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Tesla looks to add HBO, Twitch, and more video streaming apps to in-car entertainment

Tesla Model 3's interior (Source: Andres GE and @tesla_truth/Twitter)

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Tesla owners may soon have HBOGo, HBO Now, Comedy Central, Twitch, Crunchyroll, and a number of other streaming apps in their in-car entertainment system. Tesla owner and hacker @greentheonly spotted the unused assets in the carmaker’s operating system and he’s predicting that these streaming apps may roll out in an upcoming software update, perhaps sooner rather than later.

Aside from the streaming apps mentioned above, the links also include video game streaming platforms Twitch and Mixer, and there are also Chinese video streaming services such as Tencent, YouKu, and iQiyi. Green also spotted Monty Python, which already pops up as an Easter Egg with V10 provided that Tesla owners rename their vehicles after characters in the iconic comedy franchise.

As Tesla continues to bolster its roster of games and video streaming apps, the electric car maker is creating an ecosystem for in-car entertainment that will only scale into the future. Beyond the benefit of creating an additional revenue stream from a ‘Premium Connectivity’ subscription plan, having popular consumer services easily accessible will emphasize an unparalleled level of in-car entertainment experience.

 

With the release of more streaming services for Tesla’s in-car entertainment, users will likely consume more data on the go, and this is where Tesla’s new “Premium Connectivity” service becomes pertinent.  While it will set back customers roughly $10 a month, Premium Connectivity allows access to popular in-car features such as video streaming, Caraoke, music streaming, and internet browser even when Wi-Fi is not available. Tesla has started emailing customers about their in-car data subscription. Premium Connectivity expiration warnings via Software Menu have also been reported on vehicles’ displays.

In a previous statement, managing director at Wedbush Securities and Tesla analyst Dan Ives said that the electric carmaker is bringing the infotainment center into a whole new level, putting the company miles ahead of other manufacturers. “Consumers are used to the technologies they see in their smartphone, they see in their living room, but yet they go into their automobile and they have a flashback to 1988. They want the technology that they see in 2019 in their car,” Ives said in an interview

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During an earnings call, Elon Musk admitted that Tesla has not really thought of a way to monetize in-car entertainment. Nevertheless, Brian Moody of Autotrader said that this might not be the case in the future, especially when infotainment systems will likely become one of the biggest factors in the economics of automakers. “As the driver becomes less necessary, there will be more options for in-car purchases and partnering with outside vendors so that you can buy stuff from inside the car, probably even buy stuff for the car from inside the car,” Moody said.

As we see Tesla add more features and services to its in-car entertainment system, the brand will have the opportunity to explore the possibilities of using their vehicles as a platform to deliver services that consumers are willing to spend on. As Will Kaufman of Edmunds suggests, “If Tesla gets to the point where they’re moving millions of units annually, their control over their platform gives them leverage.” And that only means one thing for Tesla — more $$$ to attain its ambitious goals.

A curious soul who keeps wondering how Elon Musk, Tesla, electric cars, and clean energy technologies will shape the future, or do we really need to escape to Mars.

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Tesla announces crazy new Full Self-Driving milestone

The number of miles traveled has contextual significance for two reasons: one being the milestone itself, and another being Tesla’s continuing progress toward 10 billion miles of training data to achieve what CEO Elon Musk says will be the threshold needed to achieve unsupervised self-driving.

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Credit: Tesla

Tesla has announced a crazy new Full Self-Driving milestone, as it has officially confirmed drivers have surpassed over 8 billion miles traveled using the Full Self-Driving (Supervised) suite for semi-autonomous travel.

The FSD (Supervised) suite is one of the most robust on the market, and is among the safest from a data perspective available to the public.

On Wednesday, Tesla confirmed in a post on X that it has officially surpassed the 8 billion-mile mark, just a few months after reaching 7 billion cumulative miles, which was announced on December 27, 2025.

The number of miles traveled has contextual significance for two reasons: one being the milestone itself, and another being Tesla’s continuing progress toward 10 billion miles of training data to achieve what CEO Elon Musk says will be the threshold needed to achieve unsupervised self-driving.

The milestone itself is significant, especially considering Tesla has continued to gain valuable data from every mile traveled. However, the pace at which it is gathering these miles is getting faster.

Secondly, in January, Musk said the company would need “roughly 10 billion miles of training data” to achieve safe and unsupervised self-driving. “Reality has a super long tail of complexity,” Musk said.

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Training data primarily means the fleet’s accumulated real-world miles that Tesla uses to train and improve its end-to-end AI models. This data captures the “long tail” — extremely rare, complex, or unpredictable situations that simulations alone cannot fully replicate at scale.

This is not the same as the total miles driven on Full Self-Driving, which is the 8 billion miles milestone that is being celebrated here.

The FSD-supervised miles contribute heavily to the training data, but the 10 billion figure is an estimate of the cumulative real-world exposure needed overall to push the system to human-level reliability.

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Tesla Cybercab production begins: The end of car ownership as we know it?

While this could unlock unprecedented mobility abundance — cheaper rides, reduced congestion, freed-up urban space, and massive environmental gains — it risks massive job displacement in ride-hailing, taxi services, and related sectors, forcing society to confront whether the benefits of AI-driven autonomy will outweigh the human costs.

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Credit: Tesla | X

The first Tesla Cybercab rolled off of production lines at Gigafactory Texas yesterday, and it is more than just a simple manufacturing milestone for the company — it’s the opening salvo in a profound economic transformation.

Priced at under $30,000 with volume production slated for April, the steering-wheel-free, pedal-less Robotaxi-geared vehicle promises to make personal car ownership optional for many, slashing transportation costs to as little as $0.20 per mile through shared fleets and high utilization.

While this could unlock unprecedented mobility abundance — cheaper rides, reduced congestion, freed-up urban space, and massive environmental gains — it risks massive job displacement in ride-hailing, taxi services, and related sectors, forcing society to confront whether the benefits of AI-driven autonomy will outweigh the human costs.

Let’s examine the positives and negatives of what the Cybercab could mean for passenger transportation and vehicle ownership as we know it.

The Promise – A Radical Shift in Transportation Economics

Tesla has geared every portion of the Cybercab to be cheaper and more efficient. Even its design — a compact, two-seater, optimized for fleets and ride-sharing, the development of inductive charging, around 300 miles of range on a small battery, half the parts of the Model 3, and revolutionary “unboxed” manufacturing — is all geared toward rapid production.

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Operating at a fraction of what today’s rideshare prices are, the Cybercab enables on-demand autonomy for a variety of people in a variety of situations.

Tesla ups Robotaxi fare price to another comical figure with service area expansion

It could also be the way people escape expensive and risky car ownership. Buying a vehicle requires expensive monthly commitments, including insurance and a payment if financed. It also immediately depreciates.

However, Cybercab could unlock potential profitability for owning a car by adding it to the Robotaxi network, enabling passive income. Cities could have parking lots repurposed into parks or housing, and emissions would drop as shared electric vehicles would outnumber gas cars (in time).

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The first step of Tesla’s massive production efforts for the Cybercab could lead to millions of units annually, turning transportation into a utility like electricity — always available, cheap, and safe.

The Dark Side – Job Losses and Industry Upheaval

With Robotaxi and Cybercab, they present the same negatives as broadening AI — there’s a direct threat to the economy.

Uber, Lyft, and traditional taxis will rely on human drivers. Robotaxi will eliminate that labor cost, potentially displacing millions of jobs globally. In the U.S. alone, ride-hailing accounts for billions of miles of travel each year.

There are also potential ripple effects, as suppliers, mechanics, insurance adjusters, and even public transit could see reduced demand as shared autonomy grows. Past automation waves show job creation lags behind destruction, especially for lower-skilled workers.

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Gig workers, like those who are seeking flexible income, face the brunt of this. Displaced drivers may struggle to retrain amid broader AI job shifts, as 2025 estimates bring between 50,000 and 300,000 layoffs tied to artificial intelligence.

It could also bring major changes to the overall competitive landscape. While Waymo and Uber have partnered, Tesla’s scale and lower costs could trigger a price war, squeezing incumbents and accelerating consolidation.

Balancing Act – Who Wins and Who Loses

There are two sides to this story, as there are with every other one.

The winners are consumers, Tesla investors, cities, and the environment. Consumers will see lower costs and safer mobility, while potentially alleviating themselves of awkward small talk in ride-sharing applications, a bigger complaint than one might think.

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Elon Musk confirms Tesla Cybercab pricing and consumer release date

Tesla investors will be obvious winners, as the launch of self-driving rideshare programs on the company’s behalf will likely swell the company’s valuation and increase its share price.

Cities will have less traffic and parking needs, giving more room for housing or retail needs. Meanwhile, the environment will benefit from fewer tailpipes and more efficient fleets.

A Call for Thoughtful Transition

The Cybercab’s production debut forces us to weigh innovation against equity.

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If Tesla delivers on its timeline and autonomy proves reliable, it could herald an era of abundant, affordable mobility that redefines urban life. But without proactive policies — retraining, safety nets, phased deployment — this revolution risks widening inequality and leaving millions behind.

The real question isn’t whether the Cybercab will disrupt — it’s already starting — it’s whether society is prepared for the economic earthquake it unleashes.

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Tesla Model 3 wins Edmunds’ Best EV of 2026 award

The publication rated the Model 3 at an 8.1 out of 10, and with its most recent upgrades and changes, Edmunds says, “This is the best Model 3 yet.”

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Credit: Tesla

The Tesla Model 3 has won Edmunds‘ Top Rated Electric Car of 2026 award, beating out several other highly-rated and exceptional EV offerings from various manufacturers.

This is the second consecutive year the Model 3 beat out other cars like the Model Y, Audi A6 Sportback E-tron, and the BMW i5.

The car, which is Tesla’s second-best-selling vehicle behind the popular Model Y crossover, has been in the company’s lineup for nearly a decade. It offers essentially everything consumers could want from an EV, including range, a quality interior, performance, and Tesla’s Full Self-Driving suite, which is one of the best in the world.

The publication rated the Model 3 at an 8.1 out of 10, and with its most recent upgrades and changes, Edmunds says, “This is the best Model 3 yet.”

In its Top Rated EVs piece on its website, it said about the Model 3:

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“The Tesla Model 3 might be the best value electric car you can buy, combining an Edmunds Rating of 8.1 out of 10, a starting price of $43,880, and an Edmunds-tested range of 338 miles. This is the best Model 3 yet. It is impressively well-rounded thanks to improved build quality, ride comfort, and a compelling combination of efficiency, performance, and value.”

Additionally, Jonathan Elfalan, Edmunds’ Director of Vehicle Testing, said:

“The Model 3 offers just about the perfect combination of everything — speed, range, comfort, space, tech, accessibility, and convenience. It’s a no-brainer if you want a sensible EV.”

The Model 3 is the perfect balance of performance and practicality. With the numerous advantages that an EV offers, the Model 3 also comes in at an affordable $36,990 for its Rear-Wheel Drive trim level.

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