Tag: Tesla

Gail’s Tesla Podcast Episode 172: Zuby’s First Supervised FSD Ride in Austin – A Conversation That Went Viral (Over 1 Million Views!)

Gail AlfarLeave a comment

May 2026

This one went big.

Episode 172 with the one and only Zuby (@ZubyMusic) has already surpassed 1 million views on X — and for good reason. Fresh off a flight from Dubai, Zuby hopped into my Tesla for his very first supervised FSD (Full Self-Driving) experience in Austin. What started as an in-car chat quickly became one of the most engaging and widely shared conversations we’ve had.

We split it into two parts because the discussion was so rich. Part 1 covers his global perspective, culture shock, and a powerful take on the biggest myth about masculinity. Part 2 dives into free speech, what it was like meeting Elon Musk in the early days after the Twitter acquisition, and why he keeps his rap music “squeaky clean.”

Watch Part 1 here (the viral ride):

Watch Part 2 here (free speech, Elon, and clean rap):

Why This Episode Resonated So Strongly

Zuby brought a truly global lens to the table. Having lived across the UK, Saudi Arabia, and traveled extensively, he shared how different cultures shape our views — and how travel can be the ultimate cure for ignorance and narrow-mindedness.

His first reaction to FSD was priceless: pure amazement at watching the car drive itself while we chatted. “This would have been considered impossible even within our own lifetimes,” he noted. It was a beautiful reminder of how far the technology has come and how it feels to experience it for the first time.

The conversation on masculinity was especially powerful. Zuby challenged the modern narrative that masculinity itself is a problem. Instead, he argued that many issues attributed to “toxic masculinity” actually stem from an absence of healthy, channeled masculinity — and that boys need strong, positive male role models to thrive.

In Part 2, things got even more fascinating as he opened up about meeting Elon Musk shortly after the Twitter acquisition and his philosophy on creating clean, positive rap music in a genre often filled with negativity.

A Conversation That Hit Different

This episode felt special from the start. Zuby’s wisdom, humor, and no-nonsense perspective combined perfectly with the unique setting of cruising Austin streets on FSD. Listeners clearly felt it too — the views exploded, and the comments poured in with people loving the mix of tech wonder and deep life insights.

Whether you’re here for the FSD ride reactions, the cultural wisdom, or Zuby’s refreshing take on masculinity and free speech, this one delivers.

Join the Conversation

Have you watched Episode 172 yet? What stood out to you most — Zuby’s first FSD experience, his thoughts on masculinity, or his stories about meeting Elon?

Drop your thoughts in the comments below. I read every single one!

And if you haven’t subscribed or followed along yet, now’s the perfect time. This is exactly why I love doing these in-car podcasts — real conversations with remarkable people in remarkable settings.

Thank you to everyone who watched, shared, and engaged. Over a million views is wild, and I’m incredibly grateful.

Stay curious. Stay adventurous. And keep riding with us. 🚕✨

Zuby’s links:

  • X: @ZubyMusic
  • Podcast: Real Talk with Zuby

Tags: #Zuby #GailsTeslaPodcast #FSD #Tesla #Austin #Masculinity #FreeSpeech #ViralPodcast #Episode172

Previous: Episodes 170 & 171 – Full Conversation with @TechOperator

Elon Musk joined the Samson Smart Mobility Summit in Israel remotely at 2:30 AM Austin time. Full verbatim transcript covering FSD, robotaxis, Optimus, Starship, Neuralink, and abundance. Key takeaways + My Take from Austin.

Elon Musk Remote Talk at 2026 Samson Smart Mobility Summit in Israel: Full Verbatim Transcript

Gail Alfar1 Comment

May 18, 2026 — Elon Musk made a surprise remote appearance at the 9th International Samson Smart Mobility Summit in Israel. Despite it being 2:30 AM in Austin, he joined the stage virtually and delivered thoughtful answers on Full Self-Driving, robotaxis, Optimus, Starship, Neuralink, and humanity’s path toward universal high income and abundance.

Here is my full verbatim transcript (carefully stitched from @CBDoge, Sawyer Merritt, and the video itself):

Host (Daniela Geromar-Galiot): We’re absolutely thrilled to have you joining us here today at the 9th International Samson Smart Mobility Summit in Israel, a country that shares your spirit of relentless innovation.

Elon Musk: Thank you for having me. I would be there in person, but we gotta get this SpaceX IPO going pretty soon. So I’m happy to answer any questions you may have or whatever would be interesting.

Host: Perfect. So Tesla has spent years developing the vision and technology for smart mobility. Now that you’re moving from testing, what is the biggest challenge in scaling this technology to millions of users around the world?

Elon Musk: In terms of having self-driving be ubiquitous… I think we’re making steady progress. The Tesla Full Self-Driving software, which is really just AI and cameras, we don’t use radars or LIDAR or anything like that. It’s really trying to drive the car in the same way that a human drives the car, which humans primarily drive the car with vision and with a biological neural net. We take the same approach with our vehicles, which is a digital neural net and cameras. I expect this approach to ultimately be at least an order of magnitude safer than humans driving.

I’m not sure if we have approval for this in Israel. I think we may have, or we will get it soon hopefully and you’ll be able to experience it for yourself.

It is quite magical, because the car feels like it is sentient. It actually feels like it’s alive. And you can actually, as we improve the software, you can feel the sentience growing in the car. It feels alive.

And I think we already have some vehicles operating with no people inside and no safety monitors in three cities in Texas, and probably will be widespread in the U.S. by end of this year, and hopefully in Israel too.

Host: Thank you. We look forward to that.

Elon Musk: The world is going to have a lot of robots in the future, and what Tesla makes is effectively four-wheeled robots right now.

And in the future we’ll also be having humanoid robots. You’re seeing a lot of startups with humanoid robots. My prediction is that there’ll be far more robots, like intelligent robots, in the world than there will be people, and I think this is most likely to be a good thing. We always want to be a little paranoid, or certainly not complacent about the safety of robots, but I think it will usher in an age of not universal basic income, but universal high income.

Host: Right, thank you… And I think we have one of your robots out here in the exhibition, so that’s also a lot of fun for everybody here. Go and take a look.

Elon Musk: Optimus subprime, haha!

Host: Exactly. When you think about, let’s say, the most exciting development or breakthrough that you’re working on right now, what do you think would be the one that people aren’t talking enough about enough?

Elon Musk: Well, I guess people are mostly aware of the rockets that SpaceX does. This Starship rocket, which we are now in version 3 of, will, I think, achieve full and rapid reusability. This is the fundamental breakthrough necessary to make life multi-planetary, to extend consciousness beyond Earth, and have self-sustaining cities, self-growing cities on the Moon, Mars, and elsewhere in the solar system.

This is really quite a profound breakthrough, and we might succeed in doing that this year. The critical factor being full and rapid reuse of all parts of the rocket. That’s a much bigger deal than people would realize. When that technology is developed, that’ll be a fork in the road in human history, where we can become a spacefaring civilization, a multi-planet species, and I think that’s an incredibly exciting thing.

Elon Musk: Perhaps to some degree there is also, not many people are aware of Neuralink, which is creating a cybernetic interface to AI from your brain.

It has enabled people who have completely lost their brain-body connection to speak again and to use their computer and their phone and we believe it will enable people to walk again… because you can take the signals from the brain, from the motor cortex and if somebody has, say, a severe spinal injury, you could transmit those signals to a second neural implant and reanimate the body so that people can use their limbs. We think at some point they can live a normal life by effectively bridging the signal from the brain to past the point in the spine where damage has occurred.

These are pretty wild things that are possible. And then later this year we expect to do our first implant for what we call “blindsight,” where even if somebody has lost both eyes or lost the optic nerve or perhaps has never seen, even if they were blind at birth, it will give them initially limited vision, but I think over time very precise vision, perhaps superhuman.

So restoring control of people who are tetraplegics and restoring sight are pretty big deals. Those sort of Jesus-level technologies, you know… miracles. Yes, exactly. Miracles of science

Host: . Miracles! Yeah. Great, thank you!

Host: I have another question about the automotive world. If I bring it back to smart mobility. When you look past the immediate rollouts of FSD, what does the ultimate endgame for smart mobility look like in 10 or 20 years from now? I mean, what is the grand vision that still keeps you up at night when we talk about mobility?

Elon Musk: Well, at this point the path to cars driving is an order of magnitude safer than humans is very clear, and I think it’s not really a question mark. So I’m not sure if this really keeps me up at night because the path is just so obviously there.

Five years from now, or certainly ten years from now, probably 90% of all distance driven will be driven by the AI in a self-driving car. It will be quite a niche thing in 10 years to actually be driving your own car, because the car will drive you.

I think there will also be humanoid robots that are pretty much everywhere. And I think it would be pretty cool because who wouldn’t want their own personal C-3PO, R2-D2 — but even better than that! And I think everyone is going to want one, maybe two.

Host: A terminator?

Elon Musk: Well, hopefully not. We should always be concerned about such a thing because yeah, Terminator is one of the possible outcomes. I think it’s an unlikely one, but it’s not impossible. And so we should always be careful to make sure that robots are safe.

This is why I actually think we’re headed to a future of amazing abundance. You can think of the output of the economy as productivity per capita times the population. And if the robots are extremely productive, and there are a lot of them, you’re effectively going to have an economy that will be maybe 10 or even 100 times bigger than what it is today. And that’s why I think it is going to be a future of universal high income, where pretty much anyone can have whatever they want.

There are larger questions of meaning. How do we derive meaning in a world where AI and robots can do anything better than what we can do? Because that is probably where we’re headed. But I think people will still find ways to have meaning.

And sometimes it’s like, what is the future that you want? Or what do you think the future is? What’s the best picture you can possibly imagine? And a lot of people are a little surprised by that question. Because, let’s say you are praying to God and you ask for a given future. Well, what future do you want God to give you?

Probably a future where there is an amazing abundance for all, where everybody has incredible medical care and in fact anything can be cured. No one is hungry. People are free to do what they would like. I think that’s probably the best future.

Host: And peace, peace and love!

Elon Musk: Well yeah. I always worry about it becomes some dystopian version of that, you know. But certainly love — I mean, I think we want a future with that seems like a no-brainer. Peace is an interesting one because sometimes the price for complete peace may be maybe too high, because complete peace may require too much suppression of the people. So perhaps there is peace to some degree but not completely. Ideally there’s not like a large-scale war of course. But you know, you have to think about these questions kind of deeply. Do you want a world where there’s no conflict? But how do you achieve a world where there is no conflict at all without some form of suppression?

So my guess is probably people would want a future with some conflict, not total peace, but nothing… not a serious war perhaps. But these are interesting philosophical questions. What future would you like?

Host: Do you have a message to the Israeli innovators here?

Elon Musk: Honestly, I’m a huge admirer of the innovation coming out of Israel. I think it is objectively true that Israel punches far above its weight for population. I think, probably number one My hat is off to Israel for how much incredible innovation per capita. Israel must be number one by far in the world!

Host: Thank you so much. Before you go, I would like to invite Israel’s Minister of Transport and Road Safety, Brigadier General Miri Regev, to join our conversation…

Minister Miri Regev: Thank you Elon, you are great! We love you! I see that you are tired! it’s wonderful to have you with us even remotely.

Elon Musk: Thank you. It’s about 2:30 in the morning here in Austin, Texas, and thank you for having me! It was a pleasure, thank you! so I’m going to get some sleep, I really appreciate the invitation and looking forward to seeing progress in Israel.

Host & Minister: Thank you Elon! (Audience applause)

Host (wrap-up): That was Elon Musk joining us remotely from Austin…

Key Takeaways

Full Self-Driving & Robotaxis

  • Vision-only FSD (no radar or LIDAR) already feels “sentient” and is running unsupervised in Texas cities. I have taken many unsupervised Model Y Robotaxi here in my city of Austin, Texas.
  • Widespread U.S. robotaxi deployment expected by end of 2026, with Israel to follow soon after.
  • In 10 years, ~90% of all miles driven will be by AI — personally driving your own car will become a niche activity.

Robots & Abundance

  • Far more intelligent robots than humans expected in the future.
  • Tesla’s current cars are “four-wheeled robots”; Optimus humanoid robots are coming next.
  • Shift from Universal Basic Income → Universal High Income as robots drive massive economic growth (10x–100x bigger economy).

Starship & Multi-Planetary Life

  • Starship Version 3 targeting full & rapid reusability this year.
  • Critical step toward self-sustaining cities on the Moon, Mars, and beyond. we are at a “fork in the road in human history.”

Neuralink & Medical Miracles

  • Already restoring speech and device control for patients.
  • Upcoming “blindsight” trials later this year could restore (and eventually enhance) vision.
  • Described as “Jesus-level technologies.”

Praise for Israel

  • Elon called Israel #1 in the world for innovation per capita and said the country “punches far above its weight.”

Elon’s Standout Quotes

  • “It is quite magical, because the car feels like it is sentient. It actually feels like it’s alive.”
  • “We might succeed in doing that this year… That’ll be a fork in the road in human history.”
  • “Innovation per capita, Israel’s must be number one by far in the world.”
  • “10 years from now, probably 90% of all distance driven will be driven by the AI in a self-driving car.”

My Take

I’m in awe that Elon stayed up until the wee hours of the morning, 2:30 AM his time, to do this interview. I woke up to phone notifications form CB Doge and Sawyer Merritt sharing clips of the interview. Perhaps the biggest treat of the whole thing was a podcast episode that Elon also shared around the same time from Steven Mark Ryan. Please watch it (it is super short) and you’ll get the real picture of all the phenominal things Elon does!

Steven Mark Ryan also shared an edited cleaned up version of this very interview.

If you haven’t seen it yet, go watch it. It captures the energy perfectly.

Gail’s Tesla Podcast: Episodes 170 & 171 – Full Conversation with @TechOperator During Supervised FSD Model Y Ride in Austin

Gail AlfarLeave a comment

May 2026

What a treat it was to spend time with the wonderful @TechOperator! I’m thrilled to share our complete conversation across two engaging drives in my Model Y here in Austin. Part 1 dropped as Episode 170 and we continued seamlessly into Part 2 in Episode 171 — it felt so natural and relaxed chatting while the car confidently handled the roads.

The Full Experience

In this inspiring two-part interview, @TechOperator (a passionate Tesla owner, former IT executive, and active voice in the X community) joins me for fast-paced, authentic discussions during real-world FSD rides in my Model Y.

We covered:

  • His inspiring life transition away from corporate life and the overwhelmingly positive support from the X community.
  • Building an authentic presence online.
  • His deep appreciation for Tesla’s performance, handling, acceleration, and how he uses FSD for a significant portion of his driving (~30%).
  • Highlights from his recent Giga Texas visit, including seeing the Cybercab up close (and getting to test a Robotaxi!).

The rides in my Model Y provided the perfect backdrop — smooth, confident, and freeing. It allowed us to have a real, flowing conversation without any stress about driving.

Watch Part 1 (Episode 170):

Watch Part 2 (Episode 171 continuation):

What These Rides Revealed

There’s something truly special about holding a genuine conversation while your own Model Y navigates Austin’s busy streets on FSD. These experiences highlight how far autonomous driving has come and why it feels so capable and natural today.

The car sees the world through its cameras alone — clean, elegant, and remarkably human-like perception without bulky extra sensors. That vision-only approach shines in Austin’s varied conditions: traffic, pedestrians, cyclists, changing light, and all the everyday surprises.

Behind that capability is an enormous amount of real-world learning. Tesla’s fleet has driven billions of miles, training the system on countless variations of the exact scenarios we encountered. You feel that depth in how proactively and smoothly the car handles intersections, merges, and dynamic situations — giving us the freedom to focus entirely on the conversation.

The intelligence comes from end-to-end neural networks that turn raw camera input directly into fluid, context-aware actions. No brittle rule-based layers guessing at every possibility — just holistic, intelligent driving that feels natural and reliable.

None of this scales without massive dedicated compute power turning fleet data into rapid improvements. Purpose-built training infrastructure keeps pushing the models forward at an impressive pace.

It also benefits tremendously from tight vertical integration. Hardware and software evolve together through seamless over-the-air updates on the same platform, delivering consistent, responsive performance that improves ride after ride.

What stands out most is the bold commitment to true FSD operation on public roads — not limited demos, but real confidence in complex city environments. Experiencing that while chatting comfortably turns “someday” into something you can live today in Austin (and soon more places).

And because it’s a living, learning system, every mile driven makes the whole fleet smarter. The Model Y we rode in continues to improve with each update, pulling lessons from millions of other vehicles.

These rides carry that forward-looking “gold Cybercab energy” we felt seeing the purpose-built robotaxis at Giga Texas. They’re the bridge to the exciting autonomous future we’re all watching unfold.

Join the Conversation

If you haven’t watched the full two-part interview yet, grab a drink, settle in, and come along for the rides! These episodes capture personal stories, community, factory insights, and the simple joy of a car that just handles it.

Drop a comment below and let me know:

  • What stood out most to you from the conversation with @TechOperator?
  • Have you taken a FSD ride in a Tesla Model Y yet?
  • What are you most looking forward to with Cybercab and the next chapter of autonomy?

I read every comment — this community makes the journey so much richer.

Stay curious, stay adventurous, and keep enjoying the ride ahead! 🚕✨

Previous episode: Episode 169 – My Second Unsupervised Model Y Robotaxi Ride

Gail’s Tesla Podcast Episode 169: My Second Unsupervised Model Y Robotaxi Ride Through Austin – Real-Time Thoughts on This Wild Piece of History

Gail Alfar1 Comment

April 24, 2026

Episode 169 of Gail’s Tesla Podcast is live, and I couldn’t be more excited to share it with you!

This time I climbed back into a Tesla Model Y running in full unsupervised Robotaxi mode for my second journey through Austin streets. Camera rolling the whole way, I captured my genuine, moment-by-moment reactions as the car took care of everything on its own. Downtown Austin energy, a stop at Starbucks on Riverside Drive, smooth navigation through real traffic — it felt like another chapter of living history. And the vibe? Straight-up gold Tesla energy all the way.

Watch the full ride and my unfiltered real-time commentary here:

In the episode you’ll hear me chatting away as the car handles downtown streets, eases through traffic, and elegantly solves a specific maneuvering situation near the coffee shop. One feeling kept coming up for me: “I just feel really safe and relaxed.” No stress, no hovering over imaginary pedals, only the simple pleasure of being a passenger in a vehicle that clearly understands its world.

What This Ride Revealed About the Technology We’re Actually Living With

There’s a special kind of wonder that comes from experiencing autonomy not in a polished demo video, but on the exact streets you drive every day. What made this second ride feel so capable, so natural, didn’t happen by accident. Several deep, compounding strengths showed up in quiet but powerful ways.

The car perceives everything through its cameras alone. No bulky extra sensors, no spinning LiDAR on the roof, no radar arrays like Waymo, just a clean, elegant vehicle reading the visual world the way humans do. That choice creates a system that feels integrated rather than bolted-on, and it performed beautifully in the mixed lighting, tree cover, and urban clutter of Austin.

That visual intelligence is trained on something no one else has at anywhere near this scale: billions of miles of real driving data collected from Teslas all over the world. The situations I saw today — busy intersections, pedestrians, cyclists, tight spots — aren’t rare edge cases in a simulator. They’re variations the AI has already studied thousands of times in similar real-world conditions. You can feel that collective experience in how confidently and proactively it drives.

Equally important is how it makes decisions. The autonomy stack uses end-to-end neural networks that map raw camera input straight to smooth vehicle controls. There’s no layer of brittle if-then rules trying to anticipate every possibility. The result is driving that feels holistic and context-aware — exactly what you want when the car has to resolve a real parking or departure challenge on the fly, the way it did for me near Riverside Drive.

None of this capability appears without serious computational horsepower dedicated to training on massive video datasets. Purpose-built infrastructure for processing driving data at enormous scale has made it possible to turn raw fleet experience into rapidly improving intelligence. Every unsupervised mile contributes to the next leap forward.

It also matters that this intelligence lives inside a vehicle platform that was designed for deep, continuous integration. The Model Y has evolved alongside the autonomy software through years of over-the-air updates. That tight coupling between hardware and software — refined on the road, not just in the lab — is what lets the car feel responsive and reliable instead of hesitant or overcautious.

What stands out most is the clear destination the work has been pointed toward all along: genuine unsupervised operation on ordinary public roads. Not perpetual supervision, not limited geofenced zones, but the confidence to let the vehicle handle complex, dynamic city driving without a safety driver present. Feeling that trust validated in practice — relaxed in the passenger seat while the car just… handles it — turns “someday” into something you can experience today.

And because the system keeps learning, the car I rode in yesterday is already smarter than the one from last month. Fleet-wide updates roll out regularly, folding lessons from rides just like this one into every vehicle. It’s a living technology that gets better with use rather than one that ships and then slowly ages.

As I finished this ride, that forward-looking excitement was everywhere — the same gold Cybercab energy that has me genuinely counting down to purpose-built robotaxi vehicles designed from the ground up for joyful, efficient, autonomous mobility. The unsupervised rides we’re taking right now in current models are the essential bridge to that next chapter.

These in-car episodes aren’t just tech demos for me. They’re a way of documenting a transformation I get to live inside my own city and sharing the real wonder (and occasional delighted “wait… it just did that?!” moments) with all of you who are following along.

If you haven’t watched yet, pour yourself something nice and take the ride with me. Then come back and tell me in the comments:

  • What stood out most to you in this episode?
  • Did any particular moment make the progress feel especially real?
  • Have you tried an unsupervised Robotaxi ride yourself, or are you as excited as I am about where this is all heading?

I read every single comment and I’m grateful for this community. The journey is so much richer when we share it.

Stay curious. Stay adventurous. And keep watching the road ahead — it’s getting more interesting every single week. 🚕✨

Tags: #Tesla #FSD #Robotaxi #UnsupervisedDriving #GailsTeslaPodcast #AustinTexas #AutonomousVehicles #Cybercab

Previous episode: Episode 168 – Elon Musk Reposts Viral Robotaxi Narrow Street U-Turn

Research Fab Austin Groundbreaking

Tesla Q1 2026 Earnings Call: Elon Musk’s Vision for the AI & Robotics Future (April 22, 2026)

Gail AlfarLeave a comment

Date: April 22, 2026

Format: Audio-only webcast (Q&A via Say Technologies platform)

Focus: Strategic outlook on AI, autonomy, Optimus, Robotaxi, and massive future investments (financial details covered separately in Tesla’s Q1 Update deck).

Tesla held its Q1 2026 Financial Results and Q&A webcast on April 22, 2026. As always, the call provided invaluable direct insight into the company’s direction straight from CEO Elon Musk, alongside other executives. These moments are especially precious—capturing Elon’s unfiltered thinking on the ambitious projects that define Tesla’s next chapter.

Participants

  • Travis Axelrod, Head of Investor Relations (moderator)
  • Elon Musk, Co-Founder & CEO
  • Vaibhav Taneja, CFO
  • A number of other Tesla executives (specific names beyond the above not individually detailed in the public audio/webcast notes)

The session began with opening remarks from Elon, followed by brief comments from Vaibhav, then moved into Q&A drawn from retail investor submissions (via Say) and the queue.

High-Level Summary of Elon’s Key Themes

Elon described 2026 as “a very exciting year” defined by substantially higher capital expenditures to fuel growth in AI, manufacturing, vehicles, and especially robotics. He reiterated his long-held conviction that Optimus will be Tesla’s (and the world’s) biggest product ever.

Key emphases included:

  • Heavy investment in core tech (battery, powertrain, AI software/training, chip design) and supply chain strengthening.
  • Cautious, safety-first expansion of unsupervised Full Self-Driving and Robotaxi operations (zero incidents/injuries to date).
  • The classic “stretched-out S-curve” reality for new production ramps (Cybercab, Semi, Optimus).
  • Major AI hardware progress (AI5 taped out, AI6 and Dojo 3 already in discussion).
  • Optimus production starting slowly in Fremont later this year (repurposing lines after S/X), with meaningful ramp in 2027; V3 design nearly ready for demonstration.

He stressed that all Tesla vehicles remain autonomy-ready and incredible value, while energy storage demand (Megapack) remains very strong.

Verbatim: Elon Musk’s Opening Remarks

“Thank you. I think we’ve got a very exciting year ahead of us with 2026. We’re going to be substantially increasing our investments in the future, so you should expect to see a very significant increase in capital expenditures. I think it’s well justified for a substantially increased future revenue stream. Obviously, Tesla is not alone in this. I think you’ve seen in most, if not all, certainly the major technology companies substantially increasing their capital investments. We’re going to be doing the same. I think it’s going to pay off in a very big way.

We’re investing in and improving our core technologies, battery powertrain, AI software, AI training, chip design, laying the groundwork for significantly increased manufacturing production. We are also strengthening our supply chain across the board, batteries, energy, AI, silicon, everything.

Laying the groundwork, like I said, for what we expect to be a significant increase in vehicle production in the future. Of course, a very significant increase. Well, actually releasing Optimus, but increasing our internal production for testing, and then probably being able to have Optimus be useful outside of Tesla sometime next year. As you’ve heard me say a few times, I think Optimus will be our biggest product, not just Tesla’s biggest product ever, but probably the biggest product ever. I remain convinced of that conclusion.

On our vehicle side, it’s always, I think, worth noting that a Tesla car is incredible value for money, and they’re all autonomy-ready, depending on what part of the world you’re in. The supervised Full Self-Driving is getting extremely good. We have just started production of Cybercab, and we’ll begin production of our Tesla Semi soon.

Now, I should say, whenever you have a new product with a completely new supply chain, new everything, it’s always a stretched-out S curve, so you should expect that initial production of Cybercab and Semi will be very slow, but then ramping up, and going exponential towards the end of the year and certainly next year. In fact, we’ll be ramping up production of all vehicles, in all factories, to the best of our ability through the balance of this year.

On the energy front, the United States and the whole world will need a lot of energy storage to meet growing electricity demand. Demand for our Megapack is very strong. We’re excited to begin production of Megapack 3 later this year in our new world-class factory outside Houston.

For Full Self-Driving and Robotaxi, version 14.3 was a major architectural update, and we have a whole pipeline of major improvements to Full Self-Driving that we believe will lead to unsupervised Full Self-Driving being available anywhere in the world that it is legal to do so. Then there’s a version 15, hopefully by the end of this year, but certainly by early next year. That will be a complete overhaul of the software architecture, and will run on AI5. At that point, we’re really just increasing the safety level of FSD above human safety level even more, meaning I think even within version 14, we’re significantly safer than human, but V15 will take that to another level. We’ve expanded Robotaxi to Dallas and Houston, using the same software source in the Bay Area.

The limiting factor for expansion is really rigorous validation, making sure things are completely safe. We don’t want to have a single accidental injury with the expansion of Robotaxi, and we have, to the credit of the team, not had a single one to date.

Optimus, we’re preparing Fremont for start of production later this year with Optimus. Again, totally new supply chain, totally new technology, so therefore, the production S curve is always very slow in the beginning. We’ll ramp up to significant numbers next year, and we’re constructing a second Optimus factory at our Giga Texas location, and that will probably start production around summer next year. The V3 Optimus design is almost ready to demonstrate. I think we want to just make sure it’s polished. Like it works functionally, but there’s some aesthetic elements that need to be finalized, and I think probably middle of this year, we should be able to show it off. We’re also a little hesitant to show V3 off because we find our competitors do a frame-by-frame analysis whenever we release something and copy everything they possibly can. I think there’s some value to not showing new technology until it’s close to production.

Congratulations again to the Tesla AI chip team for taping out AI5. That’s going to be a great chip. I think probably the best AI inference chip for edge compute that exists. Certainly, I think unequivocally the best value for money. Team did a great job, and we already have a lot of momentum for designing AI6, and we’ve begun to discuss ideas for Dojo 3. This is all very exciting.

We’ve also finalized plans for the research chip fab on the Giga Texas campus, and we’ll start construction of that this year.

In conclusion, Tesla is working on a lot of large, ambitious projects. They’re all very challenging, but I think they’re going to be revolutionary. This is what the team does best, solve the hardest problems and build amazing products. I’d like to thank the Tesla team for all their hard work and thank you to all of our supporters.”

Selected Verbatim Highlights from Elon’s Q&A Responses

Elon fielded questions on production realities, timelines, safety, and AI architecture. Here are key excerpts (lightly contextualized for flow):

On Optimus V3 reveal, production start (Fremont S/X line transition), and ramp challenges: “Well, as I was saying, what we’ve found is that when we’ve unveiled various Optimus versions, we’ve found out our competitors literally do a frame-by-frame analysis and copy everything we’re doing. I think we want to push the Optimus 3 unveil maybe closer to production. Start of production is, we’re assuming, somewhere around the late July, August timeframe. … Frankly, if we’re able to go from stopping production on one line, dismantling that entire line, reinstalling a whole new line, and turning that on in a matter of 4 months, that is an insanely fast speed. I don’t think any other company on Earth has ever done that before… It is impossible to predict these things. When you have a brand-new product and an entirely new production line, and you have 10,000 unique items, all of which have to go right to ramp production, it’ll move as fast as the least lucky, slowest, dumbest part in the entire 10,000… Initial skills will be, obviously, we’re going to start with simple skills in the factory and then build up from there.”

On unsupervised FSD/Robotaxi expansion and safety: “Well, we certainly hope to have unsupervised FSD or Robotaxi operating in, I don’t know, a dozen or so states by the end of this year. Initially, we’re taking a very cautious approach… [we haven’t had any injuries and certainly no fatalities to date with the unsupervised FSD and Robotaxi expansion, and we want to keep it that way].”

On Optimus AI architecture (local intelligence + orchestration): “Well, we think we can put a lot of intelligence locally in the robot and it certainly needs to be enough intelligence that if the robot gets disconnected, like if it’s a bad cellular signal or there isn’t Wi-Fi, you know, Optimus can’t just get stuck. It needs to have enough local intelligence that it can still do useful things, even if it loses the connection, kind of like the car. The car does not need any cellular or Wi-Fi connection to be able to drive safely. Now, I guess you can think of like Optimus needs kind of a manager to tell it what to do, broadly speaking… so you know i think you need kind of a an orchestration ai which uh you know grok would be good for orchestration um and and then for you know for optimist’s voice you know having um a low latency intelligent voice ai grok is actually very good for that… But I would expect the amount of interaction apart from like the voice stuff and asking complicated questions of the robot that necessarily needs a large AI model to answer the Gronk would probably have about as much interaction with Optimus as a manager would have with the people on their team.”

(Additional topics included HW3 upgrade paths for unsupervised capability, broader AI chip progress, and the new research chip fab at Giga Texas.)

Closing Thoughts

The call reinforced Tesla’s pivot toward AI, autonomy, and humanoid robotics as the dominant long-term drivers, with near-term production ramps following realistic S-curve timelines and an unwavering focus on safety and execution. Elon’s direct words continue to provide the clearest window into that vision.

For the extremely detailed full transcript (including all speakers, operator notes, and every Q&A), check these reliable sources:

Gail Alfar in her first unsupervised Tesla Robotaxi ride through Austin – Episode 168 Gail’s Tesla Podcast – real-time thoughts and impressions while Full Self-Driving handles the drive (viral clip reposted by Elon Musk with over 75 million views)

Gail’s Tesla Podcast Episode 168: Elon Musk Reposts Viral Robotaxi Narrow Street U-Turn (75M+ Views)

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Episode 168 of Gail’s Tesla Podcast is now live.

A clip from this episode showing the unsupervised Tesla Robotaxi (with no safety driver) going down a narrow street and performing a multi-point U-turn in a tight spot was reposted by Elon Musk and has been seen over 75 million times. As of today, it might be one of Gail’s most viewed posts. It also has over 6.5K comments.

In this full episode, I take my first ride in an unsupervised Tesla Robotaxi through Austin and share my real-time thoughts and impressions while the car drives itself.

Watch the full episode here (or tap the X post for the video):

These in-car rides and conversations highlight the steady real-world progress Elon and the Tesla team continue to deliver every day.

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What stood out most to you in this episode? Have you had a chance to ride in a Tesla Robotaxi yet? Drop your thoughts or share your own Tesla story below.

Tesla Supercharger Network Surges in France, Powering Record Sales Rebound in 2026

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Tesla continues to impress with its relentless push to expand the Supercharger network across France. The company is delivering fresh convenience and reliability to EV drivers just as vehicle registrations are skyrocketing. New sites and expansions announced via the official @TeslaCharging account on X are popping up near supermarkets, hotels, airports, and major routes. These openings are perfectly timed to support a dramatic comeback in Tesla demand following a tougher 2025. These additions highlight Tesla’s commitment to making long-distance travel seamless in one of Europe’s most promising EV markets.

Latest Superchargers Put Into Service (March–April 2026)

Drawing directly from @TeslaCharging’s recent posts, here’s the latest wave of openings and expansions (listed in reverse chronological order, with nearby landmarks for easy context):

  • Abbeville (8 stalls) – ~April 12, 2026 Northern commercial hub along the A16, near Hyper U supermarket.
  • Limoges – Avenue des Casseaux (9 stalls) – ~April 9, 2026 Central France, right beside a Grand Frais supermarket.
  • Roissy-en-France – Avenue du Bois de la Pie (12 stalls) – ~April 5, 2026 Near Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport and Van der Valk Hotel/Hyatt Place. Ideal for travelers.
  • Saint-Saturnin (expanded to 48 stalls) – April 3, 2026 Just north of Le Mans at the Brit Hotel. This major upgrade added 28 stalls, complete with solar canopies and restrooms.
  • Goussainville (9 stalls) and Chilly-Mazarin (10 stalls) – Recent (March/April) Paris suburbs, both anchored near Grand Frais supermarkets.
  • Le Mans – Rue des Frères Voisin (9 stalls) – March 9, 2026 Urban site in the Le Mans area.
  • Cholet (8 stalls) – March 6, 2026 Western France retail zone.

Other notable recent additions include Mulhouse (20 stalls), Scionzier (8 stalls), Phalsbourg (8 stalls), and Cosne-Cours-sur-Loire (8 stalls). All are strategically placed for maximum driver convenience.

A clear theme shines through: Tesla is embedding these stations into everyday life by pairing charging with shopping, dining, and rest stops. This approach helps eliminate range anxiety on France’s autoroutes.

Spotlight on the Largest Supercharger Site in France: Saint-Saturnin

Tesla’s network just hit a historic global milestone right here in France, and it is at the country’s current largest Supercharger site. The Saint-Saturnin location just north of Le Mans was expanded to 48 stalls, making it the biggest single-site deployment in France to date.

@TeslaCharging captured the excitement perfectly: “Saint-Saturnin, just north of Le Mans in 🇫🇷, marks our 80,000th Supercharger stall.”

Tesla first began rolling out Superchargers in France more than a decade ago. The company has been steadily building a foundation that is now accelerating rapidly to match surging demand.

Owner Reactions Pour In

French Tesla owners are thrilled with the expansion. One enthusiastic driver shared: “Tesla a le réseau le plus fiable, le moins cher et le plus étendu du monde. d’ailleurs ils ont installés leur 80000eme supercharger à saint saturnin près du mans la semaine dernière 😎.” (Translation: “Tesla has the most reliable, cheapest, and most extensive network in the world. They just installed their 80,000th Supercharger in Saint-Saturnin near Le Mans last week 😎.”)

Tesla Sales in France: A Sharp Rebound

The timing could not be better. March 2026 saw 9,569 new Tesla registrations, a massive +203 percent year-over-year surge. For Q1 overall (January–March), France recorded a record 13,945 Tesla vehicles, up +108 percent from the same period in 2025.

After a challenging 2025 marked by increased competition, Tesla’s refreshed lineup, competitive pricing, and now-visible charging improvements are clearly paying off.

Projections for the Rest of 2026

With this infrastructure flywheel spinning faster, France looks poised for an outstanding year. If March’s triple-digit growth and Q1 momentum hold, bolstered by dozens more Superchargers expected along key corridors, Tesla could realistically deliver 35,000 to 45,000 registrations in France for full-year 2026. This would be a potential record that significantly boosts its market share in Europe’s second-largest EV nation.

Expect continued focus on high-traffic routes like the A1 and A6, more solar-equipped mega-sites, and even stronger utilization as new Model Y variants and upcoming vehicles hit the roads. The virtuous cycle of better charging plus rising sales is only gaining speed.

Tesla owners in France are living the future today. The network is more robust than ever, and the roads ahead look electric and exciting. Stay tuned as Q2 data rolls in. This story is just getting started!

Gail Alfar and David Moss in-car on Tesla Full Self-Driving FSD in Austin – Episode 167 Gail’s Tesla Podcast – David shares his official Tesla customer story and the funny lidar salesman moment

Gail’s Tesla Podcast Episode 167: David Moss Joins In-Car FSD Conversation on Tesla Customer Story and the Funny Lidar Salesman Moment

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Episode 167 of Gail’s Tesla Podcast is now live.

In this episode, David Moss joins me inside the car while we drive using Tesla Full Self-Driving (FSD) in Austin. He shares the entertaining story of how Tesla reached out for their official customer story program, including the funny moment they asked him about being a lidar salesman.

Watch the full episode here (or tap the X post for the video):

Check out David Moss’s official Tesla Customer Story here: https://www.tesla.com/customer-stories/cross-country-trip-full-self-driving-supervised

These in-car rides and conversations highlight the steady real-world progress Elon and the Tesla team continue to deliver every day.

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What was your favorite part of this episode? Have you seen David’s Tesla customer story yet? Drop your thoughts or share your own Tesla story below.

Gail Alfar and Captain Eli in-car on Tesla Full Self-Driving FSD – Episode 166 Gail’s Tesla Podcast – discussing supporting Elon Musk on X, staying current, and his new clothing line in Austin

Gail’s Tesla Podcast Episode 166: Captain Eli Joins In-Car FSD Conversation on Supporting Elon, Staying Current, and His New Clothing Line

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Episode 166 of Gail’s Tesla Podcast is now live.

In this episode, Captain Eli joins me inside the car while we drive using Tesla Full Self-Driving (FSD). We have a fun conversation about how he first started supporting Elon Musk on X, how he stays current with all things Elon and Tesla, and his brand new clothing line.

This is Part 1 of our conversation, with more to come soon. The discussion delivers a real-time, in-car perspective while Full Self-Driving handles the road.

Watch the full episode here (or tap the X post for the video):

Gail Alfar and Captain Eli in-car on Tesla Full Self-Driving FSD – Episode 166 Gail’s Tesla Podcast – discussing supporting Elon Musk on X, staying current, and his new clothing line in Austin
Gail Alfar and Captain Eli in-car on Tesla Full Self-Driving FSD – Episode 166 Gail’s Tesla Podcast – discussing supporting Elon Musk on X, staying current, and his new clothing line in Austin

These in-car rides and conversations highlight the steady real-world progress Elon and the Tesla team continue to deliver every day.

Leave a comment

What stood out most to you in this episode? Have you checked out Captain Eli’s new clothing line yet? Drop your thoughts or share your own Tesla story below.

93-Year-Old Finds New Freedom with Tesla Full Self-Driving

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Many people might be ready to hand over car keys for good at age 93. And Dan Doyle’s mother is doing the opposite and she’s doing it beautifully.

In a lovely video posted on Dan Doyle’s Family Channel, we get to see Dan’s 93-year-old mom behind the wheel of her brand-new Tesla Model Y with Full Self-Driving (FSD). The footage shows her relaxed and smiling as the car smoothly handles real roads, including the scenic Coronado Bridge drive.

When Dan asks how one of her recent trips went, her simple, perfect response is: “Uneventful.”

That single word says so much. For many seniors, longer drives often come with growing anxiety and fatigue. But with FSD doing the hard work, those worries melt away.

During one drive, Dan playfully tells the car, “Hey, if the worship isn’t good, could you go a little slower?” The Tesla’s Grok voice (Ara) replies with humor: “Huh? Nice one. Hope the worship rocks so we don’t have to slow down.”

Laughing and smiling, his mom immediately adds, “I love that lady.”

Later, while enjoying gelato together, Dan asks, “Life is good, right Mom?” Her bright smile says it all: “Life is good.”

As Dan shares in the video:

“Although she has always been a good driver, my mom can now drive without the fear or fatigue that can naturally come with age. No more relying on others for every trip. No more feeling stuck. This is true mobility.”

The story was first shared on X by citizen journalist Sawyer Merritt, and Dan later confirmed on his X account that his mom still holds a valid driver’s license and owns two other vehicles. She’s simply enjoying the freedom her new Tesla brings.

As someone who uses FSD every day myself, especially lately while recovering from a third-degree ankle sprain, I can personally relate to how meaningful this technology is. When your body isn’t cooperating, having a car that can reliably and safely handle the driving gives you back a piece of your independence.

This is what FSD looks like in real life: not just futuristic tech, but a quiet, powerful tool that helps real people, including a joyful 93-year-old woman, keep living life on their own terms.

Sometimes the most important stories are the simplest ones.

Joyful 93-year-old mom smiling while using Tesla FSD. ‘Life is good,’ she says from the driver’s seat of her Tesla Model Y.
Joyful 93-year-old mom smiling while using Tesla FSD. ‘Life is good,’ she says from the driver’s seat of her Tesla Model Y.

Tesla Model Y with Full Self-Driving smoothly navigating suburban roads for a confident 93-year-old senior driver.
Tesla Model Y with Full Self-Driving smoothly navigating suburban roads for a confident 93-year-old senior driver.

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