LNG: TESLARATI

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.

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.

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In a recent talk about the emerging electric truck market, Edmunds believes that the Tesla Cybertruck is one of the more exciting players to compete with the likes of Rivian’s R1T and the GMC Hummer EV.

Edmunds’ Feature Content Manager Carlos Lago and Content Strategist Will Kaufman talked about the growing electric truck sector. “There are a lot of ETs (electric trucks) coming our way, seemingly out of nowhere. There used to be just a bunch of rumors and now we seem to have a crowded market place,” Lago said.

With Rivian’s R1T hitting the production lines at the end of 2020, GM unveiling its Hummer EV during Super Bowl Sunday, and Ford releasing a battery-electric version of its popular F-150 pickup, truck owners have a lot to look forward to if they’re looking for “guilt-free” travel and towing. But the Cybertruck is unlike any truck before it, and Edmunds recognizes that.

The Cybertruck’s futuristic and Blade Runner inspired look resonates nicely with both Lago and Kaufman, who state they would love seeing an unorthodox vehicle design on the road. More impressive, however, is the Cybertruck’s expected specifications for towing capacity, payload rating, and range.

According to Lago and Kaufman, one of the most compelling questions Tesla will need to answer is how to handle a decrease in range when owners are towing. Edmunds‘ towing test with the Tesla Model X proved to provide plenty of hoops to jump through, like frequent charging stops because of decreased range. This is one of the biggest tests Tesla faces according to Lago and Kaufman.

Tesla has stated the Cybertruck will be capable of hauling 3,500-lbs of payload. This is an impressive number considering the Ford F-150’s heavy-duty payload package offers a best-in-class 3,270-lbs. Lago was curious to see how Tesla plans to combat the notoriously rough ride of a truck with a heavy payload rating. The drawbacks of a heavy payload bring on increased suspension stiffness and decreased ride comfortability, something Tesla plans to address with its four-corner air suspension system to fight this issue that has plagued numerous pickups in the past.

The Cybertruck was without a doubt one of the most talked-about stories in the auto industry in 2019 when it made its grand debut. While Tesla still has to figure out some details with the Cybertruck, like working on headlights and taillights that are Department of Transportation compliant, there is time. The Cybertruck is expected to begin production in late 2021 with its Dual and Tri-Motor variants.

Watch Edmunds team discuss the Tesla Cybertruck, Rivian R1T, and the GMC Hummer EV in the segment below.

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Argentinian space agency CONAE says that both its SAOCOM 1B satellite and SpaceX are on track for a type of launch that the United States’ East Coast hasn’t supported in more than half a century.

CONAE has revealed that SpaceX aims to launch the ~2800 kg (6200 lb) radar Earth observation satellite into orbit on a Falcon 9 rocket as early as March 30th, 2020 – late next month. With such a light payload, the Falcon 9 booster – presumably reused – will be able to perform a Return to Launch Site (RTLS) recovery, touching down at one of SpaceX’s two Landing Zone (LZ) pads located at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station (CCAFS). While Landing Zone rocket recoveries have become increasingly rare for SpaceX, that’s not actually why the SAOCOM 1B mission is so unique.

Instead, it’s exceptional because it will be the United States’ first East Coast polar launch in nearly six decades. The mission’s “polar” launch profile refers to the fact that the Argentinian radar satellite will ultimately orbit Earth’s poles, effectively perpendicular to more common equatorial orbits. If successful and repeatable, the mission could ultimately spark a new era for CCAFS and Kennedy Space Center (KSC) and raises big questions about the future of California’s Vandenberg Air Force Base (VAFB) — or at least SpaceX’s presence there.

Previously discussed on Teslarati late last year, the story behind why Cape Canaveral stopped polar launches is quite a weird one. A 2008 article in the Naval History Magazine sums up the events nicely.

“In what somewhat inaccurately became known as “the herd shot around the world,” some..falling rocket debris apparently splattered on a Cuban farm and killed a cow. “This is a Yankee provocation,” accused Revolucion, an official Cuban publication, insisting that the rocket was deliberately exploded over the country. Government radio stations cited the incident as further proof that the United States was trying to destroy the regime of Cuban President Fidel Castro. One cow was even paraded in front of the U.S. Embassy in Havana wearing a placard reading “Eisenhower, you murdered one of my sisters.”

Castro filed a complaint at the United Nations, and Washington sheepishly conceded the possibility that “fragments from the rocket booster” could have landed in Cuba. CIA Director George Tenet later quipped somewhat tastelessly that it was “the first, and last, time that a satellite had been used in the production of ground beef.” Further launches overflying Cuba were postponed, and improvements were made to the Cape Canaveral range-safety system. In any case, it was a dejected NRL group that returned to Washington.”

Naval History Magazine – April 2008

That November 1960 launch thus shut down East Coast polar launches to avoid overflying Cuba and raising the country’s ire near the height of Cold War tensions. It’s believed that the Cape actually launched two more semi-polar missions in the mid-1960s, some five years later, but the fact remains that SpaceX’s prospective March 30th, 2020 launch will mark the United States’ first East Coast launch in more than half a century.

Back in October 2019, while SpaceX had effectively confirmed that it would try to move SAOCOM 1B’s launch from California to Cape Canaveral, CCAFS hadn’t fully approved the change or literally reopened the East Coast’s polar launch corridor. Now, given that CONAE has officially announced a specific launch date (March 30th), it seems safe to say that CCAFS has fully given SpaceX the go-ahead for the launch.

While Falcon 9’s upper stage will still technically overfly Cuba over the course of the launch, the combination of a rare ‘dogleg’ maneuver shortly after launch and the fact that said upper stage will be far above the Earth’s surface have effectively mitigated any technical or legal showstoppers. Around eight minutes after liftoff, the mission’s Falcon 9 booster will also attempt to return to Florida and land at SpaceX’s LZ-1 or 2 landing pad. SpaceX’s October 2018 Vandenberg Air Force Base (VAFB) SAOCOM 1A launch coincidentally marked the first-ever use of Landing Zone-4 (LZ-4), a dedicated landing pad built for SpaceX’s West Coast launch site.

If successful, a polar Falcon 9 launch from Cape Canaveral also raises the question: if SpaceX can potentially perform all conceivable launch profiles from its two Florida pads, why go the effort and expense of maintaining a third pad – entirely dedicated to polar launches – in California? Aside from one lone launch six months later, SpaceX’s last California launch occurred in January 2019 and the next one is expected no earlier than November 2020 – and could very well never happen at all. The only plausible reasons to continue launching from SpaceX’s Vandenberg pad would be if Florida’s polar capabilities were somehow limited or if conservative, bureaucratic customers like NASA and the US military were dead-set on their polar missions only launching from semi-arbitrarily selected launch pads.

Without any modifications whatsoever, Falcon Heavy could also immediately begin performing polar launches from Cape Canaveral, whereas SpaceX would likely need tens of millions of dollars and 6-12 months to modify its California pad to support the massive rocket. Perhaps keeping that pad quietly mothballed and flying launch staff in from Florida and Texas for occasional missions is a much smaller ordeal than it seems. Still, the allure (and efficiency) of a one-stop-launch-shop at Cape Canaveral is almost certainly hard to ignore for a company like SpaceX.

For the SAOCOM 1B launch, the next milestone will be the Argentinian satellite’s arrival at SpaceX’s Florida payload processing facilities, likely to occur within the next week. Already, March is lining up to be an exceptionally busy month for SpaceX, with two separate Falcon 9 launches currently scheduled on March 2nd and March 4th and another Starlink mission likely later in the month. With a little luck, SpaceX might be able to end Q1 2020 with its first four-launch month ever.

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

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Brazil’s Minister of Science, Technology, Innovations and Communications Marcos Pontes and Congressman Daniel Freitas are reportedly in early talks about the potential for a Tesla Gigafactory in Brazil.

Both Pontes and Freitas did not disclose what company they’re negotiating with, only they hinted that it is one of the most valuable automakers in the world today. The officials also noted that they are hoping the talks will eventually result in the company opening one of its facilities in the country by 2023, the Brazilian publication NSC Total first reported.

However, a Tweet posted on Thursday by Eduardo Bolsonaro, son to Brazil’s President and a lawmaker in the country, would later confirm that talks have taken place between Brazilian authorities and William Popp, charge d’affaires at the U.S. embassy in Brasilia, on the prospect of Tesla opening up a factory in South America’s largest country.

Min. @Astro_Pontes operou ouvido ontem e hoje estava em videoconferência conosco e Sr. Popp da @EmbaixadaEUA no @mctic tratando de atrair para o Brasil fábrica da americana @Tesla ,empresa de tecnologia renovável que produz baterias e carros elétricos@DFDanielFreitas@elonmusk pic.twitter.com/S54jnjN7qs

— Eduardo Bolsonaro🇧🇷 (@BolsonaroSP) February 20, 2020

Bolsonaro’s tweet follows earlier reports that officials met on Feb. 12 to discuss the initial plans to help the federal government convince Tesla of the benefits of setting up shop in the country. The plan is to form a delegation that may include President Jair Bolsonaro to visit the Tesla headquarters in the United States.

The official entry plotted on the schedule of Minister of Science, Technology, Innovations and Communications reveals that Tesla’s Senior Staff Manufacturing Engineer Anderson Pacheco was present via video conference in the office of Pontes. Pachecho graduated with a Master of Science in Production Engineering from Brazil’s Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina. He has been with Tesla for over 4 years now and works both at the Fremont facility and Gigafactory 1 in Sparks, NV.

Details are limited as of reporting but the proponents may encourage Tesla to put its first Gigafactory in South America at Santa Catarina, a state in Southern Brazil and roughly 1.5 hours by plane from Rio De Janeiro.

Meanwhile, Freitas is the author of a bill that pushes for the exemption of electric vehicles from import tax. The said bill also proposes tax incentives for EVs or hybrid vehicles produced in Brazil.

If the talks of the Brazilian government and Tesla prospers and results in the building of Giga Brazil, it would be another step towards Tesla CEO Elon Musk’s goal of having Gigafactories in every continent.

Can’t wait to bring Tesla to Brazil. One of my favorite countries!

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 31, 2018

Elon Musk also recently hinted that Tesla is considering a Giga Texas, which could be a perfect solution to ramp battery production or may even be the facility to help produce its upcoming all-electric Cybertruck.

Gigafactory Brazil also makes perfect sense as the country is considered a sleeping tech giant and is one of the countries of the future. With a Tesla strong foothold in Brazil, the distribution of Tesla vehicles in South America will be easier just like how the carmaker plans to do it in Asia with Giga Shanghai and in Europe with Giga Berlin.

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The Tesla Model 3 was the only American vehicle in Consumer Reports‘ Top 10 Picks of 2020. The list is comprised of CR’s highest-rated vehicles by factoring in road tests, reliability, owner satisfaction, and safety ratings.

The 2020 Top Picks’ list recognized the best Small Car, small SUV, Hybrid, Midsized Sedan, Large Sedan, Midsized Three-Row SUV, Compact Pickup Truck, Midsized SUV, Sports Car, and Electric Car available to consumers today.

The Tesla Model 3 was recognized by the publication as the best available electric vehicle on the market. But even more impressive is that the Model 3 was also the only domestic, American-made vehicle on the list. Meaning, not only has the most affordable Tesla become the best EV for mainstream buyers today, but the Model 3 has established itself as one of the best American-made cars today, period.

CR notes that the Model 3’s performance as a “high-tech” piece of the auto industry is impressive in its own right. “It boasts rapid acceleration that’s delivered in near silence, with instant passing power available at any speed and enough thrust to push the driver back into the seat. The car’s superb handling and quick, precise steering help it feel like a sports car,” the organization wrote.

The Model 3 is also one of the safest vehicles in the world, receiving top marks and recommendations from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), and several international safety programs.

Based on the results of Consumer Reports’ rankings, it appears that American carmakers are being outmaneuvered by international competition, with Ford, GM, and Fiat Chrysler getting beaten by European and Asian car companies.

International carmakers have taken advantage of the growing U.S. crossover market by offering new models for better prices. American-made trucks are feeling the pressure and other types of vehicles made by U.S. companies simply are not as appealing as their international competition. This is according to independent auto analyst Alan Baum.

While gas-powered vehicles are being dominated by car companies located in different countries, only one American company seems to be ahead of everyone else: Tesla.

Tesla has established itself as a key player in electric vehicle development. Nobody is even close to the company’s battery technology, pricing, or efficiency when battery electric vehicles are the subject. Despite a tumultuous relationship with CR in the past, they could not deny the Model 3 is the best electric car today.

Check out Consumer Reports’ full list of Top 10 Picks of 2020 here.

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Tesla’s Giga Berlin plans have the support of the German government’s Green Party. Various members of the political group have spoken out against the recent complaints the Brandenburg Green League has filed against Tesla.

“You don’t always have to be against everything,” Deputy Governing Mayor of Berlin and Green Party Member Ramona Pop said when speaking of the Green League, according to German media outlet Berliner-Zeitung. 

The Romanian-born politician has been outspoken against the Green League since the Berlin-Brandenburg Higher Administrative Court ruled in favor of a complaint the environmental group submitted about Tesla. The decision ultimately resulted in a halt of the tree removal process Tesla had been working on for two days.

Pop recognizes the land Tesla purchased in January from previous landowners as a plantation of low-quality trees that have no real environmental importance. “How absurd to declare a pine plantation to be a forest,” she said.

The pine trees that Tesla’s construction crews have been removing have already been deemed to be of “inferior quality” by Grünheide Mayor Arne Christiani. The trees have been used for commercial cardboard production and give a very little amount of positive environmental impact. Local agencies requested that at least half of the trees that are replanted in surrounding areas must be deciduous and provide some sort of environmental benefit.

Martin Kühne of the Cottbus environmental group has also been open about his criticism of the Green League. The Deputy Group Leader of Cottbus believes legal action should not have been brought on by the environmental group, and if there was a problem, it should have been confronted by government officials.

“The right to bring legal action on our behalf belongs in competent and reliable hands,” he said.

Interestingly enough, politicians who represent the country’s economic and environmental interests are vocally supportive of the tree-removal process because they acknowledge Tesla’s positive long-term impact. Pop believes those responsible for halting the clearing of the land should remove their complaint and “make Tesla’s future investment possible quickly. For clean mobility and climate protection.”

Brandenburg Economic Minister Jörg Steinbach, for his part, believes Tesla will be able to continue its progress next week.

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Tesla’s lead in electric car batteries and energy efficiency was recently acknowledged fully by Consumer Reports, a publication that has extensively tested the company’s vehicles and features over the years. CR’s recognition was partly encouraged by the range of the Model Y, which was improved by Tesla as the crossover neared its release. 

The Tesla Model Y Performance was initially announced with a range of 280 miles per charge. This is not bad at all, considering that fellow premium crossovers such as the Jaguar I-PACE and even larger vehicles like the Audi e-tron were in the low to mid-200s when it comes to their EPA rated range. Yet, in a recent announcement, Tesla revealed that the Model Y Performance would actually have a range of 315 miles per charge. 

This, according to Consumer Reports, shows the company’s dedication to fighting and completely eliminating range anxiety among its consumers. It also highlights Tesla’s extensive experience in EV-making, particularly with regards to their vehicles’ batteries and energy efficiency. Both of these points are perfectly represented by the Model Y. 

Tesla CEO Elon Musk noted during the company’s Q4 2019 earnings call that the range upgrade to the Model Y will give the vehicle 4.1 miles/kWh, making the upcoming all-electric crossover one of the most efficient SUVs on the market. Jake Fisher, senior director of automotive testing at Consumer Reports, noted that it is these factors that make Tesla the undisputed leader when it comes to efficiency in the EV market. 

“They are absolutely the leader. Through the years, they’ve made multiple changes to their motors and batteries and other things under the skin of their vehicles. This is a continual thing that they do,” Fisher said. 

Consumer Reports explained that Tesla’s efficiency is not just rooted in its industry-leading batteries. For Teslas, efficiency is maximized through several means, including aerodynamics, weight reduction, and its equipment. The publication observed that Tesla is even using a different type of chip to optimize the transfer of energy within its cars’ electrical systems. This adds up to lower energy consumption, freeing up more of its vehicles’ batteries for actual driving tasks. 

Sam Abuelsamid, an automotive technology analyst with Navigant, acknowledged that it is this attention to detail that makes the difference between Tesla’s electric cars and their rivals in the market. This is also what allows Tesla to draw out far more miles from a battery pack that’s almost identical in size compared to its competitors, all of which have vehicles that boast far less range per charge. 

“They’re able to get more miles out of each kilowatt-hour. They have shown the way for EVs. They’ve demonstrated that if you do this right, there are people who will want to buy it,” he said. 

In a way, it is a bit ironic to see Consumer Reports fully acknowledge Tesla’s battery and efficiency lead now, considering that the firm had been testing the electric car maker’s vehicles for years. Perhaps it’s simply because, after all these years, the well-publicized “Tesla Killers” have arrived. But so far, it appears that nothing is up to the task. 

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