMotors subreddit by Model 3 reservation holder u/JohnFitzgeraldSnow, who was able to take a photo of the truck. The electric car enthusiast mentioned that the all-electric Semi was only using a single charging cable while it was attached to a Supercharger stall. The truck was reportedly accompanied by a group of Tesla employees as well.
The latest sightings of the Semi are yet another sign that Tesla is doing some extensive real-world testing on the electric long-hauler. Among Tesla’s vehicles, the Semi would likely be the one that would rack up miles the fastest, considering that it would be tasked to transport cargo over long distances on an everyday basis. The state of the Tesla Semi in its recent sighting is proof of this, as the vehicle was pretty much covered all over with bugs from the freeway.
The Semi is designed to disrupt the trucking industry the way the Model 3 is designed to disrupt the mainstream auto market. The specs of the Semi, particularly its 500-mile range, have caught the ire of the company’s critics. Daimler’s head of trucks Martin Daum even alleged that the Semi’s quoted specs defy the laws of physics. This was laughed off by Elon Musk during the Q1 2018 earnings call, when he stated that Tesla could make a truck with 500 miles of range even with its current battery technology.
Being the largest vehicle in Tesla’s lineup, the Semi is designed to be supported by a network of high-powered Megachargers. Elon Musk noted during the Semi’s unveiling last November that the Megachargers would be capable of replenishing 400 miles of range in as little as 30 minutes of charging. The actual specs of the Megacharger have not been announced as of date, but there is a good chance that it would be roughly ten times as powerful as Tesla’s ~120 kW Superchargers.
Since being unveiled, the Tesla Semi has received a strong, positive response from several high-profile customers. In the United States alone, companies such as UPS, FedEx, Anheuser-Busch, and PepsiCo have all placed reservations for the vehicle. To prepare for the rollout of the electric trucks on America’s roads, Tesla has started building the initial charging infrastructure for the Semi. Reports emerged earlier this year that Tesla is partnering with several of the Semi’s reservation holders to build charging stations in key locations frequently traveled by fleet operators. The stations, which would likely be the first Megachargers, will be spaced close enough together so that the Semi has enough range to complete its routes.
The Tesla Semi is expected to start production sometime in 2019, and though the company has not announced where the vehicle would be manufactured, there is a good chance that the electric long-hauler’s production would be a lot smoother. The Semi, after all, shares several components with the Model 3, such as its electric motors. Considering that Tesla has learned a lot of lessons from the ramp of the Model 3, there is a good chance that the Semi might make it to market earlier than expected.
Elon Musk
FCC chair criticizes Amazon over opposition to SpaceX satellite plan
Carr made the remarks in a post on social media platform X.
U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Brendan Carr criticized Amazon after the company opposed SpaceX’s proposal to launch a large satellite constellation that could function as an orbital data center network.
Carr made the remarks in a post on social media platform X.
Amazon recently urged the FCC to reject SpaceX’s application to deploy a constellation of up to 1 million low Earth orbit satellites that could serve as artificial intelligence data centers in space.
The company described the proposal as a “lofty ambition rather than a real plan,” arguing that SpaceX had not provided sufficient details about how the system would operate.
Carr responded by pointing to Amazon’s own satellite deployment progress.
“Amazon should focus on the fact that it will fall roughly 1,000 satellites short of meeting its upcoming deployment milestone, rather than spending their time and resources filing petitions against companies that are putting thousands of satellites in orbit,” Carr wrote on X.
Amazon has declined to comment on the statement.
Amazon has been working to deploy its Project Kuiper satellite network, which is intended to compete with SpaceX’s Starlink service. The company has invested more than $10 billion in the program and has launched more than 200 satellites since April of last year.
Amazon has also asked the FCC for a 24-month extension, until July 2028, to meet a requirement to deploy roughly 1,600 satellites by July 2026, as noted in a CNBC report.
SpaceX’s Starlink network currently has nearly 10,000 satellites in orbit and serves roughly 10 million customers. The FCC has also authorized SpaceX to deploy 7,500 additional satellites as the company continues expanding its global satellite internet network.
Energy
Tesla Energy gains UK license to sell electricity to homes and businesses
The license was granted to Tesla Energy Ventures Ltd. by UK energy regulator Ofgem after a seven-month review process.
Tesla Energy has received a license to supply electricity in the United Kingdom, opening the door for the company to serve homes and businesses in the country.
The license was granted to Tesla Energy Ventures Ltd. by UK energy regulator Ofgem after a seven-month review process.
According to Ofgem, the license took effect at 6 p.m. local time on Wednesday and applies to Great Britain.
The approval allows Tesla’s energy business to sell electricity directly to customers in the region, as noted in a Bloomberg News report.
Tesla has already expanded similar services in the United States. In Texas, the company offers electricity plans that allow Tesla owners to charge their vehicles at a lower cost while also feeding excess electricity back into the grid.
Tesla already has a sizable presence in the UK market. According to price comparison website U-switch, there are more than 250,000 Tesla electric vehicles in the country and thousands of Tesla home energy storage systems.
Ofgem also noted that Tesla Motors Ltd., a separate entity incorporated in England and Wales, received an electricity generation license in June 2020.
The new UK license arrives as Tesla continues expanding its global energy business.
Last year, Tesla Energy retained the top position in the global battery energy storage system (BESS) integrator market for the second consecutive year. According to Wood Mackenzie’s latest rankings, Tesla held about 15% of global market share in 2024.
The company also maintained a dominant position in North America, where it captured roughly 39% market share in the region.
At the same time, competition in the energy storage sector is increasing. Chinese companies such as Sungrow have been expanding their presence globally, particularly in Europe.
Elon Musk
Elon Musk shares big Tesla Optimus 3 production update
According to Musk, Tesla is in the final stages of completing Optimus 3, which he described as one of the world’s most advanced humanoid robots.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk has stated that production of Optimus 3 could begin this summer. Musk shared the update in his interview at the Abundance Summit.
According to Musk, Tesla is in the final stages of completing Optimus 3, which he described as one of the world’s most advanced humanoid robots.
“We’re in the final stages of completion of Optimus 3, which is really going to be by far the most advanced robot in the world. Nothing’s even close. In fact, I haven’t even seen demos of robots that are as good as Optimus 3,” Musk said.
He also set expectations on the pace of Optimus 3’s production ramp, stating that the initial volumes of the humanoid robot will likely be very low. Musk did, however, also state that high production rates for Optimus 3 should be possible in 2027.
“I think we’ll start production on Optimus 3 this summer, but very slow at first, like sort of this classic S-curve ramp of manufacturing units versus time. And then, probably reach high volume production around summer next year,” he said.
Interestingly enough, the CEO hinted that Tesla is looking to iterate on the robot quickly, potentially releasing a new Optimus design every year.
“We’ll have Optimus 4 design complete next year. We’ll try to release a new robot design every year,” Musk stated.
Tesla has already outlined broader plans for scaling Optimus production beyond its first manufacturing line. Musk previously stated that Optimus 4 will be built at Gigafactory Texas at significantly higher production volumes.
Initial production lines for the robot are expected to be located at Tesla’s Fremont Factory, where the company plans to establish a line capable of producing up to 1 million robots per year.
A larger production ramp is expected to occur at Gigafactory Texas, where Musk has previously suggested could eventually support production of up to 10 million robots per year.
“We’re going to launch on the fastest production ramp of any product of any large complex manufactured product ever, starting with building a one-million-unit production line in Fremont. And that’s Line one. And then a ten million unit per year production line here,” Musk said previously.
The comments suggest that while Optimus 3 will likely begin production at Fremont, Tesla’s larger-scale manufacturing push could arrive with Optimus 4 at Gigafactory Texas.
FCC chair criticizes Amazon over opposition to SpaceX satellite plan
Tesla Energy gains UK license to sell electricity to homes and businesses
