News
Tesla Semi to kick off Yandell Truckaway’s transition to an all-electric fleet
Following its visit to Pixar HQ for the esteemed animation studio’s green day celebration for employees, the Tesla Semi headed to the headquarters of another reservation holder: veteran transportation, logistics, and warehousing company Yandell Truckaway, which as been in the trucking business since 1945. Yandell had ordered 10 units of the Semi’s 300-mile version for its fleet, as part of its efforts to fully embrace sustainable solutions.
Yandell aims to utilize its Tesla all-electric trucks for its asset-based trucking division, with the vehicles operating in Northern California and catering to the area’s temperature controlled wine transportation and storage industry. This makes the Semi’s 300-mile variant perfect for Yandell’s business, as the trucks would likely have enough range to perform their day-to-day tasks and simply charge at night. In a statement, Yandell Truckaway COO John Yandell III remarked that the Semi is a perfect match for the company’s history of embracing bleeding edge technologies.
- The Tesla Semi visits Yandell Truckaway. (Photo: Arash Malek)
- The Tesla Semi visits Yandell Truckaway. (Photo: Arash Malek)
- The Tesla Semi visits Yandell Truckaway. (Photo: Arash Malek)
- The Tesla Semi visits Yandell Truckaway. (Photo: Arash Malek)
- The Tesla Semi visits Yandell Truckaway. (Photo: Arash Malek)
The Tesla Semi visits Yandell Truckaway. (Photo: Arash Malek)
“For over 70 years Yandell Truckaway has been serving the Northern California wine industry. Throughout that time we have prided ourselves by staying at the forefront of technology, making our operations more efficient and environmentally friendly. With the introduction of the Tesla Semi truck, we are looking forward to ushering in the most substantial and groundbreaking piece of technology the trucking industry has ever seen,” the COO said.
The executive made it clear that the 10 Tesla Semis Yandell Truckaway ordered are intended to replace the trucks that the company is currently using. Eventually, Yandell plans to transition its fleet into zero-emissions trucks. With this in mind, the trucking veteran is laying the groundwork to prepare for the deployment of its Tesla Semi fleet, as well as its succeeding sustainable initiatives. A huge part of this will be the company’s charging infrastructure, which will likely be a key factor in determining whether or not its EV trucking push will succeed.
- The Tesla Semi visits Yandell Truckaway. (Photo: Arash Malek)
- The Tesla Semi visits Yandell Truckaway. (Photo: Arash Malek)
- The Tesla Semi visits Yandell Truckaway. (Photo: Arash Malek)
- The Tesla Semi visits Yandell Truckaway. (Photo: Arash Malek)
- The Tesla Semi visits Yandell Truckaway. (Photo: Arash Malek)
- The Tesla Semi visits Yandell Truckaway. (Photo: Arash Malek)
The Tesla Semi visits Yandell Truckaway. (Photo: Arash Malek)
To address the charging needs of its upcoming electric truck fleet, the COO stated that Yandell is looking to set up a new building that will include solar panels that will help provide the power that will charge its Tesla Semis. Other electric trucks that the company plans to use, as well as electric-powered forklifts for its warehousing operations, will be charged using this upcoming building as well.
The Tesla Semi holds the potential to disrupt the lucrative trucking market. To allow the vehicle to be competitive, Tesla designed its truck to capitalize on the strengths of EVs as much as possible. The Semi is equipped with four Model 3-derived electric motors, which allow the long-hauler to accelerate from 0-60 mph in 5 seconds flat while bobtailing. With a full load, the Semi is capable of hitting highway speed in around 20 seconds, far quicker than diesel-powered trucks. The Semi will also feature a unique “Convoy Mode,” which would allow multiple trucks to semi-autonomously draft close to each other.
The Tesla Semi was initially announced for production in 2019, though this date has been adjusted for 2020. The company has hinted at improvements in the Semi since its unveiling, with Elon Musk teasing that the production long-range variant of the truck will have closer to 600 miles of range per charge.
Watch some sleek drone footage of the Tesla Semi in its visit to Yandell Truckaway in the video below.
https://youtu.be/JLtJ7SeZehQ
News
Ford is charging for a basic EV feature on the Mustang Mach-E
When ordering a new Ford Mustang Mach-E, you’ll now be hit with an additional fee for one basic EV feature: the frunk.
Ford is charging an additional fee for a basic EV feature on its Mustang Mach-E, its most popular electric vehicle offering.
Ford has shuttered its initial Model e program, but is venturing into a more controlled and refined effort, and it is abandoning the F-150 Lightning in favor of a new pickup that is currently under design, but appears to have some favorable features.
However, ordering a new Mustang Mach-E now comes with an additional fee for one basic EV feature: the frunk.
The frunk is the front trunk, and due to the lack of a large engine in the front of an electric vehicle, OEMs are able to offer additional storage space under the hood. There’s one problem, though, and that is that companies appear to be recognizing that they can remove it for free while offering the function for a fee.
Ford is now charging $495 on the Mustang Mach-E frunk (front trunk). What are your thoughts on that? pic.twitter.com/EOzZe3z9ZQ
— Alan of TesCalendar 📆⚡️ (@TesCalendar1) February 24, 2026
Ford is charging $495 for the frunk.
Interestingly, the frunk size varies by vehicle, but the Mustang Mach-E features a 4.7 to 4.8 cubic-foot-sized frunk, which measures approximately 9 inches deep, 26 inches wide, and 14 inches high.
When the vehicle was first released, Ford marketed the frunk as the ultimate tailgating feature, showing it off as a perfect place to store and serve cold shrimp cocktail.
Ford Mach-E frunk is perfect for chowders and chicken wings, and we’re not even joking
It appears the decision to charge for what is a simple advantage of an EV is not going over well, as even Ford loyal customers say the frunk is a “basic expectation” of an EV. Without it, it seems as if fans feel the company is nickel-and-diming its customers.
It will be pretty interesting to see the Mach-E without a frunk, and while it should not be enough to turn people away from potentially buying the vehicle, it seems the decision to add an additional charge to include one will definitely annoy some customers.
News
Tesla to improve one of its best features, coding shows
According to the update, Tesla will work on improving the headlights when coming into contact with highly reflective objects, including road signs, traffic signs, and street lights. Additionally, pixel-level dimming will happen in two stages, whereas it currently performs with just one, meaning on or off.
Tesla is looking to upgrade its Matrix Headlights, a unique and high-tech feature that is available on several of its vehicles. The headlights aim to maximize visibility for Tesla drivers while being considerate of oncoming traffic.
The Matrix Headlights Tesla offers utilize dimming of individual light pixels to ensure that visibility stays high for those behind the wheel, while also being considerate of other cars by decreasing the brightness in areas where other cars are traveling.
Here’s what they look like in action:
- Credit: u/ObjectiveScratch | Reddit
- Credit: u/ObjectiveScratch | Reddit
As you can see, the Matrix headlight system intentionally dims the area where oncoming cars would be impacted by high beams. This keeps visibility at a maximum for everyone on the road, including those who could be hit with bright lights in their eyes.
There are still a handful of complaints from owners, however, but Tesla appears to be looking to resolve these with the coming updates in a Software Version that is currently labeled 2026.2.xxx. The coding was spotted by X user BERKANT:
🚨 Tesla is quietly upgrading Matrix headlights.
Software https://t.co/pXEklQiXSq reveals a hidden feature:
matrix_two_stage_reflection_dip
This is a major step beyond current adaptive high beams.
What it means:
• The car detects highly reflective objects
Road signs,… pic.twitter.com/m5UpQJFA2n— BERKANT (@Tesla_NL_TR) February 24, 2026
According to the update, Tesla will work on improving the headlights when coming into contact with highly reflective objects, including road signs, traffic signs, and street lights. Additionally, pixel-level dimming will happen in two stages, whereas it currently performs with just one, meaning on or off.
Finally, the new system will prevent the high beams from glaring back at the driver. The system is made to dim when it recognizes oncoming cars, but not necessarily objects that could produce glaring issues back at the driver.
Tesla’s revolutionary Matrix headlights are coming to the U.S.
This upgrade is software-focused, so there will not need to be any physical changes or upgrades made to Tesla vehicles that utilize the Matrix headlights currently.
Elon Musk
xAI’s Grok approved for Pentagon classified systems: report
Under the agreement, Grok can be deployed in systems handling classified intelligence analysis, weapons development, and battlefield operations.
Elon Musk’s xAI has signed an agreement with the United States Department of Defense (DoD) to allow Grok to be used in classified military systems.
Previously, Anthropic’s Claude had been the only AI system approved for the most sensitive military work, but a dispute over usage safeguards has reportedly prompted the Pentagon to broaden its options, as noted in a report from Axios.
Under the agreement, Grok can be deployed in systems handling classified intelligence analysis, weapons development, and battlefield operations.
The publication reported that xAI agreed to the Pentagon’s requirement that its technology be usable for “all lawful purposes,” a standard Anthropic has reportedly resisted due to alleged ethical restrictions tied to mass surveillance and autonomous weapons use.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is scheduled to meet with Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei in what sources expect to be a tense meeting, with the publication hinting that the Pentagon could designate Anthropic a “supply chain risk” if the company does not lift its safeguards.
Axios stated that replacing Claude fully might be technically challenging even if xAI or other alternative AI systems take its place. That being said, other AI systems are already in use by the DoD.
Grok already operates in the Pentagon’s unclassified systems alongside Google’s Gemini and OpenAI’s ChatGPT. Google is reportedly close to an agreement that will result in Gemini being used for classified use, while OpenAI’s progress toward classified deployment is described as slower but still feasible.
The publication noted that the Pentagon continues talks with several AI companies as it prepares for potential changes in classified AI sourcing.












