Week 32 of Tesla: Model Y L battery, escalating lawsuits, Musk's fortune, Dojo departure, BMW iX3 introduction
In a series of recent developments, Tesla, the electric vehicle giant, has found itself in the midst of several notable events.
Elon Musk, the company's CEO, has confirmed the dissolution of the team working on Tesla's AI supercomputer, Dojo. This decision comes as Steve Bannon, who led the Dojo project, has left the company. Tesla, however, is reportedly focusing on developing chips for its electric vehicles' computers, with the current generation referred to as HW4 or AI4, and plans for AI5, AI6, and subsequent versions.
In a move aimed at revitalizing sales in China, Tesla plans to introduce a six-seater variant of the Model Y for the fall. This model is said to have a battery capacity of 82 kilowatt hours and a range of 751 kilometers according to the China standard.
However, Tesla's sales in Germany for the Model Y in July were disastrous, with only 637 units of the refreshed Model Y registered.
Recent lawsuits against Tesla include a shareholder suit filed in Texas accusing Tesla and Elon Musk of making "materially false and misleading statements" regarding the timeline and readiness of Tesla’s autonomous driving and robotaxi service in Austin, Texas. This suit challenges Elon Musk’s optimistic predictions about Tesla's robotaxi service that have not yet materialized as promised.
The Gross Law Firm has reminded Tesla investors of a pending class action lawsuit with a lead plaintiff deadline of October 3, 2025, although specific details of this case are not fully disclosed. Electrek has commented that these lawsuits could open the floodgates for numerous lawsuits against Tesla over Autopilot and its Full Self-Driving (FSD) expansion.
A lawyer who secured a multi-million dollar preliminary settlement from Tesla over a fatal Autopilot crash in Florida has hinted at more lawsuits to come. The Texas lawsuit specifically puts Tesla's self-driving technology under scrutiny for claims tied to misleading statements about the autonomous driving capabilities and the deployment of the robotaxi service, highlighting investor concerns over Elon Musk’s projections and Tesla’s technological readiness.
In a positive note, Elon Musk was granted a new stock bonus worth $29 billion. The bonus, a replacement for the 2018 bonus package, which was deemed invalid by a Delaware court due to insufficient shareholder information, does not currently impose any financial burden on Tesla, as it may be voided if the old package is upheld on appeal.
Meanwhile, Tesla is reportedly planning to rely more on Nvidia and AMD as external suppliers for AI chips. The BMW iX3, a new electric SUV, is expected to outperform the Tesla Model Y in terms of power consumption and charging capacity.
Elon Musk has accused "sleazy class-action lawyers" of seeking a cut of the disputed sum in the lawsuits against Tesla. A shareholder lawsuit has been filed over the robotaxi service Tesla launched in Austin, Texas, alleging securities fraud due to inadequate disclosure of risks associated with the plans.
As Tesla continues to navigate these challenges, it remains to be seen how these developments will shape the company's future.
- Tesla's move to focus on developing chips for its electric vehicles' computers, with plans for AI5, AI6, and subsequent versions, aligns with the general-news category related to technology advancements in the business sector.
- The recent lawsuits against Tesla, such as the shareholder suit in Texas over autonomous driving and robotaxi service, have raised concerns about the company's finance, specifically its projected timelines and readiness for self-driving technology, which falls under general-news and sports.
- Amidst these developments, Elon Musk's decision to rely more on Nvidia and AMD as external suppliers for AI chips in Tesla's business operations can be considered a significant event in the technology and business sectors.
