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Elon Musk’s Boring Company gets approval for tunnel-linked residential garage concept

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The Boring Company was recently granted an approval from the city council of Hawthorne to construct a private, prototype garage directly connected to one of its high-speed tunnels. The parcel of land that would house the futuristic garage is located close to SpaceX’s headquarters, on 120th St. near Prairie Avenue.

Hawthorne’s city council approved the proposal on Tuesday night, with the members unanimously giving the project their approval. Unlike the company’s other proof-of-concept projects, such as its test tunnel under SpaceX headquarters and the upcoming Dugout Loop which would connect to the Dodgers Stadium, the prototype garage would not be opened to the public. Thus, no commuter vehicles would be moving in and out of the garage from the street.

The Boring Company’s proposed prototype garage. [Credit: The Boring Company]

The design of the prototype, tunnel-connected garage is quite straightforward. Cars would enter the tunnel from the SpaceX campus itself,  move through the tunnel, onto the prototype garage, and then back to the SpaceX facility. The Boring Company plans to adopt this testing system in order to avoid causing additional traffic on the street. In a statement to Mercury News, Boring Company representative Jane Labanowski noted that the prototype garage concept would be an essential part of the tunneling startup’s vision for the future.

“It’s an important part of the longer-term vision the company is trying to build,” she said.

Just like the Boring Company’s other tunneling projects, the vehicles that would be transported from the SpaceX headquarters and into the prototype garage would be traveling through the startup’s electric skates. The electric skates use Hyperloop technology, and are expected to facilitate high-speed transportation from the tunnels to the proposed prototype garage.

Apart from its futuristic garage, The Boring Company has also earned an approval on Wednesday for a short, separate spur from its existing tunnel that would help the company retrieve its boring machine. In conventional tunneling projects, some of a tunnel boring machine’s expensive components, such as its cutting head, are buried underground after a project is done due to the high cost of its retrieval. Considering that the Boring Company appears to have found a way to extricate all the components of its tunnel boring machine, the company has pretty much taken a step forward in its efforts to build a tunnel that is low-cost and sturdy.

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While the Boring Company is a young tunneling startup that is more well-known for its clever and unique merchandise (such as Elon Musk’s Not-a-Flamethrower), the company is actually involved in a high-profile project. Earlier this year, The Boring Company managed to win the contract for the downtown Chicago-O’Hare high-speed transport system, beating out larger conglomerates who were also bidding on the project. If the Boring Company is successful in the Chicago-O’Hare project, Berenberg analyst Alexander Haissl noted that the tunneling startup could be worth as much as $16 billion.

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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Tesla reportedly places large order for robot parts, hinting that Optimus V3 design is all but finalized

Tesla has reportedly placed a large order of linear actuators for humanoid robots from a Chinese supplier.

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Credit: Tesla

Tesla might have all but finalized the design for its Optimus V3 humanoid robot, at least if rumors from China prove accurate. As per recent reports, Tesla has reportedly placed a large order of linear actuators for humanoid robots from a Chinese supplier, with deliveries expected sometime in the first quarter of 2026.

The volume of orders suggested by the reports from China suggests that the components will not just be used for Optimus prototypes.

The rumor

As noted in a report from Sina News, media outlets across China have recently reported that Tesla has placed a $685 million (5 billion RMB) order for linear actuators from Sanhua Intelligent Controls. The components will reportedly be used for the production of Optimus, which will likely be mass-produced in its V3 iteration. The reports claimed that the delivery of the actuators will likely start sometime in the first quarter of 2026. 

Industry watchers have estimated that such a volume would be enough for about 180,000 Optimus robots. This suggests that while Tesla might not be able to start the initial production of its humanoid robots this year, the electric vehicle maker might be able to hit the ground running with its Optimus production next year. And as hinted at by Elon Musk’s comments on X, Tesla seems to be preparing to produce Optimus V3 en masse.

Company comments

The reports of Tesla’s alleged actuator orders have resulted in Sanhua Intelligent Controls’ stock rising. Interestingly enough, a Tesla China representative has stated that “no official information about this order that could be disseminated externally.” A representative from Sanhua, on the other hand, simply stated that the company’s robotics business is progressing smoothly, but they could not comment on market rumors. 

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While these reports are rumors for now, there are some optimistic hints that Tesla might have all but finalized the design for Optimus V3, and the company might be looking to start the robot’s production. For one, Sanhua is already a Tesla supplier, providing components for the company’s electric cars. A report from The Information also alleged that Tesla is no longer looking to produce 5,000 Optimus robots in 2025. This was reportedly due to challenges in the robot’s hands.

If Tesla is really starting to order large volumes of components for Optimus’ production, it would suggest that the company might have overcome the challenges it was facing with the humanoid robot earlier this year. It would then not be farfetched if Tesla were able to start the initial production of Optimus V3 next year.

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Tesla eyes two new states for Robotaxi

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Credit: @TerrapinTerpene/X

Tesla has officially shown that it is eyeing two new states for Robotaxi operation in the U.S., as it hopes to add the new areas to its ever-growing list of places where the suite is either active or in the testing phase.

Tesla first launched its Robotaxi suite in Austin, Texas, in late June. It expanded the suite to the San Francisco Bay Area just a month later. Since then, it has not launched any public rides in any other states, but it has gained several approvals for early testing.

Tesla officially launches Robotaxi service with no driver

In preparation for operation in new states, Tesla routinely lists job postings on its Careers website, which helps align potential employees with opportunities ahead of regulatory approvals. This is a strategy that allows Tesla to start operations immediately upon licensing for testing.

Tesla started hiring Vehicle Operators for Autopilot in Arizona and Nevada months before the company gained any sort of approvals from state governments for Robotaxi. However, those approvals eventually came in the form of testing licenses, which allow the company to perform validation ahead of its public launch.

Tesla begins validating Robotaxi in a new area, hinting at expansion

Now, Tesla has posted job listings for Vehicle Operators for Autopilot in two new states: Colorado and Illinois. The Colorado job listing is located in Aurora, a suburb of Denver. Tesla is looking for Robotaxi operators in Chicago as well.

These postings hint toward Tesla’s continuing efforts to expand Robotaxi to new places. Earlier this year, CEO Elon Musk said the company would like to have Robotaxi available to at least half of the U.S. population.

It has expanded significantly since its initial launch in late June, but it is still a far way off from where Tesla would like it to be by year’s end.

So far, Tesla has job listings for Autopilot Vehicle Operators in Arizona, California, Texas, Florida, Colorado, Nevada, and Illinois.

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Tesla launched an ad for Elon Musk’s pay package on Paramount+

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Credit: Tesla

Tesla’s advertising strategy has taken a drastic turn as the company’s upcoming Shareholder Meeting will feature perhaps the most crucial vote in its history: the approval of CEO Elon Musk’s new pay package.

For years, the issue of Tesla’s advertising and marketing strategy has been a major point of conversation for investors in fans. It seems to be split right down the middle, with half wanting Tesla to set aside some money for advertising. The other half, just the opposite.

Tesla has been transparent that the money it would spend on advertising, marketing, and public relations is better set aside for the development of future products.

However, it has recently adopted a different tone in advertising, pushing some commercials on social media platforms like X and Instagram.

For the first time, an ad was seen on streaming services like Paramount+, but it wasn’t promoting Tesla’s products directly. Instead, it was more of a message for shareholders to vote on Musk’s pay package, something Tesla feels is a necessity:

“The future of Tesla is in your hands,” the ad reads at the end. It seems as if Tesla is taking whatever steps it needs to accomplish the task of getting Musk a new pay package and retaining him as its CEO.

On September 5, Tesla officially outlined its plans for a CEO Performance Award for Musk. It would require him to lift Tesla’s market capitalization to about $8.5 trillion, up from the $1.36 trillion it sits at today.

Elon Musk’s new pay plan ties trillionaire status to Tesla’s $8.5 trillion valuation

It is obvious that Tesla is really hoping to get the pay package passed and is willing to shift some of its budget to encourage shareholders to vote.

However, there are some interesting perspectives on the move, and it’s sort of strange to see Tesla not advertising its vehicles or products, but only its pay package that would get its CEO paid.

Some of those who saw the ad are questioning the strategy:

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