Tesla Achieves Impressive Sustainability Goals in 2022 Impact Report

By Kevin Armstrong
Tesla started producing its Model 3 in 2017
Tesla started producing its Model 3 in 2017
Tesla

Tesla has released its 2022 impact report, more than 200 pages detailing the company's progress towards sustainability goals and environmental impact. The report showcases Tesla's impressive achievements in renewable energy, emissions reduction, and transparency.

Renewable Energy

According to the report, Tesla's global Supercharger network was powered by 100% renewable energy in 2022, achieved through on-site resources and annual renewable matching. This impressive feat demonstrates Tesla's commitment to reducing its environmental impact and promoting sustainability.

Emissions Reduction

The report highlights Tesla's efforts towards emissions reduction, stating that the company's access to data from over four million vehicles on the road and a fleet of solar and storage products allow them to calculate emissions with a higher level of accuracy than most manufacturers. This, in turn, enables Tesla to develop emissions-reduction solutions to match.

Impressive Statistics

One of the most impressive statistics from the report is that Tesla customers avoided releasing about 13.4 million metric tons of CO2e into the atmosphere in 2022. This is equivalent to approximately 33 billion miles of driving and represents a 52% increase from 2021. The report also noted that a single Tesla vehicle could avoid 55 tons of CO2e over its lifetime.

Transparency and Accountability

The report highlights Tesla's commitment to transparency and accountability, which is a refreshing approach in an industry that has traditionally been criticized for its lack of transparency. By sharing detailed information about its environmental impact, Tesla sets a new standard for transparency and sustainability in the automotive industry.

Overall, the 2022 Tesla impact report shows the company's commitment to sustainability and environmental responsibility. While there is still much work to be done to address climate change, Tesla's efforts are a step in the right direction and serve as an example for other companies.

The report showcases the company's focus on renewable energy, emissions reduction, and transparency and highlights its achievements in these areas. Tesla's commitment to sustainability is good for the environment and sets a new standard for corporate responsibility.

Tesla Increases Price of Model S; Starts Offering Free Lifetime Supercharging

By Karan Singh
Not a Tesla App

For the first time in quite a while, Tesla has increased the price of one of its vehicle offerings. The Model S Long Range and the Model S Plaid have both received a hefty price increase. However, not all is bad - as Tesla also added a new benefit for buyers.

Price Increase

The price increase for the Model S is $5,000 - currently only in the United States. This price increase will likely impact other markets, including Canada, in the coming days.

The Model S Long Range now starts at $79,990, while the Model S Plaid now starts at $94,990. The Model S and Model X now have the same starting price. Interestingly, that’s also the same pricing point for the Cybertruck AWD and Cyberbeast Trimotor non-Foundation Series. 

The vehicle configuration does not appear to have changed, so the new pricing is simply an increase rather than the addition or removal of features. Tesla previously cut the price of the Model S and Model X by 15% in 2023, so this could simply be an adjustment to ensure that the vehicle pricing stays in line with inflation and other factors.

Free Lifetime Supercharging

For those on the fence about ordering a Model S, Tesla has brought back Free Lifetime Supercharging when you order a new Model S on or after December 13, 2024. As always, Free Lifetime Supercharging is restricted to the buyer’s Tesla account and to that specific vehicle. It cannot be transferred to another vehicle or another owner after ownership transfer. It’s worth noting, that it also doesn’t exclude the owner from receiving Supercharger idle fees or congestion fees. There is currently no end date for this promotion.

There are currently no changes to the Model X, neither a price increase nor the addition of Lifetime Superchargering. However, when Tesla makes changes to one of their premium vehicles, it usually affects the other one as well. So be on the lookout for potential changes to the Model X offering in the coming days.

We’ve seen Tesla value Lifetime Supercharging at $5,000, so this falls in line with the price increase we’re seeing. It’s possible that Tesla will begin to bring back Lifetime Supercharging as a perk for buying into their more premium Model S and Model X cars, or this could be another temporary promotion to get buyers who are on the fence to go ahead and make their purchase while this promotion lasts.

Tesla’s Optimus Robot Learns to Walk Without Vision [VIDEO]

By Karan Singh
Optimus Falls - but catches itself!
Optimus Falls - but catches itself!
Not a Tesla App

Tesla recently showed off a demo of Optimus, its humanoid robot, walking around in moderately challenging terrain—not on a flat surface but on dirt and slopes. These things can be difficult for a humanoid robot, especially during the training cycle.

A Look Behind the Curtain

Most interestingly, Milan Kovac, VP of Engineering for Optimus, clarified what it takes to get Optimus to this stage. Let’s break down what he said.

Optimus is Blind

Optimus is getting seriously good at walking now - it can keep its balance over uneven ground - even while walking blind. Tesla is currently using just the sensors, all powered by a neural net running on the embedded computer. 

Essentially, Tesla is building Optimus from the ground up, relying on as much additional data as possible while it trains vision. This is similar to how they train FSD on vehicles, using LiDAR rigs to validate the vision system’s accuracy. While Optimus doesn’t have LiDAR, it relies on all those other sensors on board, many of which will likely become simplified as vision takes over as the primary sensor.

Today, Optimus is walking blind, but it’s able to react almost instantly to changes in the terrain underneath it, even if it falls or slips. 

What’s Next?

Next up, Tesla AI will be adding vision to Optimus - helping complete the neural net. Remember, Optimus runs on the same overall AI stack as FSD - in fact, Optimus uses an FSD computer and an offshoot of the FSD stack for vision-based tasks.

Milan mentions they’re planning on adding vision to help the robot plan ahead and improve its walking gait. While the zombie shuffle is iconic and a little bit amusing, getting humanoid robots to walk like humans is actually difficult.

There’s plenty more, too - including better responsiveness to velocity and direction commands and learning to fall and stand back up. Falling while protecting yourself to minimize damage is something natural to humans - but not exactly natural to something like a robot. Training it to do so is essential in keeping the robot, the environment around it, and the people it is interacting with safe.

We’re excited to see what’s coming with Optimus next because it is already getting started in some fashion in Tesla’s factories.

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