News
The MINI Aceman is both classic MINI and a new approach
MINI has released the first images and videos of their new Aceman concept EV and it marks a significant shift in design while retaining typical “mini-ness.” The vehicle may also be a departure from MINI’s first EV offering in terms of affordability.
As a note, I am a proud MINI owner. I drive a 2011 MINI Countryman S All4 and despite its flaws, I love what I can only describe as its “mini-ness,” and I’m not talking about the vehicle’s relatively small stature. “Mini-ness” is that intangible feeling that makes you think, “Why did they make this [insert part name] this way? And more concerningly, why do I like it?!” I am proud to say that from the initial images of the concept MINI Aceman, mini-ness is alive and well.
If released, the Aceman would be the brand’s second EV offering after the Cooper SE; however, though this hasn’t been confirmed, it would be likely that this would be the brand’s first purpose-built EV (perhaps built off the BMW iX platform) instead of an EV inside of the skeleton of an ICE mini. But this is only the start of the mystery surrounding the vehicle, as MINI was quite tight-lipped in what they shared about the vehicle, essentially only addressing the vehicle’s design and how it was “the beginning of a new MINI design era.”
While this vehicle is only a concept at this point, it does (according to mini) hint at future design. The MINI notably ditches leather and chrome and aims for a simple yet angular design. The exterior of the vehicle is quite exciting with a bright light blue body, a green hood, and red accents. The vehicle looks to be the size of the Countryman, if not a little bigger, but this may be the visual effect of the massive 20-inch wheels. The angularity of the exterior is exemplified in the hexagonal headlights/typical union jack taillights, as well as the hood that has (atypical for MINI) strong creases leading to the back of the vehicle. Nonetheless, the more general curviness of MINI design language remains in a couple of areas; the side and side profile.
- Front of Mini Aceman Concept. Credit: Mini
- Top view of Mini Aceman Concept. Credit: Mini
- Side profile of Mini Aceman Concept. Credit: Mini
- Rear quarter of Mini Aceman Concept. Credit: Mini
- Rear of Mini Aceman Concept. Credit: Mini
The sharp design language continues to the interior, and this is where pinnacle mini-ness is found. What the brand calls “MINImalism” involves removing nearly everything from the front dash; limited and basic climate controls, no visible window switches, no steering column-mounted tachometer, and nothing but the center screen. And while this may sound similar to Tesla’s interior design language, I would argue that the lack of window switches and the circular center screen help achieve the mini-ness feeling.
The fun coloring also continues within the cabin of the Aceman, but that wasn’t weird enough for MINI designers, they had to throw random geometric shapes on the seats and within the texture of the door panels/interior door handles. Once again; why did they design it this way? and why do I like it?!?!
- Front dash of Mini Aceman Concept. Credit: Mini
- Front seats of Mini Aceman Concept. Credit: Mini
- Rear seats of Mini Aceman Concept. Credit: Mini
While the strange MINI character is still very alive in the Aceman concept, many are worried that the thing that defined the Cooper SE may be gone from future MINI EVs; affordability. The Cooper SE was one of the cheapest EVs you could buy in the US, and despite its fairly disappointing specs, it grew its own community of people who were simply looking for a shorter-range fun EV. MINI will likely release more details about the vehicle when it is shown in person at the 2022 Gamescon in Cologne later this year, and be sure, the price will be on the tongue of every journalist who is hopeful for an EV future for MINI.
What do you think of the article? Do you have any comments, questions, or concerns? Shoot me an email at william@teslarati.com. You can also reach me on Twitter @WilliamWritin. If you have news tips, email us at tips@teslarati.com!
Elon Musk
Tesla Phone? Not quite, but close: analyst
For years, there have been images and videos across social media platforms that have reminded me of when I was a 15-year-old kid teased by “Xbox 720” videos on YouTube. These videos are of the supposed “Tesla Phone” that Elon Musk was secretly developing in between leading Tesla with its electric cars and SpaceX with its reusable rockets.
Would you buy a Tesla phone ? pic.twitter.com/aaTwvvIJit
— Tesla Owners Silicon Valley (@teslaownersSV) October 6, 2023
Although Musk has put those rumors to bed several times, it was never completely out of the realm that he could get involved in cell phones in some capacity. Think outside the box and more macro-level, though. Instead of reinventing the computer, Musk reinvented connectivity by developing Starlink with SpaceX.
It could be something similar, TD Cowen analyst Gregory Williams said in a note last week, where he hinted SpaceX could be gathering some steam to acquire T-Mobile.
Williams said it would be the “clear choice” for SpaceX if it decided to go through with a network acquisition. He also suggested AT&T.
The move would be possible through selling more of its own stock, which would help SpaceX raise the money to purchase T-Mobile, which would cost roughly $300 billion. It could be one of the moves SpaceX makes post-IPO in terms of an acquisition: it already acquired Cursor AI for $60 billion.
Other analysts, like Dan Ives of Wedbush, believe SpaceX and Tesla will eventually merge into one anyway, and that conglomeration could come as soon as this year, some have said.
The implications of SpaceX purchasing T-Mobile are massive. A combined entity would create a truly ubiquitous network: T-Mobile’s terrestrial 5G towers and Starlink’s growing constellation of Direct-to-Cell satellites. This would essentially eliminate dead zones across the U.S. and potentially globally.
SpaceX would instantly become a full-scale facilities-based carrier with satellite differentiation; a huge advantage. This would pressure AT&T and Verizon heavily.
There are also concerns like a potential reduction in long-term competition, and of course, a deal of that size would face intense scrutiny from government agencies.
The strategic fit is compelling due to the existing Starlink–T-Mobile partnership and complementary technologies (space + terrestrial). It could create a dominant integrated communications player. However, the regulatory, financial, and execution hurdles are enormous — this remains highly speculative with no indication SpaceX is actively pursuing it right now.
News
Tesla reveals huge Cybercab detail in new guide for First Responders
Tesla revealed a major new Cybercab detail in a guide it released for First Responders, showing new territory in its beliefs and intentions for the ride-hailing-focused vehicle that entered production in April.
The First Responders Guide is released to give fire departments, paramedics, and other emergency personnel the proper guidance on what to do in the event of an accident, entrapment, or other situation that would require immediate attention.
On one of the pages of the First Responders Guide, Tesla revealed a stark detail about the Cybercab, which could help personnel enter the vehicle more easily in case of an emergency.
Tesla Cybercab has one important piece that AI4 cars might need for FSD
It shows Tesla has no intention of releasing any Cybercab units that were initially proposed for ride-hailing services for the general public with any manual controls, meaning a steering wheel or pedals:
“A Cybercab equipped with steering wheel, brake pedal, and an acceleration pedal is typically an engineering or test vehicle, and operates at SAE Level 2 autonomy. Cybercab is not typically equipped with a steering wheel or acceleration and brake pedals.”
New official Cybercab documentation from Tesla:
“A Cybercab equipped with steering wheel, brake pedal, and an acceleration pedal is typically an engineering or test vehicle, and operates at SAE Level 2 autonomy. Cybercab is not typically equipped with a steering wheel or… https://t.co/P6ut1mZyzr pic.twitter.com/yq6skl9s2J
— Sawyer Merritt (@SawyerMerritt) June 27, 2026
This is a major development for those who continue to believe Tesla planned to release the Cybercab with any sort of manual controls so that passengers could take over if needed. However, when Tesla started manufacturing production versions of the Cybercab in Giga Texas earlier this year, they were spotted without a steering wheel or pedals.
It essentially confirms the company has no intentions of bringing manual controls to the car’s production versions. Some have argued that the likelihood of Tesla having something
There still are some Cybercab units out there with a steering wheel and pedals, and as Tesla said, these cars are engineering or test vehicles, which have Safety Monitors on board to help the car out of a precarious situation or emergency.
News
Tesla Full Self-Driving v14 ‘Lite’ Release Notes: new capabilities and features
Tesla released the Full Self-Driving v14 ‘Lite’ suite to owners of Hardware 3 or AI3 vehicles today, adding several new features to the vehicles that were once believed to be capable of unsupervised self-driving.
Now, Tesla has released this modified suite to older Tesla vehicles, adding plenty of new features and capabilities.
Here are the full release notes for the suite:
- Distilled the intelligence from HW4 V14 into HW3. This allows HW3 to directly learn how to handle scenarios using HW4 V14 as a guide. This process unlocks the improvements that have been made to HW4 including Reinforcement Learning (RL) and offline models for HW3.
- Improved both proactive and reactive responsiveness across a wide variety of categories including navigation handling, merges and forks, pedestrian interactions, traffic lights, and vehicle cut-in scenarios.
- Improved general comfort in nominal scenarios through fewer false slowdowns, smoother steering and more consistent lane centering.
- Introduced parking, unparking, and reversing capabilities.
- Added Arrival Options for you to select where FSD should park: in a Parking Lot, on the Street, in a Driveway, or at the Curbside.
- Speed Profiles are now available at all times, to further customize driving style preference.
These improvements, according to Tesla’s Head of AI, Ashok Elluswamy, help distill the driving behavior from AI4’s v14 series into both the camera and compute configurations of AI3.
Tesla Full Self-Driving v14 ‘Lite’ for older cars finally gets released
He added:
“It includes destination options and speed profiles on city roads, but more importantly significantly improved safety. We hope you’ll enjoy it, once the build ships wide.”
FSD v14 Lite is now rolling out to AI3 early-access customers. Based on the feedback, will rollout to more customers over the next few weeks.
This build distills the driving behavior from AI4’s v14 series into both the camera and compute config of AI3. It includes destination…
— Ashok Elluswamy (@aelluswamy) June 29, 2026
Tesla will continue to roll out the v14 Lite suite more widely in the coming weeks, the company said.







