Full On Elon

Full On Elon

Elon Musk, the richest man in the world, has a vision for the future. His vision takes visual cues from “Bladerunner” and other science fiction films. It has autonomous vehicles and personal assistant cybernetics like “I Robot.” And all of us are going to have to live in it. caranddriver.com

In a spectacle that was full-on Elon, he playing his best version of Tony Stark. Elon showed off his new steering wheel-less, pedal-less Cybercab, a suspiciously low-riding autonomous Robovan, and he made his Optimus Robot dance, just like Honda did a decade ago, and pour drinks at the “We, Robot” launch event. Let’s hope Optimus doesn’t become sentient and remember how it was treated. nytimes.com, cbc.ca, theverge.com, autonews.com, arstechnica.com

At least this time, he didn’t jump on stage much. independent.co.uk

Watch this 8-minute summary of the Tesla 'We, Robot' event. 

Watch Marques Brownlee’s unedited ride-along video from inside the Cybercab.

Elon promised his new Cybercab would be available in 2026 and cost less than $30,000. caranddriver.com

Based on his Cybertruck track record, this means we’re not likely going to see it for at least five years, and it will likely cost 50% more than that. reuters.com

Some questions about how these vehicles get roadworthy remain unanswered. They must pass regulatory approval. theverge.com, mashable.com

Elon shared no data on how well these vehicles work (or not). electrek.co

And someone will need to underwrite them. Insurance companies are already hesitant to insure Elon’s cars with steering wheels. driving.ca, torquenews.com

However, making Cybercab work is essentially a software problem, not a hardware one. techcrunch.com

Waymo has a notable lead over Tesla in the autonomous taxi space. Tesla’s historic production delays will likely allow Waymo to lock up many city markets and advance on safety before anyone ever steps into a Robovan. Alphabet leadership is so confident that they re-opened their wallet earlier this year to fund Waymo further. abc7news.com, electrek.co, cbtnews.com

Someone commented that the Cybercab looked suspiciously like a mock-up rendering of the never-to-be-made Apple car. And once you see it, you can’t unsee it. theverge.com

Some investors were disappointed with the spectacle of the event. futurism.com, reuters.com

Tesla stock took a 9% hit the day after. cnbc.com

But don’t count Elon out. If he can float Twitter (X) and sluff off billion-dollar loans, he can get you into his robo-fleet. businessinsider.com

China’s Automotive Expansion

It is official: BYD is now China’s largest automotive manufacturer. carnewschina.com

BYD sales grow in Mexico. reuters.com

BYD delivers new electric transit buses to Uruguay. electrek.co

BYD tries to figure out how to attract European buyers. bloomberg.com

BYD wants to manufacture in India but currently can’t. reuters.com

Chery is using abandoned Volkswagen and Mercedes plants in Russia. businessinsider.com

Zeekr launches in Brazil. cnevpost.com

“Tesla's Shanghai factory took 32 months to produce its first one million vehicles, and just 13 months to get from its two millionth to the three millionth vehicle.“ cnevpost.com

GM sold more EVs and plug-in hybrids in China than gas-powered cars for the first time. electrek.co

Rise Of The Machines

Amazon is going to go HAM on warehouse robots. techcrunch.com

Maybe robots can help rebuild Ukraine. techcrunch.com

Someone hacked robot vacuums in the US and made them blurt out racial slurs. globalnews.ca

Energy

Dutch Nordic carbon capture startup Paebbl has raised $25 million to continue to try to put CO2 into building materials. thenextweb.com

PetroChina reneges on Trans Mountain pipeline shipping commitments. reuters.com

Maybe we can store Hydrogen in lakes? techxplore.com

Fortescue pulls the plug on their planned BC hydrogen project. theglobeandmail.com

Canada’s plans to establish a green hydrogen supply chain for Europe are delayed. theglobeandmail.com

GM started selling their home battery pack. theverge.com

2024 might mark the year of peak CO2. reuters.com

But Wait, There’s More

Rivian’s R1T is getting a new after-market solar-powered tonneau cover. electrek.co

Toyota joins us in the 21st century. insideevs.com, bloomberg.com

GM’s Mary Barra says it’s fine; everything is fine. reuters.com

Nissan joins in with BMW, Ford, and Honda on their vehicle-to-grid charging partnership. theverge.com

Hyundai decided that recycling batteries might be a good idea. canada.autonews.com

Like I said last week, Stellantis confirms CEO Carlos Tavares will remain until the end of his contract, retiring in 2026. autonews.com

Volkswagen reported a 7% decline in third-quarter global deliveries. And things looked even worse for them in China. reuters.com, bloomberg.com

Honda's first new energy vehicle production plant went online in China. cnevpost.com

Honda has a steering problem. reuters.com

Porsche has a battery problem. theverge.com

Polestar wants to sell more cars at dealerships, not online. bloomberg.com

ICYMI

Trek's new bike radar lets you know when there’s a car on your six. arstechnica.com

Trump trash-talked Detroit. cnn.com

Kick Out The Jams

Dream Theatre is back with more of its breed of prog rock. youtube.com

KSI is in the thick of it. youtube.com

BTS’s Jin re-released his solo single “Super Tuna.” youtube.com

In more fish-inspired music, Lonely Island released a new comedy track called “Sushi Glory Hole.” youtube.com

Post Malone wants to say congratulations. youtube.com

Shakira goes out to clear her head. youtube.com

ELEINE wants you to never forget. youtube.com

Real Friends make you see the blinding frailty of trust. youtube.com

bree-on-uh isn’t going home with you. youtube.com

Ktlyn put pen to paper, and then it became flames. youtube.com

Fcuker don’t wanna. youtube.com

Kat Von D sets herself on fire (I guess I really like this album). youtube.com