A late-night Elon Musk post on X has this writer wondering if the Matrix has a glitch. For over a year, credible Tesla-focused websites and the mainstream media have referred to the Tesla Model 3 as the "Highland." But the company’s CEO says the Highland name “is not real,” although it has been seen in various Tesla documents. The cryptic message comes just 24 hours after the new Model 3 launched in North America. Is Musk simply joking, or is there a deeper meaning to his words?
Reuters was the first to use the word Highland. On November 28, 2022, the news outlet ran an “exclusive” story citing “four people with knowledge of the effort” of a revamped version of Model 3 codenamed "Highland." The name made sense. Although the exact origin remains unknown, there were intriguing theories:
Historical Reference to Ford: Some believe "Highland" might refer to Ford Motor Co's Highland Park plant, the birthplace of Ford's revolutionary assembly line.
Cinematic Nod: Others speculate that the name could be a homage to the 1986 film "Highlander", known for its immortals' battle and the iconic line, "there can only be one." This theory aligns with Musk's penchant for movie references and quirky humor.
A few weeks after the report, the mysterious partially covered Model 3s appeared around California. The name Highland took off from there.
Musk vs. Mainstream Media: A Turbulent Narrative
Elon Musk's relationship with the mainstream media has been tumultuous, marked by a series of confrontations and criticisms. His stance has been particularly conspicuous since he acquired Twitter. This ongoing battle with the press can be seen as a backdrop to the "Highland" mystery, casting Musk's latest tweet in a different light.
Perhaps his dismissive comment about the "Highland" codename might not be a straightforward denial but a nuanced swipe at media credibility. Considering that Reuters, a major news outlet, was the first to report on Highland, it could be interpreted as a continuation of his broader skepticism towards media reporting, mainly when it involves narratives about Tesla.
This dynamic adds an intriguing layer to the story, where the "truth" of the Model 3 "Highland" becomes not just a matter of fact but also a symbol in the larger narrative of Musk's complex relationship with the media. As Musk continues to engage in this media tug-of-war, each tweet and statement becomes a potential chess move in an ongoing battle of narratives.
Tesla Community Reaction
Seriousness aside, the internet did not fail to bring a few laughs in the replies to Musk’s post. Some played with the idea of it being part of a grand simulation, adding a touch of sci-fi flair to the debate. Others jokingly asked if this was all just a clever trick or even a plot twist worthy of a movie. The popular “TMFINR” meme showed up a few times.
A few users leaned into humor and parody, echoing the playful skepticism that often accompanies Musk's cryptic messages. Amidst the laughter, there were genuine queries and theories, with several pondering if "Highland" was just an internal project name or something more.
Rumors and conspiracy theories weren't far behind, as some speculated about hidden meanings and possible secret projects. This led to various interpretations, from outright dismissal to earnest theorizing. Could it also have been used to identify who was leaking information? There are a lot of leaks! YoursYour's truly was reminded of a classic Creed line from The Office:
Overall, the community's response was a lively mix of jest, confusion, and curiosity, showcasing the engaging and speculative environment that Musk's tweets often create. It's a unique relationship between Musk, his projects, and his audience, where a single tweet can ignite a spectrum of imaginative and playful discussions.
The Model 3 "Highland" story continues to blend mystery and speculation, fueled by Musk's latest remarks. The “Highland” name was used internally, as it has shown up in several internal documents, so Musk's post causes some confusion. Does he possibly mean that Highland isn’t a part of the (final) product’s name and shouldn’t be used by media to differentiate it from the previous generation?
Whether a clever ruse, a misunderstood codename, or a media misinterpretation, it is a fascinating example of Tesla's cultural impact. Dare we ask if Juniper is real?
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Tesla has finally released their 2024 Impact Report, and it's filled with impressive new data on the company’s environmental and safety progress. However, the biggest news is the clear and concrete roadmap it provides for the next generation of Tesla products.
For the first time, the report provides specific timelines for Tesla to begin volume production of the purpose-built Cybercab and the ramp-up of the Semi factory. This year’s report shifts from documenting past achievements to defining Tesla’s next phase, with a focus on autonomy and industrial transport.
Upcoming Vehicles
The most significant new items in the report are timelines for Tesla’s anticipated future vehicles.
Next, Tesla is ramping up production of the Semi, following the completion of limited production runs used for testing. This development is closely tied to the ongoing construction of the new Semi Factory, which is nearing completion. Tesla expects this to be one of its largest markets going forward and one of the most impactful. Industrial trucks doing the last 200 miles of delivery account for 16.4% of US vehicle emissions, despite making up only 1.1% of vehicles on the road.
In terms of the Affordable Model, Tesla has mentioned that they intend to launch more affordable products in 2025 and address a key segment of the market. They did not elaborate on this further and seem to have missed the previously provided self-imposed deadline for the first half of 2025.
At this point, we’re unsure whether Tesla will actually launch a distinct and more affordable model or whether it will introduce cut-down versions of the Model Y, as rumored.
Safety
The report supports Tesla’s future plans with some impressive new data points that demonstrate the impact their technology is having.
First, Autopilot (and FSD) has achieved a safety record nearly 10 times higher than the US national average in terms of miles per incident. The data shows one accident for every 6.77 million miles driven with Autopilot (or FSD) engaged, compared to the national average of one accident per 0.70 million miles.
The report also highlighted the Cybertruck’s recent 5-Star overall safety rating from the NHTSA, marking it one of the safest vehicles on the market, especially for a truck. The best part is that Cybertruck holds the lowest overall probability of injury and the lowest rollover risk of any pickup truck ever tested by the agency. Skeptics have always complained about lacking crumple zones, but the results prove otherwise, with Tesla building crumple zones as part of the gigacast.
Sustainability
In terms of sustainability, Tesla’s growing fleet helped to increase the amount of reduced and avoided emissions by 60% year over year, to 32 million metric tons of CO2e. While that’s a small number when you compare it to a full country, it is still a significant impact, especially in cities where pollutants have already decreased due to the ownership of EVs.
Tesla also mentioned that 99% of their recalls reported in 2024 were resolved using OTA updates, saving owners a trip to the Service Center or a trip by the Tesla Mobile Rangers, all in the name of sustainability and reduced costs.
Impactful Report
Tesla’s 2024 Impact Report is actually one of the most forward-looking publications to date. It puts a clear roadmap of Tesla’s future goals, while also tying them into the sustainability and safety goals achieved last year.
We can’t wait till 2025’s report - because it’ll be even better with this year’s deployment of Robotaxi. You can read all 200+ pages of the impact report here.
Tesla has officially begun internal testing of its awaited virtual queueing system for Superchargers. The news was shared by Tesla’s Director of Charging, Max de Zegher on X.
The Tesla Charging team has begun pressure testing the new feature and is planning for public pilots as their next step. While most users won’t experience heavy congestion at Superchargers, for those who do, it could be a real pain point. Virtual queues are designed to make it easier to charge at congested Superchargers by having a digital queue, rather than relying on owners to remain in line with their vehicles.
Virtual Queues
When we originally delved into Tesla’s plans to introduce a virtual queue system, it seemed obvious that the virtual queue would replace the current “Wild West” first-come, first-served system of vehicles trying to get pulled into a stall. This process will likely have two key integrations.
First up is integration directly into the vehicle software for Tesla vehicles. This means that when you’re navigating to a Supercharger that’s busy and virtual queuing is enabled, you will be automatically placed into the virtual queue upon arrival.
Then, your position in line is displayed on-screen and provides an estimated wait time, allowing you to relax, eat, or take a bathroom break without worrying about your place in line. Finally, once a stall becomes available and it’s your turn, you will receive a notification on your vehicle’s screen, as well as on the Tesla app, directing you to the open stall that will presumably only allow your vehicle to charge. We imagine that there will be a grace period for owners to pull up with their car. If that doesn’t happen within a certain period, the next car will likely be offered the charger.
The second integration is in the Tesla app for non-Tesla drivers. As Tesla continues to install Magic Docks and open Superchargers to non-Tesla EVs, more and more traffic comes to the world’s most reliable fast charging network. That means that Tesla also needs to manage expectations and queue times for non-Tesla vehicles, likely through a similar process, but done over the Tesla app instead.
The Devil’s in the Details
A simple “first-in, first-out” queue sounds great, but Max noted that it is easy to exploit things with bad actors. What prevents a driver from joining a queue remotely to reserve a spot, ignoring a notification, or trying to hop into an unreserved spot?
Well, Tesla should be able to manage these fairly easily, but they still require technical effort to implement. That means GPS geofencing for those attempting to join a queue, a short countdown timer for those late to take their spot, and a lockout for those who try to skip the queue are all needed.
What’s Next?
As Tesla has just started internal testing of this feature, it likely means that public-facing user interfaces and flows aren’t quite ready yet, but the underlying functionality is. It also means that Tesla is working to refine the little details to make the process as smooth and as easily accessible as possible.
While no pilot locations have been announced yet, it seems likely that Tesla will launch the pilot at some of the most notoriously busy Supercharger sites to gather testing data in the near future, once internal testing is complete. That means holiday travel routes or major highways, likely in California first, before rolling out elsewhere.
Virtual Queuing is a fantastic tech-first solution for the Supercharger network that helps transform that experience into a more calm and orderly process. Additionally, establishing a fair system that allows both Tesla and non-Tesla EVs to access will likely improve the overall experience. Along with the pilot program for dynamic Supercharger pricing that incentivizes people to use less-congested Superchargers, these changes should improve the Supercharger experience.
While Max mentioned it was designed for “those rare cases with a wait”, that tends to be the experience in larger cities further North, especially in New York, Michigan, or within Canada, where the few smaller Supercharger sites in big cities tend to be heavily congested. These queues will make the experience smoother for everyone involved, so we’re looking forward to seeing this come to fruition.
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