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

2nd of January, 2025

"The brutal reality of the situation will hit like a tsunami towards the end of next year..." - Elon

■ TESLA $TSLA ($379.28, -6.08%):

- There are a lot of questions about the car-bombing of the Trump Hotel in Las Vegas. Green beret, Fort Bragg, New Orleans... Hopefully we can get some answers soon. What is known, is that the Cybertruck used in the attack proved its integrity. The frame is intact. The stainless steel exoskeleton is intact. The battery is intact and somewhat functional. Tires are intact and unharmed. The bed of the truck thwarted the blast upward instead of outward not only saving lives, but keeping the Trump Hotel lobby untouched. Per Elon, "I’m pretty sure we could get it running again too."

The Numbers: Tesla Q4 and 2024 Production and Delivery Results

Q4 Totals

Production:

• Model 3/Y = 436,718, Other Models = 22,727

• Total = 459,445

Deliveries:

• Model 3/Y = 471,930, Other Models = 23,640

• Total = 495,570 vs Street Estimate of 498,000

2024 Totals

Production:

• Model 3/Y = 1,679,338, Other Models = 94,105

• Total = 1,773,443

Deliveries:

• Model 3/Y = 1,704,093, Other Models = 85,133

• Total = 1,789,226 (-1.1% YoY)

Energy Storage deployments of 31.4 GWh (+113% YoY)

Tesla Q4 2024 Financial Results and Q&A Webcast will be Wednesday, the 29th of January, at 4:30 p.m. CT.

- Tesla Semi in Nevada by intern Rehan Rashid.

- As expected, Tesla reduced the credits earned in the referral program in the U.S. The referrer now get $500 per referral, down from $1,000. Purchasers get:

• Model 3 or Y: $500 off, down from $1,000.

• Model S, X, and Cybertruck: $1,000 off, down from $2,000.

• Solar Products and Powerwall: $400 off.

- The AWD Cybertruck starting at $79,990 now qualifies for the $7,500 Federal tax credit. It only applies if the MSRP is below $80,000, so you cannot add accessories. FSD is not considered an accessory, so it can be added. Of note, the IRS has the RWD Cybertruck qualifying for the credit. Production soon?

- Tesla was the top selling brand in Norway for the 4th year in a row. For 2024, the Model Y was No.1 at 16,858 and the Model 3 was No.2 at 7,264 cars.

- To celebrate the New Year, Tesla Japan is gifting free supercharging for 5 years to those that purchase a new Model Y and take delivery on or before the 31st of March.

- In the U.S, free lifetime Supercharging is still available with the purchase or lease a new Model S.

- Model Y Juniper pictures from an edmonds article. They said these were taken by "Spy photographers" as the vehicle was being tested in Europe. Nothing new here from what we have already seen. But we do know that the vehicle is being tested in the U.S. China, and Europe. Hopefully an announcement will take place soon.

- ARK Invest's Cathie Wood's, with David Israel, and Kurt Panouses, filed a notice of appeal in the Supreme Court of Delaware. The notice targets Chancellor Kathaleen St. J. McCormick’s decision to void Elon Musk‘s $56 billion pay package and the $345M award in attorneys fees. Per attorney Tom Grady of GradyLaw, "We want on this appeal to re-enfranchise Tesla shareholders and make their votes count. It’s ‘unfathomable’ that we could get a greater percentage of shareholders to approve that."

FLYOVERS (flight links in sources section):

• Giga Texas: Brad Sloan, 31st of December, '24. Holiday, so it is a slow day. Very little work taking place.

■ SPACEX:

- Our first look at the new Crew Dragon capsule. We were told that the next crew mission was on hold until the new vehicle was ready, well, it is. This is SpaceX's fifth and final Dragon for crew. I assume it is the final Dragon because of Starship. It is currently in Hawthorne, California, and will soon depart for Florida.

- Starship Gazer (@StarshipGazer) spotted the Starship Human Landing System (HLS) Airlock inside the Starfactory! Note the label attached.

- The Hwy 4 side exterior of the Starfactory and SpaceX HQ Offices is nearly complete! Pic by Shaun Gisler (@lifeatstagezero).

- As reported before, SpaceX has filed plans to build and locate landing zones in Florida near the launch site. Thanks to Harry Stranger (@Harry__Stranger) we now have the drainage plan modifications for Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40). They show the location of where a Falcon 9 landing zone will be added on the eastern side of the complex.

Countdown to 180 (0 - Falcon 9, 0 - Falcon Heavy, and 0 - Starship):

• Launch 1! Friday, 3rd of January, at 8:27 p.m. ET, Falcon 9 Thuraya 4-NGS will launch from Launch Complex 39A (LC-39A) at Kennedy Space Center, Florida. The booster will land on a drone ship in the Atlantic Ocean. Thuraya 4-NGS is a communication satellite being built by Airbus Defense and Space for the UAE based Yahsat. Based on the all-electric Airbus Eurostar-Neo Platform, Thuraya 4-NGS will incorporate a large 12-meter L-band antenna and a payload with on-board processing providing advanced routing flexibility of up to 3200 channels with dynamic power allocation over a large number of spot beams. Pics are of Thuraya 4-NGS being encapsulated in the Falcon 9 fairings.

• Launch 2! Sunday, 5th of January, at 12:10 p.m. ET, Falcon 9 Starlink 6-71 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 3! Monday, 6th of January, at 11:19 a.m. ET, Falcon 9 Starlink 12-11 will launch from Launch Complex 39A (LC-39A) at Kennedy Space Center, Florida. The booster will land on a drone ship in the Atlantic Ocean.

• Launch 4! Friday, 10th of January, at 4:00 p.m. CT, Starship 33 Super Heavy Booster 14 (Flight 7) will launch from Orbital Launch Mount A (OLM-A) at Starbase, Texas. The SH Booster 15 will return to launch site for the 2nd Tower catch attempt. Starship 33 will do a soft splashdown in the Indian Ocean.

■ THE BORING COMPANY:

- Here are the latest images of the Cyber-Tunnel at Giga Texas. Slowly but surely the stainless steel cladding is being installed. Looks like a Cybertruck light bar will be on the front! They should total put the rear light bar on as well. Pic from Brad Sloan's flyover. Link in the sources section.

- Per Brian "Bulldog" Salinas, Spacecraft and Human Systems for Barrios Technologies, "The new SpaceX, X, and Boring Company Texas facilities are bigger than you can imagine. HUGE. Thanks again for the invite. Very fun." I need an invite... just saying. Pic taken outside of Hyperloop Plaza.

■ NEURALINK: N/A...

■ STARLINK:

- Notruf Niederösterreich, an Emergency Communications and Healthcare Provider for St Pölten, Austria, were out supporting the Red Cross of Gloggnitz and the District Rescue Command of Neunkirchen with their EMS vehicle and Starlink for the Ski World Cup at Semmering. "With Starlink, Alarmbase and Patient Care Record are processed much faster and more targeted for small and large health problems."

- SpaceX has released their 61 page Starlink 2024 Progress Report. Go to the Starlink Stories page, scroll to the bottom, and submit your email. The download will then take place. Link is in the sources section.

- ELCOME Sierra Leone received its first shipment of Starlink terminals to support their enterprise, government, and community Wi-Fi customers. Per Jimmy Grewal, Managing Director at ELCOME, "With more on the way, we have a sizable pipeline of deployments planned for Q1 2025."

- Per SpaceX's Michael Nicolls (@michaelnicollsx), "Direct to cell went from 0 to 1 in 2024. Now with over 370 satellites, the system is ready for commercial service. We’ll continue iterating and improving!"

- The Paris Saint-Germain football club hosted a one-of-a-kind press conference at 35,000 feet aboard a Qatar Airways flight. As the team headed to Qatar for the Trophée des Champions, PSG held its first-ever live show thanks to Starlink Aviation. Fans got an exclusives, including live insights from captain Marquinhos and interviews with coach Luis Enrique. The teamed is owned by Qatar Sports Investment (QSI).

- Balazs Szabo, Certifying Staff at AMX Support GmbH of Austria, installing Starlink Aviation on a Bombardier Global XRS at AMX Support in Vienna.

■ X:

- Aaron (@aaronp613), X may launch X money in the US before getting transmittal licenses approval in all 50 states. There are no indications that X Money will launch in any countries outside the U.S.

- Per CEO Linda Yaccarino, "2025 X will connect you in ways never thought possible. X TV, X Money, Grok and more. Buckle up. Happy New Year!"

- According to P4mui (@P4mui), X has a Media tab for the navigation menu that redirects you to an immersive media interface without clicking on a video first. This tab is intended as a  "TikTok mode".

■ xAI: N/A...

■ ELON NEWS:

- To celebrate the New Year, Elon was with Shivon Zilis (@shivon) and their two children, Donald Trump, Lil X, and Maye Musk (@mayemusk).

__________

■ SUBSCRIBERS:

Thanks for all the support guys! I hope you had a good New Year Celebration.

For January, I will be giving away a limited edition 'Find Me In Deep Space' Tesla Hat to a lucky subscriber! This commemorates the launch of Elon's Roadster and Starman aboard the Falcon Heavy on the 6th of February, 2018. Instead of credits like now, Tesla gave this out in limited capacity if you referred a Tesla purchase.

Speaking of... if you are interested in getting a new Tesla, use my Referral to get up to a $1,000 off the purchase. ts.la/stephen746292

Everybody have a great day!

__________

■ SOURCES:

FLYOVERS:

• Giga Texas: Brad Sloan https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Np4vCex1N38

Tesla:

• https://www.edmunds.com/car-news/tesla-model-y-juniper-update-details.html

• https://www.tv2.no/broom/sjekk-den-dominansen/17323389/

• https://news.bloomberglaw.com/securities-law/elon-musks-pay-deal-decision-appealed-to-delaware-supreme-court

Starlink:

• Starlink Progress Report https://stories.starlink.com/

Elon News:

• Elon Quote https://x.com/elonmusk/status/1873971592096866511

• Elon's Article on Germany's AfD https://x.com/martinvars/status/1874595053450002617