Marcus Tuck

Well my experiment with home solar, batteries and an EV is at an end. The free charging at home, no servicing costs and having the electricity company paying you money every month isn’t what it’s all cracked up to be. I’m switching to petrol so I can avail of the reduced duty on fuel and €2 a litre bargains there are on offer in the petrol stations now.

@Teslarati To be honest, if fuel was that ridiculously cheap I would probably still be driving petrol…

This is your sign to buy a Tesla

Big advantage of BEV is the fuel is transported through wires anywhere, rather than fuel tankers on the road. EVs also help to balance the grid with night charging providing a steady load so power station can remain efficient overnight and excess wind energy can be used when there isn’t much other load.

@MarcusTuck3 Agreed. Here the issue of all up weight on relatively fragile road infrastructure will also play a part. In my mind, the next 100 years is going to see a total replacement and upgrade of power, road, and rail infrastructure.

Great observation!

@Paul8109272A It will be interesting to see how quickly the Tesla truck and others establish themselves. I suspect, like cars, the charging infrastructure will be the issue…

@MarcusTuck3 NZ is mostly renewables already. However, the need for diesel fuel to power trucks is a major hurdle.

We are always going to need lubricating oil for sure. But the vast quantities of oil extracted at present will reduce. Renewables plus grid level batteries and nuclear can easily do away with Hydrocarbons. If there are a few areas where batteries won’t work then green hydrogen may be an option. Once we cut back on oil, we also cut back on its shipping and all the hydrocarbons that uses, so a win win. This is the grid supply in Ireland at present, 64.4% renewables which isn’t bad.

@MarcusTuck3 Marcus at the domestic level I agree. However at an industrial scale we have a long way to go. Hydrocarbons and their products enable modern societies.

@Teslarati Now put 2 seats in the back and add a steering wheel and you finally have a Tesla that is a desirable size for Europe and many other areas of the world. It would make a great second car for many, actually fitting in parking spaces comfortably!

Tesla Model Y vs. Tesla Cybercab: ✅ Overall Length:
Model Y: 188.7 inches (4,794 mm)
Cybercab: ~175 inches (≈4,445 mm)
→ Cybercab is about 13–14 inches shorter (roughly the length of a large suitcase). ✅ Overall Width (excluding mirrors):
Model Y: 75.6 inches (1,920 mm)
Cybercab: ~63 inches (1,600 mm)
→ Cybercab is significantly narrower — about 12–13 inches slimmer, making it much easier to maneuver in tight urban spaces or parking spots. ✅ Overall Height:
Model Y: 63.8–64 inches (1,621–1,624 mm)
Cybercab: Lower than Model 3 (estimated ~50–55 inches based on proportions; exact not widely measured, but noticeably sleeker and lower-profile)
→ Cybercab has a much lower, sportier stance for better aerodynamics. ✅ Wheelbase:
Model Y: 113.8 inches (2,890 mm)
Cybercab: Not officially confirmed (estimated shorter, around 90–100+ inches based on compact proportions)
→ Cybercab is expected to have a notably shorter wheelbase, contributing to its nimble feel. ✅ Seating Capacity:
Model Y: 5 passengers (optional 7 in some markets)
Cybercab: 2 passengers only (optimized for solo or duo rides) ✅ Cargo Space:
Model Y: ~30 cu ft behind rear seats; up to ~68–72 cu ft with seats folded + frunk
Cybercab: Smaller rear hatch/trunk (estimated 20–30 cu ft total; focused on passenger + light luggage needs)
→ Model Y offers far more versatility for families or cargo. ✅ Overall Footprint Feel:
Model Y: Compact crossover/SUV — family-friendly, taller ride height, more presence on the road.
Cybercab: Ultra-compact 2-seater coupe-like design — smaller, lower, and more efficient for robotaxi use in cities (narrower and shorter than a Model 3 in key areas).

@Tesla And you thought sentry mode used a lot of power while parked… 😂

Teslas will become mobile compute nodes

@Erdayastronaut When you have an inspiring boss that cuts through the BS to get everyone on track you can achieve great things. Well done @NASAAdmin

Wow!!! They replaced and actually certified a new QD for the ICPS upper stage in just the last few weeks. That’s impressive! They also recharged all batteries and will aim for the quickest turn around times from roll out to launch!

All #ArtemisII Flight Readiness teams polled GO for launch!!! On track for roll out next week (the 19th), targeting the April launch window starting April 1st!!! A day time launch!!! (April 2nd is also an option) Let’s go!!!

@Teslarati As the wifes says every time she drives our Tesla “I hope it doesn’t rain on Mars, Elon makes some incredible stuff but can’t make automatic wipers that work!”still the dumbest frustration owning a Tesla 🤦

Pretty interesting. I notice a lot of drives in any sort of weather, I get alerts from my Model Y telling me there’s some kind of obstruction with at least one of the cameras. It’s always rain or dirt. Cybercab will need a robust cleaning system:

@Teslarati Especially home charging when you have solar 🌞😁

Picked my Dad and one of his friends up in the Tesla Model Y to watch some college wrestling today. My Dad’s friend says, “I know how much to give people for gas, how much do I give you for electric?” I said, “Nothing, it costs next to nothing to charge.” 🤷

@Teslarati It shouldn’t be a €660 retro fit, it should be a safety recall. In Europe small roundabouts are common and its impossible to correctly indicate with the buttons while turning the steering wheel so much. I am sure the buttons are great in North America.

🚨 Tesla is offering a Model 3 stalk retrofit in Europe Are you Team Buttons or Team Stalk?

Starlink Direct to Cell is now available in the UK and will provide data with voice, video and messaging to customers in areas with no terrestrial service

Great to see Earth's heat to power 10,000 homes in renewable energy first for UK, plus it also generates a supply of lithium! bbc.co.uk/news/articles/…

I have a 3 and its a great car. If the 3 had the hatch back it would outsell the Y. I know people say the Y is just a 3 with a hatch back, but it isn’t, they are bigger. The Y and 3 are ‘big’ cars in Europe where most cars are smaller. They are longer than standard parking bays and on the limits for width and even considered long for ferries. Tesla really needs to make a smaller car.

🚨 With how amazing the Model Y sells and how it has dominated the global automotive market for the past few years, it is surprising it was not chosen by Edmunds as the best EV. Do you think the Model 3 is better than the Model Y?

@Teslarati I would rather see the effort going into improving the Tesla app. I would really like to be able to plan a route in the app and sent it complete to the car. But pin drop and arrival powers etc are not available in the app and have to be done once in the car.

@olegkutkov When I lived in Qatar I use to use Shop & Ship to get around this kind of stuff, and sellers that would only ship within the USA. Unfortunately, they don’t ship to Ukraine either. Guess someone needs to set up a similar service in Poland to then forward things on to Ukraine.

And again... It's so "nice" to be on this exclusion list. What's wrong with these eBay sellers?

@DJSnM Add a power connection and recharge the towed aircraft at the same time….

This is what Magpie are proposing, since batteries don't have massive cross country range, have lots of base stations where electric aircraft take off and tow passenger aircraft already in flight. No need for the passengers to land and change planes every hour, just swap the power plant youtube.com/watch?v=cQNCSb…

Back in 2023 a viewer got in touch to tell me he was working with a local company, Magpie, developing a new concept in aviation. He offered to take me flying in his cool plane, a Cozy Mk IV which he'd bought from the builder in Florida and flew back to California. It looked like an exceptionally cool aircraft and to be honest I was more interested in this than what Magpie was doing, but I was always busy and didn't follow up with him. A few months later I would hear about this crashing near Half Moon Bay, sadly all 4 occupants were killed in this mishap. And now the NTSB report has been released and it still remains something of a mystery, there's security camera evidence that hears the engine cutting out, but the investigation of the fuel system didn't find any conclusive point of failure. Even without the failure I'd question the wisdom of taking off at night, VFR with a broken cloud ceiling at 300', but maybe a hole was visible to him and his plan was to get above it.

@Teslarati A small Tesla hatchback, perfect second car for shopping in town with small parking spaces (not in USA).

🚨 Would you rather have? - An affordable, accessible EV priced <$40,000 - More than 400 miles of range on a charge