"As of 2016, the number of American car companies that haven't gone bankrupt is a grand total of two: Ford and Tesla"
Elon Musk News
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TESLA MASTER PLAN, PART DEUX 📰🔋🚗 July 22nd 2016
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Featured Quote
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"As of 2016, the number of American car companies that haven't gone bankrupt is a grand total of two: Ford and Tesla"
— Elon Musk
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SpaceX
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Two days after its launch, SpaceX's Dragon cargo capsule was pulled in for its hookup to the International Space Station today as the spacecraft soared 252 miles above the California-Oregon state line. Among the nearly 5,000 pounds of cargo were the first DNA sequencer destined for use in space, and a 5-foot-wide docking adapter that will accommodate future commercial space taxis – including an upgraded version of the uncrewed Dragon that pulled in today.
"We've captured us a Dragon," said NASA astronaut Jeff Williams, who grappled the capsule with the station's robotic arm. "We look forward to the work it brings."
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Check out this great video by Real Engineering which outlines SpaceX's journey to Mars. Watch it here |
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SpaceX nailed its fifth successful rocket landing in a brilliant overnight flight today (July 18), and to celebrate we've combined all five of the private spaceflight company's booster landings into this single awesome video.
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Tesla
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Written by Elon Musk, the 'Master Plan, Part Deux' outlines the future of Tesla.
Part of the reason I wrote the first master plan was to defend against the inevitable attacks Tesla would face accusing us of just caring about making cars for rich people, implying that we felt there was a shortage of sports car companies or some other bizarre rationale. Unfortunately, the blog didn't stop countless attack articles on exactly these grounds, so it pretty much completely failed that objective.
However, the main reason was to explain how our actions fit into a larger picture, so that they would seem less random. The point of all this was, and remains, accelerating the advent of sustainable energy, so that we can imagine far into the future and life is still good. That's what "sustainable" means. It's not some silly, hippy thing -- it matters for everyone.
So, in short, Master Plan, Part Deux is:
- Create stunning solar roofs with seamlessly integrated battery storage
- Expand the electric vehicle product line to address all major segments
- Develop a self-driving capability that is 10X safer than manual via massive fleet learning
- Enable your car to make money for you when you aren't using it
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Elon Musk's highly anticipated "Master Plan Part 2" is chock full of interesting new, but vague details on Tesla's plans but probably one of the most exciting is the new SUV and pickup consumer vehicles included.
We've known for quite awhile that Tesla was working on a compact SUV, dubbed the Model Y, that would be built on the Model 3 platform. Musk himself Tweet-stormed about it and even hinted that it might have the Falcon Wing doors of its bigger Model X cousin.
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Since we first reported on Tesla's v8.0 software update being tested in beta, the company has been pushing a few new versions prior to the wide release in order to refine the improvements – primarily to the Autopilot – but a recent comment by CEO Elon Musk raises an interesting question.
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As part of the reveal of his 'Master Plan Part 2', CEO Elon Musk elaborated on the automaker's plan for the role of car ownership and ride-sharing in the future of the company. Musk confirmed that once Tesla achieves full autonomy and it is approved by regulators (2 to 3 years based on his previous statements), the automaker plans for Tesla owners to be able to loan their car to a 'shared autonomous fleet' and make money while they are not using it.
He also added that Tesla will operate its own fleet parallel to the Tesla owners shared fleet in cities "where demand exceeds the supply of customer-owned cars". It will ensure that people using the app will always be able to hail a ride.
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A quote attributed to writer William Gibson posits that "the future is already here, it's just not very evenly distributed." Well, Tesla co-founder and CEO Elon Musk just told us when that will change — at least when it comes to car ownership. More precisely, he said that by 2022, nearly everyone will be able to afford a Tesla, but here's the catch: They won't need to.
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Hyperloop
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The legal battle threatening the very future of Hyperloop just got nastier. Today, Hyperloop One countersued its co-founder and former CTO Brogan BamBrogan and three others, with a story full of shouting, sexist remarks, inebriation, and an attempted mutiny.
Last week, BamBrogan and three colleagues sued Hyperloop One and four executives, accusing them of everything from breach of fiduciary duty to violating labor laws to inflicting emotional duress. Among other things, the suit—which really is insane—alleges that general counsel Afshin Pishevar left a noose on BamBrogan's desk and co-founder Shervin Pishevar wildly overpaid his fiancée. The countersuit is no less crazy, offering a rebuttal to every allegation.
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Imagine an elevator that moves without attached cables, and can travel horizontally or vertically, sharing a shaft with several other cabs. That is the vision of German industrial conglomerate Thyssenkrupp AG, which aims to use magnetic-levitation technology to revolutionize a business that has essentially delivered the same product for over a century.
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SolarCity
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Despite the strong negative media reaction to Tesla's proposed acquisition of SolarCity and subsequent 10% stock price decrease, Elon Musk now says that he is convinced the merger will pass after talking to the companies' major investors. In an interview with the Wall Street Journal (Paywall), the CEO confirmed that he has been meeting with Tesla's biggest shareholders and mutual funds:
"The most informed investors are highly supportive of the transaction," Mr. Musk said. As of last week, he said he had "yet to talk to an investor after I have fully explained the situation and not had them support it."
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This Is The End
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Thanks so much for reading the 28th issue! If a friend forwarded this to you and you want to subscribe go to elonmusknews.org.
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