Tesla has just officially surpassed Waymo in the total number of robotaxis registered to date in Texas for the first time. • Tesla: 1,302 • Waymo: 1,297 Tesla just added another 20 Model Ys.

Tesla is holding an event to celebrate the opening of their new Tesla Semi Laredo, Texas service center, the first of its kind in Texas. "Witness the growth of our Semi network with a site tour, experience Semi on a ride-along and learn more about Service from our team." h/t @gheeunit, more info:

Tesla's Optimus robots are moving from simple factory tasks toward more complex jobs, according to Elon Musk. He says the public will eventually be able to buy them once their safety, reliability, and range of abilities are good enough.

Tesla crews have set more than 30 Megapacks in a single day. This is how a grid-scale battery goes up. At Giga Texas, Tesla is installing a 133 MW, 266 MWh Megapack project that provides backup power for the data center on site. Each unit rolls in on a flatbed from the Lathrop Megafactory, gets lifted by crane from six points, and drops onto pier foundations driven straight into the ground. 8 a day on this site. Over 30 in a day where the site and equipment allow it.

Tesla Robotaxi's Austin service area is now bigger than Waymo's Phoenix metro zone Robotaxi in Austin: 443 sq mi Waymo in Phoenix: 356 sq mi Roughly 24% larger, in a single city Waymo spent years building out Phoenix, Scottsdale, Tempe, Mesa, Gilbert and Chandler. Tesla's Austin map already covers more ground And it keeps expanding with every software update, no new hardware on the road required Once, driverless rides were limited to a few city blocks. Now, they cover entire metro areas

Tesla is exploring LASER wipers for the future of autonomous driving Tesla VP of Vehicle Engineering Lars Moravy just explained to Jay Leno how Tesla's patented laser technology could help keep autonomous-driving cameras clear Instead of using lasers to clean the entire windshield, Tesla is exploring focusing them ONLY on the areas directly in front of the cameras “If you fire them in a focused area, you can clean the sheet of water and create a barrier” This is particularly important for autonomous vehicles, where keeping the cameras clear of rain, water, and debris is critical for safe navigation And the idea is pretty simple Why clean an entire windshield with lasers when you only need to keep the areas in front of the cameras clear? Tesla is rethinking even the smallest components of a vehicle as it works toward fully autonomous transportation

Tesla just stopped selling the Model X and stretched this one, so the third row is nicer, with second-row captain’s chairs. "We just stopped selling Model X, which was our other three-row vehicle." — Franz von Holzhausen, Tesla Chief Designer Credit: [Jay Leno's Garage](

Tesla is within touching distance of Waymo’s Texas registration total. Another 38 Model Ys bring Tesla to 1,282 registered vehicles, just 3 behind Waymo’s 1,285. The tracker’s Tesla breakdown now includes 709 Model Ys and 573 Cybercabs. The exciting part is the foundation Tesla is building for robotaxi expansion, with purpose-built Cybercabs already making up a substantial share. $TSLA