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Tesla’s Solar Range Extender with Starlink prototype could save lives during disasters

Image Credit: Falk Melzer

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Tesla’s recent prototype of a solar range extender trailer with Starlink will be a game-changer for disaster relief. Tesla Germany recently shared it during the IdeenExpo. Although it is ideally a solution to help customers travel over longer distances, I think it could go further.

When I first saw it, I thought about life-saving solar microgrids deployed during natural disasters. Adding Starlink will keep people connected during disasters. Last year, we had hurricane Ida in my city. We lost power and communications were down. You couldn’t even make a phone call or send a text.

https://twitter.com/tesla_adri/status/1543958596983169025

 

I recently interviewed Elon Musk last week at Giga Texas and we spoke about how Starlink itself helps with disasters. One of the major differences between Starlink and other internet providers is that it’s not dependent on any ground-based infrastructure. You can bring your dish inside if there’s an upcoming hurricane or disaster. Or bring it with you if you have to evacuate.

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Solar, Starlink & Disasters

The solar array extender trailer would keep Starlink online and people connected.  And it would save lives for those in disaster areas. Tesla could design them into solar microgrids. This would keep fans and medical devices powered. Regarding Starlink, Elon Musk told me:

“Well, just in general, Starlink, because it is not dependent on any ground-based infrastructure can provide internet connectivity to areas that have had floods or fires or earthquakes that t have destroyed the ground-based infrastructure.”

“That’s obviously extremely helpful for rescuing people and people being able to ‘I need to I need help. I need rescue.’ It’s like how do you find them? How do you communicate with them? Starlink can and has provided that in a number of situations.”

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Another Idea For Starlink & Communications

I shared another idea with Elon Musk. The Zello app helped many in my area stay in contact during Ida’s aftermath. Being unable to make a call or text left me feeling isolated from the rest of the world. It only worked for short-range though. My friends were able to send me messages but it took a while for the to come through. Using Starlink to create a WiFi bridge that extends the range of the app would be helpful.

Climate Change Will Force Millions From Their Homes In The Next 30 Years.

Climate change could force over 200 million people from their homes within the next three decades. It’s already happening in Louisiana. Residents of Isle de Jean Charles have experienced this firsthand. During Ida, Grande Isle was completely wiped out and it took months just to clear up the debris. This is just my little corner of the world.

I hope that Tesla produces the solar range extender trailer with Starlink. And I hope they design it into a microgrid with internet. It will save lives.

 

 

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Johnna Crider is a Baton Rouge writer covering Tesla, Elon Musk, EVs, and clean energy & supports Tesla's mission. Johnna also interviewed Elon Musk and you can listen here

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Tesla celebrates 75k Superchargers, less than 5 months since 70k-stall milestone

Tesla’s 75,000th stall is hosted at the South Hobart Smart Store on Cascade Road, South Hobart, Tasmania.

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Credit: Tesla Charging/X

Tesla has crossed another major charging milestone by officially installing its 75,000th Supercharger stall worldwide. The electric vehicle maker chose South Hobart, Tasmania, as the commemorative location of its 75,000th Supercharger. 

Tesla’s 75,000th Supercharger

Tesla’s 75,000th stall is hosted at the South Hobart Smart Store on Cascade Road, South Hobart, TAS 7004, as noted in a techAU report. The location features four next-generation V4 Superchargers, which are built with longer cables that should make it easy even for non-Teslas to use the rapid charger. The site also includes simplified payment options, aligning with Tesla’s push to make V4 stations more accessible to a broader set of drivers.

For Tasmanian EV owners, the installation fills an important regional gap, improving long-distance coverage around Hobart and strengthening the area’s appeal for mainland travelers traveling by electric vehicle. Similar to other commemorative Superchargers, the 70,000th stall is quite special as it is finished in Glacier Blue paint. Tesla’s 50,000th stall, which is in California, is painted a stunning red, and the 60,000th stall, which is in Japan, features unique origami-inspired graphics.

https://twitter.com/TeslaCharging/status/1991019320584122471?s=20

Accelerating Supercharger milestones

The Tesla Supercharger’s pace of expansion shows no signs of slowing. Tesla celebrated its 70,000th stall at a 12-stall site in Burleson, Texas late June 2025. Just eight months earlier, Tesla announced that it had celebrated the buildout of its 60,000th Supercharger, which was built in Enshu Morimachi, Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan.

Tesla’s Supercharger Network also recently received accolades in the United Kingdom, with the 2025 Zapmap survey naming the rapid charging system as the Best Large EV Charging Network for the second year in a row. Survey respondents praised the Supercharger Network for its ease of use, price, and reliability, which is best-in-class. The fact that the network has also been opened for non-Teslas is just icing on the cake. 

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Luminar-Volvo breakdown deepens as lidar maker warns of potential bankruptcy

The automaker stated that Luminar failed to meet contractual obligations.

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(Credit: Volvo)

Luminar’s largest customer, Volvo, has canceled a key five-year contract as the lidar supplier warned investors that it might be forced to file for bankruptcy. The automaker stated that Luminar failed to meet contractual obligations, escalating a dispute already unfolding as Luminar defaults on loans, undergoes layoffs, and works to sell portions of the business.

Volvo pulls back on Luminar

In a statement to TechCrunch, Volvo stated that Luminar’s failure to deliver its contractual obligations was a key driver of the cancellation of the contract. “Volvo Cars has made this decision to limit the company’s supply chain risk exposure and it is a direct result of Luminar’s failure to meet its contractual obligations to Volvo Cars,” Volvo noted in a statement.

The rift marked a notable turn for the two companies, whose relationship dates back several years. Volvo invested in Luminar early and helped push its sensors into production programs, while Luminar’s technology bolstered the credibility of Volvo’s safety-focused autonomous driving plans. Volvo’s partnership also supported Luminar’s 2020 SPAC listing, which briefly made founder Austin Russell one of the youngest self-made billionaires in the industry.

Damaged Volvo relations

The damaged Volvo partnership comes during a critical period for Luminar. The company has defaulted on several loans and warned investors that bankruptcy remains a possibility if restructuring discussions fall through. To conserve cash, Luminar has cut 25% of its workforce and is exploring strategic alternatives, including partial or full asset sales. 

One potential buyer is founder Austin Russell, who resigned as CEO in May amid a board-initiated ethics inquiry. The company is also the subject of an ongoing SEC investigation.

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Luminar, for its part, also noted in a filing that it had “made a claim against Volvo for significant damages” and “suspended further commitments of Iris” for the carmaker. “The Company is in discussions with Volvo concerning the dispute; however, there can be no assurance that the dispute will be resolved favorably or at all,” the lidar maker stated.

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Elon Musk says he’s open to powering Apple’s Siri with xAI’s Grok

Siri, one of the first intelligent AI assistants in the market, has become widely outdated and outperformed by rivals over the years.

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Gage Skidmore, CC BY-SA 4.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

Elon Musk says he’s willing to help Apple overhaul Siri by integrating xAI’s Grok 4.1, igniting widespread excitement and speculations about a potential collaboration between the two tech giants. 

Siri, one of the first intelligent AI assistants in the market, has become widely outdated and outperformed by rivals over the years.

Musk open to an Apple collaboration

Musk’s willingness to team up with Apple surfaced after an X user suggested replacing Siri with Grok 4.1 to modernize the AI assistant. The original post criticized Siri’s limitations and urged Apple to adopt a more advanced AI system. “It’s time for Apple to team up with xAI and actually fix Siri. Replace that outdated, painfully dumb assistant with Grok 4.1. Siri deserves to be Superintelligent,” the X user wrote.

Musk quoted the post, responding with, “I’m down.” Musk’s comment quickly attracted a lot of attention among X’s users, many of whom noted that a Grok update to Siri would be appreciated because Apple’s AI assistant has legitimately become terrible in recent years. Others also noted that Grok, together with Apple’s potential integration of Starlink connectivity, would make iPhones even more compelling. 

https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1990651578965967050?s=20

Grok promises major Siri upgrades

The enthusiasm stems largely from Grok 4.1’s technical strengths, which include stronger reasoning and improved creative output. xAI also designed the model to reduce hallucinations, as noted in a Reality Tea report. Supporters believe these improvements could address Apple’s reported challenges developing its own advanced AI systems, giving Siri the upgrade many users have waited years for.

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Reactions ranged from humorous to hopeful, with some users joking that Siri would finally “wake up with a personality” if paired with Grok. Siri, after all, was a trailblazer in voice assistants, but it is currently dominated by rivals in terms of features and capabilities. Grok could change that, provided that Apple is willing to collaborate with Elon Musk’s xAI.

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