28 settembre 2017

Elon Musk News - Issue 102



Elon Musk News - Issue 102
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Note From The Curator
The top three stories in this issue of Elon Musk News are:
  1. Tesla Model S P100D wins Motor Trend's "World's Greatest Drag Race" [Video]
  2. SpaceX's internet satellites have an official name: Starlink
  3. Steve Jurvetson thinks Elon's Boring Co. will win with short tunnels first
In a very public and dramatic setting, the Tesla Model S P100D just beat out the best 'drivers cars' on the market in a drag race conducted by Motor Trend. While the P100D is the fastest accelerating car from 0-60 ever tested by Motor Trend, it seemed that even they were surprised by its performance over a quarter mile. It's an entertaining video to watch, and in its own way puts another nail in the internal combustion engine's coffin.

I hope you have an excellent weekend, and enjoy issue 102!

Sincerely,
Zachary
Featured Quote
"Don't give up if the cause is important enough, even if you believe you are walking into doom. Good friends really matter."
— Elon Musk

From @elonmusk
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SpaceX
Zach says: If you read one article this week, make it this one. Not only could a SpaceX satellite internet constellation be a huge revenue driver, but it could also pave the way for an Earth-Mars communications network.

As previously reported, recent developments during the process of attaining regulatory permissions could pose a major hurdle for SpaceX's broadband constellation. Implications of FCC filings aside, SpaceX may still launch its first test satellites later this year. The trademark filings, which can be found through the U.S. Patent Office's Trademark Electronic Search System (TESS), also hint that SpaceX may expand the potential uses of their satellite constellation into markets for scientific data and persistent Earth imaging.

SpaceX's Starlink broadband satellite constellation could revolutionize internet access on Earth and provide SpaceX the resources it needs to develop Mars colonization hardware. Details about the satellite constellation will likely be provided when Elon Musk speaks later this month at the International Astronautical Congress.
After successfully weathering Hurricane Irma, SpaceX is preparing to remedy a slow month with three to four launches in October. Beginning on October 2nd, schedules have firmed up for the launch of SES-11 aboard a refurbished Falcon 9 first stage. If all goes as planned, SpaceX will launch a second Falcon 9 as few as 36 hours after the SES-11 mission, this time carrying the third batch of 10 Iridium NEXT satellites from Vandenberg Air Force Base, California.

Meanwhile, SpaceX has received an FCC license for first stage recovery activities beginning on October 14th, which meshes well with a scheduled launch date for KoreaSat-5, also 10/14. Following KoreaSat-5, the next SpaceX launch is not yet clear but will likely be Iridium-4, NEXT satellites 31-40. Including the three launches discussed above, SpaceX is likely to conduct 7-8 more launches before the end of 2017, not counting Falcon Heavy's inaugural launch due to uncertainty.
On Sunday morning, SpaceX confirmed that its Dragon cargo spacecraft had successfully splashed down in the Pacific Ocean, after spending a month aboard the ISS. It was the 12th SpaceX mission to and from the space station. Three departure burns were used to move the Dragon far enough away from the station to allow SpaceX's flight controllers in Hawthorne, California, to take over controls to commandeer its deorbit burn. Five hours later, the Dragon's parachutes were deployed, and it splashed down in the ocean.

Recovery forces retrieved the Dragon and its approximately 3,800 pounds of cargo. The space craft has brought back a multitude of science samples from the ISS, including human and animal research and biology and biotechnology studies. SpaceX continues to carve out and dominate a significant space for itself in the burgeoning business of space travel. Currently, Dragons are the only space station resupply spacecrafts that are able to return to Earth intact.
SpaceX engineers from the company's McGregor, Texas testing facilities visited Texas A&M University last week and gave a presentation to interested students. In the process, they revealed some extremely exciting details about SpaceX's future endeavors. The McGregor engineers confirmed what was long suspected: Boca Chica is not and will not be a priority until both of SpaceX's East coast pads, LC-40 and LC-39A, are respectively reactivated and upgraded for Falcon Heavy and Commercial Crew launches.

This means that Boca Chica will not begin to be seriously developed until the end of 2017, likely November or December at the earliest. The information was tempered by the news that Boca Chica would be developed from the start of construction as a launch facility for SpaceX's Mars colonization vehicle, the Interplanetary Transport System (ITS). This is the first non-employees have heard of this, and it meshes well with comments Gwynne Shotwell made on September 13 indicating that SpaceX "could" have the Boca Chica pad ready within "two years", although it is not a current priority.
Tesla
Tesla CEO Elon Musk is undoubtedly proud to share the results of Motor Trend's seventh annual "World's Greatest Drag Race", namely because a Model S P100D has just smashed the competition. The all-out quarter-mile drag race event held at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California cast some of Motor Trend's "Best Driver's Cars".

Vehicles defined by their drivability and superb balance between performance and handling, including the Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio, Aston Martin DB11, Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE, Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport, Ferrari 488 GTB, Lexus LC500, McLaren 570GT, Mercedes-AMG GT R, Nissan GT-R Nismo, Porsche 718 Cayman S, Porsche 911 Turbo S and, of course a Ludicrous Model S P100D – battled it out for top honors. Not surprisingly, Tesla's dual-motor P100D sprinted off the line and never looked back.
A new Supercharger station now under construction in Shanghai, China is now expected to become the biggest in the world and consequently, it could become the biggest electric car charging station in the world. China is an important part of Tesla's plan to have over 10,000 Superchargers around the world by the end of the year. They recently announced that they aim to have 1,000 Superchargers in the market by the end of the year.

That new Supercharger station in Shanghai will alone help a lot toward that goal. The station covers a significant part of its underground parking lot with 50 Supercharger stalls – 10 more than the next biggest Supercharger station known to date. This station will have to be extremely powerful in order to potentially supercharge up to 50 cars at the same time.
Tesla Motors could be building a new automotive plant in China without a domestic joint venture if the Ministry of Commerce alters a long-standing manufacturing rule. Bloomberg reported early this week on this possible shift in the policy by the China Ministry, where the department commented that it will "actively implement the opening up of the new-energy manufacturing sector to foreigners, together with other departments under the direction of the State Council."

Speculation on this updated policy looks for local governments to create more free-trade zones for manufacturers to produce cars without a traditional joint-venture arrangement with a state-owned entity. The news comes at an exciting time as China announced last week their intentions to phase-out fossil fuel vehicles at some point and Tesla's interest in a new factory in China.
Tesla's Fremont factory is already one of the biggest buildings in the world in terms of footprint and yet, Tesla has been expanding it recently as it ramps up Model 3 production. Tesla first introduced the expansion plan last year and it included the addition of several new buildings to almost double the size of the already giant electric vehicle factory – 5.3 million square feet to 9.9 million square feet.

Earlier this year, a new multi-story structure higher than any other structure at the site was spotted under construction. Based on the insides of the structure, it was determined to be a giant 'Automated Storage & Retrieval Systems', which is a system that facilitates the use of robots and the automation of a warehouse. A new flyover by California Phantom shows that the system is now completed and other new buildings around it have started to appear.
Tesla's current top performance vehicle, the Model S P100D with the Ludicrous upgrade, runs a quarter-mile in 10 seconds, which is impressive for any car but absolutely insane for a large 4-door sedan. It was always clear that Tesla's powertrain in a smaller, lighter vehicle would be even quicker and now we have a great example with a kit car using a Tesla drivetrain running a 9-second quarter-mile.

They are using the same 470 hp (350 kW) performance RWD motor that is in a Model S P85, but that car stock weighs 4,656 lb and theirs weigh ~2,500 lb. At first, they were running a quarter-mile in 11 seconds, but as they worked on their control systems, they managed to bring it down to 10 seconds and now an impressive 9 seconds.
We have recently heard about several of Tesla's upcoming vehicles, especially the Model Y and Tesla Semi since they are expected to be unveiled next, but we haven't heard about the planned electric pickup truck in a while. Now CEO Elon Musk hints that it could be based on the same tech developed for Tesla Semi.

In response to a someone Tweeting "Can we get a light duty pickup next?" Musk replied "What if we just made a mini version of the Tesla Semi?" To be fair, the response lets a lot open to interpretation, but it's especially interesting in the context that Musk hinted at a possible other product to be unveiled with Tesla Semi at the event next month.
Current Tesla Model 3 deliveries are still only for employees and company insiders, but the automaker is expected to soon expand deliveries to regular customers with early Model 3 reservations. The first sign of that happening would be to open the online design studio to let customers configure their vehicles ahead of deliveries and now it looks like Tesla is working to make that happen.

Customer deliveries have been guided for the end of October and therefore, they should open up the design studio to those customers any day now if they are on schedule. Now Redditor incinie found through some sleuthing in Tesla's online design studio code that the automaker is working on adding Model 3. They added image assets to the online configurators for each color available on the Model 3.
Tesla is again showing more signs of preparation for the expansion of Model 3 deliveries to customers. Now Tesla pushes a new update to its mobile app to support Model 3. The mobile app is already useful for Model S and Model X, but it will be even more important with Model 3. With the Model 3, Tesla is parting ways with using a regular key fob and instead built the experience around its mobile app.

In order to unlock the car with the current app, the driver needs to go into the app or the Tesla widget to unlock it. But with Model 3, once your car is linked to your account, you just have to walk up to it. Today, Tesla pushed update 3.2 of its mobile app and it now "supports Model 3", according to the update notice.
Zach says: This patent is worth checkout out if you're curious about the engineering behind Model 3's unique air vent system.

In a new patent application released earlier this month, Tesla explained the thermal system designed for Model 3. The inventors of the system wrote: "Traditional automotive vents have a low aspect ratio, meaning that their width is relatively similar to their height. For example, circular or rectangular vents are common. These vents are generally positioned flush with the surface of the instrument panel."

"However, these point-like outlets are not optimized for distributing the air over a wider area, which necessitates the use of multiple vents for each passenger. Also, the appearance of the vents may be unsightly and can disrupt an otherwise uniform design of the instrument panel or other interior surface."
Tesla is discontinuing the rear-wheel drive Model S 75, its cheapest option for the vehicle, as soon as next week. With the rear-wheel drive option, the Model S currently starts at $69,500 in the US and the dual motor all-wheel-drive option comes with a $5,000 charge. Unless Tesla changes the price with the discontinuation of the rear-wheel drive option, the Model S will now start at $74,500.

It will create a more important price gap between the bigger and higher performance Model S and the smaller and less expensive Model 3. Furthermore, having the dual motor option as the base option for Model S increases both base range and performance for Tesla's flagship sedan – creating a more important performance gap with Model 3. Finally, the change comes just at the end of the third quarter, which could help Tesla close sales (for custom orders) and deliveries (for inventory vehicles) of the currently cheapest Model S option before it is discontinued.
The Boring Company
Noted Silicon Valley investor and SpaceX investor Steve Jurvetson is probably better positioned than most to know what Elon Musk is thinking with The Boring Company. "I personally love the idea even more than the hyperloop idea," Jurvetson said on stage at Disrupt SF 2017 in San Francisco. Why? Because the vision is that they could work with electric vehicles exclusively once those proliferate enough, which means you don't need to manage exhaust, Jurvetson pointed out.

"The whole concept of tunnels changes," he said, once you change that key ingredient, since tunnels can be much smaller, making them easier to dig and interconnect and overlay. That means less complexity, less potential to affect surface structure and easier construction, enabling things like short undercut routes that bypass busy freeways currently clogged with traffic – some of which just happens to be using the same route as others headed to the same concentrated focal point, like an airport, even if they're going somewhere else entirely.
Hyperloop
Hyperloop One has closed an $85 million investment round. The company's total funding is now $245 million. That brings the company's valuation — including this round of financing — to more than $700 million.
Misc.
An estimated 250 million children around the world cannot read, write, or demonstrate basic arithmetic skills. UNESCO estimates that the world will need 1.6 million more teachers globally, a number set to double by 2030. Enter Elon Musk. He recently provided $15 million to the Global Learning XPRIZE. The goal is to develop methods to teach the 250 million children who do not have access to primary or secondary education the means to teach themselves to read, write, and do math within 15 months.
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Pubblicato da mariorossi.net il 07:00
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