• The Big Why: Musk spilled the beans, stating that the primary reason for this design evolution is to streamline production. Apparently, making robots in significant numbers isn’t as easy as programming them to make your morning coffee.
• Optimus On Duty: Already, Optimus is not just a pretty face; it’s been put to work in Tesla’s factories. From what we gather from posts on X, these bots are increasing their task list faster than you can say “Skynet.”
• Designing for Manufacturability: The real challenge, according to Musk, lies in designing Optimus in such a way that it can be made efficiently. It’s like trying to make a car that’s not just cool but also easy to assemble by a robot, which in this case, is Optimus itself.
• Supply Chain Shenanigans: And let’s not forget the supply chain. Getting all the parts for a robot that can be made in “significant numbers” is like organizing a global scavenger hunt. But hey, if anyone can do it, it’s probably the guy who’s shooting for Mars.

It’s 2022, and Teslas still aren’t stopping for children. pic.twitter.com/GGBh6sAYZS

— Taylor Ogan (@TaylorOgan) August 9, 2022

After over 13.5 million people viewed the video, speculation of the results and the test itself, originally taken in May, has now escalated. Now, according to The Washington Post, Tesla is calling for the video to be taken down claiming that the video is defamatory and does not represent their Full-Self Driving system.

Who ran the test and why is it so important? The short answer: a smear campaign.

If we look at other accounts that posted a video like the one done by Taylor Ogan, one that sticks out the most is one called The Dawn Project, and another ran by Dan O’Dowd. The Dawn Project, according to their website, is an organization that advocates for “software that never fails and can’t be hacked.”  The website is full of anti-Tesla ad campaigns and even promises a $10,000 reward for the first person who can name a Fortune 500 company that has a malfunction every 8 minutes. Dan O’Dowd, the other account mentioned, is the founder of the project is also in one of the videos asking Elon Musk if FSD is a trillion-dollar Ponzi scheme. O’Dowd also, according to Tesmanian, ran for California’s State Senate office. His main campaign: banning Tesla’s Full-Self-Driving system.

After examining the coordinators of the “failed” FSD test, it is clear that there was a desired outcome. The idea of technology that cannot fail or be hacked is almost impossible. If we were to go by that logic, The Dawn Project’s website or any website could fall under that category. I guess we’ll have to resort back to carrier pigeons.

But do not take my word for it. Other people have pointed out that the video shows that autopilot, which is activated by pulling down on the drive stalk twice, was conveniently not engaged during the test. You can see that the driver makes a hand motion that is supposed to show that the stalk was pulled but it is 1: hard to tell and, 2: the motion was only made once. When a Tesla is in autopilot, the center display indicates that the driver is in FSD mode. This obvious indicator of FSD being activated does not match the video.

The cease-and-desist letter was sent to the company and O’Dowd. It stated that they had to remove all defamatory ads, videos the included the caption “test track,” issue a public statement retracting all allegations against Tesla, make all of those who funded and endorsed the test known.

Elon Musk has also announced that Tesla is setting up a “hard-core litigation department” for those who are trying to defame the company.

As of now, Electrek writes that O’Dowd has made the rational decision to not comply and has doubled down by calling Elon Musk a “coward.”

During the event, Elon Musk gave a presentation that commemorated the hard work of Tesla workers, the company’s history, information about the factory, production announcements, and mentions of their upcoming projects.

This new $1.1 billion dollar factory in Austin, according to CNBC, is a planning on manufacturing 500,000 Model Y units a year. Elon Musk also doted on the size of the factory by saying: “If you put the building on its side, it’s taller than the Burj Khalifa, “and that, “194 billion hamsters could fit in the building.” I mean, why wouldn’t you?

Elon Musk also mentioned a new vehicle that would be used as a “robo taxi.” Though they were shy in giving any other details other than that it will look quite futuristic.

Tesla’s robot Optimus was also in attendance during the evening. Elon Musk claimed that he believes that Optimus, whose production is starting next year, would help trigger a new age of humanity.

Though one of the big questions on everyone’s mind during the event was when production was going to start for the infamous Cybertruck. Though it was shown off on stage during the event, Franz Holzhausen chose not to hit the window of the Cybertruck with a hammer and then promised that Tesla would start production in 2023.

“Production of Cybertruck is coming next year. We will be in production with Roadster, and with Semi. That is all coming. This year is all about scaling up and next year there is going to be a massive wave of new products.”

In all, the event had all the bells and whistles it needed but there was nothing new or exciting to be celebrated. In terms of the Cybertruck, the production date has been pushed back ever since it was first revealed in 2019. So, the promise of production in 2023 will have to be seen to be believed.

Earlier this week, WiTricity announced that their Halo charging system allows EV batteries to charge with a power receiver attached to the battery, a charging pad, and a wall box that is connected to a power source and pad. The pad can either be installed on or below the ground. The car will need to park on top of the pad to receive power.

“With the WiTricity Halo solution you just park and walk away, knowing you will return to a fully charged car,” said Alex Gruzen, CEO of WiTricity. “Day to day, it’s as if your car had infinite range, which will help accelerate EV adoption and propel us to a greener future.”

Green Car Reports writes that the WiTricity Halo Charging system can give up to 11kW. This will add 40-60 miles after charging for one hour

The height of the car from the energy pad does not seem to matter. According to them, the pad will give “high energy transfer over a wide air gap.”

Tests have been done with the Model 3 since October 2021. They have found that it will take about 6 hours to fully charge. This is about the same length of time it takes to charge with a plug-in.

As of now, they are looking to test other EV’s like the Ford Mach E to give a wider range of availability.

The lawsuit that was filed this week by the state was made after a three-year-long investigation where the CDFEH got multiple complaints by former employees and obtained evidence that coincided with these claims.

DFEH director, Kevin Kish, stated that:

After receiving hundreds of complaints from workers, DFEH found evidence that Tesla’s Fremont factory is a racially segregated workplace where Black workers are subjected to racial slurs and discriminated against in job assignments, discipline, pay, and promotion creating a hostile work environment.

Here is a more detailed accounts of what allegedly took place. The purpose of including these events is to give these former workers a voice. If you do not wish to read them, please skip to the section: Tesla’s Comment.

Racist Comments, Slurs, and Segregation

According to Electrek, co-workers, leads, managers, and supervisors continuously made racial comments like “from the ghetto,” and “go back to Africa,” and called Black employees racial slurs not limited to the n-word, “hood rats,” and “horsehair.” To add to this, the complaints made to the DFEH claimed that Black workers were not given opportunities to advance in the workplace. This caused the Black workers to get stuck in the same line of work as other Black employees. A lot of the jobs that these employees were given were more physically demanding. These areas were called “the plantation” and “porch monkey station.”

Harassment

The evidence reported by the DFEH paints the picture of a work environment where employees test the limits to see what they can get away with and eventually get comfortable showing their true thoughts and views. This is evident in the more violent actions that occurred in the Fremont factory. Some of the most notable are employees proudly displaying their confederate flag tattoos in a way that would intimidate minority workers, racist graffiti on the breakroom walls, workstations, and bathrooms. The Verge writes that the defendants claimed that the graffiti was not cleaned up for months on end.

Tesla’s Comment

After the lawsuit was filed, Tesla’s blog post not only said that the lawsuit was ‘unfair’ but that the DFEH is actively choosing to not work with Tesla to solve these issues. Tesla also states that the events that the DFEH chose to focus on occurred between 2015 and 2019. They say that the 50 times people complained to the organization during that time, the investigation closed and found that Tesla was not at fault.

Though a new chapter of Tesla’s success is beginning, we need to look on the other side of the coin.

On New Year’s Eve, Tesla opened a showroom in Xinjiang. A ceremony was held with people holding ‘Tesla Loves Xinjiang’ signs on their Weibo page. Xinjiang is the same place where the Chinese Government has been accused of genocide and other hate crimes against the Uyghur Muslims.

The Wall Street Journal has gone over Chinese reports that show they have affected over 1 million minorities not limited to the Uyghur people. These crimes include torture, forced labor, population control, and surveillance. Despite this, the Chinese government has refuted these claims.

According to The Verge, President Joe Biden signed the Uyghur Forced Protection Act which told China to cease the genocide and the abuse of the Uyghur Muslims and other minority groups in the region. US senator Marco Rubio commented on the news of Tesla’s new Xinjiang dealership on twitter where he claimed that Tesla is helping China cover up the genocide and hate crimes against the Uyghur Muslims.

Right after President Biden signed Sen. Rubio’s Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act into law, @Tesla opened a store in #Xinjiang. Nationless corporations are helping the Chinese Communist Party cover up genocide and slave labor in the region. https://t.co/2yWBTQSLbM

— Senator Rubio Press (@SenRubioPress) January 3, 2022

Tesla is not the only company that has been faced backlash on conducting business in Xinjiang. Intel was criticized for writing a letter to suppliers telling them to not use labor or resources from Xinjiang. Later, Intel apologized for writing the letter. The BBC noted that H&M and Nike took heat for sourcing cotton from the forced labor of the Uyghur people.

There is no question that the new factories in Europe and China have helped aid Tesla in deliveries. Expansion of factory locations is key to Tesla’s success, but why would you choose to open a dealership in a place where accusations of slave labor is just the tip of the iceberg? The lack of transparency of the treatment of minorities in the Xinjiang region could cause doubt on the treatment of Tesla workers. Could the production and profits from Tesla’s vehicles potentially be the result of the blood and suffering of minorities in China? It is in Tesla’s best interest to at the very least comment on the issue. Though, with how censorship and lies seem to be hand in hand with business in Xinjiang and the Chinese government, it is not likely to occur.

BREAKING: New Tesla Cybertruck design spotted at Fremont test track!!!

Source: https://t.co/OeVhsaq71h pic.twitter.com/VyyYpuZ48U

— Sawyer Merritt ?? (@SawyerMerritt) December 10, 2021

When people saw the ten-minute footage done by Youtuber Chile AI100, they noticed that the truck has been going through some changes. According to The Verge, the front is more curved and that there are more headlights below the light bar. There are two headlights on each side of the front while in between these two lights are three amber-colored lights. Another notable new feature was the massive windshield wiper. The original design had no wiper but this one was all on the driver’s side of the window and took up almost the entire length. One other change was the side mirrors, which were also not included in the original prototype.

Elon Musk responded to this on Twitter saying that figuring out where to put it was difficult and that the mirrors are required by law. But he also stated that you could remove them if you wanted to.

Manufacturers have to ship cars with side mirrors by law, but owners are allowed to modify their cars.

The wiper is what troubles me most. No easy solution. Deployable wiper that stows in front trunk would be ideal, but complex.

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 10, 2021

Though not seen in the footage, the updated prototype will also have four-steering and four electric motors. It will also have the ability to move side to side with rear wheel steering to move around like a crab which, according to Drive Tribe, is a feature on GMC’s Hummer EV.

Based off the blue painter’s tape in the footage, it looks like the altering process is not finished quite yet. Tesla has claimed to have also been working on an electromagnetic wiper. Electrek writes that the wiper will be like the single wiper seen here, but it has been said that The Cybertruck will be the first of the Tesla vehicles to have it. Though it has not officially been announced. Another feature the Electrek mentions is the side cameras where the videos would be displayed on the screens on the inside. But these cameras have not been regulated in North America yet.

The Cybertruck was unveiled back in 2019 and production has been pushed back several times. Deliveries are scheduled to happen in late 2022, thought The Verge writes that Tesla will give an update on product roadmap next month. As of now, it is the cheapest Tesla vehicle you can buy starting at $39,900 and has over 1 million of them booked.

After Elon Musk heard the news of Rivian’s success, he tweeted that he hoped that the company could keep production and cash flow balanced:

I hope they’re able to achieve high production & breakeven cash flow. That is the true test.

There have been hundreds of automotive startups, both electric & combustion, but Tesla is only American carmaker to reach high volume production & positive cash flow in past 100 years.

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 11, 2021

Last month, he also tweeted that “prototypes are trivial compared to scaling production and supply chain.”

According to Car and Driver, the new company has begun to deliver their first production vehicle, the R1T. The R1T is an electric truck built for off-roading. There is one electric motor per wheel, a frunk, and a space between the backseats and the bed called the Gear Tunnel. This could be used for extra storage or a 1440-watt electric stove. This is one of many accessories that you can get for this space.

Now, Rivian has 55,400 pre-orders of the R1S SUV in the R1T, and they have a contract to build 100,000 electric Amazon vans by 2030.

According to RJ Scaring, who founded Caribbean in 2009, The company wanted their cars to stand out:

“We began thinking about the truck, SUV, and crossover segments as they presented a massive opportunity for us to demonstrate how a clean sheet, technology-focused vehicle could eliminate long accepted compromises,” and that, “we wanted to establish our brand by delivering a combination of efficiency, on-road performance, off-road capability, functional utility, and product refinement that simply didn’t exist in the market.”

Though reports took Elon Musk’s tweets as a dig against Rivian, he makes a fair point about keeping up with demand. As of now, Cybertruck orders have been pushed back until 2023 and I really doubt that Musk is worried about having a rival company. I think that it is important to acknowledge that Rivian and other electric car companies would not have been possible now without the success of Tesla.

GOAT’s recognize GOAT’s. Introducing our all new EV fleet (@TomBrady not included) #Hertz #LetsGo pic.twitter.com/TElSE2PDKb

— Hertz (@Hertz) October 25, 2021

Earlier in the day, according to The Verge, Tesla’s stock price was at $998.74 before reaching $1 trillion. At the end of the day, Tesla sat at 1,024.84 per share.

The company is now in line with other trillion-dollar companies like Apple, Amazon, Facebook, Google, and Microsoft.

Bloomberg first reported the big news saying that this purchase was the largest order of electric vehicles making it worth $4.2 billion in revenue. Although the company reported chip shortages, they have had record sales during the third quarter and the Model 3 is now the first electric car to top sales in Europe. This also caused Hertz’s stock value to increase by 10.4%.

On top of the already 3000 superchargers within the USA and Europe, Hertz plans to provide thousands more superchargers “throughout its location Network.” According to CBS Los Angeles, this new purchase will make up 20% of their fleet. Hertz’s interim CEO, Mark Fields, commented on the deal saying:

“Electric vehicles are now mainstream, and we’ve only just begun to see you guys in global demand and interest. The new Hertz is going to lead the way as a mobility company, starting with the largest EV rental fleet in North America and a commitment to grow our EV fleet and provide the best rental and recharging experience for leisure and business customers around the world. “

According to CBS Los Angeles, this new purchase will make up 20% of their fleet.

In response to the news, Elon Musk tweeted:

Wild $T1mes!

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 25, 2021

This is a win-win for Hertz and Tesla. One year ago, Hertz filed for bankruptcy on December 31, 2020. As of July, they are no longer in Chapter 11 bankruptcy.

During Musk’s presentation, he talked about how the factory will make transportation more convenient for employees which, according to Electrek, will employ over 10,00 people, and the other cool things that the Berlin factory will have:

“We’re gonna build a train station that’s right on the property. And then we’re gonna have graffiti murals all throughout the factory, on the outside and everything. So, I think that’s gonna be pretty cool. We’ve got some of them already. And we’re even gonna have a beer.”

Nothing else was revealed about the drink except for the design of the bottle. The design of the bottle shares the same sleek and angular features that the Cybertruck has except for the shiny, bold blue lettering down one of the sides.

The new beverage is going to be produced at the new Giga Berlin Factory. As of now, Giga Berlin is projected to start producing Model Ys by December.

Gigabeer confirmed!! ? @elonmusk pic.twitter.com/7CN8Qcjrld

— Gali (@Gfilche) October 9, 2021

This is all reminiscent of Tesla Tequila and Not a Flamethrower.

Tesla Tequila or “Teslaquila” was first available back on April fool’s day of 2018 for $250. The drink is sold in a yellow lightning bolt shaped decanter bottle. According to Fox Business, the alcohol had a second run in 2021 and is now sold on resale websites for over $1,000.

Not a Flamethrower was introduced in February 2018 by Elon Musk’s underground transportation company, The Boring Company, as limited-edition merchandise. 20,000 of them were sold, each being $500.