Elon Musk's biography by Walter Isaacson is now available for pre-order
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Award-winning author Walter Isaacson is set to give us an intimate look into the life of one of the era's most defining innovators, Elon Musk with his latest biography now available for pre-order on Amazon.
Elon Musk, a figure synonymous with audacious innovation and the technological revolution of our time, will be featured in Isaacson's in-depth biography, exploring the aspects of his life that shaped him into the revolutionary figure he is today. Isaacson, renowned for his bestselling biographies, including the iconic Steve Jobs, promises an "astonishingly intimate story of the most fascinating and controversial innovator of our era."
Musk took to Twitter to react to the upcoming release, stating, "There’s probably some really embarrassing stuff in the book." However, he added a note of endorsement, praising Isaacson's thoroughness and recommending his other works.
From Childhood Struggles to Global Influence: Musk’s Story Unveiled
The pre-order page gives a revealing glimpse into the depth of Isaacson's exploration. It details Musk's early struggles, from facing bullies as a child in South Africa, to the lingering psychological scars from his father to his tumultuous journey as an entrepreneur. The narrative promises to examine Musk's unique character traits, his "high tolerance for risk, a craving for drama, an epic sense of mission, and a maniacal intensity."
The biography will not only recount Musk's noteworthy accomplishments, such as launching thirty-one rockets into orbit with SpaceX, selling a million cars with Tesla, and becoming the richest man on Earth, but also delve into his personal struggles and the mental toll of a perpetually crisis-driven mindset.
Two Years with Musk: Isaacson’s In-Depth Exploration
Isaacson's meticulous research entailed shadowing Musk for two years, attending his meetings, and interviewing family, friends, co-workers, and even adversaries to create an all-encompassing portrayal of this contemporary figure. The narrative will explore the paradoxical question: Are the very demons that drive Musk integral to his unique capacity to drive innovation and progress?
As readers, we will be given a seat in the front row of Musk's life, observing as he evolves from the bullied kid on the playground to the owner of the world's ultimate playground, Twitter. It will examine the intricate layers of Musk's persona, offering insights into the man who has helped lead the world into the era of electric vehicles, private space exploration, and artificial intelligence.
With the same lucidity and empathetic storytelling that marked his previous works, Isaacson's biography of Elon Musk is shaping up to be an unmissable read for those curious about the man behind the headlines and the inner machinations of one of today's most influential innovators.
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Tesla recently showed off Giga Small Haus, an interesting new display project hosted at Giga Berlin. The small new house is located just outside the main entrance of Tesla’s Giga Berlin factory, with a Quicksilver Model Y parked inside.
Giga Small Haus is powered only by solar and Powerwall 3 - disconnected from the local grid and from Giga Berlin itself. It serves as a live demonstration of Tesla Solar and Tesla’s Powerwall battery backup.
Giga Small Haus
The centerpiece of the display is a Model Y in Quicksilver - a beautiful pick for a beautifully lit house. However, that’s not the real focus here - it's the Powerwall and Gateway on the wall.
The Powerwall is the focus of Giga Small Haus, and there’s a display with some additional information on the wall. Part of the display also includes a screen that displays the current output of the Powerwall itself versus the consumption of Giga Small Haus, as well as the input from solar.
The interior exhibit of Giga Small Haus
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The text on the exhibit is divided into several sections. Here’s a translated and edited version of what we can see from Tesla’s images. Some additional text is obscured. If someone visits Giga Small Haus, let us know.
Powerwall
Powerwall is a home battery system that stores energy from solar panels, the electrical grid, or during off-peak hours and powers your home during the day or during a power outage.
With Powerwall, you can use self-generated solar energy during the day and night, thus avoiding high electricity costs. You can also store excess energy produced during sunny periods for use during times of low production or power outages.
Key Features
Energy Storage: Powerwall stores excess energy from solar panels or the grid for later use or during power outages.
Backup Power: In the event of a power outage, Powerwall automatically switches to battery power to ensure continuous power supply.
Integration: Powerwall can be seamlessly integrated with existing solar systems and other power sources.
Scalability: Multiple Powerwalls can be installed to meet higher energy storage needs.
Smart Energy Management: Powerwall works with Tesla's software to optimize energy consumption and reduce costs.
How Powerwall Works
Storage: During the day, when solar panels produce more energy than needed, the excess is stored in Powerwall.
Usage: At night or during times of low solar production, the stored energy is used to power the home, reducing reliance on the grid.
Backup: During a power outage, Powerwall automatically provides power to critical circuits, ensuring continuous operation of essential appliances.
Benefits
Cost Savings: By storing and using solar energy, you can reduce your electricity bills.
Reliability: Provides backup power during outages, ensuring your home remains powered.
Sustainability: Promotes the use of renewable energy by storing excess solar production for later use.
Overall, Giga Small Haus is an interesting real-life demo of what Powerwall and Solar can accomplish. It would be neat if Tesla built more of these displays - perhaps near major Delivery and Service Centers and at Giga Texas, Fremont, Giga Shanghai, and other facilities. Many Tesla owners have yet to learn about and experience some of Tesla’s Energy products.
Tesla has added the Acceleration Boost option to the Tesla store for owners of the 2024 Model 3 Long Range - specifically owners in Australia and China. Acceleration Boost is an upgrade that provides a significant performance boost, drastically narrowing the performance gap between the Long Range and Performance versions of the same model.
This upgrade will likely become available in Europe, Canada, and the United States in the next few days as Tesla updates its shops globally.
Acceleration Boost
This new Acceleration Boost is retailing for $3,000 AUD, or approximately $2,000 USD. That’s the same price for current owners of older Model 3 or Model Y Long Range vehicles, which all have the option to purchase Acceleration Boost through the shop.
The boost provides improved 0-100km/h (0-60mph) performance, bumping the 2024 Model 3 LR from 4.4s to 3.8s. The 2024 Performance version comes in at a blazing fast 2.9 seconds, so while it isn’t equivalent to just buying a performance variant in the first place, it is still a noticeable and significant upgrade.
Performance variants also come with a different front fascia vent for cooling, performance drive units, sport seats, adaptive suspension, 20-inch wheels, and Track Mode V3. That’s a significant number of additional features in the $10,000 USD price difference between the Long Range and Performance versions.
Should You Buy It?
If you’ve purchased a Long Range model and are itching to go just that little bit faster at every red light, this is the upgrade for you. It previously came with the cost of slightly reducing vehicle range, but the Tesla store doesn’t make a note of reduced range this time around. The 2023 Model 3 and Model Y Long Range models had an efficiency loss of about 5% due to the additional always-available acceleration and cooling.
You could drive in Chill mode to mostly negate that efficiency loss, but what’s the fun in driving in Chill when you just got Acceleration Boost? Anyhow, the shop listing for the 2024 variant doesn’t include this detail, so it's possible Tesla may have worked some more engineering magic.
Overall, if you’ve got the $3,000 AUD burning a hole in your pocket, some Tesla referral credits sitting around, or just want to go faster, it's definitely an upgrade many users find valuable.
