WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 7TH - THERE GOES THE NEIGHBORHOOD

 WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 7TH - THERE GOES THE NEIGHBORHOOD

I’m not sure about my new neighbors.  My first guess is that at least one of them works for Tesla.  Tesla moved its manufacturing plant to the Austin area some time ago. 

Much of today’s information is from Car and Driver, Wikipedia, and other automotive websites.

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Gigafactory Texas is an automotive manufacturing facility in Austin, Texas, built by Tesla, Inc. Construction began in July 2020, limited production of Model Y began before the end of 2021, and initial deliveries of vehicles built at the factory took place at an opening party called “Cyber Rodeo” on April 7, 2022.

The factory is 10,000,000 square feet. (10 million square feet - really???).  There are about 20,000 employees!!!

So, why am I worried about my neighbors? They are parking their Tesla Cyber Truck in the parking lot next to “Sparky.” 

A “Foundation Series” of the Tesla Cyber Truck starts at around $100,000 (in dual-motor, AWD layout). This version includes Tesla’s Full Self-Driving suite, as well as the light bar and some hardware for power sharing with external accessories.

The rear-wheel drive powertrain Tesla Cybertruck will be available at a purchase price of $60,990 before factoring in any incentives. Tesla says it won’t go on sale until later, likely in 2025. (Note that a later report said the first Cybertrucks were available in December 2023, but there is a backlog.)

Some more details:

The midrange all-wheel drive electric Tesla truck powertrain improves upon performance with an estimated 340 miles of range per charge, the same 112-mph top speed as the RWD truck, but an improved 0–60-mph acceleration time of 4.1 seconds, thanks to the additional motor driving more wheels for extra grip. This seems to be the so-called Foundation Series spec. It’s made around 600 horsepower and can tow up to 11,000 pounds. Tesla previously listed a weight of 6,603 pounds for this version of the Cybertruck, and it has 20-inch wheels.

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The world of transportation is changing. Cars have been mandated to get better gas mileage, and then electric vehicles bypass the gas regulations. (Of course, electric vehicles need energy as well—charging ports are needed—and electrical energy can come from renewable resources like solar, wind power, or dams.  

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I like the concept of electric vehicles. We are using fossil fuels, and eventually, they will run out. Renewal energy is smart for the planet, with no greenhouse gases.  

The related concept is the self-driving vehicle. The worst thing (in my estimation) you can say to grandpa or grandma is, “Give me your keys; you can’t drive anymore.” We might have been behind a gray-haired lady doing 45 on the Interstate highway or the gray-haired lady who is so short she can barely see over the front of the hood.  

But when we take away grandma’s key, there could be a self-driving vehicle that will take grandma to church, the grocery store, the salon, and the senior bridge group. Computer vision is getting better all the time, and artificial intelligence will also be able to steer grandma around traffic and trouble.

So, having a $100,000+ vehicle in my apartment parking lot is a sign of the future.  

Karen

(I figure that Tesla let their employees take home a Tesla for the weekend).

LOVE WINS

LOVE TRANSFORMS

HELPING GRANDMA IS GOOD!!!

Karen Anne White, July 7, 2024