Le Journal

Earlier today, Elon Musk announced on X that Tesla had “just started Tesla Robotaxi drives in Austin with no safety monitor in the car.” Tesla’s stock immediately jumped over 4% on the news. Headlines across the financial press celebrated the milestone. There’s just one problem: it appears to be another game of smoke and mirrors. The Robotaxi cars spotted without “safety monitor” were all being followed by a trailing black Tesla supervising the “driverless” Robotaxi. It means Tesla didn’t “remove the safety monitor”, it just moved them to a vehicle behind them. more…

[Editor’s note: Since most of the US is about to get hit with a huge winter storm, I’m republishing these tips as a refresher – particularly for folks who aren’t used to this kind of weather.] Whether you’re a seasoned EV driver in cold climates or this is your first winter driving an EV, there’s always more to learn about how to get the best range and performance when the temperatures drop. Electrek asked two experts for smart winter EV driving advice. This is what Richard Reina, product training director at CARiD.com, and Casey Donahue, CEO of Optiwatt, a residential managed charging platform in North America, had to say. more…

Waymo began autonomous ride-hailing operations in Miami, Florida today, covering a 60-square-mile service area stretching from the design district to South Miami. It’s the sixth city covered by Waymo’s level 4 driverless taxis, while its main competitor, Tesla, has just started its first driverless taxi operation today (in very limited form). more…

Lemonade has launched what it calls “Autonomous Car Insurance”, a first-of-its-kind product that slashes rates by approximately 50% for Tesla owners when Full Self-Driving is engaged. It’s a bold bet on FSD technology, and it significantly undercuts the discount offered by Tesla’s own insurance product. It again shows the difference between what Tesla claims and delivers regarding autonomous and assisted driving. more…