Tesla creates a new subscription service, SpaceX fades the FAA flames, and Musk launches a third drone. This is the free edition of Musk readings # 256 – subscribe now to receive two more editions later this week!
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Musk quote of the week
“I do not care [if Cybertruck fails]. I love him so much even though other people don’t like him. – Elon Musk tweeted July 15, telling a Cybertruck fan that its unique design (“as if it was made by aliens from the future”) might prevent it from selling well. So far, sales have not been an issue for Tesla.
Tesla: subscribe to full autonomy
Those of you longing for the moment when a self-driving Tesla rolls up and graces your aisle will be happy to hear that this moment may be a little closer to you. Tesla has just turned its Full Self-Driving (FSD) software, which was originally only available with a one-time purchase of $ 10,000, into a subscription service for anyone whose Tesla “has FSD [Hardware 3.0] or more, more Basic […] or Improved autopilot.
The subscription will cost $ 199 per month for users upgrading their basic autopilot to FSD and $ 99 per month for users upgrading to Enhanced Autopilot. Owners should be aware that the available FSD features are location dependent, and if your vehicle is not equipped with Hardware 3, you will need to upgrade for $ 1,500. Plus, just as a reminder, despite what the name suggests, FSD requires “a fully attentive driver with their hands on the wheel,” according to Tesla’s website.
Since the subscription service will allow users to cancel at any time (while still receiving FSD for the full month in which they canceled), this could be a great option for curious Tesla owners to drive with FSD. but nervous about making a $ 10,000 pledge.
Some owners, however, feel cheated. An article from July 18 in Electrek pointed out that in 2016 Tesla announced that cars manufactured from October 2016 to mid-2019 needed “no further hardware upgrades” for FSD capabilities. At the end of 2019, Tesla reversed that statement, revamping its hardware with version 3.0 and offering free upgrades to anyone who didn’t already have it.
Tesla owner reports inconsistent messages regarding FSD after subscription announcement.
Now they charge $ 1,500 to interested users, some of whom bought their car between 2016 and 2019, believing that it was already capable of FSD. Has Tesla misled loyal customers or is the new price justified? We want to hear your thoughts in the comments below.
SpaceX: FAA skirmishes threaten Starbase
All eyes are on SpaceX ahead of their Booster 3 static firing, a sort of rocket control where the engines explode while the rest of the ship stands still. This test, which was successful Monday evening, is a key part of verifying the structural integrity of Starship prior to its potentially revolutionary orbital flight.
But ground obstacles still plague SpaceX, which continues to play with fire, also known as the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). Two months ago, the FAA sent SpaceX a letter stating that their orbital launch tower was not approved by the government. It was a good try, but SpaceX is still building it.
A space news Twitter account, @TankWatchers, shares a photo in progress of Starbase’s orbital launch tower.
If left to brew in the worst case scenario, the launch tower could be demolished. Read more.
But a looming small threat won’t slow down SpaceX’s next all-civilian crew Mission Inspiration4, who had a particularly euphoric week of training. On July 12, the team experienced weightlessness for the first time, happily floating inside the modified Boeing 727 where the zero g training took place.
The Inspiration4 Twitter account posts a photo of teammates undergoing zero-g training for the first time.
Fortunately, Inspiration4 flight will not rest on the disputed launch tower. Instead, the mission’s reused Falcon 9 will take off from Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy Space Center, the same pad that bid farewell to Crew-2 Dragon earlier this year.
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In other Musk news …
T-minus Internet
A ranked list of everything Musk and online, handpicked weekly with bionic precision.
ten. You can now visit a virtual Gigafactory in a virtual Tesla Semi, thanks to a new collaboration between Tesla and the popular battle royale game PUBG Mobile. Look now.
9. The Ax deodorant brand is teasing a new fragrance, which will be released tomorrow, July 20. It smells like… Dogecoin? Crypto mining? The unmistakable stench of a dead meme? Dogecan, the deodorant we deserve.
8. At least one person won’t buy Dogecan – Dogecoin co-creator Jackson Palmer identifies crypto as “right-wing hypercapitalist technology” in a Twitter thread explaining why he’s not interested in re-entering the domain. He mentions that he disagrees politically with crypto and finds it dominated by “bought influencers and paid media.” I wonder where he got this idea from. Read more.
7. The first Tesla compressor ever to be built, located outside SpaceX’s headquarters in Hawthorne, Calif., Closed for good today. Read more.
6. Dutch company Squad Mobility has unveiled the Squad Solar City Car, a 6.5-foot-long solar electric car. The car can be parked ‘like a scooter’, charge just over 12 miles, and costs around $ 7,000 for buyers outside the EU. It’s an expensive scooter!
5. Last Friday, Reddit user u / VanillaGorilla posted a Wizard of Oz– esque video in r / teslamotors when his Tesla Model X not only survived the eye of a tornado, but filmed the entire dusty and destructive event. Give up, Tesla.
4. Starlink, which Musk says is expected to be available globally by August, could be a game-changer for more remote areas of the Cherokee Nation, providing tribal members with valuable connections to each other and online services like telehealth. Read more.
3. A California research group has developed a brain implant that helps a man who had a stroke more than 15 years ago to speak up. Read more.
2. NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover may have found little aliens burping. The emphasis is on “could have”.
1. And a piece of Musk’s story: Agitation Writer Trung Phan wrote a Twitter thread digging deeper into Blue Origin and SpaceX’s past days. The story begins with a meal Bezos and Musk shared in 2004, which led to some ignored advice, which then led to the couple’s controversial race to become our # 1 space billionaire. Go back in time.
The ultra-thin print – It was Musk readings # 256, the weekly recap of essential reading on futurist and entrepreneur Elon Musk. I am Ashley bardhan, assistant of Musk readings. I will resume the Monday newsletter for the summer.
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