Musk Reads: Cybertruck-like “radical” EV is on the way

Tesla is gearing up to build a bold new car in China and solar looks set to soar. Could Tesla improve Summon mode? It’s Musk Reads: Tesla Edition #133.

A version of this article appeared in the “Musk Reads” newsletter. Sign up for free here.

Musk quote of the week

“We’re building out Superchargers as fast as possible! Need to ramp V3 Supercharger production.”

• Read more about Musk’s Supercharger goals.

Tesla

Tesla is set to develop a “radical” new electric car at a new China development facility, Musk confirmed at a launch event Tuesday. The new vehicle, set for a worldwide audience, would be on par with the Cybertruck for its radical approach. During the same event, held one year to the day since Tesla broke ground on the third Gigafactory in Shanghai, Musk handed over the first 10 China-made Model 3 cars for Chinese customers. It’s unclear what sort of vehicle Tesla may plan for the future, but Musk previously expressed interest in an ultra-cheap $25,000 electric car. Read more.

In other Tesla news:

• Pakistan’s government also wants a Gigafactory. Science minister Fawad Chaudhry stated that 68 percent of the global population lives within a 3.5-hour flight radius of Islamabad.

• Disney Plus subscribers will be pleased to hear that the streaming service is “coming soon” to vehicles.

• Musk also gave the thumbs-up to a feature that would switch on the internal camera during a break-in.

• Barron’s notes that Tesla is now the United States’ most valuable car firm ever, with some caveats.

Tesla solar

What does the coming year look like for Tesla’s solar efforts? Inverse predicts that solar energy will continue to decline in price this decade, as expanded manufacturing brings the energy cells to more buildings. Tesla, which is developing eye-catching products like the Solar Roof, could play a key role. Read more.

What’s next for Tesla: Tesla is expected to start Model Y production by this summer. Musk mentioned the vehicle during Tuesday’s launch in China, where it’s expected to start at 444,000 yuan ($63,963).

The Boring Company

Is Musk’s tunnel-digging firm struggling to cut through? A fake tweet that claimed Musk had invented skyscrapers went viral last week, a clear parody of The Boring Company’s urban planning focus. The company’s ability to reduce tunneling costs may be overshadowed by Musk’s other declarations, like mocking “subway Stalinists” at the end of last month. Read more.

Musk revealed last week that The Boring Company’s planned bricks are still on the way:

“Boring Bricks 🧱 are def coming, but whole team is focused on getting Vegas Convention Center tunnel operational so people can try it out, suggest improvements, etc.”

Musk Reads mailroom

William Revesz writes:

When using summon, it would be nice to see on your cell phone what the car sees. Maybe a 3 frame [left-front-right] going forward and a [left-rear-right] when in reverse.

Sounds like a good idea! Tesla does note that the user needs to maintain line-of-sight with the car during Summon, so a remote camera view could encourage unsafe behavior.

Got any comments or queries? Don’t forget to send them over to muskreads@inverse.com.

Video of the week

Musk puts on his dancing shoes at the China-made Model 3 handover.

The ultra-fine print

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A version of this article appeared in the “Musk Reads” newsletter. Sign up for free here.