SpaceX’s Elon Musk set for Starlink launch, Tesla earnings double-header


SpaceX has delayed its latest Starlink launch once more after high winds forced the company to recycle an attempt originally planned for January 27th, setting up SpaceX’s Elon Musk for a Starlink launch and Tesla earnings report on the same day.

Flight-proven Falcon 9 booster B1051 is currently vertical at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station (CCAFS) Launch Complex 40 (LC-40) and has been for more than a week. Perched atop an expendable upper stage attached to the top of the booster, SpaceX’s third batch of 60 upgraded Starlink v1.0 satellites are loaded inside the rocket’s airtight payload fairing, patiently awaiting a launch that’s now been delayed a full 9 days by winter weather both in Cape Canaveral and off the Florida coast.

Most recently, bad sea conditions in the Atlantic Ocean forced SpaceX to delay Starlink V1 L3 an extra 24 hours from a January 28th backup window and the batch of communications satellites are now scheduled to launch no earlier than (NET) 9:09 am EST (14:09 UTC), January 29th. Set to unequivocally reaffirm SpaceX’s position as the owner of the world’s largest private satellite constellation, the mission – should it be a success – will mean that the company has launched its 240th flat-packed Starlink satellite. Additionally, Starlink L3 should feature a number of exciting Falcon 9 recovery events, potentially setting up more than 75% of the rocket’s value for reuse.

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Earlier this morning, Teslarati’s own Simon Alvarez offered a glimpse of what to expect from Tesla’s Q4 2019 earnings report, scheduled for 3:30 PM PST (23:30 UTC), January 29th. In short, it looks like Tesla’s highly-anticipated Model Y crossover could find its way to customers much sooner than expected, while additional signs point to another strong quarterly performance that could send the company’s already meteoric stock even higher. As always, CEO Elon Musk is expected to be front and center on the teleconference, which is set to occur just nine hours after SpaceX’s latest 60-satellite Starlink launch.

For SpaceX, the new year has gotten off to a busy start, although Florida’s winter weather has done its best to hamper launch attempts. Beginning with the second launch of Starlink v1.0 satellites (Starlink V1 L2) on January 7th, that Falcon 9 mission was delayed from January 3rd by high seas in the Atlantic Ocean that would have made the booster’s planned drone ship landing extremely risky. In high seas, drone ship decks pitch and buck, creating major uncertainty as Falcon 9 is unable to account for the deck movement.

Falcon 9 B1051 has been ready to launch the third batch of upgraded Starlink satellites for more than a week, but local weather has yet to cooperate. (Richard Angle)

If the floating landing pad is at the peak or trough of large swells when Falcon 9 is scheduled to land, there is a good chance that the rocket could either hit the deck too hard or cut off its engines before landing, falling a distance equivalent to the height of the swell onto the drone ship. Either scenario would pose a serious risk of damaging or even outright destroying a landing Falcon booster, cutting short any future prospects of reuse.

Most recently, SpaceX performed Crew Dragon’s second-ever launch on a Falcon 9 rocket, intentionally triggering an in-flight abort (IFA) some 90 seconds after launch to test the spacecraft’s ability to keep astronauts safe in even a near-worst-case scenario. That particular launch was also delayed a number of days by high seas in the region the spacecraft was expected to splash down in, conditions that would have severely hampered critical recovery work.

Now a little over a week after Crew Dragon’s successful January 20th Falcon 9 launch, SpaceX’s third launch of the year has been delayed repeatedly by both weather in the recovery area and weather at the launch pad. Originally expected to launch as early as January 20th, a slight Crew Dragon launch delay pushed it to the 21st, where it was then delayed again by high seas to January 24th, and a third time to January 27th. On January 27th, SpaceX got just 40 minutes away from liftoff before it scrubbed the attempt due to high upper-level winds above the launch pad.

(Richard Angle)
(Richard Angle)

Finally, on January 28th, SpaceX announced that bad weather in the recovery area had forced it to skip a backup window scheduled later that day, slipping another 24 hours to 9:09 am EST on January 29th. With any luck, this will be the last in an unusually long series of weather-related delays for the Starlink mission. Aside from Falcon 9 B1051’s third launch and (hopefully) landing, Starlink V1 L3 will also mark the second time ever that twin Falcon fairing recovery ships Ms. Tree and Ms. Chief will attempt to simultaneously catch both halves of a payload fairing — more than worth the wait.

Tune in to SpaceX’s official webcast around 8:55 am EST (13:55 UTC) tomorrow (Wednesday, Jan 29) to watch the company’s third launch of 2020 live.

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 Elon Musk set for Starlink launch, Tesla earnings double-header

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Tesla addresses Coronavirus in China giving owners free Supercharging amid global outbreak


Amid the ongoing public health scare in China sparked by the Coronavirus, Tesla is offering all customers in the Chinese market free Supercharging for an indefinite amount of time to help drivers travel more easily and quickly away from affected areas.

Images shared by Tesla owner @Ray4Tesla show the electric carmaker has issued a notification to its Chinese customers informing them that they will be able to charge their vehicles for free at any of the numerous Superchargers installed across the country.

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“To make it easier for you to travel during the coronavirus outbreak, effective today we will temporarily open all Tesla vehicles to be free to charge at the Supercharging station until the epidemic is resolved,” notified Tesla to its customer across China. “We hope that during this extraordinary period, you will be able to replenish electricity efficiently and use your car smoothly when needed. After the epidemic ceases, we will notify you again before resetting your vehicle to its original configuration. We hope to provide you with a modest effort so you can spend this time smoothly. Tesla reserves the right to make the final decision in this event.”

This is not the first time Tesla has shown a gesture of kindness to customers in crisis. In August last year, for example, Tesla offered free Supercharging to customers in Florida who were fleeing the wrath of Hurricane Dorian. The company also delivered over-the-air updates to unlock more range and provide customers several extra miles. Tesla offered the same free Supercharging services in 2018 to customers who were affected by Hurricane Michael. In 2017, the company issued a software update to select vehicles to provide them with more range as Hurricane Irma drew near.

The deadly coronavirus has raised fears of a pandemic following reports that it has claimed at least 106 lives and infected at least 4,515 others across the globe. The US State Department has issued a travel advisory urging Americans to put off all non-essential travel to China. Meanwhile, the Chinese government has closed off the industrial hub of Wuhan, where the outbreak originated, and nearby cities.

Tesla addresses Coronavirus in China giving owners free Supercharging amid global outbreak

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Scientists create ‘living concrete’ that could one day be used on Mars


Builders have been making concrete the same way for hundreds of years: by mixing sand with various binding materials.

However, a team of researchers at the University of Colorado, Boulder has a different approach. They’re making a new kind of concrete, one that is alive and can even replicate itself.

It’s made using a common type of microbe: cyanobacteria. This type of organism gets its energy through photosynthesis.

Researchers at the University of Colorado Boulder are creating living concrete. Credit: CU Boulder College of Engineering and Applied Science

The field of synthetic biology is booming with researchers exploring new ways to build and new materials to work with. Recently, a different team has proposed the use of mycelium as another type of building material.

A major advantage of this new type of concrete is that it can heal itself, repairing any cracks that may appear.

The new concrete type was recently detailed in the journal Matter. “We already use biological materials in our buildings, like wood, but those materials are no longer alive,” Wil Srubar, an assistant professor in the Department of Civil, Environmental and Architectural Engineering (CEAE) said in a news statement. “We’re asking: Why can’t we keep them alive and have that biology do something beneficial, too?”

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So how did the group build this new type of living concrete? First, the researchers tried putting the cyanobacteria in a mixture containing warm water, sand, and other nutrients. The microbes began producing calcium carbonate and gradually cemented the sand particles together.

But the process was extremely slow — too slow in fact for the project’s funder, Darpa, the Department of Defense’s research offshoot.

The team switched its focus to gelatin, a food ingredient that once dissolved in water and cooled, created special bonds between its molecules. The team decided to try adding gelatin to the bacteria mixture.

Success! The gelatin not only provided more structure, but also worked with the bacteria and the result was faster-growing, living concrete. It took about a day for the bacteria to form concrete blocks, and although it was weaker than conventional concrete, it was sturdy enough for a person to stand on.

Blocks ranged in size from two-inch cubes to shoebox-sized to larger truss pieces. When stored in relatively dry air and at room temperature, it takes a few days for the blocks to reach their maximum strength. The bacteria can survive for several weeks and even be rejuvenated – resulting in further growth­. Under the right conditions, of course.

“We know that bacteria grow at an exponential rate,” Srubar said. “That’s different than how we, say, 3D-print a block or cast a brick. If we can grow our materials biologically, then we can manufacture at an exponential scale.”

A team at the University of Colorado Boulder is using cyanobacteria to create new types of building materials. Credit: CU Boulder College of Engineering and Applied Science

DARPA is extremely interested in this research and in self-growing material in general. That’s because it can be used to build structures in remote and inhospitable areas such as the desert or even outer space.

If the living concrete can prove to be scalable, that would reduce the number of materials that we will need to launch, which is a huge deal when even pound counts.

It’s much easier to bring biology with us than to carry bulky building materials to space. Perhaps the first humans on Mars will live in habitats fashioned out of cyanobacteria concrete bricks, or even mushrooms.

“Nature has figured out how to do a lot of things in a clever and efficient way,” Srubar said. “In austere environments, these materials would perform especially well because they use light from the sun to grow and proliferate with very little exogenous material needed for their growth,” added Srubar. “It’s going to happen one way or another, and we’re not going to be trucking bags of cement all the way to Mars. I really do think that we’ll be bringing biology with us once we go.”

Scientists create ‘living concrete’ that could one day be used on Mars

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Tesla applies for subsidies for Giga Berlin’s battery cell production


Tesla has officially applied for federal subsidies for its upcoming battery cell production in Germany. The move makes it clear that the company’s intentions in the European country are to foster a culture of sustainability and environmental consciousness, as represented by the production of premium electric vehicles that run on lithium-ion batteries.

The application was submitted by Tesla and first reported by German newspaper Handelsblatt, which revealed that Tesla was on the list of companies that applied for the subsidies. However, the German Federal Ministry of Economics has stated that they cannot discuss specifics about the said subsidies for now.

Subsidies for Tesla’s planned battery production in Germany would allow the company to develop its already industry-leading cells that power its vehicles at an optimal cost. This should allow the company to produce the Model Y and Model 3 at Giga Berlin at a cost that will not weigh down the company’s finances.

Tesla has acquired numerous battery technology companies, and it is currently putting efforts in developing a true million-mile battery for its vehicles. The subsidies are also expected to assist the German Ministry of Economic Affairs in developing a European battery cell manufacturing project that includes 14 European Union member states and over 55 domestic and international companies.

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When Tesla CEO Elon Musk announced the plans to build a Gigafactory in Berlin in November, it was met with support from many German officials. Economy Minister Peter Altmaier has been one of the most supportive members of the German government, at one point stating that the presence of Tesla in the country is a big step in the right direction.

Altmaier offered a helping hand to Tesla and Musk in an interview with Tagesspiegel. “If the plant does not come, it would be a damage for all of Germany. If we are asked for help as a ministry, we will be happy to help,” he said. Altmaier has also stated that he was a big part of the decision to bring Tesla to Germany, as he was in Musk’s ear leading up to the final decision.

However, the Economy Minister stated that he would not give Tesla special or preferential treatment because of his support. He never discussed or encouraged Tesla to come to Germany because of the possibility of subsidies. “It’s clear that Tesla – if it invests in Germany and creates jobs here, will be treated like all other companies in the automobile and automotive industry,” Altmaier said.

Gigafactory 4 will be completed in July 2021, according to Elon Musk, and the facility will operations with Model Y production. The plant is scheduled to produce around 150,000 cars in its initial production phase. Tesla plans to ramp this manufacturing rate to 500,000 vehicles a year by its third phase. Gigafactory 4 will eventually produce the Model 3 as well.

Tesla applies for subsidies for Giga Berlin’s battery cell production

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Tesla Model X is Jay-Z and Beyoncé’s SUV of choice at Roc Nation’s The Brunch 2020


Jay-Z and Beyoncé skipped the 2020 Grammys but the entertainment industry’s power couple hosted the annual Roc Nation’s The Brunch and were spotted leaving the venue on a sleek Tesla Model X.

Jay-Z’s entertainment agency Roc Nation hosted the star-studded pre-Grammy event on Saturday in Los Angeles. Bey wore a blue mini dress with low V neck perfectly while Jay-Z was the most fashionable in his mauve suit (yes, don’t call it pink). They did not have to do anything to stand out from the rest as they exuded music royalty, of course, but the electric vehicle community cannot miss that the two biggest stars left the party in a black all-electric SUV.

Beyonce and Jay-Z Roc Nation’s The Brunch 2020 (Source: Rocnation | Instagram)

The Model X waited for the music industry giants with its Falcon Wing doors wide open. The legendary rapper hopped onto the right side of Tesla’s flagship SUV while he poshly corrected someone that his suit wasn’t pink, all while Beyonce was escorted to the other side of the vehicle by her bodyguard.

The music industry’s elite attended the event that some consider even bigger than the Grammys itself. Jay-Z and Beyoncé welcomed the likes of Diddy, Rihanna, Usher, DJ Khaled, Kelly Rowland, John Legend, and many more in the posh mansion where Roc Nation’s The Brunch was held.

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Why the couple opted to ride a sleek Model X to one of the biggest events of the year is no surprise. Both award-winning artists are known to wrap their hands around worthy causes such as Beyonce’s focus on climate change.

“During the time where it’s impossible to watch the violence or racism in this country, just when you think it couldn’t possibly get worse, natural disasters take precious life, do massive damage and forever change lives — leaving behind contaminated waters, flooded hospitals, schools and nursing homes,” Beyoncé said during a benefit telethon for the victims of hurricanes in 2017.

Jay-Z, meanwhile, intertwines his art with his activism for change to end poverty and improve lives. He once said in an interview, “If we had a power base together, it would be a much different conversation than me having a conversation by myself and trying to change America by myself. If I come with 40 million people, there’s a different conversation, right?”

The Tesla brand has a loyal community who believes in Elon Musk’s mission to achieve real sustainability, but celebrities such as Jay-Z and Beyoncé can definitely give it a good push and help get the message across to more people.

Check out the short video footage of Jay-Z and Beyonce boarding the Tesla Model X as they leave the Roc Nation’s The Brunch:

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Jay Z and @beyonce leaving the Pre-Grammy Roc Nation Brunch in a Tesla Model 🙅🏾‍♂️. If it’s good enough for Queen Bey, it’s good enough for you. -⠀ ᴊᴏɪɴ ᴏᴜʀ EV ᴄᴏᴍᴍᴜɴɪᴛʏ:⠀ 👉 @theevinfluencer ⚡⠀ 👉 @theevinfluencer ⚡⠀ 👉 @theevinfluencer ⚡⠀ -⠀ NEW BLOG POST 👉🏾[LINK IN BIO] www.thevoltly.com • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • #tesla #teslamodels #teslamodel3 #teslamodelx #rocnationbrunch #teslaroadster #teslalife #teslasemi #teslaowner #teslas #ev #teslacars #jayz #teslaenergy #teslamotorsclub #model3 #rocnation #teslasupercharger #teslacar #teslatruck #queenbey #ModelX #teslamodel #electricvehicle #beyonce #tesla3 #teslacybertruck #cybertruck #teslalove #grammyweekend

A post shared by FOLLOW ↠ VOLTLY (@voltly) on Jan 26, 2020 at 10:55am PST

H/T to voltly

Tesla Model X is Jay-Z and Beyoncé’s SUV of choice at Roc Nation’s The Brunch 2020

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Anti-Tesla protesters at Giga Berlin throw in the towel after TSLA supporters hold 2nd rally


The anti-Tesla movement in Germany against Giga Berlin may be coming to an end. The planned protest on January 25 was dissolved after pro-Tesla groups made their presence known for a second time.

Protesters had arrived in the town of Grünheide, Germany where Giga Berlin is located on Saturday for another event aimed at expressing their opposition against the construction of the upcoming electric car production plant. Local residents who have become vocal against Tesla began protesting just two weeks ago on January 13.

The aim of the group of protesters was to raise awareness for the forested area that Tesla would be forced to remove so the company could begin building its factory. They were also worried about the possible contamination of drinking water and the chance that drying the forest for the purpose of easier construction could make the area more prone to wildfires.

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However, protesters made the decision to disband and sources close to the situation have revealed that the anti-Tesla movement in Grünheide may be over. On the same day, a pro-Tesla group was present in the same area for the second rally in support of the company. A number of local representatives were present for the event, including Mayor of Grünheide Arne Christiani. Amidst this open support from local officials and the growing number of Giga Berlin supporters, the anti-Tesla group decided to throw in the towel.

While a small number of citizens of the town have spoken out against Tesla’s new production plant, German officials have spoken highly about the company’s decision to build Giga Berlin in the country. Mayor Christiani being in attendance to the pro-Tesla rally seems to indicate that he is supportive of the economic and environmental opportunities that Tesla is bringing to the area.

In the past, Christiani has stated that Tesla’s presence gives young professionals the opportunity to stay local instead of wandering off to careers in large cities.

“It gives young people with a good education or a university degree the possibility to stay in our region—an option that didn’t exist in past years,” he said.

On the same day as the rallies, Tesla CEO Elon Musk took to Twitter to clear up some false perceptions about the upcoming German plant. Initially, Musk stated that Giga Berlin would not utilize as much water as previously reported and that the trees in the factory’s land are intended to be harvested to create cardboard. He then went on to emphasize the fact that Tesla will be planting three times the trees that it will be removing for the construction of the plant.

Tesla’s mission is to provide sustainable transportation and energy throughout the world. While construction of the production plant does require the removal of trees, the environmental impact of Tesla’s vehicles, as well as the facility’s environmentally-friendly design, is extremely helpful to the deceleration of climate change. “Giga Berlin will build sustainable energy vehicles using sustainable energy, so net environmental impact will be extremely positive,” Musk said.

Anti-Tesla protesters at Giga Berlin throw in the towel after TSLA supporters hold 2nd rally

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Tesla Semi image with Cybertruck and Elon Musk hints appearance on ‘Jay Leno’s Garage’


Tesla CEO Elon Musk was recently spotted with legendary TV host Jay Leno near the SpaceX headquarters in the Cybertruck. Latest images that surfaced online hint that it will be a Tesla electric truck party at Jay Leno’s Garage soon — and the Tesla Semi will also make an appearance.

An image posted on a Tesla Cybertruck Instagram fan page shows a red all-electric truck Tesla Semi in the same frame as the Cybertruck and Elon Musk. Upon close inspection, lighting equipment can be seen on the other side of the Semi, the same setup seen when Musk and Jay Leno’s Garage crew reportedly filmed a segment for the Emmy Award-winning motoring show. The said TV series segment was framed near the Supercharger station next to the Tesla Design Center in Hawthorne, California.

On Friday, the roads around the SpaceX headquarters and Tesla Design Center were teeming with sightings of the Cybertruck and the billionaire entrepreneur. Musk even smiled and waved back when a Tesla fan spotted him on the passenger seat of the Cybertruck while comedian and car guru Jay Leno was busy behind the wheels along Crenshaw Blvd.

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Someone also captured a snapshot of the Tesla chief next to the all-electric pickup truck while a film crew was busy working around him.

An appearance of the Tesla Semi on Jay Leno’s Garage will surely attract the curiosity of the electric vehicle community. The electric car maker has been conducting real world tests on the electric truck since 2017 and according to a leaked email last week, the Tesla Semi will enter a limited production phase starting in the second half of 2020.

Elon Musk and his automotive brand markets the Semi as the safest and most comfortable truck ever. Just like it’s smaller siblings in the Tesla stable, the Semi will have Autopilot capabilities. The Silicon Valley-based vehicle manufacturer also promises that the electric truck will have electric energy costs half those of diesel or more than $200K in fuel savings. Aside from its badass performance, a fully loaded Semi will still be able to accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in just 20 seconds using its four independent motors.

The Tesla Semi will have an expected base price of $150K for its 300-mile range version and $180K for its 500-mile range version.

Vocal Tesla supporter Jay Leno will surely have a blast featuring two vehicles that are set to disrupt the industry on his show. The Cybertruck has received more than 250,000 reservations since its unveiling while companies looking to cut their carbon footprints and more cost-efficient tractor-trailers have their eyes on the Semi.

Aside from the Tesla Cybertruck and the Tesla Semi, a Tesla employee who gave a Model 3 owner an early tour of the Model Y’s interior mentioned that the much-awaited electric crossover will also be appearing at Jay Leno’s Garage.

Here are some of the snapshots of the Tesla Cybertruck and Elon Musk captured last Friday while filming a segment for Jay Leno’s Garage.

Tesla Semi image with Cybertruck and Elon Musk hints appearance on ‘Jay Leno’s Garage’

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Tesla Solarglass Roof: LA-based homeowner shares first impressions of V3 roof tiles


As the cost of installing solar drops in the United States by as much as 70% in the last decade, more and more homeowners in the US are considering a switch to greener energy. At the forefront of Tesla’s push into residential solar is its flagship Solarglass roof, which are essentially solar cells that look like standard roofing tiles. Yet, inasmuch as Tesla’s Solarglass tiles have caught numerous headlines in the past, many questions about the product, such as its durability, installation process, and real cost, remain.

Los Angeles, California-based Austin Flack is one of the first consumers to get a Tesla Solarglass Roof. In a recent video shared on YouTube, Flack decided to share his first impressions about his Tesla Solarglass experience.

“We placed our order in early November and were scheduled for installation in mid-December, but rainy weather pushed installation into January. Unfortunately, the federal rebate fell from 30% in 2019 to 26% in 2020, but Telsa was kind enough to give us a 4% discount to make up the difference,” Flack wrote on the description of his review on YouTube.

COST OF TESLA SOLARGLASS ROOF

Prior to the announcement of Tesla about the latest version of the company’s flagship solar product in October 2019, Flack and his wife thought of getting Tesla solar panels but they discovered that their roof, which measures 1,745 sq.ft., wasn’t properly designed and installed.

The couple decided to compare the cost of getting a new composite roof plus the Tesla solar panel array they need. Estimates for the composite tile roof ranged roughly between $9,000 and $12,000. Meanwhile, Tesla calculated that their Los Angeles home would need a system size of around 9.087 kW with some room for energy needs to grow. The quote from Tesla for the Solarglass Roof is $33,749 after rebates. This price is about $3,000 more expensive than the cost of getting a composite tile roof with the equivalent solar panel array setup.

According to Flack, they went for the Solarglass Roof and found the price reasonable “given the enhanced aesthetics of solar glass and how much value it might add to our home.”

SOLARGLASS ROOF INSTALLATION

Installation of the Solarglass Roof started on Jan. 6 and took 7 days including removal of the old roof, installation of Solarglass tiles, replacement of other roofing elements, and hardware setup.

Flack shared that their new roof is mostly solar tiles with some dummy tiles for the edges and to fit near the vents and pipes. The roof was also raised by about 1.5 inches to have some space for wiring and ventilation.

From the solar tiles, Tesla neatly installed conduit boxes in their attic and directed the power to a DC inverter, shutoff switches, and 200 amp electrical box.

The couple is still waiting for the final approval to turn on the system and promised to post an update video once it’s online.

“For now, we are very happy with the Solar Glass. It’s beautiful. It’s durable. It’s guaranteed for 25 years, and when fully operational it will completely zero out our electrical bill,” Flack said.

TESLA SOLAR ENERGY BUSINESS WILL SHINE IN 2020

Tesla’s solar business had its moments under the cloud and seemingly losing its shine amid rising competition from smaller solar roof installers and lower subsidies for solar panels. With the solar business’ back on the wall, Elon Musk re-aligned and reignited Tesla’s solar push with the promise to ramp up production and aim to install more solar roofs compared to previous years. Musk showed a more cautious side and for most, that was a good thing.

“In the long term, I expect Tesla Energy to be of the same or roughly the same size as Tesla’s automotive sector or business. This is the most underappreciated group. I think it could be bigger, but it’s certainly of a similar magnitude to Tesla Solar. Meaning, if you take Tesla Solar plus battery stuff, Tesla Energy is, I think, the least appreciated element,” Musk said.

At present, Tesla offers $250-incentive for new customers and for people who will refer other buyers.

In December, Tesla also installed canopies for their solar test houses in its Fremont factory, reminiscent of how it used big tents to solve Model 3 production issues. During the same period, Tesla looked to hire more installers to beef up its teams in California, Texas, Nevada, and Florida. In Q3 of 2019, the company deployed about 43MW of solar, about 48% more compared to Q3.

Check out Austin Flack’s first impression of the Tesla Solarglass Roof below:

Tesla Solarglass Roof: LA-based homeowner shares first impressions of V3 roof tiles

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SpaceX set to launch 240th Starlink satellite as space internet nears prime time


SpaceX is just hours away from a Monday launch that should leave the company with almost 250 Starlink satellites in orbit — the latest in several recent steps towards prime time for the fledgling space internet constellation.

Scheduled to lift off no earlier than (NET) 9:49 am EST (14:49 UTC) on January 27th, a twice-flown Falcon 9 booster, new upper stage, 60 Starlink satellites, and a mysteriously blank payload fairing will try to thread the needle from SpaceX’s Cape Canaveral Air Force Station (CCAFS) LC-40 pad. Weather is tepid according to USAF forecasts and Monday’s – already just 50% ‘go’ – doesn’t even account for extremely high-speed upper-level winds that will absolutely have to wane before Falcon 9 can launch.

SpaceX’s fourth dedicated launch, today’s mission – known as Starlink V1 L3 (the third launch of v1.0 satellites) – will raise the number of spacecraft the company has placed in orbit to 240. Based on past statements from executives and SpaceX’s very own Starlink.com website, successfully completing Starlink V1 L3 could place the company just a hop, skip, and a jump away from the space-based internet constellation’s prime-time. With a little luck, the fledgling satellite internet provider could be serving customers much sooner than almost anyone might imagine.

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As of now, it appears that SpaceX will indeed attempt to launch later today despite a good chance that weather conditions will force the company to try again on January 28th. Thankfully, SpaceX’s unique operating procedures brings with it a fair amount of flexibility to scrub launches with very little consequence less than 40 minutes before liftoff.

Falcon 9’s Starlink V1 L3 payload fairing is mysteriously blank – making it SpaceX’s first launch ever without fairing artwork. Ships Ms. Tree and Ms. Chief will each try to catch one of the halves pictured here — their second simultaneous catch attempt ever. (Richard Angle)

SpaceX is able to wait that long out of sheer necessity. The company introduced the use of ‘subcooled’ liquid oxygen and kerosene on its Falcon launch vehicles all the way back in 2016, encouraged by the fact that its propellant becomes significantly denser as it gets colder. By toeing the line between liquid oxygen and kerosene actually solidifying into slush, SpaceX was able to boost Falcon 9’s payload capabilities by an incredible ~30% or more. To get that benefit, however, Falcon 9’s propellant must remain as cold as possible, and it begins warming the second that it leaves its far-more-insulated storage tanks and enters Falcon 9.

Once loaded with its supercool propellant, Falcon 9’s liquid oxygen tanks develop a hefty coating of frost and ice as the tank walls literally freeze the moist Florida air. (SpaceX)

As a result, SpaceX must load Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy with propellant as late as physically possible, translating to no sooner than 35 minutes before liftoff on all recent launches. In other words, if the weather is firmly on the ‘bad’ side of things at T-38:00-35:00, SpaceX is often able to scrub a given launch attempt before propellant loading begins, both saving the rocket from an unnecessary thermal cycle and saving propellant that might otherwise have to be wasted.

120 satellites, 20 days

Weather challenges and the likelihood of a 24-hour delay aside, SpaceX will soon launch its third batch of upgraded Starlink v1.0 satellites — also the company’s fourth dedicated launch of 60 spacecraft. If things go as planned, SpaceX will have launched nearly 250 satellites total – all but 5 (or so) of which are happily operating in Earth orbit right now.

Falcon 9 B1049 returned to port on January 9th after launching Starlink V1 L2. (Richard Angle)
Perhaps just 20 days later, Falcon 9 B1051 is scheduled to launch another 60 Starlink satellites. (Richard Angle)

Deemed Starlink V1 L3, a successful mission later today will also mean that SpaceX has launched an incredible 120 spacecraft – weighing more than 30 metric tons – in less than 20 days. It’s difficult to say for sure, but it’s very likely that that will mark the latest global record secured by SpaceX, following on the heels of the company’s recent ascendance as the newest owner of the world’s largest private satellite constellation (~180 satellites).

However, the ultimate goal of Starlink is, of course, to deliver unprecedentedly high-performance internet service to customers anywhere on Earth. The “anywhere on Earth” modifier is likely more than 20 dedicated SpaceX launches away from reality, but the company has said it will begin serving internet to customers in “the Northern U.S. and Canada in 2020”. As of mid-2019, SpaceX indicated that that regional North American beta test could begin after just six launches.

More recent comments from a SpaceX executive suggest that it could require more like 8 launches of 60 Starlink satellites before initial service can begin in North America, but that ultimately means that the company should be no less than 50-65% of the way there after Starlink V1 L3. With a little luck, that could mean that SpaceX is just two or three Starlink launches away from inviting the first non-employee customers onto the company’s space-based internet. Given SpaceX’s current launch cadence, six Starlink launches may well be well behind the company by the end of February – perhaps just a month or less from now.

Weather permitting, tune in to SpaceX.com/webcast around 9:35 am EST (14:35 UTC) later today (January 18th) to watch SpaceX’s latest Starlink launch live.

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

SpaceX set to launch 240th Starlink satellite as space internet nears prime time

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Tesla club performs group ‘Smart Summon’ to simulate an autonomous valet service of the future


A gathering of Tesla Model 3, Model S, and Model X owners from the official Tesla Owners of Silicon Valley Club got together over the weekend for a Cars and Coffee event to foster camaraderie in the community. But the biggest highlight of the day, outside of a Frunk N Swap activity wherein club members exchanged popular accessories and personal items from their vehicle’s front trunk, was a group Smart Summon activity that simulated an autonomous valet service of the future.

Roughly 80 Tesla owners and enthusiasts met up at the Cherry Avenue Supercharger in San Jose, CA on Sunday to share personal stories of electric vehicle ownership and to build friendships with local Tesla owners.

Club member Arash Malek, who goes by the handle @minimalduck on Twitter, gathered fellow members and came up with the idea of a ‘group Smart Summon’ with their Model 3s as a showcase of how Tesla’s latest autonomous vehicle retrieval feature works in a real-world scenario.

“The Smart Summon went very well and the cars did not stop as much as some had anticipated. The technology feels like it has come a long way since its initial release. Afterward, a lot more members felt encouraged and better about the technology,” Tesla Owners Club of Silicon Valley founder and president John Stringer tells Teslarati.

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“To be able to summon your car to yourself is one step closer to autonomous driving. At some point, your car will be able to come to you no matter where you are and no matter what floor you are on. It will be a normal thing to see a car without someone in it,” added Stringer.

Smart Summon is available to customers who purchased Full Self-Driving Capability or Enhanced Autopilot. With this feature, one can enable their Teslas to go to them or to a destination of choice from a parking spot that’s within their line of sight. It is a pretty handy and convenient feature for those who might be coming out of grocery stores, those dealing with a fussy child, or for those who opt not to walk to the parking lot for whatever reason.

In the future, what members of the Tesla Owners Club of Silicon Valley did over the weekend can be applied to autonomous valet services at hotels, airports, or other venues where such technology can be used. It is an initial step to how Tesla’s future Robotaxi service would operate in the future. Passenger can be given temporary access codes to Summon a vehicle to pick them up for a ride or perhaps valet services will have a dispatch system to deliver rides to waiting customers.

Tesla owners can only expect the Elon Musk-led electric carmaker to further improve the Smart Summon feature overtime. A Tesla Model 3 owner subjected their vehicle to an obstacle course and saw results that made them believe that Tesla is on its way to perfecting the technology for self-driving cars. With the confidence that it can also perform well outside the United States where road markings and signs may be different, Tesla expanded its release of Smart Summon to other markets including China.

Check out the drone video from @MinimalDuck, capturing fellow Tesla Owners of Silicon Valley club members  Smart Summoning their Model 3s together.

Tesla club performs group ‘Smart Summon’ to simulate an autonomous valet service of the future

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