^^^^^

quote:

Well about 4 million people wont have driving jobs so define cheaper and more attainable.

Brings to mind the demise of the buggy whip industry as a result of the Model T.

Meanwhile, I have a Model 3 on order.

A Tesla Model 3 Premium. Coming in September. Woo hoo!

Well, people who can't afford car payments and insurance and maintenance won't need the burden. There is going to be millions of CyberCabs produced. Within a few minutes, there could be one at your door. No paying for parking in metro areas. Cheaper because the rides costs a fraction of what is considered normal prices today. It's happening whether you want it to or not, so might as well embrace the evolution. Does it affect me, not really. I live in small town Kentucky and am fortunate to afford a car (Tesla) but I realize that 80% of Americans live in urban areas. It will be as normal within a decade, as smartphones,

The Tesla semi truck factory in Nevada has started production as well. They are having the official inauguration on September 24. Operation costs probably half of a diesel semi Something to keep an eye out for

^^^^

quote:

The Tesla semi truck factory in Nevada has started production as well.

Driverless?

How long will it take to charge a Semitruck and what would the range be? What will a fleet of electric Semitrucks do to the power grid? What will happen to delivery times when there are rolling blackouts to make up for the shortfall of available power?

On another note, I think I'm going to try to use a robotaxi next time I have to go to the Airport. I know Tampa supposedly has the Teslas but I haven't seen any as I live on the outskirts of town. I'll be flying out on September 5th.

I asked grok.

Tesla currently lists two production versions:
Long Range: up to 500 miles at the full 82,000 lb GCW (fully loaded).
Standard Range: about 325 miles at the same weight.
Both use a tri-motor setup and are rated at roughly 1.7 kWh/mile.
Charging: On Tesla’s 1.2 MW Megachargers (MCS standard), both versions recover ~60% of range in 30 minutes. That works out to roughly 300 miles added on the Long Range version (or ~210 miles on the Standard Range) during a normal driver rest break. There are also lower-power depot “Basechargers” (~125 kW) intended for overnight/off-shift charging that take about four hours for a similar top-up.
So the “how long does it take to charge” question is mostly answered by the rest-break window that already exists for diesel drivers.
Fleet impact on the grid
A large fleet of electric Semis will add significant load, but it’s not an unsolvable blackout scenario. Most charging is planned as:
Depot charging overnight or during loading/unloading (when power demand is more manageable and can be timed with off-peak rates + on-site solar/storage).
En-route Megacharging only during mandatory breaks, and concentrated along major freight corridors where utilities are already planning upgrades.

Fleet impact on the grid
A large fleet of electric Semis will add significant load, but it’s not an unsolvable blackout scenario. Most charging is planned as:
Depot charging overnight or during loading/unloading (when power demand is more manageable and can be timed with off-peak rates + on-site solar/storage).
En-route Megacharging only during mandatory breaks, and concentrated along major freight corridors where utilities are already planning upgrades.
Utilities and fleets are already coordinating on substation upgrades, battery storage for peak shaving, and dedicated high-power sites. Early pilot fleets (Pepsi, etc.) have shown that the combination of depot + targeted megawatt charging works without collapsing local grids. Scaling will require real investment and planning — it’s not free or automatic — but the industry is treating it as an engineering and capital problem, not an existential one.
Rolling blackouts from Semi fleets specifically are not the expected outcome if the build-out of Megachargers and depot power continues on the current trajectory. Delivery times would mainly be affected if the charging network lags far behind truck deployments, which is why Tesla and partners (including Pilot truck stops) are prioritizing corridor coverage.

Robotaxi in Tampa
Tesla Robotaxi launched in Tampa (and Orlando) in late July 2026. It is live and bookable via the Robotaxi app, but the service area is still limited — focused around downtown, Tampa Heights, West Tampa, Ybor, and nearby areas. It does not currently cover Tampa International Airport or most of the outskirts/suburbs.
If the poster lives on the outskirts and is flying out September 5th, they should check the live service map in the app a few days beforehand. Coverage has been expanding, but airport access is not there yet. It’s worth trying if their pickup/drop-off points fall inside the current geofence; otherwise a regular ride-hail or Tesla ride with a human driver is still the safer bet for an airport run.

I guess Uber it is then. I never have reason to go into the area that the Robotaxis cover, so I guess it will be awhile before I might be able to try it out.

quote:

Originally posted by Pipe Smoker:
^^^^
You use more exclamation marks than nhracecraft.

True that… I like exclamation points!!!

quote:

Originally posted by Pipe Smoker:
^^^^^

quote:

Well about 4 million people wont have driving jobs so define cheaper and more attainable.

Brings to mind the demise of the buggy whip industry as a result of the Model T.

Meanwhile, I have a Model 3 on order.

A Tesla Model 3 Premium. Coming in September. Woo hoo!

Buggy whip makers were a rounding error. Drivers are 3%+ of the entire workforce.

quote:

Originally posted by Pipe Smoker:
In the past week I’ve seen two Waymo vehicles in my San Diego neighborhood. Both with a driver and no passengers. Apparently in the testing stage.

Some odd looking devices on their back corners.

AI answer about the odd looking devices:

“The protruding pods and housings on the rear corners of Waymo vehicles are sensor pods that contain a combination of cameras, short-range LiDAR units, and radar.”

quote:

Originally posted by crue-dell:

En-route Megacharging only during mandatory breaks, and concentrated along major freight corridors where utilities are already planning upgrades.

Truck rest stops along I-4 between Orlando and Daytona (where I-4 feeds into I-95) are already overflowing, parking lots full, trucks parked along the shoulder for driver rest. And yet, the "management" has seen fit to close down one of the rest stops on that route.

They would have to have hundred or so charging stations at these stops to accommodate the trucks.

Using Boston as an example.

A taxi medallion in Boston was going for $100,000 for years.

It slowly increased to $700,000.

They are now going for as low as $20,000 and falling.

I saw a gold CyberCab in my neighborhood today. First sighting. Tesla will be starting service here – eventually.

It had a driver. Since there’s no steering wheel, go pedal, or brake pedal, I wondered what the purpose of the driver was, and asked Grok:

“Why a human is still inside

California rules require it for testing. The California DMV allows Tesla to test autonomous vehicles on public roads only with a safety driver. Tesla does not currently hold the driverless testing or deployment permits needed for unsupervised operation in the state. (Its Bay Area “Robotaxi” operation has operated under a charter-party permit with a human driver, not as a true AV service.)

Safety and intervention during validation. The operator monitors the system in real time, can trigger an emergency stop or pull-over, and can use software tools (including a hidden on-screen virtual joystick limited to low speeds) if the car needs to be nudged out of a tight spot. Some engineering/test mules also have temporary physical controls (e.g., a Cybertruck-style wheel and pedals) bolted on so the safety driver can fully take over if needed.

Remote backup exists. Tesla has remote operators (in Austin and Palo Alto) who can take limited low-speed control (typically ~2 mph, up to about 10 mph in some cases) as a last-resort extraction measure if a vehicle gets stuck. This is not full remote driving of passenger trips.

In short, the “driver” is there for regulatory compliance, safety oversight, and data collection while Tesla validates the system in your area—exactly the preparation phase you’re observing. Once Tesla obtains the necessary California permits and is confident enough in unsupervised performance (as it has done in Austin), those onboard roles are removed.”

quote:

Originally posted by HRK:
<snip>
Wonder how they handle some homeless bum that just gets into one of the cars and goes to sleep..... Ejectoseato!

Maybe the door won’t open unless the person that ordered the cab approaches with his smartphone with the CyberCab app active.

Cybercab promotion in Austin, TX.

As of the other day, there were 573 Cybercabs and 507 Model Ys in Texas in the Robotaxi fleet. Seems like more Cybercabs are added every day.