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The Tesla Semi will shake the trucking industry to its roots
Elon Musk’s new Master Plan calls for an expansion of its vehicles into other categories, including buses and heavy duty trucks, both of which will unveiled in about a year. Undoubtedly, carbon emissions worldwide would fall precipitously if the general automobile consumer transitioned to a tailpipe-free electric Tesla, but that’s not what Elon Musk is after. His goal is a full frontal assault on carbon emissions of all kinds including a Tesla Semi. His objective is for nothing less than a world that no longer uses fossil fuels to power its transportation system, even on a commercial scale.
Looking back at the Volkswagen diesel scandal and why it was significant, beyond morality, diesel engines especially heavy-duty diesel trucks spew emissions on another level. To make the problem worse, passenger cars normally have a useful life of around 200,000 miles. Diesel powered tractors can be on the road for a decade or more, spewing out toxins for millions of miles before they are replaced. The pollution control systems on older trucks are rudimentary at best.
In Southern California, the pollution from drayage trucks that haul shipping containers from ports to inland distribution centers is so bad, it has sparked a number of plans to replace them with electric versions. One solution proposed by Siemens calls for equipping trucks with pantographs so they can draw electricity from overhead wires along their routes.
Former Tesla executive Ian Wright sold his stock in Tesla Motors when Elon Musk came on board. Wright wanted to attack the challenges of truck pollution rather than build some silly sports car. He has since created his own company called Wrightspeed that focuses on cleaning up the emissions from heavy duty garbage trucks. He has invented a new form of hybrid powertrain that uses a small gas turbine to recharge the batteries. The turbine is so clean, it doesn’t even need a catalytic converter to meet California’s stringent emissions rules.
The problem with electric trucks today is that the batteries need to be so large and heavy they would take up much of the space available for hauling freight. Not only that, they would be prohibitively expensive. The Wrightspeed system is a compromise that attempts to strike a balance between cost and range. It has attracted international attention and the company has recently signed a contract to re-power a fleet of diesel buses in New Zealand.
The allure of electric trucks has created an opportunity for hucksters and charlatans. Earlier this year, a Florida company calling itself Oakridge Global Energy Solutions said it had developed a battery for Freedom Trucking of Minneapolis that would haul an 80,000 lb. load 400 miles. That claim turned out to be vaporware.
Another entrant into the heavy truck sweepstakes is a company calling itself Nikola Motors — a rather obvious attempt to somehow conflate what it is doing with the work of Tesla Motors. It says its Nikola One tractor will have 2,000 horsepower. 3,700 lb-ft of torque, a 325 kWh battery, 6 wheel drive with torque vectoring and 1,200 miles of range. It relies on an onboard natural gas turbine to keep the battery charged while driving.
The design concept for the Nikola One is visually appealing and the company says it has 7,000 pre-orders for the truck worth a total of $2.3 billion. Of course, it currently has no factory, no battery factory, and little corporate infrastructure other than its website.
We can assume the Tesla Semi will not have a range extender engine of any type. How Tesla will make an electric tractor that can haul heavy loads long distances that is cost competitive remains unclear. But if Elon says that’s what Tesla will do, we can be pretty sure it will — eventually.
JB Straubel says he and Elon talked about electric airplanes long before they decided to build automobiles. And ocean going cargo vessels are some of the worst polluters on the face of the planet. Musk probably has a plan for them, too. Look for those ideas to be part of Master Plan Numero Tres.
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Tesla Sweden appeals after grid company refuses to restore existing Supercharger due to union strike
The charging site was previously functioning before it was temporarily disconnected in April last year for electrical safety reasons.
Tesla Sweden is seeking regulatory intervention after a Swedish power grid company refused to reconnect an already operational Supercharger station in Åre due to ongoing union sympathy actions.
The charging site was previously functioning before it was temporarily disconnected in April last year for electrical safety reasons. A temporary construction power cabinet supplying the station had fallen over, described by Tesla as occurring “under unclear circumstances.” The power was then cut at the request of Tesla’s installation contractor to allow safe repair work.
While the safety issue was resolved, the station has not been brought back online. Stefan Sedin, CEO of Jämtkraft elnät, told Dagens Arbete (DA) that power will not be restored to the existing Supercharger station as long as the electric vehicle maker’s union issues are ongoing.
“One of our installers noticed that the construction power had been backed up and was on the ground. We asked Tesla to fix the system, and their installation company in turn asked us to cut the power so that they could do the work safely.
“When everything was restored, the question arose: ‘Wait a minute, can we reconnect the station to the electricity grid? Or what does the notice actually say?’ We consulted with our employer organization, who were clear that as long as sympathy measures are in place, we cannot reconnect this facility,” Sedin said.
The union’s sympathy actions, which began in March 2024, apply to work involving “planning, preparation, new connections, grid expansion, service, maintenance and repairs” of Tesla’s charging infrastructure in Sweden.
Tesla Sweden has argued that reconnecting an existing facility is not equivalent to establishing a new grid connection. In a filing to the Swedish Energy Market Inspectorate, the company stated that reconnecting the installation “is therefore not covered by the sympathy measures and cannot therefore constitute a reason for not reconnecting the facility to the electricity grid.”
Sedin, for his part, noted that Tesla’s issue with the Supercharger is quite unique. And while Jämtkraft elnät itself has no issue with Tesla, its actions are based on the unions’ sympathy measures against the electric vehicle maker.
“This is absolutely the first time that I have been involved in matters relating to union conflicts or sympathy measures. That is why we have relied entirely on the assessment of our employer organization. This is not something that we have made any decisions about ourselves at all.
“It is not that Jämtkraft elnät has a conflict with Tesla, but our actions are based on these sympathy measures. Should it turn out that we have made an incorrect assessment, we will correct ourselves. It is no more difficult than that for us,” the executive said.
Elon Musk
Music City Loop could highlight The Boring Company’s real disruption
The real story behind the tunneling startup’s Nashville tunnel project is the company’s targeted $25 million per mile construction cost.
Recent commentary on social media has highlighted what could very well prove to be The Boring Company’s real disruption.
The analysis was shared by tech watcher Aakash Gupta on social media platform X, where he argued that the real story behind the tunneling startup’s Nashville tunnel project is the company’s targeted $25 million per mile construction cost.
According to Gupta’s breakdown, Nashville’s 2018 light rail proposal was priced at roughly $200 million per mile. New York’s East Side Access project reportedly cost about $3.5 billion per mile, while Los Angeles Metro expansion projects have approached $1 billion per mile.
By comparison, The Boring Company has stated it can construct 13 miles of twin tunnels in the Music City Loop for between $240 million and $300 million total. That implies a cost near $25 million per mile, or roughly a 95% reduction from industry averages cited in the post.
Several technical departures from conventional tunneling allow the Boring Company to lower its costs, from its smaller 12-foot diameter tunnels to its fully electric Prufrock machines that are designed to mine continuously with no personnel inside the tunnel and their capability to “porpoise” for easy launch and retrieval.
Tesla and Space CEO Elon Musk responded to the post on X, stating simply that “Tunnels are so underrated.”
The Boring Company has seen some momentum as of late, with the company recently signing a construction contract in Dubai and the Universal Orlando Loop progressing. Recent reports have also pointed to tunnels potentially being constructed to solve traffic congestion issues near the Giga Nevada area.
While The Boring Company’s tunnels have so far been used for Loop systems publicly for now, Elon Musk recently noted that the tunneling startup’s underground passages would not be limited only to ride-hailing vehicles.
In a reply to a post on X which discussed the specifications of the Music City Loop, Musk clarified that “any fully autonomous electric cars can use the tunnels.” This suggests that vehicles potentially running systems like FSD Supervised, even if they are not Teslas, could be used in systems like the Music City Loop in the future.
Elon Musk
SpaceX IPO could push Elon Musk’s net worth past $1 trillion: Polymarket
The estimates were shared by the official Polymarket Money account on social media platform X.
Recent projections have outlined how a potential $1.75 trillion SpaceX IPO could generate historic returns for early investors. The projections suggest the offering would not only become the largest IPO in history but could also result in unprecedented windfalls for some of the company’s key investors.
The estimates were shared by the official Polymarket Money account on social media platform X.
As noted in a Polymarket Money analysis, Elon Musk invested $100 million into SpaceX in 2002 and currently owns approximately 42% of the company. At a $1.75 trillion valuation following SpaceX’s potential $1.75 trillion IPO, that stake would be worth roughly $735 billion.
Such a figure would dramatically expand Musk’s net worth. When combined with his holdings in Tesla Inc. and other ventures, a public debut at that level could position him as the world’s first trillionaire, depending on market conditions at the time of listing.
The Bloomberg Billionaires Index currently lists Elon Musk with a net worth of $666 billion, though a notable portion of this is tied to his TSLA stock. Tesla currently holds a market cap of $1.51 trillion, and Elon Musk’s currently holds about 13% to 15% of the company’s outstanding common stock.
Founders Fund, co-founded by Peter Thiel, invested $20 million in SpaceX in 2008. Polymarket Money estimates the firm owns between 1.5% and 3% of the private space company. At a $1.75 trillion valuation, that range would translate to approximately $26.25 billion to $52.5 billion in value.
That return would represent one of the most significant venture capital outcomes in modern Silicon Valley history, with a growth of 131,150% to 262,400%.
Alphabet Inc., Google’s parent company, invested $900 million into SpaceX in 2015 and is estimated to hold between 6% and 7% of the private space firm. At the projected IPO valuation, that stake could be worth between $105 billion and $122.5 billion. That’s a growth of 11,566% to 14,455%.
Other major backers highlighted in the post include Fidelity Investments, Baillie Gifford, Valor Equity Partners, Bank of America, and Andreessen Horowitz, each potentially sitting on multibillion-dollar gains.
Tesla Sweden appeals after grid company refuses to restore existing Supercharger due to union strike
Music City Loop could highlight The Boring Company’s real disruption
