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Test driving a Model X P90D in Atlanta, GA [Source: Landon & Liam Toys & Travel via YouTube] Test driving a Model X P90D in Atlanta, GA [Source: Landon & Liam Toys & Travel via YouTube]

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Tesla top 5 week in review: Model X wins AAA award, Model 3 Supercharger apocalypse, Gigafactory, and more

Tesla Model X Test Drive [Source: Like Tesla via YouTube]

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This week on Teslarati, several stories in the news caught our readers’ attention. It was exciting when Tesla CEO Elon Musk announced that they intended to add a semi truck to their product line, but no one thought that Wall Street would respond so immediately by downgrading major truck manufacturers’ stock. The Tesla Model X was named the overall best choice in the 2017 AAA Green Car Guide, with the Tesla Model S winning best large car award. The new Tesla San Antonio Service Center now has solar roof panels, images of which were captured by a drone. There was a bit of concern from current Tesla owners this week over discussions of Tesla Supercharger availability when the Model 3 arrives. And a cleaning solvent spill luckily caused minimal injuries at the Tesla Gigafactory in Nevada. Here are those stories and more from this week on Teslarati.

News of Tesla Semi leads analyst to downgrade major truck stocks

Quickly after Elon Musk tweeted that Tesla would add an electric semi truck to its catalog, a key Wall Street analyst downgraded the value of engine and truck manufacturers, Cummins and Paccar. The analyst, Alex Potter from the firm Piper Jaffray, drew his conclusions from current overvaluation but also “because we think TSLA’s impending arrival could pressure valuations.” The risk of disruption from Tesla’s electric vehicles, with their ability to supplant existing products, could defy the preeminence of diesel engines, especially if Tesla’s electric drivetrains are proven viable in the first commercial vehicle segments.

Read the entire article here.

Tesla Model X ranked #1 in 2017 AAA Green Car Guide, Model S takes #5 spot

The Automobile Association of America’s (AAA) 2017 Green Car Guide was released this week. Sixty-five cars were tested across green categories of full-battery electrics, hybrids, alternative fuel-powered cars, and even some fuel efficient internal combustion cars. Using a wide range of quantitative data collection measures to evaluate the cars, including ride quality, safety, and performance, AAA determined that Tesla’s Model X SUV was the overall best choice. Tesla’s Model S and Model X cars earned acclaim for 3/7 top spots. The Model X, with the 75-kilowatt hour battery pack, won the SUV category. The Tesla Model S, with the 60 kWh pack, won best large car.

Read the entire article here.

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Drone shot of the new Tesla San Antonio Service Center reveal solar roof panels

New drone shots revealed solar panels placed on the roof of the new service center in San Antonio, Texas. What better way is there for Tesla to promote confidence in solar than to demonstrate how it’s able to use sustainable energy to service environmentally friendly electric vehicles?

Read the entire article here.

What will happen to Tesla Supercharger availability when Model 3 arrives?

Tesla forums this week were abuzz with concern that, once the Model 3 begins delivery, there will be an exponentially greater number of owners using the Tesla Supercharger network. Will there be an issue waiting for a Supercharger? Four years ago, Tesla introduced the Supercharger Network, which has been the fastest charging solution to date for long distance travel. Tesla designed its network so that all customers could, ideally, have access to a seamless and convenient charging experience as part of long distance travel. The imminent arrival of the Tesla Model 3 by the end of 2018 will more than double annual production volumes and produce 500,000 Model 3 cars annually. Digging into the data behind the issue can reveal some startling findings behind upcoming Supercharger access with the addition of the Model 3 volume.

Read the entire article here.

Authorities respond to Tesla Gigafactory chemical spill, no serious injuries reported

Tesla’s Gigafactory battery plant in Nevada was the site of an investigation following a chemical spill on Monday. The incident occurred when an unidentified agent in a 55-gallon barrel of what the company called “standard construction cleaning solvent” overturned in an isolated area near a vehicle. According to Storey County emergency operations director Joe Curtis, one person was hospitalized. Nine others reported symptoms such as upset stomachs. The chemical spill did force the evacuation of a portion of the Gigafactory. County officials state that no threat to public health emerged as the result of the spill at the industrial park along Interstate 80 east of Reno. The Gigafactory has increased production of batteries of late as it anticipates the release of its new Model 3.

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Read the entire article here.

Carolyn Fortuna is a writer and researcher with a Ph.D. in education from the University of Rhode Island. She brings a social justice perspective to environmental issues. Please follow me on Twitter and Facebook and Google+

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Tesla’s next-gen Optimus prototype with Grok revealed

The video shows a new Optimus prototype answering questions and taking some very robotic steps, evidently revealing that the next-generation version is in its early stages of development.

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Tesla’s next-generation Optimus robot with AI assistant Grok has been revealed in a new video shared on X.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk was with Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff last night, and it appears the frontman gave Benioff an exclusive look at some upcoming technology.

Tesla talks Semi ramp, Optimus, Robotaxi rollout, FSD with Wall Street firm

The video shows a new Optimus prototype answering questions and taking some very robotic steps, evidently revealing that the next-generation version is in its early stages of development. It features Grok for some additional utility, as it answered questions Benioff asked in the short video.

Here’s what was uploaded to X:

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It appears that there are several big changes to this next-generation version of Optimus, some of which have been discussed by Musk and Tesla in the past.

The first is purely cosmetic, but the gold color that Optimus is wearing in this is a new and fresh look that we have not seen before.

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Perhaps the most interesting change that is evident here is the hands, which are much more detailed than past versions of Optimus:

However, we’re not too sure that these are what will be released with the next-gen Optimus, because they don’t appear to be functional, and they are more reminiscent of mannequin hands than anything.

The hands on Optimus have been a significant part of the program, as they are among the most crucial pieces of equipment on a robot. It needs to be able to perform both delicate and more imposing tasks. Tesla has aimed for Optimus to be able to thread needles or play the piano.

It was one of the most discussed improvements the company mentioned in past comments regarding how it planned to improve from Gen 2 to this next version.

Musk mentioned regarding Optimus:

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“Next-generation Optimus hand, which we have in prototype form, has actuators that have moved to the forearm, just like humans, and they operate the fingers through cables, just like human hands.”

Within Optimus lies a significant opportunity for Tesla to gain considerable strength in terms of market share and valuation.

If Tesla can efficiently develop and deploy the humanoid robot over the next several years, the company stands to gain, as companies will utilize it for tasks that require tedious labor.

Musk recently said Optimus will be a major contributor to Tesla’s valuation moving forward. He believes it will make up roughly 80 percent of the company’s value.

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Tesla CEO Elon Musk to provide more details for Master Plan Part IV

Musk stated that he would be adding specifics to the plan in a later update.

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Credit: xAI/X

Tesla CEO Elon Musk will be adding more specifics to the recently-released Master Plan Part IV. Musk shared the update on social media platform X amidst conversations about the general nature of the Master Plan Part IV. 

In a conversation on X, Musk responded to a post from Tesla retail shareholder and bull Dave Lee, who observed that the currently released Master Plan Part IV could really just be the introduction to the real plan due to its absence of specifics.

Elon Musk responded, stating that he would be adding specifics to the plan in a later update. “Fair enough. Will add more specifics,” Musk wrote in his post.

Tesla has been following Elon Musk’s Master Plans for decades. The first Master Plan, released in 2006, outlined the company’s path from the original Tesla Roadster to the Model 3, as well as the first steps for Tesla Energy. Master Plan Part Deux, released in 2016, covered the ramp of Tesla Energy, the expansion of Tesla’s vehicle lineup, and the rollout of a Robotaxi service.

Master Plan Part 3 was more ambitious as it was generally an in-depth proposal for achieving a global sustainable entry economy by transitioning to electricity-powered vehicles, homes, and industry, which will, in turn, be powered by renewable energy sources like solar and wind. Master Plan Part 3 also included a five-step plan to accomplish this, allowing the world to transition to a fully electrified future. 

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Master Plan Part IV, which was released a few days ago, focused on automation and artificial intelligence to achieve sustainable abundance. But while the first two Master Plans were very clear and specific and Master Plan Part 3 was very in-depth, Master Plan Part IV was quite general and vague in comparison. It was easy to tell that Optimus would play a big role in the pursuit of sustainable abundance, but apart from that, there were no specifics as to how Tesla intended to achieve its goals.

Fortunately, these specifics would be discussed by Musk in a later update to the plan.

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Tesla just had its best wholesale month this year in China

Tesla China’s wholesale figures include both vehicles that are sold domestically and exported abroad.

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Credit: Tesla China

Tesla China just had its best wholesale month this 2025 so far. In August, the electric vehicle maker sold 83,192 vehicles wholesale, a 22.55% increase compared to July 2025’s 67,886 units.

Tesla China’s wholesale figures are still down year-over-year, but the company’s momentum seems notable, especially with the arrival of the Model Y L.

August 2025 figures

As noted in a CNEV Post report, August 2025’s 83,192 wholesale figures are 4.04% less than the 86,697 units that were sold in the same period last year. It is, however, a 22.55% improvement from the previous month. From January to August, Tesla China sold 515,552 units wholesale, a 12.24% year-over-year decrease. 

It should be noted that Tesla China’s wholesale figures include both vehicles that are sold domestically and exported abroad. With this in mind, August’s results bode well for Tesla China, as it suggests that Gigafactory Shanghai is now hitting its pace with both its domestic deliveries and its exports. Giga Shanghai serves as Tesla’s primary vehicle export hub.

Model Y L factor

Tesla had a challenging first quarter this year, thanks in part to the changeover to the Model Y across the Fremont factory, Giga Texas, Giga Shanghai, and Giga Berlin-Brandenburg. This changeover resulted in low sales in the first quarter. Political controversies surrounding Elon Musk and violence against Tesla stores and vehicles in the first and second quarters in the United States and Europe did not help much either.

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This Q3, however, Tesla seems to be hitting its stride, especially in China. The launch of the new Model Y L has allowed Tesla to compete in the six-seat, large SUV segment, a market that was previously closed to the standard Model Y. Reports have suggested that Tesla China has been seeing a lot of demand for the Model Y L, which should help the company achieve higher sales this quarter and the remaining months of the year.

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