Rocket Lab’s NASA Moon launch to kick off new era of ultra-cheap deep space exploration


Rocket Lab will soon take its tiny Electron rocket further than any similarly-sized vehicle before it, sending a NASA satellite to the Moon and potentially kicking off a new era of unprecedentedly cheap space exploration.

On February 14th, the world-leading small satellite launch company announced – alongside NASA – that the space agency had awarded it a $9.95 million launch contract worth $9.95 million to send the $13.7 million Cislunar Autonomous Positioning System Technology Operations and Navigation Experiment (CAPSTONE) CubeSat to lunar orbit. In other words, NASA has contracted a full-up scientific mission to the Moon for less than $25M total – almost unfathomably cheap compared to all interplanetary exploration performed in the last half-century.

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The mission announcement comes just four months after Rocket Lab announced at the International Astronautical Congress in Washington D.C., that it would utilize its small two-stage rocket, Electron, and proprietary satellite bus platform, Photon, to support lunar orbit missions. It also occurs just two months after the official opening of Rocket Lab’s Launch Complex 2 located in Wallops, Virginia – a dedicated facility to specifically service NASA and the US government launch contracts.

According to Ana Rivera, LSP program integration manager for CAPSTONE, the launch will be Rocket Lab’s “inaugural NASA launch from their new launch site at the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport in Virginia” and is expected to occur in the early part of 2021.

With a small extra fuel tank attached to its nose, Photon burns its small engine to send CAPSTONE on its way to the Moon. (Rocket Lab)

NASA’s CAPSTONE is a tiny spacecraft weighing around 55 lb (25 kg) – small enough for an equally tiny rocket to send it on an improbable journey. Rocket Lab’s two-stage Electron rocket will begin by launching CAPSTONE to LEO, where NASA says Photon – a Rocket Lab-built kick stage and satellite bus – will send CAPSTONE on its way to the Moon. CAPSTONE will then use its own propulsion system to enter a “Near Rectilinear Halo Orbit” (NRHO) around the Moon.

It is important to note that, under its own propulsion, CAPSTONE is expected to take nearly three months to reach its intended orbit around the moon. However, the CAPSTONE mission is an imperative one that could lead to better understandings about the journey to the moon and “can reduce navigation uncertainties ahead of our future missions using the same lunar orbit” according to Marshall Smith, director of human lunar exploration programs at NASA Headquarters.

https://twitter.com/RocketLab/status/1186725033344983040

Rocket Lab founder and CEO Peter Beck stated that Rocket Lab is “able to provide NASA with complete control over every aspect of launch and mission design for CAPSTONE, something typically only available to much larger spacecraft on larger launch vehicles. In the same way (Rocket Lab) opened access to low Earth orbit for small satellites, we’re proud to be bringing the Moon within reach to enable research and exploration.”

Photon – the all-in-one experience

Photon is a satellite bus platform designed with interplanetary delivery and deep space communication in mind. The small, but mighty, launch-to-orbit bus features downlink communication capability, radiation-tolerant avionics, and higher power generation. Photon is also able to precisely deploy multiple small payloads into various orbits enabling multiple mission launches supported by Rocket Lab’s proprietary Curie propulsion system.

In the era of NASA’s Artemis initiative to return astronauts to the moon, Beck explains that “small satellites will play a crucial role in science and exploration, as well as providing communications and navigation infrastructure to support returning humans to the Moon.” In this sense, small satellites will serve as pathfinders and build the necessary infrastructure prior to the arrival of more robust hardware such as NASA’s lunar spaceship Gateway and eventually human space travelers.

The Rocket Lab in-house designed and manufactured a small satellite platform – Photon. (Rocket Lab)

To date, Rocket Lab has successfully launched 11 missions and 48 satellites to low-Earth orbit. Eventually, Rocket Lab intends to use a recoverable and reusable Electron to loft Photon on interplanetary missions to lunar fly-by orbits, Near Rectilinear Halo Orbit (NRHO), and low-Lunar Orbit by the end of 2020. The two most recent missions – Running Out Of Fingers and Birds of a Feather – featured an upgraded first-stage of Electron that survived re-entry in one piece. This will hopefully lead to a fully recoverable first-stage rivaling the current recovery efforts of SpaceX with its first stage of the Falcon 9 boosters.

Check out Teslarati’s newsletters for prompt updates, on-the-ground perspectives, and unique glimpses of SpaceX’s rocket launch and recovery processes.

Rocket Lab’s NASA Moon launch to kick off new era of ultra-cheap deep space exploration

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Tesla Powerwalls will help keep the power on in Australia after horrendous bushfires


Tesla’s Powerwall residential battery storage system and Australian solar company 5B’s solar panels are being used by Atlassian co-founder and CEO Mike Cannon-Brookes’ new collective to assist those who have lost power due to the country’s tragic bushfires.

Cannon-Brookes, who previously pledged $12 million to help recovery efforts in Australia’s bushfire-affected regions, announced that he would be partnering with both Tesla and 5B on Twitter. Cannon-Brookes and wife Annie recently established the Resilient Energy Collective that will be geared towards providing alternative energy sources for those who live in regions that have been affected by the bushfires.

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Cannon-Brookes may be a familiar name to some after he made a bet with Elon Musk in 2017 when Tesla’s Big Battery was being installed in South Australia: Up and running in 100 days or Tesla pays. Musk made good on his promise and the Big Battery has just exhibited its strongest performance last quarter.

The Resilient Energy Collective’s solution will be offered to towns, businesses, and residents. The Powerwalls and solar panels provided by the two companies are expected to last decades and are going to be installed as soon as possible.

“After a horror summer, many Aussies need our help to get their lives back on track. We’ve got to do all we can to get them back on their feet,” Cannon-Brookes said to the Australian Financial Review. “In three weeks we’ve come together, found the technology, adapted it, put it on trucks and right now it’s operating, generating electricity.”

Not only can these solar solutions be installed promptly, they can be transferred quickly, too. The technology the collective will use, “is flexible and can be packed up and moved onto another site within a day, making it useful for shorter-term building projects,” the collective’s website states.

The collective has already started operating in several towns, including Cobargo, New South Wales by getting a series of systems back in operation. “This unit is supplying a police radio tower and an RFS, National Parks, and radio tower. It was installed and operational in less than two days and has saved RFS volunteers from spending valuable time refueling generators,” according to the collective’s site.

In Goongerah, Victoria, a Town Hall office is back in operation and is poised to provide residents with relief services, internet connection, refrigeration for food, and access to community meetings.

The teamwork from Tesla, 5B, and the Resilient Energy Collective will expedite the rollout of solutions that can address the power issues in the country which resulted from the wildfires in the area. With the help and good nature of both Musk and Cannon-Brookes, the lights will be back on in Australia soon enough.

Tesla Powerwalls will help keep the power on in Australia after horrendous bushfires

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Tesla Model Y spotted zipping around Fremont test track ahead of expected March deliveries


New footage of the Tesla Model Y has emerged showing the company’s first all-electric crossover at the test track outside of the Fremont production plant where it ran spirited laps and launches. The Model Y can be seen testing at the factory’s South Lot, performing through a series of banked turns at the company’s testing facility.

Twitter user Nicolae B. (@earthling_dream) spotted multiple Model Y vehicles roaming around Tesla’s test park on February 24. The video of the electric crossover driving through the turn and accelerating out into a straightaway gives viewers the impression that despite its Model X-like spacious design it can still perform as well as its smaller, best-in-class Model 3 sibling.

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The second video shows two Model Ys that appear to be gearing up for launches on a drag strip. One vehicle appears to be making its way to the starting line, while the other seems to have just finished a run. Nicolae states that all of the Model Y vehicles being tested that day were Performance variants, and it would not be a surprise considering its impressive display of acceleration out of the turn.

The sighting of the Model Y on the track hints that Tesla’s Model Y is developing as expected after the company announced that the Model Y would begin deliveries in March ahead of its initial originally planned Summer 2020 delivery date.

This is not the first time Tesla has uncorked the Model Y at the Fremont test track. It was spotted ripping through the track in mid-December 2019 by Global Equities Research analyst Trip Chowdhry. During a visit to Fremont for a factory check, Chowdhry spoke highly of the Model Y after watching it rip around the track, indicating that the vehicle’s performance was impressive considering its “super-high speeds during rain and heavy winds.”

The Model Y will initially be available in a Dual-Motor Long Range and Dual-Motor Performance variants. The Long Range variant will offer an EPA estimated 315 miles of range with a 135 MPH top speed, while the Performance variant will have a 280-mile range rating (when equipped with larger Uberturbine wheels) and a top speed of 145 MPH.

Tesla Model Y spotted zipping around Fremont test track ahead of expected March deliveries

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Tesla rival Audi hits the pause button on e-tron production


The Audi factory in Belgium paused the production of the e-tron SUV citing production issues such as a battery supply bottleneck. The production of Audi Brussels was shut down Thursday last week and is expected to last until Tuesday.

According to Audi insiders, aside from battery supply issues, there are also shortages of other parts such as rear lights for the e-tron and even sun visors, reported Belgian publication L’Echo.

The spokesperson for Audi’s plant in Brussels clarified that the production issues are not because of the coronavirus outbreak in China where global car manufacturers’ factories for car parts are located.

The factory in Brussels produces the Audi e-tron and the e-tron Sportback, the first two electric vehicles of the German carmaker under the umbrella of Volkswagen. Audi sold about 26,400 e-trons in 2019 but the company declined to give an estimate on deliveries this year, according to Bloomberg.

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The current halt in production shows how traditional carmakers struggle to keep up with the pace of Tesla, the undoubted leader in the electric vehicle industry today. Unlike traditional car manufacturers, a recent teardown of the Model 3 by Nikkei Business Publications revealed that Tesla does not depend on multiple other suppliers for its parts, allowing it to push itself to the limits in terms of technologies it wants to use for its vehicles.

In January, Volkswagen CEO Herbert Deiss emphasized during a global board meeting with the company’s senior managers that they need to act fast to avoid having a similar fate as Finnish phone maker Nokia that wasn’t able to keep up with the technology. This announcement came just a couple months after Audi announced that it plans to cut 9,500 jobs through 2025, which will save it 6 billion euros and help fund its push to make electric cars.

Audi Brussels’ halt in e-tron production paints a picture of how labeled “Tesla Killers” simply don’t match the current technologies and capabilities of the electric car maker, despite having the resources for the production of petrol-powered cars. Putting car parts together to make a vehicle is one thing but they still need to catch up in other aspects such as connectivity and driver-assist systems, among other things.

Oh, of course, the killer blow can also be seen when you look at the details, too. The image of an Audi e-tron’s cockpit reminding its owner to change oil is just difficult to look at just like this one below shared by Twitter user  Georg Konjovic.

Tesla rival Audi hits the pause button on e-tron production

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Tesla Cybertruck’s real-time response to payload via active suspension will upend the pickup truck industry


Tesla CEO Elon Musk has revealed that the Tesla Cybertruck will come with a payload and towing calculator that shows real-time data to help drivers understand how extra loads affect the pickup truck and the vehicle’s driving experience.

Musk confirmed the feature in a series of tweets that mentioned the Cybertruck’s laser blade lights and 82″ width. “Yes, will also show real-time changes to max acceleration, braking, cornering, speed on gradient & range, latter factoring in route elevation changes & cargo or tow mass & drag impact,” Musk wrote.

Knowing how the Cybertruck is performing, be it while towing cargo or not, having access to vital information in real-time will allow the driver to make necessary adjustments to ensure a safe and optimal driving experience. The real-time data will be crucial in helping the driver plan a tight turn, execute an overtake maneuver with a heavy payload, or plan for negotiating steep downgrade with cargo in tow. Any additional load on the Cybertruck, or on any vehicle for that matter, can impact how the vehicle responds to braking, turning, or even parking. Of course, another big consideration will be how the extra load will impact the Cybertruck’s range.

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The Tesla Cybertruck definitely has the brute power to handle heavy payloads with its entry-level single motor variant capable of towing more than 7,500 pounds and its Tri-Motor All-Wheel Drive version boasting a towing capacity of more than 14,000 pounds. It also has the technologies that will allow it to handle the different dynamics when towing or carrying cargo.

Elon Musk, for example, suggested that Cybertruck’s active ride height and the suspension’s active damping capability can help make for a smoother ride that will also maximize efficiency especially in vehicles where the weight ratio is imbalanced. But dynamically sensing the differences in front and rear weight and making real-time adjustments to its weight distribution by changing ride height and suspension damping, Cybertruck will have maximum performance regardless of its use case. This, in turn, will ensure energy consumption is kept to a minimum thereby negating range impacts.

Furthermore, Tesla will be able to train its neural net with suspension data gathered from its Cybertruck fleet to further improve the driving experience based on load and terrain for a given geography through over-the-air software updates.

While details still remain thin on how an actual payload and towing calculator will be integrated into the Cybertrucks interface, having real-time data with dynamic vehicle response to cargo will be an eye-opening game-changer for the pickup truck industry.

The towing calculator makes the Cybertruck even more interesting. Aside from allowing drivers to adjust their driving skills and help manage the extra demand to the vehicle when one is pulling or carrying a load,  it can be one factor that wins the pickup truck game for Tesla. No more tug of war needed.

Tesla Cybertruck’s real-time response to payload via active suspension will upend the pickup truck industry

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SpaceX’s next military launch cleared for historic rocket landing attempt


SpaceX officially has permission to perform a Falcon 9 booster recovery after its next launch for the US Air Force, now guaranteed to be the first time a rocket booster attempts to land during an operational launch for the US military.

Alongside their booster landing attempt confirmation, the USAF Space and Missile Systems Center (SMC) also posted the first official SpaceX video of a rocket acceptance test released in almost 2.5 years, a test it says was completed just days after the GPS satellite it’s scheduled to launch arrived in Florida. The very same Falcon 9 booster was shown off in unprecedented detail just last month and now SMC says that SpaceX fired up the rocket at its McGregor, Texas development facilities for a routine static fire on February 13th. The company is currently scheduled to launch its second USAF GPS III satellite – Space Vehicle 03 (SV03) – no earlier than 7am EDT (11:00 UTC), April 29th, a target set just days ago.

With the spacecraft in Florida and factory-fresh Falcon 9 booster successfully proofed, all that remains is for SpaceX to test and deliver the mission’s Falcon upper stage and payload fairing (if it hasn’t already). After the booster – believed to be B1060 – is inspected and its tanks are cleaned, it can also be packaged and transported by road the rest of the way to SpaceX’s Florida launch facilities, setting the company up for the critical mission and historic landing attempt.

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While SpaceX has technically already landed Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy boosters after its NROL-76 and STP-2 launches for the NRO and USAF, the company only officially began operational military launches once its Falcon 9 rocket was fully certified. STP-2, for example, was effectively high-stakes make-work designed to help the USAF fully certify SpaceX’s brand new Falcon Heavy rocket to launch expensive – verging on irreplaceable – military satellites.

Its first truly operational US military launch occurred in December 2018, when Falcon 9 booster B1054 was intentionally expended in support the USAF’s inaugural GPS III launch, successfully placing the first of 10 (or 32) planned upgraded navigation satellites into orbit. It’s believed that the USAF required such extreme safety margins (extra propellant and performance) that SpaceX couldn’t even attempt booster or fairing recovery. This made B1054 the first (and hopefully only) Falcon 9 Block 5 booster to launch without even the basic hardpoints needed to attach landing legs.

Falcon 9 lifts off with the US Air Force’s first ~$500M GPS III spacecraft, December 2018. (SpaceX)

Effectively confirming that B1054’s demise was was a contrivance and by no means a technical necessity, the SMC announced on February 20th that SpaceX’s GPS III SV03 mission is officially “the first time a booster is planned to land on a drone ship during a NSS [National Security Space] launch.” Effectively identical to B1054 aside from the addition of grid fins and landing legs, this means that Falcon 9 booster B1060 will be able to attempt a landing aboard a SpaceX drone ship shortly after launch.

The GPS III SV03 satellite is seen in September 2019 as technicians prepare it for transport. (Lockheed Martin)

Just like GPS III SV01 satellite launched by SpaceX in December 2018 and the GPS III SV02 satellite launched United Launch Alliance (ULA) launched in August 2019, GPS III SV03 is a more than $500 million spacecraft designed to upgrade the US GPS navigation constellation. SpaceX has already won five (of five) competitively-awarded GPS III launch contracts thanks to its Falcon 9 rocket’s exceptionally competitive pricing, meaning that there is an excellent chance the company will win many more in the near future.

GPS III SV03 is one of 10 “Block IIIA” satellites to be launched between 2018 and 2026 and will be followed by another 22 “Block IIIF” satellites to be built by Lockheed Martin for ~$330M apiece. All 26 unassigned spacecraft will need launches of their own between now and the mid-2030s, worth anywhere from $1-2.5B to SpaceX if the company performs well on all five of its first contracts and continues to crush competitor ULA on launch costs.

Falcon Heavy Flight 3 made use of both flight-proven side boosters and a new center core. Note the scorched landing legs and sooty exteriors. (SpaceX)
Falcon Heavy launched the USAF STP-2 mission with two flight-proven side boosters, launched barely 74 days after their first flights. Note the scorched landing legs and sooty exteriors. (NASA – Kim Shiflett)
USAF photographer James Rainier's remote camera captured this spectacular view of Falcon Heavy Block 5 side boosters B1052 and B1053 returning to SpaceX Landing Zones 1 and 2. (USAF - James Rainier)
Through Falcon Heavy STP-2, the Air Force has thus already directly supported an incredibly ambitious instance of orbital-class booster reuse. (USAF – James Rainier)

With the USAF already demonstrably interested in supporting Falcon booster reusability and now open to SpaceX recovering Falcon 9 boosters after moderately-challenging GPS III launches, it’s safe to say that SpaceX’s ultra-competitive pricing is here to stay.

Check out Teslarati’s newsletters for prompt updates, on-the-ground perspectives, and unique glimpses of SpaceX’s rocket launch and recovery processes.

SpaceX’s next military launch cleared for historic rocket landing attempt

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Tesla Model Y spotted testing with roof racks installed


A Tesla Model Y with roof racks has been spotted, giving us a first look at how the roof-mounted rails will appear on the all-electric crossover.

The sighting of the Model Y with a low profile roof rack mounted atop the vehicle’s all-glass roof took place on CA State Route 237 in Sunnyvale, a stone’s throw away from Tesla’s Palo Alto headquarters in the San Francisco Bay Area.

In the video shared by RTK, the Model Y roof rack with crossbars looks very reminiscent of the Model 3 roof rack that Tesla currently offers in its online shop. Considering that the Model Y is largely based on the Model 3 platform and share roughly 75% of its components, one can presume that the roof racks will also be very similar in design and fitment, if not the same.

Assuming the later, the Model Y roof rack will feature an easy installation process that attaches to four mounting points on the vehicle’s all-glass roof. Tesla has traditionally used clips that slide beneath the rubber gasket alongside the glass roof and anchor to the roof rack’s factory connection points. One can assume that the roof rack installation process for the Model Y roof rack would be no different than the Model 3.

Tesla’s roof rack is generally constructed of powder-coated aluminum and features a T-slot that runs along the crossbar. With max load rating typically around 150 lbs, the rack can be used to secure a variety of roof-mounted items, including skis, bikes, and cargo boxes when used with proper attachments.

Although Tesla Model Y does not come with a standard roof rack, according to what’s seen on the vehicle’s online configurator, we can expect that it will eventually be sold separately on the company’s online shop like Model 3.

Tesla Model Y spotted testing with roof racks installed

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Tesla Model X with early-gen Autopilot tackles muddy rural roads ravaged by Storm Dennis


A Tesla Model X owner with early generation Autopilot hardware demonstrated the vehicle’s ability to negotiate multiple tight turns on a wet, muddy, and partially-unmarked country road hit by Storm Dennis.

YouTuber Tesla Driver went out for a drive to check out the aftermath of severe flooding around Hereford, a town about three hours away from London, that was recently ravaged by Storm Dennis.

The interesting portion of the video footage shows the Tesla Model X on an earlier-generation of Autopilot hardware from 2017 was able to interpret a muddy portion of the road that was lined with cones and safely navigate through potential hazard areas. The driver set the speed to 10 mph and was amazed when the vehicle followed the cones despite the cones not showing up on the screen. The next challenge was if the Model X will move to the correct lane while negotiating a tight corner despite the unfavorable road conditions, and the Tesla Autopilot did not disappoint.

“Wow! It actually did that,” Tesla Driver can be heard saying after the vehicle did what he wanted it to do.

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Despite being on an earlier version of Autopilot hardware dubbed Hardware 2.0, the three-year-old Model X was able to identify the cones along the road, despite not having the same visualizations as displayed in AP Hardware 3.0 vehicles, and seamlessly traverse a make-shift lane while using Navigate on Autopilot.

What’s even more impressive with the Model X owner’s experience is its ability to seemingly leverage Tesla’s increasingly smarter neural network to navigate complex road conditions despite being on three-year-old Autopilot hardware. Tesla Autopilot has logged over 2 billion miles since November 2019 and for the electric carmaker, this means tons of invaluable data that have been fed into its neural network that actively learns how to make its fleet of electric vehicles capable of handling real-world driving scenarios.

Check out the video below showing a Tesla Model X with Enhanced Autopilot 2.0 hardware take on the muddy backroads ravaged by Storm Dennis.

Tesla Model X with early-gen Autopilot tackles muddy rural roads ravaged by Storm Dennis

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Tesla Cybertruck will have “laser blade lights” and adjusted dimensions


Tesla Cybertruck’s width will be roughly 82 inches and the vehicle will come standard with upper “laser blade lights”, according to the most recent update provided by CEO Elon Musk.

Musk clarified via Twitter that the previously announced width of the upcoming all-electric truck might be too small. The Cybetruck officially measured 84 inches wide when it was unveiled in Los Angeles last November 2019, but he estimated a possible reconfiguration to around 80 inches wide to make the Cybertruck fit in typical garage setups.

The Tesla Cybertruck will also feature upper laser blade lights, the aesthetically futuristic bar of lights across the top of the truck’s windshield. While details about this feature are very limited, the laser blade lights are said to help provide the driver with better visibility, especially needed in challenging terrain or dark outback excursions. Additionally, the laser blade lights add a cool factor to the dystopian vehicle that has reportedly caught the interest of over 500,000 reservation holders since its debut.

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Elon Musk was pretty generous with Tesla Cybertruck updates Friday night. When asked if the much-awaited pickup truck’s look will generally be the same, he said that “it’s slightly better.”

This latest Cybertruck news from Musk also shows how Tesla listens to the electric vehicle community just like when Musk confirmed that owners will be able to comfortably camp in the Cybertruck’s truck bed and that it would come with a flip stop for those hauling long cargo.

Unclear is how Tesla’s electric pickup might fit in a typical residential garage in the United States. In response to Teslarati’s story on how one Youtuber used a to-scale Cybertruck AR mobile app to discover that the truck’s dimensions were too big for a home garage, Musk responded with his thoughts on how Cybertruck’s length and width can be adjusted.

Typical two-car garages in the United States measure around 20×20, 22×22, or 24×24 feet. While these measurements are fine for the usual sedans and SUVs like the Model S, Model X and Model 3, or crossovers such as the Model Y, things can get a bit tight for mid-size utility pickups like the Tesla Cybertruck that originally measured 231.7 inches long, 84 inches wide, and 75 inches high. The parking issue is not unique to the Cybertruck as owners of Ford F-150 Supercrew and Dodge RAM pickups have reported that their trucks are often too long to fit inside their garages. With the adjusted width, the Cybertruck will fit in the same external envelope as full-size SUVs just like how Elon Musk pictures it.

The Cybertruck’s Tri-Motor and Dual Motor versions are expected to hit the production line in 2021.

Tesla Cybertruck Dimensions

  • Width: 82″ (2083 mm)
  • Height: 75″ (1905 mm)
  • Length: 225″ to 231″ (5715 mm to 5892 mm)
  • Wheelbase: 149.9″ (3807 mm)

Tesla Cybertruck will have “laser blade lights” and adjusted dimensions

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Tesla’s CATL partnership in China is a strategic play that sets the stage for market domination


Tesla’s deal with battery supplier Contemporary Amperex Technology Co Ltd (CATL) for its Made-in-China Model 3 is a strategic move that will deepen the company’s roots in the world’s largest automotive market.

CATL is expected to supply a “zero cobalt” prismatic lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries that the carmaker would use in its Model 3 sedan for the domestic market.

Reduce Battery Costs While Doing Good

The LFP batteries are expected to be cheaper by a “double-digit percent” compared to the existing batteries Tesla is using for its locally-produced Model 3. Benchmark Mineral Intelligence, a price reporting agency that specializes in lithium-ion batteries for EVs, estimates that Tesla will save more than 25% in cost compared to what the carmaker spends for batteries used for Model 3s in the United States.

Tesla uses cylindrical nickel-cobalt-aluminum (NCA) batteries for its vehicles which typically have lower cobalt content than industry-popular nickel-cobalt-aluminum (NCM) batteries used by other electric vehicle manufacturers. However, as the world begins to better understand the human toll for cobalt mining, Tesla CEO Elon Musk has expressed his intentions to cut cobalt-use in Tesla batteries. Thereby paving the way for a partnership with a battery cell manufacturer that has a zero to limited-need for cobalt – CATL.

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CATL will use its cell-to-pack (CTP) technology to improve the energy density and safety of the zero-cobalt batteries. Using the technology that involves more than 70 core patents, CATL can up the mass-energy density of the LFP batteries by 10 to 15 percent, reduce the number of parts of battery packs by around 40 percent, and improve volume utilization efficiency by 15 to 20 percent.  The battery manufacturer also claims that it is taking steps to increase the energy density of its LPF batteries using CTP technology by 2024.

All of these factors make the equation a win-win for Tesla. Aside from the cost savings, the zero-cobalt batteries for the China Model 3 may also help improve the production process and help Giga Shanghai hit a 3,000 units per week run rate, consistently. Plus,  Tesla’s partnership with a Chinese supplier can only help further improve its relationship with the government that has welcomed it with open arms.

Small Step To Reduce Cost, Big Step To Conquer China

Tesla’s Giga Shanghai has so far been impressive. The first vehicle production plant for Tesla outside of the US is practically a miracle by all standards. The facility was built from the ground up and it churned out its first locally-made Model 3s after 10 months.

It also makes sense to set up a car factory in the biggest automotive market in the world that brought roughly $3 billion in revenues to Tesla’s coffers in 2019 and positioned Tesla to conquer China.

“I feel there is a pretty big fundamental efficiency gain that Tesla has by just making cars, especially affordable cars than 3 and Y, at least on the continent where the customers are. what we’re doing — or have been doing in the past was really pretty silly in making cars in California and then shipping them halfway around the world…,” Musk said during the Q4 2019 earnings call.

The Made-in-China Model 3. (Credit: Tesla China)

With the CATL zero-cobalt batteries for MIC Model 3s, Tesla further localizes its supply chain in China. With localization, analysts believe that the China-made Model 3 can practically be a cash cow for Tesla.

A partnership with CATL can also put Tesla on a path to achieving higher profit margins for the China Model 3 while still being able to lower the price of its vehicles, thereby stimulating local demand even more.

According to Tesla CFO Zachary Kirkhorn, the margins coming out of Giga Shanghai is expected to match that of vehicles coming out of Fremont. “And so if you add all of this up, our internal estimates are a pretty significant reduction in the cost of Model 3 in China relative to Fremont, but I think it’s also important to keep in mind that the cost of the Standard Plus that we’re selling out of Shanghai is also lower than that of the similar car coming out of Fremont from price perspective. And so and I’ve said this on previous earnings calls, I think it’s fair to expect the margin coming out of the Shanghai facility to match the same margin for the vehicle in Fremont,” noted Kirkhorn in Tesla’s Q4 earnings call.

With Tesla’s MIC Model 3 as an electric car for the masses, Elon Musk and his car brand can help change China. The government sees Tesla as a catalyst for its slumping automotive industry and a spark to help transition the wider population from internal combustion engines to electric vehicles, which in turn can help combat air pollution that causes over 1 million deaths per year in the country and costing its economy roughly $40 billion annually.

The zero-cobalt batteries by the CATL for the China Tesla Model 3 might be one of the essential ingredients to further help TSLA skyrocket and drive the brand to consistent profitability.

Tesla’s CATL partnership in China is a strategic play that sets the stage for market domination

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