S.E. Robinson, Jr.

Want to Know: Your Daily Musk Companies Update (Patreon)

Published:

2024-09-30 20:18:47

Imported:

2026-06

Content

30th of September, 2024

"Once you understand Kardashev Scale, it becomes utterly obvious that essentially all energy generation will be solar...." - Elon

■ TESLA $TSLA ($261.63, +0.45%):

- 10 Cybertrucks on hand at the Tesla Mexico delivery event. Pics by Tesla Owners Mexico (@co_tesla).

- Tesla's North America Supercharging voting has started. Link is in the sources section.

- Yesterday, Tesla started releasing Cybertruck FSD to early access customer with end to end on the highway. Per Tesla AI Lead Ashok Elluswamy, (@aelluswamy), "Great job by the Tesla AI team on meeting the goals laid out for September! End-to-end on the highway is first shipping to Cybertrucks. We are close to an early release build for remaining platforms and will release to internal employees in the next week or so."

- During the excitement of Cybertruck FSD, when asked about FSD for the Tesla Semi, the Tesla AI account posted, "But wait, there’s more." and "Season finale, not final season."

- This weekend, Governor of Nevada, Joe Lombardo, held the inaugural Nevada Lithium Summit in Lake Tahoe near the University of Nevada, Reno (UNR).He and JB Straubel, Tesla Co-Founder and Board Member, discussed Nevada’s economic positioning, innovation, and why Nevada is the most logical and efficient location to be the center of lithium mining, refinement, and battery manufacturing in the U.S. On site were the Tesla Semi and the Unplugged Performance Model Y UPFIT.

- Tesla won the North American Die Casting Association (NADCA) "Emphasis on Education" Award. It is to recognize a die casting company that has had a specific focus on die casting education and training for their workforce. The selection criteria for outstanding contribution to the promotion of die casting education includes the number of NADCA courses held over the past year, the total number of employees exposed to the courses, and consistency in offering courses over the past three years.

- Tesla Korea (@tesla_korea) has been posting cryptic images on their Instagram account... "0" Many believe this is in reference to 0% APR soon to be announced, similar to China.

- According to the Korea Transportation Safety Agency, Tesla Korea entered their certification process to sell the Cybertruck in South Korea. "Various vehicles such as vehicles imported directly by individuals or companies come to KATRI for certification, and in the case of this Cybertruck, the seller (Tesla) is in process for direct certification." Curious to know what other countries Tesla is trying to certify Cybertruck in.

- Tesla Hong Kong is at V city until the 29th of October. On display are the Model 3 Performance and Model Y. There are vehicles on-site for Demo Drives.

- According to Shangguan News, the Shanghai Megafactory is now 60% complete.

- Tesla China's Global SVP of Automotive, Tom Zhu last month in Bangkok and Taipei. Tom not only provided invaluable insights and guidance but also shared profound leadership lessons from his experiences. He discussed key topics such as recruiting to build strong core teams, leader competency, time management, teamwork, and navigating challenging times.

- Sony Honda Mobility announced they are adopting North American Charging Standard (NACS) for the AFEELA EVs in the U.S. and Japan. This is the first non-Tesla vehicle for the Japanese market.

- Tesla China extended their 5-year 0% APR for new Model 3 and Y purchases in China to the end of October.

- Tesla China announced they have exported their 1 millionth car from Giga Shanghai. Per VP Grace Tao Lin, "Today, the 1 millionth Tesla made in China was shipped from Shanghai Nangang Terminal... Thank you to every new and old car owner for your love and support. We continue to serve global consumers with high-quality products and accelerate the world's transition to sustainable energy!"

- Tesla will be at the 2024 eCar Expo at the Bella Center in Copenhagen, Denmark. On display will be the Model Y, 3, Cybertruck. Tesla is giving you the chance to win tickets by registering on Tesla's website. Link is in the sources section.

- US District Judge Araceli Martínez-Olguín has dismissed a shareholder lawsuit that alleged misleading statements from Elon about FSD capabilities drove up the stock price. Per Judge Martínez-Olguín, "Plaintiffs fail to connect Musk’s hands-on management with any information that he allegedly learned rendering his statements false or misleading."

- Tesla released a their new Wireless Portable Charger for $95. It has magnetic, wireless charging, 5000mAH battery capacity, 5V/3A max simultaneous output, charges up to 2 devices at once, and comes in Rose Gold, Black, & White.

FLYOVERS (Links in Sources Section):

Giga Texas: Joe Tegtmeyer (@JoeTegtmeyer), 30th of September, '24.
Giga Texas: Brad Sloan, 26th of September, '24.
Giga Nevada: Zanegler (@HinrichsZane), 25th of September, '24.
Fremont Factory/Lathrop Megafactory: MetGod, 25th of September, '24.

■ SPACEX:

- Last Wednesday on the 25th, Falcon 9 Starlink 9-8 launched from Space Launch Complex 4E (SLC-4E) at Vandenberg Space Force Base, California. This was the 10th flight for the booster. It previously launched NASA Crew-7, CRS-29, NROL-186, EarthCARE, Transporter-10, PACE, and three Starlink missions. The booster landed on drone ship Of Course I Still Love You in the Pacific Ocean. 20 Starlinks were deployed, including 13 Direct to Cells. Per Elon, "Hopefully, only a few more months before there are 300 direct to mobile phone Starlink satellites in operation. That is the number needed to achieve continuous coverage over mid latitudes."

- This past Saturday, the 28th of September, Falcon 9 Crew-9 launched from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at Cape Canaveral, Florida. This was SLC-40s first human launch! NASA now has 3 launch pads that can be used for human space flight.

This was the ninth crewed operational flight of a Crew Dragon spacecraft to the International Space Station as part of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program. On board were Commander Nick Hague and Mission Specialist Aleksandr Gorbunov. The booster landed at Landing Zone 1 (LZ-1) located at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.

On Sunday, Dragon Freedom autonomously docked with the forward-facing port of the space station’s Harmony module. The crew will conduct more than 200 scientific investigations, including blood clotting studies, moisture effects on plants grown in space, and vision changes in astronauts during their mission. Following their stay, Hague and Gorbunov will be joined by Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams to return to Earth in February 2025.

- During the Crew-9 mission the second stage malfunctioned on its return trip to Earth. SpaceX said that "Falcon 9’s second stage was disposed in the ocean as planned, but experienced an off-nominal deorbit burn. As a result, the second stage safely landed in the ocean, but outside of the targeted area." Then added, "We will resume launching after we better understand root cause." Falcon launches are again on hold. The FAA has not commented about an investigation.

- Boca Chica Beach Cleanup was this past Saturday and an overwhelming success! Seven school busses and hundreds of volunteers, students, and community groups showed up, including what looks to be the National Guard. Per Starbase General Manager Kathy Lueders (@KathyLueders), "Thank you for all of the folks that showed up for our Boca Chica Beach Clean up yesterday! After the storm, you made it the most successful clean up ever!" Pics by Base Camp Zero (@clwphoto1) and Cosmic Perspective (@considercosmos).

- Booster 11's aft section at Massey's Outpost after being recovered. Pic by RGV Aerial Photography (@RGVaerialphotos).

- Today, Starship 30 was removed from the full stack and is now on a transport stand next to the Orbital Launch Mount. The load spreader has arrived at the pad and many expect the Hot Stage Ring to be removed.

- At the McGregor, Texas, Test Facility, a Raptor fired for nearly 15 minutes! This is the longest duration test ever dome at McGregor. Many are speculating that it might have been a Raptor 3 test to failure that, well, didn't fail. Again, that is speculation.

Countdown to 144 (93 - Falcon 9, 1 - Falcon Heavy, and 2 - Starship):

Launch 97! Saturday, 5th of October, at 3:43 a.m. Falcon 9 Starlink 10-10 will launch from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at Cape Canaveral, Florida. The booster will land on a drone ship in the Atlantic Ocean.
Launch 98! Monday, 7th of October, at 10:52 a.m. Falcon 9 Hera Block 5 will launch from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at Cape Canaveral, Florida. Hera is a mission in development at the European Space Agency's (ESA) Space Safety program. Its primary objective is to study the Didymos binary asteroid system that was impacted by DART and contribute to validation of the kinetic impact method to deviate a near-Earth asteroid with a colliding trajectory with Earth. It will measure the size and the morphology of the crater created by and momentum transferred by an artificial projectile impacting an asteroid. This will allow measuring the efficiency of the deflection produced by the impact. It will also analyze the expanding debris cloud caused by the impact. As of now, the booster will be expended in the Atlantic Ocean.
Launch 99! Wednesday, 9th of October, at 11:49 p.m. PT, Falcon 9 OneWeb 20 will launch from Space Launch Complex 4E (SLC-4E) at Vandenberg Space Force Base, California. This is a batch of 20 satellites for the OneWeb satellite constellation, intended to provide global Internet broadband service for individual consumers. The constellation is planned to have around 648 microsatellites around 150 kg each, operating in Ku-band from low Earth orbit. The booster will land at Landing Zone 4 (LZ-4) at Vandenberg.
Launch 100! Thursday, 10th of October, at 12:31 p.m. Falcon Heavy Europa Clipper will launch from Launch Complex 39A (LC-39A) at Kennedy Space Center, Florida. Europa Clipper is the first dedicated NASA mission to study Jupiter’s moon Europa. It comprises of an orbiter spacecraft, which, while in orbit around Jupiter, will perform numerous flybys over Europa. Its payload suit included high-resolution cameras and spectrometers for imaging Europa’s surface and thin atmosphere, an ice-penetrating radar to search for subsurface water, and a magnetometer and gravity measurements to measure the moon’s magnetic field and unlock clues about its ocean and deep interior. As of now, all three boosters will be expended in the Atlantic Ocean.

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■ THE BORING COMPANY:

- According to a recent capacity study report, the Boring Company has proposed the 'Aggie LOOP' as a solution to the University of Texas A&M's congestion problem. A&M is exploring the possibility of a tunnel system through campus in order to decrease student traffic. Per Peter Lange, COO of A&M, "The Boring Company proposal provides a mobility solution that improves campus-wide connectivity, reduces road congestion, allows for future expansion as the need arises and the vehicles in the tunnel are zero emission electric. The ‘Aggie Loop’ would connect the Polo Road area of campus with the [Memorial Student Center], White Creek Apartment, and Reed Arena. Transit time from Polo Road to the MSC would be two minutes and the transit time from White Creek Apartments to the Commons area would be completed in only three minutes."

- Yesterday, Michel (@Mic_VegasSphere) hit the Vegas LOOP South Hall station site. The Boring Company has made a lot of progress since his last visit. The steel support columns and many of the ceiling beams are in place. Follow Michel!

- There is a new video by Trucker John of the South Hall station. Link is in the sources section.

- At Giga Texas, the Cyber-Tunnel received road sections labeled "Tested." According to Joe Tegtmeyer, "Installation work for these revised panels has resumed! This is great news to get the tunnel operational!"

- The Boring Company held a Site Tour in Bastrop, Texas, last Friday for University of Texas student. It was a chance to learn more about their mission and operations with an opportunity to network.

■ NEURALINK:

- Elon will be at the 2024 Congress of Neurological Surgeons (CNS) at the Michael L.J. Apuzzo Lecture on Creativity and Innovation. It will be a virtual event discussing Neuralink and a variety of topics with CNS President Dr. Alexander Khalessi. Not sure when Elon will be speaking, but the event started this past Saturday and will end on the 2nd of October. It is being held at the George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston, Texas.

■ STARLINK:

- In a hearing with the Texas Committee on Appropriations in Austin last Tuesday, SpaceX COO Gwynne Shotwell spoke on the Starlink facility expansion in Bastrop and added "This week we will pass 4 million customers for Starlink, which is exciting." Sure enough, on Thursday Starlink posted they passed 4 million users.

- During a press conference in Valdosta, Georgia. President Donald Trump announced today that he has spoken to Elon about providing Starlinks to communities impacted by Hurricane Helene. Per Trump, "I just spoke to Elon. We want to get Starlink hooked up because they have no communication whatsoever. Elon will always come through. We know that."

- Starlink Mini is now available in Kenya.

- Last Thursday, the FCC unanimously voted to open 1,300 megahertz of spectrum in the 17.3 to 17.8GHz bands to non-geostationary satellites, including Starlink, that operate closer to Earth.

- INdigital is bringing three more Starlink kits to Georgia to support 911 centers affected by Hurricane Helene. The Georgia National Guard is en route to Walker County, Alabama, to pick up another kit. So far, eight Starlink kits have been sent from Alabama to assist 911 centers in need across Georgia. These kits have been provided by Walker County 911, Henry County 911, the Alabama 9-1-1 Board, and INdigital.

- The U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has sent Starlink kits to help flood victims in North Carolina after Hurricane Helene.

- Starlink advertisement in New Zealand.

- Air France announced starting in 2025 and onwards, they will begin to install Starlink Aviation onboard their fleet and will provide completely free Wi-Fi in all travel cabins for Flying Blue customers.

■ X:

- X released their Global Transparency Report | H1 2024. Highlights include:

Enforcement Actions: Total Account Suspensions = 5,296,870, Total Post Removed or Labeled = 10,675,980.
Platform Manipulation or Spam: Total Accounts Suspended = 463,960,085; Automated = 461,172,954, Human = 2,787,131.
Misleading and Deceptive Identities: Total Accounts Suspended = 677,798; Automated = 470,435, Human = 207,363.
Government Requests for X Account Information Globally: Total Requests = 18,737 9,897, Cases Disclosed = 9,897. Removal Requests = 72,703, Cases Actioned = 51,487.
Copyright and Trademark Notices: Copyright Notices = 188,661, Copyright Counter Notices = 14,496, Trademark Notices = 70,980.

- Last Wednesday, X CEO Linda Yaccarino (@lindayaX) met with El Salvador's President Nayib Bukele (@nayibbukele).

- According to Aaron (@aaronp613X), is working on a new video player for iOS. It will be similar in look and feel to TikTok. This appears to be a move into the quick short attention grabbing videos. These are sensational videos that get the most views and impressions.

- X Japan's Chief, Ayumu Matsuyama (@ayumu_matsuyama), and Team invited game-related clients from Japan, China, and Korea to X Tokyo and held the "X Gaming Growth Mastery Summit!" With collaboration among Asian office staff, they introduced the latest information and examples of X usage in gaming from the perspective of each country. X is capitalizing on the largest gaming sector in the world and their second largest market after America. Per Linda Yaccarino, "X takes gaming global! Great work from our Japan and APAC teams!"

- Ayumu Matsuyama also met with managers of businesses in Komatsu City of Ishikawa Prefecture to help revitalize the region after the last earthquake. "We would like to help companies that are active in the region to develop and disseminate their appeal. By utilizing X, it is possible to disseminate the charm of the region and activities of the companies to more people, and to the whole country and the world!"

- And tomorrow, Ayumu Matsuyama will be giving a talk at the Autumn 2024 DX General EXPO at the Tokyo Big Sight at 12:30 p.m. local time. "I will be updating you on the latest X products and services. I look forward to seeing you there." This guy is a machine! If you are not following him, I highly recommended it. He gives you a ton of info on how X is making moves in Japan and APAC.

- X's Head of Fashion, Taylor Fisher (@taylorxfashion), was at @CHANEL for something big.

- You will soon be able to view a list of accounts you have blocked from DMing you.

- Community Notes announced they are admitting Community Notes contributors in 197 countries and territories around the world; admitting from all countries in which they have supported phone carriers needed for signup.

- X is working on a new Verified Organization customer support email. The email will go directly to X's support team and receive a fast response.

■ xAI:

- xAI announced they will hold an "Open House" tomorrow, the 1st of October. They plan to bring together a group of exceptional engineers and product builders who are intrigued by the xAI mission and want to build maximally truth-seeking AI. This is a recruiting event to meet the team, learn more about xAI, and enjoy a fun evening brought to you by the creators of the funniest AI out there. Register at http://x.ai/sf

- Grok now has image history so you can see all your image prompts.

■ ELON NEWS:

- Elon met with Sheikh Tahnoon Bin Zayed Al Nahyan (@hhtbzayed) of Abu Dhabi at Giga Texas last Thursday. According to the Sheikh, "We discussed with Elon the latest developments in the field of advanced technology and artificial intelligence and ways to enhance joint cooperation."

- Elon with Yoshiki Hayashi, aka Yoshiki, in New York. He is best known as the leader of the visual kei rock bands X Japan and the Last Rockstars. He is the drummer, pianist, and main songwriter. He is also a composer, record producer, film director, and fashion designer.

- Elon on Solar, "Once you understand Kardashev Scale, it becomes utterly obvious that essentially all energy generation will be solar. Also, just do the math on solar on Earth and you soon figure out that a relatively small corner of Texas or New Mexico can easily serve all US electricity.

One square mile on the surface receives ~2.5 Gigawatts of solar energy. That’s Gigawatts with a “G”. It’s ~30% higher in space. The Starlink global satellite network is entirely solar/battery powered.

Factoring in solar panel efficiency (25%), packing density (80%) and usable daylight hours (~6), a reasonable rule of thumb is 3GWh of energy per square mile per day. Easy math, but almost no one does these basic calculations."

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SOURCES:

FLYOVERS: