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Tesla hints at potential TX headquarters in Q3 2021 delivery and production report

Tesla Model Y body shop in Gigafactory Texas. (Credit: Tesla)

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With a production of approximately 238,000 cars and deliveries of over 240,000 vehicles, the third quarter of 2021 was undoubtedly one for Tesla’s history books. But within the company’s Q3 2021 vehicle production and delivery report came a rather interesting update — Tesla’s investor communications are no longer coming from California. They are now coming from Austin, Texas. 

A look at Tesla’s Investor Relations page shows that over the years, the company’s vehicle production and delivery reports are typically issued from Palo Alto, California, which happens to be listed as the site of the company’s official headquarters. This has now been changed into Austin, Texas, in the Q3 2021 vehicle production and delivery report

While a minor change in an investor communication is hardly a direct announcement that Tesla’s headquarters have been moved to a separate state, CEO Elon Musk has actually hinted at such a change in the past. As Tesla struggled to reopen the Fremont Factory in May 2020 due to the hesitation of Alameda County health officials, Musk announced on Twitter that Tesla would be moving its headquarters and future programs to Texas or Nevada. 

“Tesla will now move its HQ and future programs to Texas/Nevada immediately. If we even retain Fremont manufacturing activity at all, it will be dependent on how Tesla is treated in the future. Tesla is the last carmaker left in CA,” Musk wrote. 

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At the time, the reopening of the Fremont Factory was supported by the Bay Area Council, the mayors of Fremont and Palo Alto, US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, US President Donald Trump, and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Officials from other states like Florida, Oklahoma, and Texas also supported the reopening of the Fremont Factory. 

Despite this support, Alameda County health officials refused to allow Tesla to reopen the EV plant, resulting in Musk filing legal action against the county and announcing the departure of Tesla’s HQ from California. Amidst this pressure, Alameda County officials finally opted to acknowledge Tesla’s anti-Covid-19 Return to Work Playbook, granting the company permission to operate the Fremont Factory once more. 

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Amidst the drama, CA Assemblywoman Lorena S. Gonzales added fuel to the fire by calling out the Tesla CEO on Twitter. In a short tweet, Gonzales posted “F*ck Elon Musk,” noting that California has “highly subsidized a company that has always disregarded worker safety & well-being, has engaged in union-busting & bullies public servants.” Musk responded to the Assemblywoman’s tweet by stating “Message received.”

Tesla has been very silent about the move of its headquarters, however. Musk has hardly mentioned the update on Twitter, though he did personally move to Texas to be closer to Starbase and Gigafactory Texas. Considering the company’s updated wording on its Q3 2021 vehicle production and delivery report, it would appear that Tesla, or at least key facilities like the company’s headquarters, may indeed be moving out of California. 

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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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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.

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Credit: Ford Motor Company

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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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Credit: @jojje167 on X

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:

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.

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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:

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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.

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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. 

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Credit: xAI

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.

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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.

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