Tag Archives: Elon Musk

Musk’s tunneling firm will build a tunnel network in Dubai

Several years ago, Elon Musk presented the idea of creating tunnels across the US, which would be a revolution for public transportation. The first Loop was built under Las Vegas, and now he has floated the idea of ​​building a tunnel in Dubai.

Dubai is home to the world’s tallest building (Burj Khalifa) and other construction projects, and is one of the richest countries that can realize huge infrastructure projects. One of them is certainly the Loop system that will be developed in cooperation with the Dubai Roads & Transport Authority (RTA), which will mark the first expansion of the Boring Company outside the United States.

The plan is for the first Loop to be 17 kilometers long and have 11 stations, with a capacity of more than 20,000 passengers per hour. According to Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the Loop will eventually expand to the entire Emirate of Dubai, and when fully completed, the system will enable the transport of more than 100,000 passengers per hour.

There are still many unknowns about this project, and what we do know for now is that, like in Las Vegas, the Loop will use only electric vehicles. Although the Boring Company did not specify which models are involved, many believe that they will be the new Tesla Model 3, Model Y and Cybertruck. Some believe that the recently introduced Robovan could also be used. The vehicles will reach speeds of up to 160 km/h, and whether they will use a fully autonomous driving system or will rely on human operators like in Las Vegas is currently unknown.

Source: Reuters

Musk’s support for the AfD caused a drop in sales of Tesla cars in Germany

Is Elon Musk intentionally destroying Tesla? According to recently published data, in January Tesla recorded a drop in sales worldwide. The biggest drop in demand was in Europe, and the biggest reason was Musk’s interference in the German elections and support for the AfD party.

Last month, Musk hosted Alice Weidel, the leader of the AfD, on his social media platform for a 75-minute debate in which she falsely claimed that Adolf Hitler was a socialist. The AfD is also a party that calls for mass deportations of migrants and uses Nazi slogans in its campaign, and has been classified as right-wing extremist by Germany’s intelligence agency. Musk’s choice of sides has been criticized by both Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Christian Democrat leader Friedrich Merz, but also by customers who clearly do not support this behavior.

According to the KBA (German Federal Motor Transport authority), Tesla sold 1,875 fewer cars in the German market than in January 2024, with a market share of just 4 percent, a huge drop compared to January 2024 when they had a share of 14 percent.

At the same time, Tesla’s main competitors in Germany are recording sales growth. Volkswagen sold 6,521 more EVs than in the same period last year. In second place, surprisingly for some, is the Spanish brand Cupra, which delivered 2,520 more EVs in January compared to January 2024.

Tesla’s sales decline in Europe may not seem so big to some, because the electric car market has been very shaken in recent years. However, we should not forget the fact that 54 percent more EVs were sold in Germany in January than in the same month in 2024. This shows that the situation is more difficult than it seems.

Some believe that the upgraded Model Y, which is scheduled for the first half of 2025, could turn the situation in Tesla’s favor. Whether that will happen remains to be seen.

Source: KBA

Tesla received 1.9 million orders for Cybertruck

Last week, Tesla announced on its official Twitter account that it had built the first Cybertruck in Giga Texas. Demand is strong, and Tesla announced that it has received more than 1.9 million orders.

Tesla has not provided any information for a long time, and the latest was that production of the Cybertruck will begin this summer and that deliveries are planned for the end of the third quarter. This means that this eccentric pickup is well on its way, and even ahead of the planned production and delivery dates, since the American media reported that they heard a little earlier that Tesla had already informed suppliers to be ready for the start of production of the Cybertruck at the end of August.

Each potential customer needs to pay a deposit of only 100 dollars, so there is a possibility that a large number of reservations will not be realized. It will be interesting to see if the Cybertruck will be available outside of the North American market (Europe and Asia) where customers can already pre-order the model. Because of its size and weight, selling the Cybertruck in overseas markets could pose a serious challenge. For example, in several European countries it must be classified as a commercial truck or truck.

Elon Musk emphasizes the innovative features of the Cybertruck, claiming that this electric pickup is not even similar to the vehicles we see on the roads today. “It packs a lot of technology and it doesn’t look like any other vehicle out there today,” Musk said.

Cybertruck will be powered by three electric motors with a total output of 805 hp (600 kW) and 1,033 lb-ft (1,400 Nm), which is enough to push the car to 62 mph in just 3 seconds with a top speed of 130 mph (209 km/h). It has a range of up to 500 miles.

Source: Tesla