Monthly Archives: March 2022

Another day, another Tesla joke about the uber-hated steering wheel yoke. When the newest Tesla Model X electric SUV and Model S sedan came out, fans and critics couldnt stop talking about the yoke. Now that some time has passed and regular people have had a chance to test it out, the complaints have only increased. What is Elon Musk addressing with the newest update?

According to Business Insider, Tesla and Elon Musk have heard the complaints about the yoke. There are many, but Musk says the automaker has addressed one of the biggest complaints. No, it isnt the shape of the yoke. No, it isnt the uncomfortable nature of the yoke. Musk and Tesla have decided to jump on the horn issue.

While there have been plenty of complaints about the yoke, the horn has been one of the biggest annoyances. Instead of having a standard horn on the yoke, it uses a small button to set the horn off. Apparently, the automaker has been working on the horn issue since November. The new Tesla Model S and Model X vehicles should have the horn in the center like a regular steering wheel.

Responding to Ross Gerber on Twitter, Musk said, If you mash right side of yoke with your palm, horn will trigger. He also noted that the company is just waiting on a firmware update.

RELATED: This 2015 Tesla Model S Is Aging Like a Fine Wine With 424,000 Miles

The Model X electric SUV and the Model S sedan received the new rectangular steering yoke as part of a redesign. While some die-hard fans of the brand embraced the exclusivity, the rest of the general public did not. The yoke steering wheel was harder to use and uncomfortable for those with longer commutes.

Instead of using the conventional stalks for windshield wipers, high beams, and turn signals, Tesla made these into buttons. The small buttons are touch-sensitive and conveniently located, albeit unintuitive. When drivers hopped in the newly designed Tesla Model X and Model S, it was clear the yoke would be an issue. Drivers would accidentally turn on the wipers or horn by brushing over the steering wheel while driving.

But one of the biggest issues noted with the horn situation on the yoke is that the horn was hard to find and utilize in emergencies. In complaints to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, drivers called the yoke a safety hazard. The horn placement was not intuitive and left drivers frustrated in stressful situations, unable to honk the horn when needed.

Unable to locate the small button, Tesla drivers had to take eyes off the road to mash the small button.

Some owners told the agency theyd nearly gotten into crashes because they werent able to honk in time to alert other drivers or pedestrians.

In a complaint on the NHTSA website, one driver said, The yoke is DANGEROUS, stupid, offers no benefit. The horn is way off center, meaning its always in a different place, depending on the turn position. This is criminally stupid, and almost caused 3 accidents already for me.

While Mr. Elon Musk says on Twitter that Tesla will fix the issue soon, he offered no timeline or other information about the update. He did not respond to comment requests from Business Insider, either. For now, perhaps drivers should practice honking with the small button on the yoke until the software update is released. Simple solution, really.

RELATED: How Long Does It Take to Charge a Tesla at a Charging Station?

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Elon Musk Says Tesla Is Addressing One of the Biggest Complaints About the Yoke - MotorBiscuit

Elon Musk, Tesla CEO, stands in the foundry of the Tesla Gigafactory during a press event.

Patrick Pleul | picture alliance | Getty Images

Tesla and Elon Musk are facing a trial over the CEO's 2018 pay package, which was worth around $2.5 billion at the time it was granted.

Shareholder Richard J. Tornetta sued Musk and the Tesla board after the package was cleared. The suit claimed it was excessive and said authorization by the electric car company's board of directors amounted to a breach of its fiduciary duty.

Musk's 2018 CEO performance award consisted of 101.3 million stock options (adjusted for the 5-for-1 stock split in 2020) in 12 milestone-based tranches. The plan said Musk would be paid only if he reached those milestones, which focused on Tesla's market value and operations. Otherwise the CEO would receive nothing.

Tesla shares skyrocketed, and payouts to Musk began in 2020, helping make him the world's richest person.

Tornetta seeks to invalidate the option grant from the 2018 plan, which has netted Musk tens of billions of dollars worth of stock at present value.

The shareholder alleged that Tesla board members had undisclosed conflicts and said Musk crafted his own pay plan with personal assistance of his former divorce attorney Todd Maron, who was also Tesla's general counsel. Tornetta claimed that Tesla's board didn't disclose all the information it should have to shareholders before a proxy vote to approve the pay plan.

Maron left the company in late 2018, and Tesla hasn't had a general counsel since December 2019.

Attorneys for Musk had asked the court for a summary judgement and sought to have the case dismissed. But in a letter dated Feb. 24, court chancellor Kathleen St. J. McCormick wrote, "I am skeptical that this litigation can be resolved based on the undisputed facts. So, I am canceling oral argument on the summary judgment motions." She added, "This case is going to trial."

A trial had been scheduled for April 18, in the Delaware chancery court, according to filings first published by legal transparency database PlainSite. That date could change. PlainSite is owned by Aaron Greenspan, who previously disclosed a Tesla short position.

Tesla didn't respond to a request for comment, and attorneys representing Tornetta declined to comment when contacted by CNBC.

WATCH: Elon Musk says President Biden has 'potentially ignored' Tesla

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Elon Musk and Tesla face trial over CEO's multibillion-dollar pay package from 2018 - CNBC

March 7, 2022

By Nuno Cristovao

Would Tesla consider creating their own AI-controlled traffic lights? There was an interesting exchange on Twitter about traffic lights that appeared to catch Elon Musk's interest.

The conversation circled around traffic lights and the amount of time and energy that is spent waiting at red lights when there is no traffic.

The traffic light was invented just as the popularity of cars started taking off in the early 1900s. The traffic light itself was first used in 1914, while vehicles became popular in the 1920s.

While there have been numerous improvements to traffic lights, they've been relatively small considering it's been more than a century since their introduction. We've seen improvements such as adding a yellow light to warn drivers of an upcoming red light, using LEDs for better visibility, adding different light combinations, and even using different light patterns based on the time of day.

However, we have the technology today to make traffic lights as we know them a thing of the past.

While traffic lights may seem like an odd business for Tesla to get into, it actually fits their mission and capabilities quite well.

Tesla would use cameras to build an AI system that would predict traffic patterns to reduce time spent and emissions produced at traffic lights.

-Elon Musk

They could even reduce accidents by figuring out the ideal time to wait before flipping the opposite traffic light green.

By Tesla using its core competencies to develop traffic lights it could further accelerate its mission of easing traffic and reducing vehicle emissions. It's a similar reason why they're developing robots.

AI we could practically eliminate waiting at a red light when there's no traffic in sight. It would also vastly speed up most intersections. Time is our most valuable asset, but we spend hours a year stopped at red lights. Just staring and waiting.

Well, apparently Elon Musk strongly agrees with us. When a Twitter user complained that it's mind-boggling the amount of time we collectively spend waiting at empty intersections, Elon replied with a simple "100%."

Elon then replied to another Twitter user expressing his interest that maybe Tesla should get into the traffic light business. Elon talked about the possibility of developing an add-on device for traffic lights. The device would use vision AI to turn legacy traffic lights into AI powerhouses that would maximize traffic throughput.

Here's hoping that this random tweet sparks other conversations at Tesla this morning. Making traffic lights smarter helps ease traffic and fits their competencies and mission perfectly.

I think when Tesla takes a closer look, they'll realize that they can do more than just maximize throughput and reduce waiting, but that they'll also be able to reduce accidents and frustrations that could come with dealing with traffic.

Tesla could eventually develop their own traffic light that would fix even more problems.

If Tesla developed an LED panel-based traffic light, they could even create dynamic traffic lights that would automatically use traffic arrows only when needed, and automatically and continuously adjust the types of traffic signals used based on traffic conditions over time.

An always-connected traffic light could also open up the way to city-controlled traffic lights that could prevent accidents in police chases or save lives by turning lights green for ambulances.

The possibilities are near endless and we could one day look back at those lonesome times when we used to stare up a red light waiting and hoping for it to finally be our turn.

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Elon Musk to speak next month at the TED conference - Not a Tesla App

By Jo Borrs and Zachary Shahan

It is a wild but real question: Would Russia be invading Ukraine right now if Elon Musk hadnt shifted the course of automotive history?

This article came about from some people proposing that the rise of Elon Musk and the EV revolution made Ukraines mineral deposits too valuable for Putin to ignore. Depending on who you believe, the abundance of rare-earth metals in Ukraine needed to power the EV revolution is the real reason that Russian President Vladimir Putin has launched an invasion on the sovereign nation.

Its unrealistic to think that Putin invaded Ukraine just for some more natural resources. As most Ukrainians and Putin experts have pointed out, the gruesome invasion appears to be a combination of Putins disdain for Ukrainians who think they arent part of Russia (which means almost all Ukrainians), the threat of a free and blossoming democracy right next door to Russia (which might give more Russians ideas that Putin doesnt want them to have), and Putins dream of putting the USSR back together or a Russia even further back in time and larger in geography. (Notably, Putin also got divorced in the year that he invaded Crimea, 2014, and he seems ridiculously isolated from the rest of the world these days, especially since the COVID-19 pandemic began.) All of those explanations do not mean that there isnt an EV and Elon Musk angle, though.

The transportation industry is electrifying. Nowhere is that more apparent than in Europe. In 2021, 19% of new passenger vehicle sales in Europe were plugin vehicle sales, and 10% were full-electric vehicle sales. There were the same percentages in January 2022, and January is known to be one of the weakest months if not the weakest for EV sales, so expect 2022 to fly past 2021s result.

Meanwhile, while large superpowers like the US and China have very diverse economies, the Russian economy is largely based on oil & gas. The late Senator John McCain famously said, Russia is a gas station masquerading as a country.

Its kleptocracy. Its corruption. Its a nation thats really only dependent upon oil and gas for their economy, and so economic sanctions are important, he added.

And all of that is important without noting that Russian oil & gas production has become harder and harder, more and more costly, and less and less profitable.

Wikipedia writes, The oil and gas sector accounted up to roughly 40% of Russias federal budget revenues, and up to 60% of its exports in 2019.[51]In 2019, theNatural Resources and Environment Ministryestimated the value of natural resources to 60% of the countrys GDP.[52] In an article two years ago, the Warsaw Institute wrote, Vladimir Putin has not taken advantage of the long years of the oil boom and huge state budget revenues from oil exports to reform the economy. Instead of diversifying and strengthening other industrial sectors, it turns out that in the years 2010-2018 Russia has become even more dependent on hydrocarbons. It turns out that the share of oil and gas production in the Russian economy increased from 34.3% to 38.9%. The share of other types of production activity, in particular, the manufacturing industry, decreased from 53.2% to 50.7%.

A move away from oil, something that is happening much faster than most presumed, is a great threat to the Russian economy, and thus to Vladimir Putin. Perhaps Putin did see this threat arising and decided that he would pursue his dream of expanding Russia before it was too late. Perhaps he thought, alone in his bubble of emptiness and callous nationalism, that he had better return Russia to its former glory now, before dying of COVID, a coup, or a citizen uprising.

Next, we have to admit that one of the reasons were here in 2022 talking about a very certain electric future for automobiles is the success of Tesla and that is due largely to the influence of Elon Musk. Tick that box as true, but well explain it in more detail further down.

Image courtesy of Tesla.

Are you with us so far? Now, well ask you again: Would Russia be invading Ukraine right now if Elon Musk hadnt shifted the course of automotive history by investing in Tesla in 2004?

Its a meme. Its fine.

Obviously, we are not blaming Elon Musk for the Russian invasion of Ukraine. That said, it wasnt all that long ago that Russia was spoken of as part of a BRIC of nations (Brazil, Russia, India, and China) that some believed would come to collectively dominate global economic growth by 2050.

That notion was largely driven by those nations low labor costs, favorable demographics (whatever that means), and abundant natural resources at a time of a global commodities boom in the early aughts. Natural resources arent created equal, however, and petroleum certainly isnt the long-term, slam-dunk investment it once appeared to be (Goldmans BRICS fund has lost 88% since 2010) and that has an awful lot to do with Tesla.

Photo by Zachary Shahan.

Think of the automotive landscape in March of 2009, when Tesla first unveiled the Model S. The car business was in chaos, reeling from the global financial crisis. Only weirdos like Ed Begley Jr. and well, me and Zachary and Chelsea Sexton were thinking seriously about EVs. The closest thing there was to a mainstream electric car was the Chevy Volt concept GM showed in 2007 and that was still a few years away.

There was nothing, in other words and certainly nothing desirable. Heck, even the Tesla was a bit of a niche thing with a limited audience and a questionable future, according to the zeitgeist of the moment.

Then the videos started showing up on YouTube. All of a sudden, an electric car wasnt just an expensive car. An electric car became a fast car. So fast, in fact, that it made the old guard of Mustang, Camaro, and Corvette buyers sit up and take notice. Heck, it made real supercar buyers sit up and ask themselves what it was, really, that made a car super at all especially when the family sedan in the other lane just wiped the floor with their mid-engined exotic.

The Tesla Model S quickly became the car to have if you wanted the fastest car on the block, or wanted to be seen as a forward thinker. The virtue signaling of electrification and environmental responsibility was a bonus.

Photoshop is our friend. Photo and slight modification by Chanan Bos, CleanTechnica.

Fast forward to 2022, and just about every carmaker bar Honda and Mazda have committed to majority electric or all-electric lineups by the next decade, Tesla is the most valuable carmaker on Earth (worth more than the next several automakers combined), and even the blue chips like Ford are looking for ways to run their companies like Tesla.

And, yes, its noteworthy that none of those automakers not a one can build the millions of electric cars theyll need to stay profitable without a bunch of rare natural resources. It is also true that Ukraine has an abundance of the very kind of natural resources that the EV revolution needs.

Gallium, titanium, lithium, rare earths it seems like theres a lot worth fighting over in the Ukraine especially if youre the kind of person who values the upward trajectory of your stock portfolio over decency or human life. And, while some companies are bending over backwards to ensure their EV materials are ethically sourced and part of a closed-loop system to minimize their long-term environmental impact others are not.

But, again, those minerals have always been there and the calculus of the past, at least, balanced out against invasion. That may have changed, and a trillion-dollar valuation may have had something to do with that.

On the topic of lithium, The Indian Express writes, Ukrainian researchers have speculated that the countrys eastern region holds close to 500,000 tons of lithium oxide, a source of lithium, which is critical to the production of the batteries that power electric vehicles. That preliminary assessment, if it holds, would make Ukraines lithium reserves one of the largest in the world.

Late last year, Ukraine started to auction off exploration permits to develop its lithium reserves, as well as copper, cobalt and nickel. All are natural resources that play critical roles in the clean energy technology essential to the shift away from fossil fuels that scientists say is necessary to ward off the worst consequences of climate change.

Ukraines potential for lithium production had started to attract global attention. In November, European Lithium, an Australian firm, said it was in the process of securing rights to two promising lithium deposits in the Donetsk region, in eastern Ukraine, and Kirovograd, in the center of the country. The company said at the time it aimed to become Europes largest lithium supplier.

The same month, the Chinese company Chengxin Lithium also applied for rights to lithium deposits in Donetsk and Kirovograd, according to news media reports, a move that would give it its first foothold in Europe. Neither company responded to requests for comment.

Do you think a 17-year-old Elon Musk moving to Canada so he could avoid conscription in the South African army (which, while were here, seems like it was the right thing to do) was the starting domino in a long chain of events that would eventually see Vladimir Putin order Russian troops to march on Ukraine, or is this just another example of whatever it was that Jeff Goldblums character was going on about in Jurassic Park?

Image from IMDB.

Scroll on down to the comments section and let us know what you think. But please note: youll get a lot more imaginary internet bonus points by including a meme in the comments. Enjoy!

Original content from CleanTechnica.

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Would Russia Be Invading Ukraine Right Now If Elon Musk Hadnt Shifted The Course Of Automotive History? - CleanTechnica

Representational image

Tech billionaire Elon Musk-led SpaceX launched 646 Starlink satellites in 2021, marking a 48.9% increase in its March 2021 satellite population of 1,322, according to a report.

In the past 18 months, the space firm has grown its broadband satellites by 185%, revealed data analysis by financial educational hub StockApps.com

It targets up to 60 million rural and far-flung American populations. Globally, it has set sights on areas with poor broadband connections.

"The increase in Starlink satellites brings more areas under internet coverage. Now more areas that have lacked access before will be able to tap into high-speed and reliable internet. The implications can only be mind-blowing," Edith Reads, a fintech expert, wrote in a blogpost on StockApps.com.

The core of the SpaceX Starlink internet project is a low latency broadband system tailored for global consumer needs.

A collection of low orbiting Earth satellites will support Starlink in providing fast and dependable data where there's poor to zero connectivity.

Starlink's most recent application has been in Ukraine. The system has enabled the besieged country to continue accessing the net as it battles a Russian invasion.

Starlink is currently approved to expand its constellation to 12,000 satellites, though SpaceX has applied to launch a further 30,000.

**

The above article has been published from a wire agency with minimal modifications to the headline and text.

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Elon Musk's SpaceX Launched 646 Satellites in 2021 As Part of Starlink Internet Project: Report | The Weather Channel - Articles from The Weather...

Elon Musk took the suit out of his wardrobe for the occasion.

It's a sign, if there was any doubt, that this road trip is not like the others.

The billionaire, installed in the passenger seat of the car, wears a black suit and a black tie over a white shirt.

His neighbor who occupies the driver's seat also wears a dark suit but a little lighter than Musk's. He also wears a tie over a blue shirt and glasses.

The two men appear to be deep in conversation, the subject of which appears to be the capabilities of the car, a Tesla (TSLA) - Get Tesla Inc ReportS Plaid sedan.

Except that the passenger is not an average driver.

He is Qin Gang, the Chinese ambassador to the United States. It is also the diplomat who shared photos of this car trip between the two men on his Twitter account.

The trip took place on March 4.

The diplomat does not give any information on the route and the duration of this road trip.

"Had an inspiring talk with @elonmusk today on cars on the road, stars in the sky, research of human brain, meaning of life on earth and our future into the space," Qin Gang wrote. "Look up and think beyond."

In a second tweet, the diplomat gives his impression of this car trip, which he seems to have greatly appreciated.

"Took a ride in a @Tesla Model S Plaid on #autopilot. Powerful model, but smooth ride!"

The road trip between the two men reflects the closeness between Tesla, Elon Musk and China.

Musk, who has an extremely cold relationship with U.S. President Joe Biden, does not hide his ties with the Chinese authorities.

China is a crucial market for the manufacturer of luxury electric vehicles.

The company's Gigafactory in Shanghai has become the epicenter of the production of the Model 3 and Y, the entry-level sedan and SUV from which the American company, that wants to move its headquarters from California to Austin, Texas, hopes to conquer the world.

Tesla aims to at least double its production capacity in this factory which can currently produce roughly 850,000 cars per year.

Last year, more than half of the 936,172 cars delivered by Tesla worldwide were produced in Shanghai.

The Chinese authorities have reserved special treatment for Tesla.

The automaker is one of the few foreign vehicle manufacturers that Beijing did not require to form a joint venture to enter the Chinese market.

This free pass allowed Tesla to take advantage of tax credits, cheap land and low-interest loans granted in particular by Beijing to encourage the population to embrace electric vehicles, while other cities in the country have pollution rates among the highest in the world

From Volkswagen (VLKAF) to GM (GM) - Get General Motors Company Report, most automotive groups wishing to sell or produce cars in China have been forced to enter into partnerships with local players.

Musk's relationship with China is complicated, however.

The billionaire has been under pressure since China urges foreign companies to keep all data collected on their local customers in the country.

Tesla must also seek the green light from the authorities before making updates to certain software in its cars in China.

In an attempt to soften the authorities, Musk does not hesitate to sing their praises.

"The economic prosperity that China has achieved is truly amazing, especially in infrastructure! I encourage people to visit and see for themselves," he wrote on June 30 to his millions of followers on Twitter.

This did not prevent China from accusing SpaceX, another company founded by Musk, of threatening the safety of Chinas space station with its satellites.

The accusation made last December concluded an already turbulent year for Musk in the most populous country in the world.

Last spring, protesters claiming that Tesla cars were posed a danger to consumers attempted to block entry to the Shanghai International Automobile Industry Exhibition.

In June, Tesla had to recall 300,000 Model 3 and Model Y cars due to a technical glitch.

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Elon Musk and a Top Chinese Diplomat Take a Ride - TheStreet

UFC commentator and podcast host, Joe Rogan has taken the internet by storm yet again. The widely popular podcast, The Joe Rogan Experience, featured one of the most subscribed and highest-paid YouTubers of 2021, MrBeast.

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The YouTuber raked in $54 million USD in the previous year, as per Forbes. Now, in talks with Joe Rogan, he revealed his potential plans for his future. Moreover, he even suggested he might follow Elon Musks footsteps and stated, I do, in a way, see it a little bit as like Elons PayPal.

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Why Does YouTube Sensation MrBeast Give Away Massive Sums of Money?

2 months ago

The Joe Rogan Experiences latest podcast starred one of YouTube and the content communitys most famous personalities, Jimmy MrBeast Donaldson.

Earlier this year, Joe Rogan had praised MrBeast and Dr Disrespect in an episode of the Tim Dillon Show. Now, continuing down the same line, the podcast host continues to commend him on his massive achievements. Interestingly, Joe Rogan asked MrBeast some unique questions regarding what the future hold for the YouTuber.

Do you have like a grand vision? I sort of asked you this before, but like, when you think of your future, do you have an idea in your head of where you would like all this to go to? Because it seems like the worlds your oyster, you could kind of keep going and do whatever you want. Like do you have a vision?

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And to say MrBeast had an amusing answer is an understatement. He likens himself to the CEO of Tesla Motors, Elon Musks strategy with PayPal, and suggests he might follow a similar path.

I do, in a way, see it a little bit as like Elons PayPal. Like, you know, maybe when Im 30 and if Im not doing YouTube anymore, Id move, take the money and move on to the next business. Like Tesla, SpaceX, and stuff like that.

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Thankfully, there is no reason for MrBeasts fans to worry. He revealed that his obsession with YouTube continues to pertain and he does not plan to quit anytime soon. He added that he wished to make content on the red platform for ten more years.

Watch this Story:Nintendo Equips Animal Crossing: New Horizons with A Massive March Update

Originally posted here:

MrBeast Leaves Joe Rogan Amazed With Bold Ambition Inspired by Elon Musk - EssentiallySports