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Twitter considers auctioning user handles for new revenue stream

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Twitter is considering selling or auctioning user handless to boost revenue, The New York Times reported citing ‘two people with knowledge of the plans.’ The two people with knowledge said that Twitter employees have been holding conversations regarding selling some usernames for the platform since December. Another consideration was running online auctions allowing people to bid for user names.

The publication noted that it isn’t clear whether or not Twitter will move forward with that project or, if it does, whether or not the plan affects all user names or only some. However, Elon Musk tweeted in December that he planned to free up 1.5 billion inactive user names. The accounts, he said, were obvious account deletions with no tweets and no login for years.

Certain user names like well-known individuals and brands or popular names could have value. Since purchasing the social media platform for $44 billion in October, Elon Musk has prioritized cutting back spending. An example of such a cutback is spending $13 million per year on food service at Twitter’s headquarters. Elon Musk pointed out that the social media company spent $13 million per year on food services, but that badge in records showed peak occupancy was 25% and the average occupancy was below 10%.

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Twitter was also in what Elon Musk described in early December as the fast lane to bankruptcy. However, on an episode of the All-In Podcast that aired on December 26, he said that the expenses were reasonably under control and it’s not in the fast lane to bankruptcy anymore.

“I mean, it’s exciting, but I think it sort of has its highs and lows, to say the least, but overall, it seems to be going in a good direction, and we’ve got the expenses reasonably under control, so it’s not like in the fast lane of bankruptcy anymore,” he said.

Your feedback is welcome. If you have any comments or concerns or see a typo, you can email me at johnna@teslarati.com. You can also reach me on Twitter at @JohnnaCrider1.

Teslarati is now on TikTok. Follow us for interactive news & more. Teslarati is now on TikTok. Follow us for interactive news & more. You can also follow Teslarati on LinkedInTwitter, Instagram, and Facebook.

 

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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 reveals Cybercab battery pack and range efficiency

Tesla aims to make the Cybercab the most efficient EV available, as executives revealed in an interview this week.

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Two of the top Tesla executives recently spoke about the Cybercab in an interview with a longtime manufacturing industry expert, sharing details about the electric vehicle’s (EV’s) battery pack size, range, and more.

On Monday, Tesla’s VP of Vehicle Engineering Lars Moravy and Senior Design Executive Franz von Holzhausen told manufacturing industry veteran Sandy Munro that Tesla is targeting a battery pack of under 50kWh for the Cybercab, with “close to” 300 miles of real-world range. This would make the two-seater more efficient than any other EV currently in production, partially due to the two-seater’s highly-aerodynamic design.

Munro says he was expecting a battery pack ranging from 55kWh to 60 kWh, noting how much smaller Tesla is aiming to go. Before revealing the range targets, Moravy also detailed how the Cybercab’s aero wheel covers offer optimal aerodynamics to contribute to the impressive efficiency level.

“As much as Franz hates door handles, I hate the wheel-tire interaction, and this is really the best way for us to get the most aerodynamic wheel-tire we could get,” Moravy explains.

From the wheel covers to the overall design, however, von Holzhausen explains how much thought has gone into making the vehicle so efficient—even down to its shape.

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“This car is actually really unique in terms of its teardrop shape,” von Holzhausen said. “It’s actually quite narrow in the rear compared to the front. Obviously, you covered the discs, but the aero efficiency is a huge factor in getting to higher range with a smaller battery pack.”

The fact that the vehicle only has two seats also contributes to some of the design choices Tesla was able to implement, as the executive continues to explain.

“Really, because it’s a two-seater we were able to really narrow the hips on this car, and when you come to the rear, you actually start to see how narrow it is, but it’s not unattractive,” he adds.

Credit: Tesla | X

READ MORE ON TESLA CYBERCAB: Tesla reveals design inspiration behind Cybercab’s gold color

Moravy reiterates that Tesla is already starting to install production equipment for the Cybercab at Gigafactory Texas, which was revealed in a shareholder’s letter in late January. He also echoes plans that Tesla is aiming for prototype builds for the Cybercab by this summer, along with a launch event around early 2026.

In recent weeks, increasing numbers of Cybercabs have also been seen testing at Giga Texas, and longtime drone pilot and factory observer Joe Tegtmeyer said that he saw as many as six driving around the site on Monday.

Last month, Moravy also alluded to plans to make the Cybercab “road-trip-capable,” going long distances with wireless charging along the way to make it completely autonomous for passengers.

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Along with talking about the Cybercab’s super-efficient design, the two executives also reiterate discussions about the art deco-inspired design of the robotaxi and the larger Robovan, both of which were unveiled in an event in October. Munro and the executives also go on to sit inside the Robovan while talking a bit about its design.

You can see footage from Teslarati‘s first full ride in the Cybercab below, as captured at the “We, Robot” event in Southern California. Or, check out the full Cybercab and Robovan episode from Munro, Moravy, and von Holzhausen below that, clocking in at just under 25 minutes.

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Tesla says its Cybercab wireless charging efficiency is ‘well above 90%’

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SpaceX rescue mission for stranded ISS astronauts nears end — Here’s when they’ll return home

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Credit: SpaceX

SpaceX is ready to bring home Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, the two astronauts that have been stranded on the International Space Station (ISS) for nine months.

Last week, SpaceX launched its Crew-10 mission, which would dock onto the ISS late Saturday night and be the two astronauts’ ride home. Now, the end is in sight, and it appears both NASA and SpaceX are planning to have the two home this week, perhaps earlier than expected.

SpaceX readies to rescue astronauts from International Space Station

The agency and the company have announced that Dragon will autonomously undock from the ISS on Tuesday at 1:05 a.m. ET and should re-enter Earth’s atmosphere and splashdown off the Florida coast about 17 hours later.

SpaceX said:

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“SpaceX and NASA are targeting Tuesday, March 18 at 1:05 a.m. ET for Dragon to autonomously undock from the International Space Station. After performing a series of departure burns to move away from the space station, Dragon will conduct multiple orbit-lowering maneuvers, jettison the trunk, and re-enter Earth’s atmosphere for splashdown off the coast of Florida approximately 17 hours later the same day.”

Crew-9 astronaut Nick Hague will be alongside Williams and Wilmore on the flight home, along with Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov. Hague and Gorbunov have been in space since Saturday, September 28.

SpaceX was tasked with bringing Wilmore and Williams home after the Boeing Starliner that sent them there was determined not to be suitable for their return.

A report from the New York Post in late August said that Boeing employees routinely made fun of SpaceX workers, only for the company to bail them out:

SpaceX bails out Boeing and employees are reportedly ‘humiliated’

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Crew-10 will bring the astronauts home, ending an extensive and unscheduled stay in space.

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Tesla starts certification process for these two vehicles in India

Considering this certification, new hiring efforts, and the first location officially announced, it’s clear that Tesla is close to launching EV sales in India.

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Credit: Andrea Conway/X

Tesla is officially preparing to make its entry into the Indian auto market, as a recent report says the company has started the certification process for two of its vehicles in the country.

In a report over the weekend citing industry sources, The Times of India said that Tesla has started the certification and homologation processes for the Model 3 and Model Y in the country, which are requirements for any automobile to be sold there. The news follows Tesla’s recent hiring spree in India, and reports saying that it has finalized a location for its first store in Mumbai, after years of delays have stopped the U.S. automaker from launching sales in the country.

Homologation tests are meant to ensure that vehicles meet roadworthiness requirements from the country’s Central Motor Vehicle Rules, along with testing things like safety and tailpipe emissions—though the later obviously won’t be a factor for Tesla’s electric vehicles (EVs).

The report says the company also submitted as many as seven other homologation applications for test vehicles in India, while an eighth was approved more recently. It’s not surprising that the Model 3 and Model Y would be the first to make it to the country, given that they’re produced at the company’s factory in Shanghai, China.

READ MORE ON TESLA INDIA: Elon Musk, President Trump share interesting dialogue regarding Tesla Gigafactory India

In addition to the Mumbai location, a report last month suggested that Tesla would be opening a second store in New Delhi, though neither of the sites are expected to include a service center at this time. The Mumbai store will be located at the Bandra Kurla Complex shopping center, while the New Delhi site is reportedly set to go in at the Aerocity Complex near the airport.

Tesla’s highly anticipated entry into the Indian automotive market, generally considered the third-largest auto market by domestic sales volume, also follows after years of disagreements about import costs. The automaker has been in discussion with India about launching auto sales in the country since 2019 or so, though Prime Minister Narendra Modi has repeatedly requested vehicle import duties as high as 100 percent.

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Along with sales of its vehicles, Modi has regularly requested that Tesla launch a car factory in India, though Elon Musk has demanded that the country first lower import duties to allow the automaker to launch auto sales. It’s unclear as of yet if the launch of auto sales will reignite discussions over a potential factory, though recent discussions with Modi, Musk, and U.S. President Donald Trump suggest that it could be within the realm of possibility.

Tesla talks to top EV maker in India as it prepares to enter the market

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