Lifeboat Foundation

Elon Musk recently hinted at a very welcome and simple update for Tesla’s vehicles, especially those which have already replaced their 12-volt batteries in the past. According to the CEO, Tesla would be looking into the idea of equipping older vehicles with a 12-volt lithium-ion battery, similar to the Model S Plaid.

Musk’s update came as a response to Tesla owner Rich Teer, who inquired if it was possible to have the company’s older vehicles be equipped with the company’s newer 12-volt lithium-ion battery. This was a good point considering that the conventional 12-volt lead-acid battery used in vehicles like the Model 3 and Model Y tend to get discharged, in some cases, multiple times per year.

In his response, Musk stated that Tesla would try to roll out such an initiative, especially as it would be beneficial for the company’s cars. A 12-volt lithium-ion battery would last far longer than a conventional lead-acid battery, after all, and according to Musk, Tesla’s goal is to reduce service in its vehicles anyway. “Unlike other makers of cars, our goal is *not* to profit from service. Best service is not needing service in the first place,” Musk noted.

We members of The Elon Musk Club Effurun and the Ogba Educational Clinic celebrate you and pray that you continue to succeed in your quest to make humanity multi-planetary bodies.

It was not immediately clear whether adapters would be needed.

Tesla stock TSLA, +2.21% edged lower in the extended session Tuesday after ending the regular trading day up 2.2%.

An engineer who helped develop a camera for Mars has built a tool to track the most fascinating car in the Solar System.

Elon Musk confirmed that Tesla currently has a Powerwall backlog of 80000 orders, which is worth over $500 million, but it can’t ramp up production to meet that due to the global chip shortage.

Tesla has been production constrained with the Powerwall for a long time.

The demand has been strong in several markets, like the US and Australia, but production hasn’t been to catch up despite significant ramp-ups.

We hear about EV battery breakthroughs all the time, but they don’t seem to pan out. Perhaps Tesla’s new lithium extraction method will be the exception.

After Sir Richard Branson’s spaceflight this weekend, the leader of Russia’s main space corporation, Roscosmos, offered some kind words about the achievement on Twitter. Dmitry Rogozin called the flight a “landmark” in terms of technology development and expanding the number of humans able to see Earth from space.

Then Rogozin went a step further, lamenting the fact that Russia’s “billionaire oligarchs” spend their money on yachts and vanity projects rather than the development of space technology and increasing humanity’s knowledge of space.

This is a notable comment from Rogozin, who in the past has been critical of one particular billionaire spending his money developing space technology: SpaceX founder Elon Musk. Among other remarks, Rogozin has said that NASA should not get too cocky about its newfound access to space in case SpaceX’s Crew Dragon vehicle “breaks.” He has also said that SpaceX is “gentle” for getting to work in the balmy conditions of South Texas, while Russian engineers and technicians work in the depths of Siberia during the winter.

How many rocket engines does it take to build a city on Mars?

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk wants to build a Mars city. Here’s how many engines his Starship will need to get there.

Continue reading “Starship: Elon Musk reveals how many engines SpaceX needs for Mars city” »

Meet ‘A Shortfall of Gravitas.’

The drone fleet used by SpaceX to catch falling rockets now has a third autonomous ship, whimsically called “A Shortfall of Gravitas.”

Founder Elon Musk unveiled the newest floating rocket landing pad on Twitter Friday (July 9) along with a dramatic video from a flying drone circling the ship.