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Tesla Adds Wireless Smartphone Charger and USB-C Port to Its Model-3 Cars

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As per new reports, Tesla has decided to add a new wireless smartphone charger and USB-C port to its all-new Model 3 cars built in the USA. These new models are made in its Fremont factory in California. While these features were already a mainstay in the Model Y cars, Tesla has decided to add them to the Model 3 as well. Furthermore, they will also be available in the Model 3s being made in China. Here’s a look at all the updates you need to know about the new car.

Other Models              

The company’s new car, the Model Y, reached American customers in mid-March. The car came with a Qi wireless smartphone charger, whereas in Model 3, the same option came as an add-on, and not an in-built option. Also, the company recently lowered the prices for three of their cars in North America, namely the Model 3, Model X, and Model S. It also slashed prices of the Model X and Model S in China as a way to boost sales.

However, Chinese-produced Model 3 did not undergo a price reduction. Experts believe that these price cuts will prove beneficial in improving sales as the auto industry has suffered a significant downfall due to the novel coronavirus pandemic. Demand for new cars witnessed a massive drop in the first quarter of this year, with most people being stuck at home. 

Flirting With Controversy

If that wasn’t enough, Tesla and its eccentric founder Elon Musk have been featuring in newspapers for all the wrong reasons in the last few weeks. Musk stirred up great controversy when he fought against and admonished the decision to shut down his factory in Alameda County. The order to cease all operations came out on March 23rd, and the company battled with officials to resume operations and keep building cars. CEO Elon Musk even threatened the officials by promising to move the factory somewhere else if they did not reverse the stay-at-home order. He also filed a lawsuit and tweeted aggressively against the decision taken by the county officials.

Model 3 and Model Y

Tesla is planning to upgrade the Model 3 vehicles by introducing features that were a mainstay in the Model Y. Both the Model 3 cars, American and Chinese-made alike, will get new wireless chargers and USB ports. Model 3 and Model Y also share similar-looking interiors, with the newer version having more cargo space and third-row seats. When the Model Y hit the market in March, experts were surprised to see that the company had added Qi wireless phone chargers to all their cars. Bryan Finnegan, who got a new Model 3 last week, confirmed that the car comes in-built with these new features. This is a rare hardware upgrade for Tesla cars, as Model 3 has not seen any such upgrades since its launch in 2017.

Current Model 3 Owners

If the current Model 3 owners or people with an older model want a wireless charger in their car, they can order it online. However, in such cases, most car owners go for the Jeda wireless charger as it is cheaper by around $25. Furthermore, this charge allows your phone to be charged while in a landscape position. Tesla offers a wireless charger for $125 upgrade, whereas Jeda Products, an aftermarket company, has the same product for $99.However, such owners cannot make use of the USB-C port as it cannot be added. The next best thing possible is to add a Jeda Model 3 USB Hub to your car, which will allow access to more ports, including a C port and storage space for Sentry Mode or Teslacam. The additional space will help clear up your center console when using all these features.

In the first quarter, the electric-car giant delivered 88,400 vehicles suffering a 21% fall when compared to the previous quarter. However, this surprised experts, as most other automakers were left with steeper declines. During this period, the company put together 103,000 electric vehicles, which was 2% lower than the previous period. These upgrades will help make the car more attractive to customers. By proving backward compatibility, Tesla is ensuring that even the older models regain interest. It will also help make their assembly more efficient by making all these standard across models. These changes will also help some of the customers they lost due to the COVID-19, and it will be interesting to see if the move leads to more orders and customers.

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Musk Threatens to Move His Production Center Out of Fremont

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Since the coronavirus began its aggressive rampage across the US, most schools, colleges, and offices still remain shut. The US had no option but to shut down all nonessential shops and production centers in a bid to prevent the spread of the virus. Amidst all this chaos, a few industrialists have spoken out against the shutdown. For the most part, these people have been heavily criticized for not being able to understand the severity of the situations. One of the most prominent of these critics have been Elon Musk, who’s comments have startled everyone. Here’s a look at everything you need to know regarding the issue and how it impacts the economy.

Caution for Tesla

Alameda County health officials warned Tesla against restarting operations at its car factory in California yesterday. Right after this incident, Tesla CEO Elon Musk tweeted that the company is moving to sue the county. He also stated that the company is planning to move its operations out of the state. As he had mentioned, a few hours later, Tesla filed a suit in the US District Court of the Northern District of California. The lawsuit seeks an injunction against the county’s lockdown order. The suit explains that it is because the lockdown contradicts the Governor’s Order by restricting the operation of businesses in the area. 

To add further fuel to the fire, Tesla tweeted about the same. On Twitter, Musk said that the “ignorant and unelected” Health Officer of Alameda is acting up. Musk believes that the Health Officer’s statements and steps are in direct contrast to the Governor, President, and Constitutional freedom.

Critic for Long

Musk has been a very vocal critic of the lockdown that the coronavirus has brought on in the US. Recently, on April 29th, during Tesla’s earnings call, he called these restrictions’ fascist’ and ‘undemocratic,’ stating that the Constitution allows Americans freedom. These statements highlight the pressure that Musk feels due to his factories in the Bay Area being shut down. He further called for his supporters to voice their own criticism and disagreement with the Alameda County administration. However, the Alameda County Public Health Department recently said that it was trying its best to reach an understanding with Tesla. The team stated that they were trying to come up with safe and standard manufacturing protocols that would help with the reopening of the factory. However, the county made it clear that the safety and well-being of thousands of employees are essential for them. Also, they stated that Tesla had been responsive to recommendations and that they should reach an agreement soon.

People are Important

However, these statements, which were made hours after Musk’s tweet, did not refer to him by name or talk about his comments on the topic. The tweet had said that Tesla has had enough and that this was the final straw for the company. The tweet also threatened to move all their future programs to Nevada immediately. All planned activities in Fremont would depend on how the authorities there treat Tesla from now on.

Tesla had made it clear that they were going to resume their production in limited means at the Fremont facility yesterday. Limited operations would require around 30% of its total workforce. But, the health officials stated that as the county still had shelter-in-place orders intact, they cannot give the car manufacturer approval to move ahead with their plans. California Governor, Gavin Newsom said that the state’s production must be in tune with the manufacturing guidelines set by each county.

Fremont Shutdown

The Fremont plant assembles Tesla’s Model 3, Model Y, Model S, and Model X vehicles. It shut down on March 23rd, with the company reducing pay for all US employees as of April 13th. Furthermore, the company has also put all their hourly workers on unpaid furlough. If Musk does carry out his plan of moving out of Fremont, it remains unclear what will happen to his 10,000 workers.  Musk had made a settlement with the Securities and Exchange Commission in 2018 over his tweets. They had come to an agreement that the entrepreneur should run his tweets by a company lawyer before posting them. All announcements that lead to unscheduled events require the filing of an 8-K form, as per the agreement. However, Musk has not filed an 8-K before announcing or threatening to move his plant out of Fremont.

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Regardless of coronavirus outbreaks Tesla to deliver its Model Y in the US?

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Highlights

Tesla Model Y deliveries begin in the US though WHO declared coronavirus outbreaks as a global emergency.

Just before one year, the company unveiled an electric SUV as well, Tesla announced the unveiling of Model Y at that time.

First Tesla model Y delivery ahead of the original schedule

The coronavirus outbreak is declared as a global emergency. After China, many countries including Italy, Australia, and now even India is fighting with the coronavirus. Also, many other countries becoming wrapped up in the grips of coronavirus pandemic. In such a situation, Tesla has officially begun the deliveries of the first Model Y to US customers. To share this information, Tesla tweeted a video yesterday. It shows the small electric SUV going through the production process also, being tested on a different part of the world. As well, the company shared a link to the order page. Some Tesla focused YouTubers including Teslanomics’ Ben Sullins spotted the first deliveries of Tesla Model Y.

Tesla Model Y could be an even bigger hit?

The company’s Model Y, first unveiled last year in the month of March is the fifth all-electric car to go into production. As per the report, the small SUV is built on the same technology platform as Model 3 Sedan. In fact, two cars shared about 75% parts. But there are few main differences like a motorized full hatch door at the rear, extra headroom. Also, having an optional small third row with two shotgun-style seats. However, Model 3 has proved to be a huge success for Tesla. Now Tesla Model Y is on its way.

The CEO Elon Musk said he believes the Model Y could potentially be an even bigger hit given the growing preference in the US (and, increasingly, the world) for the increased ride height, size, and functionality of SUVs.

Tesla Model Y configuration

New Model Y comes in two key configurations. However, both of them are all-wheel drive. The Long Range version of Tesla Model Y starts at $52,990 and offers 316 miles of range. As well, it can go from 0 to 60 miles per hour in 4.8 seconds. Also, Tesla is selling a Performance version that starts at $60,990. This performance version can travel 315 miles on a full battery, as well go from 0 to 60 miles per hour in 3.5 seconds. Moreover, to order Tesla Model Y, different options are available for each version. For example, Autopilot, advanced driver assistance package, various wheel covers, and paint colors. As per the report, in early 2021, the standard range version can be expected to enter production.

Will Coronavirus outbreaks affect the Model Y deliveries?

During Model Y unveiling, Tesla already announced that the shipping of Electric SUV will in Fall 2020. But the year 2019 was fairly successful for the company, and Tesla announced in January that it was able to get a vehicle into production faster than predicted. Now, the company begins the Model Y deliveries in the US, but the question is whether the coronavirus outbreaks would affect the deliveries. As we can see, the deadly virus affected many sectors and had a huge impact on new car sales in China. Ad well, it started to freeze up the economy of the US too. Because as a preventive measure, citizens isolate themselves so the spread can be a break. Also, many leading automobile companies like Hyundai and Ford started rolling out great recession era programs. Thus, trying to keep sales from completely catering. As well, it delays a customer’s first car payment for weeks or even months. Especially, if customers are jobless or affected by coronavirus outbreaks.

We cannot say what kind of impact the coronavirus will have on Tesla Model Y deliveries. Not only this model, but it’s unclear about sales of any other models of the company. Regardless of all this, Tesla announced to release first-quarter figures in the first week of April.

Does Tesla taking special care to stop Covid-19 spread?

It’s unclear about what the company is doing for the workforce in US factories that are located at three different locations. Though, the recently leaked memo clear that the company is restricting international travel and asking employees to seek medical advice if they feel Coronavirus symptoms.

But Tesla not shared any information if it’s taking preventive measures to limit the spread of coronavirus during these deliveries. Also, no such information mentioned about other car deliveries of the company. Coronavirus outbreaks are at its peak, while the Model Y deliveries of the company begin in the US. While Tesla has not responded to multiple requests for comment.

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Tesla Cars Get the Biggest Software Upgrade; User can Now Summon their Cars from the Parking Lot

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We need to admit that Tesla is one company with a mission to save the earth and at the same time, is providing us with the most luxurious fleet of cars. The cars are super comfy, luxurious and autonomous. What else can be better than that? But in order to keep customers interested in those automotive, the company is constantly working on improving its services.

For the same purpose, the company announced a new software upgrade for the Tesla cars on Thursday. The company has got new features and entertainment services like in-car “Car-aoke” (karaoke), Spotify Premium, Netflix, YouTube, and Hulu, to its version 10 in-car software. The karaoke feature will offer a multi-lingual songs collection for the user. Though the entertainment features added to the Tesla software are for the drivers, these can only be accessed when the cars are parked; obviously for the safety purpose.

version 10 in-car software. The karaoke feature will offer a multi-lingual songs collection for the user. Though the entertainment features added to the Tesla software are for the drivers, these can only be accessed when the cars are parked; obviously for the safety purpose.

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Image Source: teslarati.com

Another feature that the company has rolled out with the upgrade is that now the car owners can summon the car when it’s in their line-of-sight, that too, without a driver. Yes exactly like you would do to your pet. It means, if a car is parked in a parking lot, the owners will command it to come out of the parking and pick them up. According to the company, the feature will perfectly work for the ones who have purchased the fully-automatic Tesla cars.

“It’s the perfect feature to use if you have an overflowing shopping cart, are dealing with a fussy child, or simply don’t want to walk to your car through the rain. Though the customers who use the feature must remain responsible for the car and monitor it, and its surroundings, at all times,” stated Tesla in a blog post.

The feature is already out for the Tesla Model S, Model X, and Model 3 owners. The ones who have got the fully autonomous self-driving cars will be the ones getting the feature first. The customers will get a notification to update their software, and they, then after updating it, can enjoy the new features.

According to the company, there will be some other features, too, arriving for the Tesla cars in the coming week, that are built specifically to make improvements to the current software. The company also admitted that these software updates are the largest updates to the software to date. In fact, Tesla shares’ prices also jumped by 6%, after the upgrades were announced on Thursday.

According to an email from Elon Musk, the company is ready to deliver 100000 cars by the end of the third quarter of this year, which can make a record. Though the company has already made a record by selling 95000 cars in three months ending in June.

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Neuralink : Elon Musk Finally Talks About his Secretive Company’s Brain Control Interface

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Elon Musk, the Tesla and SpaceX founder, is always up to something next level. He has been involved in some really big and unique projects, like an online bank, an electric car, a reusable rocket, etc. The CEO of one of the biggest tech giants also owns the secretive experimental company ‘Neuralinks’. Tuesday evening during an event in San Francisco, Musk gave a presentation on the projects that this company has been working on for the past two years.

The company was founded in 2017, and it mainly works on developing the data transmission system between humans and computers. On Tuesday, CEO Musk, on the behalf of Neuralink, introduced devices that can be implanted to a human brain, so that they can operate devices like computer and smartphones through their thoughts.

Musk explained that there will be threads thinner than a normal human hair, which will be connected with a processor inside the human brain. This processor will make the person able to operate various electronic devices through a Bluetooth connection.

Elon Musk Neuralink
Image Source: ingeniousexpress.com

During the presentation, the company demonstrated a computer receiving information from a rats mind. And, in future, the company seeks to get permission from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to start clinical trials on the human brains. If the company gets the approval, it will start the experiments by the end of the first half of the next year.

According to Musk, Neuralink is experimenting with such devices so that the paralysed people will be able to control through their mind, but with lesser damage made to their neural system than the other already available devices do.

The process of inserting the processor into a paralysed human’s brain will include drilling four 8mm holes into the patient’s skull and then implant the processor connected to 4 to 6 μm thin polymer threads. This will help them operate various devices only through their thoughts. The company intends to use a laser beam to get through the skull in future.

“We will painlessly laser-drill the holes into the skull, place the threads, plug the hole with the sensor, and then you go home. It’ll be an experience like getting Lasik,” said President Max Hodak.

According to a report by the New York Times, the company will be carrying out the early experiments with the neuroscientists at Stanford University.

“It’s not going to be suddenly Nueuralink will have this neural lace and start taking over people’s brains. Ultimately, the company wants to achieve a symbiosis with artificial intelligence. And that, even in benign scenario humans would be left behind.” said Elon Musk during the presentation.

Earlier in 2006, the scientists from the Brown University developed a similar system named BrainGate that enabled a paralysed person Matthew Nagle play Pong using only his mind. But, this was a way stiffer technology and is prone to cause more damage to the human brain.

But the technology used by Neuralink is more flexible. The company has also developed a robot who will insert those threads into the human brain that too six threads per minute.

Elon Musk Plans To Soon Stop Selling Tesla Cars (at Current Prices) to ‘Save Tesla’

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Tesla is known for its luxurious electric and self-driving high-end cars. But according to a tweet from the founder of the company itself, the consumers won’t be able to buy these fancy cars. No, it is not like that the company will stop making those cars, but with the integration of a new chip, these cars are going to be quite expensive, and not all the people will be able to buy them.

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Image Source: theverge.com

The company has taken the initiative in order to recover from the losses it has been suffering, due to the cheaper price of its luxury cars. To prevent and overcome them, the company will be embedding a newly developed chip to its new as well as old cars, including Model S, X and 3S, such that these will become fully-autonomous and will not need the intervention of a human driver.



Musk posted a tweet on his official Twitter account on Sunday that the company will be upgrading its old cars, and will integrate the new chip into them as well as to new cars. So the consumers have a limited time to buy Tesla cars. Upon a tweet asking about when these upgrade will take place, Musk replied, “End of Q4, most likely”.

This means the company has already started working on building those new chips for the cars. According to another tweet from Musk, the owners who have purchased the full self-driving feature, the $6000 software package, will get the upgrade for free.

The company launched this new custom chip in the month of March this year, which already have been integrated to new Model 3, Model X and S vehicles. The upgrade of the older cars is a part of Tesla’s ‘Master Plan, Part Deux’, under which the company intends to make every Tesla car fully-autonomous and bring its dream robo-taxis on the road.

With the integration of the new chip into Tesla cars, the price of these cars may reach up to $40,000, and if remained unsold, these cars can earn even more profits as a robo-taxi.