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Tesla Semi makes an appearance at Dallas, TX Service Center

[Credit: Tesla Owners Club Of North TX/Instagram]

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Fresh off its visit to the Anheuser-Busch brewery in St. Louis, MO, the long-range Tesla Semi has been spotted at the Dallas, TX Service Center. The electric long-hauler was parked at the loading ramp of the facility when its photograph was taken.

The latest Tesla Semi sighting was shared by the Tesla Owners Club of North Texas on the group’s official Instagram page. A video of the truck filmed later during the day was also shared in the r/TeslaMotors subreddit, showing the electric truck exiting the Dallas, TX Tesla Service Center and accelerating towards the street.

The reason behind the Semi’s trip to Dallas is unknown, though the city itself is a point of interest. Just like St. Louis, Dallas hosts a facility that is directly related to one of the electric truck’s biggest buyers — PepsiCo. Dallas, TX, after all, is the corporate headquarters of Frito-Lay, a subsidiary of PepsiCo, the company that ordered 100 Tesla Semis for its operations across the United States. Dallas, TX is also the city where PepsiCo Sr. Director of Environmental Sustainability Al Halvorsen is based, as could be seen in his LinkedIn profile.

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bgha9omFpHA/?tagged=teslasemi

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A 30-year veteran of Frito-Lay, Halvorsen leads the environmental sustainability and compliance programs of Frito-Lay North America, ultimately helping the subsidiary transition into a more sustainable and environmentally-friendly business model — an initiative that the Tesla Semi would play a part in. Considering that Frito-Lay has its headquarters in Dallas, the presence of the Semi in the city could suggest that Tesla is paying a visit to one of its largest buyers. Frito-Lay products, comprised of snack food, after all, are a perfect match for the electric truck, considering that the items’ light weight would maximize the vehicle’s range savings.

Back in December, we reported that PepsiCo had secured a massive order of 100 Tesla Semis from the Elon Musk-led company. While the 100 Semis would comprise only a tiny fraction of PepsiCo’s 10,000-strong fleet of long-haulers, the electric trucks would play a role in reducing greenhouse gas emissions from the company’s supply chain.

As we previously reported, the Tesla Semi paid a visit to Anheuser-Busch’s brewery in St. Louis, MO last week. The electric long-hauler was photographed extensively during its trip to MO, with many Tesla enthusiasts managing to capture images of the vehicle as it was parked in the brewery and at a nearby Supercharger in St. Charles. Anheuser-Busch, just like PepsiCo, is also one of Tesla’s largest buyers for the Semi, having ordered 40 units of the electric truck.

Tesla is also actively involved in the development of in-house ultra high-powered Megachargers, which would be installed at key locations that would frequently be traveled by Semi fleet operators. 

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Watch the Tesla Semi leave the Dallas, TX Service Center in the video below.

Leaving the airport and caught the Tesla Semi leaving the service center DAL
byu/OMGchad inteslamotors

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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Elon Musk

Tesla Full Self-Driving’s newest behavior is the perfect answer to aggressive cars

According to a recent video, it now appears the suite will automatically pull over if there is a tailgater on your bumper, the most ideal solution for when a driver is riding your bumper.

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Credit: Tesla

Tesla Full Self-Driving appears to have a new behavior that is the perfect answer to aggressive drivers.

According to a recent video, it now appears the suite will automatically pull over if there is a tailgater on your bumper, the most ideal solution for when a driver is riding your bumper.

With FSD’s constantly-changing Speed Profiles, it seems as if this solution could help eliminate the need to tinker with driving modes from the person in the driver’s seat. This tends to be one of my biggest complaints from FSD at times.

A video posted on X shows a Tesla on Full Self-Driving pulling over to the shoulder on windy, wet roads after another car seemed to be following it quite aggressively. The car looks to have automatically sensed that the vehicle behind it was in a bit of a hurry, so FSD determined that pulling over and letting it by was the best idea:

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We can see from the clip that there was no human intervention to pull over to the side, as the driver’s hands are stationary and never interfere with the turn signal stalk.

This can be used to override some of the decisions FSD makes, and is a great way to get things back on track if the semi-autonomous functionality tries to do something that is either unneeded or not included in the routing on the in-car Nav.

FSD tends to move over for faster traffic on the interstate when there are multiple lanes. On two-lane highways, it will pass slower cars using the left lane. When faster traffic is behind a Tesla on FSD, the vehicle will move back over to the right lane, the correct behavior in a scenario like this.

Perhaps one of my biggest complaints at times with Full Self-Driving, especially from version to version, is how much tinkering Tesla does with Speed Profiles. One minute, they’re suitable for driving on local roads, the next, they’re either too fast or too slow.

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When they are too slow, most of us just shift up into a faster setting, but at times, even that’s not enough, see below:

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There are times when it feels like it would be suitable for the car to just pull over and let the vehicle that is traveling behind pass. This, at least up until this point, it appears, was something that required human intervention.

Now, it looks like Tesla is trying to get FSD to a point where it just knows that it should probably get out of the way.

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Elon Musk

Tesla Megapack powers $1.1B AI data center project in Brazil

By integrating Tesla’s Megapack systems, the facility will function not only as a major power consumer but also as a grid-supporting asset.

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Credit: Tesla

Tesla’s Megapack battery systems will be deployed as part of a 400MW AI data center campus in Uberlândia, Brazil. The initiative is described as one of Latin America’s largest AI infrastructure projects.

The project is being led by RT-One, which confirmed that the facility will integrate Tesla Megapack battery energy storage systems (BESS) as part of a broader industrial alliance that includes Hitachi Energy, Siemens, ABB, HIMOINSA, and Schneider Electric. The project is backed by more than R$6 billion (approximately $1.1 billion) in private capital.

According to RT-One, the data center is designed to operate on 100% renewable energy while also reinforcing regional grid stability.

“Brazil generates abundant energy, particularly from renewable sources such as solar and wind. However, high renewable penetration can create grid stability challenges,” RT-One President Fernando Palamone noted in a post on LinkedIn. “Managing this imbalance is one of the country’s growing infrastructure priorities.”

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By integrating Tesla’s Megapack systems, the facility will function not only as a major power consumer but also as a grid-supporting asset.

“The facility will be capable of absorbing excess electricity when supply is high and providing stabilization services when the grid requires additional support. This approach enhances resilience, improves reliability, and contributes to a more efficient use of renewable generation,” Palamone added.

The model mirrors approaches used in energy-intensive regions such as California and Texas, where large battery systems help manage fluctuations tied to renewable energy generation.

The RT-One President recently visited Tesla’s Megafactory in Lathrop, California, where Megapacks are produced, as part of establishing the partnership. He thanked the Tesla team, including Marcel Dall Pai, Nicholas Reale, and Sean Jones, for supporting the collaboration in his LinkedIn post.

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Elon Musk

Starlink powers Europe’s first satellite-to-phone service with O2 partnership

The service initially supports text messaging along with apps such as WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, Google Maps and weather tools.

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Credit: SpaceX

Starlink is now powering Europe’s first commercial satellite-to-smartphone service, as Virgin Media O2 launches a space-based mobile data offering across the UK.

The new O2 Satellite service uses Starlink’s low-Earth orbit network to connect regular smartphones in areas without terrestrial coverage, expanding O2’s reach from 89% to 95% of Britain’s landmass.

Under the rollout, compatible Samsung devices automatically connect to Starlink satellites when users move beyond traditional mobile coverage, according to Reuters.

The service initially supports text messaging along with apps such as WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, Google Maps and weather tools. O2 is pricing the add-on at £3 per month.

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By leveraging Starlink’s satellite infrastructure, O2 can deliver connectivity in remote and rural regions without building additional ground towers. The move represents another step in Starlink’s push beyond fixed broadband and into direct-to-device mobile services.

Virgin Media O2 chief executive Lutz Schuler shared his thoughts about the Starlink partnership. “By launching O2 Satellite, we’ve become the first operator in Europe to launch a space-based mobile data service that, overnight, has brought new mobile coverage to an area around two-thirds the size of Wales for the first time,” he said.

Satellite-based mobile connectivity is gaining traction globally. In the U.S., T-Mobile has launched a similar satellite-to-cell offering. Meanwhile, Vodafone has conducted satellite video call tests through its partnership with AST SpaceMobile last year.

For Starlink, the O2 agreement highlights how its network is increasingly being integrated into national telecom systems, enabling standard smartphones to connect directly to satellites without specialized hardware.

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