🤖 Kim’s new BFF: Kim Kardashian’s showing off her new Tesla robot on X and Instagram. In one clip, she makes half of a heart with her hand and the bot completes it. In another, she teaches it to blow a kiss and tries the game Rock, Paper, Scissors. Optimus goes into full production by 2026 for $20,000 to $30,000 a pop. I wonder if another Kim K. can get a freebie …
Elon’s future: Autonomous cabs, vans and robot butlers
I know you’ve seen it all over the news. Elon Musk took to the stage at Warner Bros. Studios in Burbank to spotlight what he says is the future of transportation … and to show off his army of cowboy-hat-wearing robots. Will any of this make it to production and into our homes? Well, I’ll get to that.
First up, the Cybercab
It’s Tesla’s version of a self-driving robo-taxi (skip to 54:00), with no steering wheel and no pedals. Musk says it’s 10 times safer than human drivers thanks to Tesla’s Full Self-Driving (FSD) software.
In 2023, a Tesla Model Y in FDS mode hit a student stepping off a school bus. In April, a Model S using it hit and killed a 28-year-old motorcyclist.
A National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) investigation published in April found 542 crashes, including 14 with fatalities, occurred in Tesla vehicles with Autopilot or FSD engaged between January 2018 and August 2023.
The expected price for the Cybercab? Under $30,000. Tesla’s goal is to get these robo-taxis on the streets in California and Texas next year. In 2026, the rollout would happen all across the country. Given how long it took Waymo and Cruise to get approval for their autonomous taxis, I’m not holding my breath.
Then, there’s the Robovan
It’s an autonomous EV that fits up to 20 passengers … or all the Ikea boxes you can Tetris in. The Robovan took a lap (skip to 1:10:00) around the test course. It looks neat (and sort of like a huge toaster), but no price was mentioned.
The operating cost for the Robovan is 5 to 10 cents per mile per passenger, which is a lot cheaper than a city bus. If Elon can pull it off, this would be great, and, as he said, we can turn parking lots into parks.
The main attraction: Optimus
Tesla’s humanoid robot, Optimus, is designed to help around the house, act as a caregiver and keep you company. They’re 5 feet, 8 inches tall; they weigh 125 pounds; and they look a lot like the bots in Isaac Asimov’s “I, Robot.” One came out to pick up a few objects and shuffle around the stage to demonstrate its range of movement.
Another Optimus model danced around in a cowboy hat (skip to 1:30:00) and passed out cocktails. Giddyap. Here’s a bunch of Optimus bots dancing (skip to 1:16:00) to “Baby Don’t Hurt Me,” because … why not?
🚨 Over 660,000 vehicles recalled: Ram, Honda, GM, Volkswagen and Tesla are dealing with headlight malfunctions, fire risks, faulty tailgates, fuel leaks and brake failures. Yikes. Fixes are free. Check your recall status, then call your dealership instead of waiting for a letter in the mail.
6 recalls in 12 months
For Tesla’s Cybertruck, which now has a defective drive inverter. Wow, a recall every two months! The faulty inverter may cause a loss of power to the wheels and affects over 2,400 vehicles. Own one? Look for a notification.
Tesla: 'We, Robot' event livestream
I know you’ve seen it all over the news: Elon Musk recently took to the stage at Warner Bros. Studios in Burbank to spotlight what he says is the future of transportation — and show off his army of cowboy hat-wearing robots. Will any of this make it to production and into our driveways? Well, we’ll see.
It cost him $165,999: A driver bricked his new Cybertruck in less than 24 hours. Only a day into owning it, the truck failed to defrost, wouldn’t shift gears and completely shut down. Its owner spent four hours on the phone with Tesla’s customer service, but the vehicle ultimately had to be towed.
Tesla has the highest rate of accidents where at least one occupant is killed: The numbers don’t lie. The Model S has a fatal accident rate 4.8 times higher than the average SUV. The fatal accident rate of Tesla’s Model Y is also double that of the average car. It’s sad when you think about how many folks put their full trust in the autopilot features. You’re a fool if you do.
🤖 Kim’s new BFF: Nope, not me Kim — the other Kim K.! Kim Kardashian’s showing off her new butt Tesla robot on X and Instagram. In one clip, she makes half of a heart with her hand and the bot completes it. In another, she teaches it to blow a kiss and tries the game Rock, Paper, Scissors. Optimus goes into full production by 2026 for $20,000 to $30,000 a pop. I wonder if this Kim K. can get a freebie …
😔 Tragic accident: Four people died after their Tesla Model Y crashed into a pillar and burst into flames. A bystander smashed a window open, saving a fifth passenger. So sad. If you have a Tesla, watch this video so you know how to open the doors when there’s no power.
$1,249 a month
Cost to lease a Tesla Cybertruck for 36 months. Put $7,500 down and the payment shrinks to $999 a month. Yeah, even with the gas savings, this is ridiculously expensive.
No. 2 in EV sales
For automaker GM, which sold 32,000 electric vehicles in the U.S. during the third quarter. Ford insists they’re still in the second spot, claiming “GM is adding every brand EV” they sell, including Chevy, GMC and Cadillac. You guessed it — Tesla remains No. 1. You know what they say: 95% of electric cars are still on the road; the other 5% made it all the way home.
One of the hardest parts of owning a $100,000 Cybertruck? Keeping it clean. Its stainless-steel exterior attracts fingerprints and smudges like flies to 💩. Tesla says the car wash is a no-no, and the official $130 detailing kit is sold out. Owners are resorting to window cleaner, baby wipes and good old-fashioned car shampoo (paywall link).
Every 13 miles
How often Tesla’s Full Self-Driving mode requires human intervention. In a 1,000-mile test, drivers had to intervene to prevent dangerous behavior more than 75 times. The good: Self-driving mode brakes for pedestrians and lets oncoming cars through. The bad: It also runs red lights and drives into oncoming traffic. Just say no.
50,000 gallons of water
To put out a Tesla Semi fire. After a crash in California, the truck’s massive lithium-ion battery reached up to 1,000 degrees Fahrenheit. Firefighters had to call in an aircraft to drop fire retardant around the electric semi to make sure the fire didn’t spread.
🅿️ Police are towing Teslas from crime scenes: This is wild. When a Tesla is in Sentry mode, its onboard cameras capture what’s happening around the vehicle when there’s sound or movement detected. Police know that to get the footage, they need access to the USB drive in the glove box. If the owner is MIA, cops get a search warrant and tow the EV into evidence.
$48 per hour
To train Tesla’s humanoid robot, Optimus. “Data collection operators” can make $25.25 to $48.00 an hour, but the job is a weird one. You wear a motion-capture suit and VR headset and perform mundane tasks to teach a bot how to do them. Apply here, and be ready to walk at least seven hours a day.
🤦🏼♀️ Can’t make this up: A Tesla Model S caught fire after a tourist plugged it directly into an illegal power line in Mexico. There are plenty of EV charging stations around Tijuana, but they wanted to save some cash. This dope ended up burning down someone’s house, too.
$1.5 billion raised
By AI defense tech startup, Anduril. It’s run by the founder of Oculus VR, Palmer Luckey, who wants to create a Tesla-style factory that pumps out autonomous drones and other AI battlefield tech.