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Tesla Autopilot foils BMW SUV’s apparent pit maneuver attempt on Model 3

Credit: @jrange33/Twitter

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Tesla’s Autopilot may be one of the most robust driver-assist systems on the market today, but the software is, at its core, a safety feature. This is something that CEO Elon Musk has highlighted in the past, and this is also something that was recently proven by a Model 3 driver who encountered a rather aggressive BMW SUV on the highway. 

Tesla owner @jrange33 had Autopilot engaged in his Model 3 when he encountered what appears to be a 2012 BMW X5 that was driving extremely fast. While the Model 3 was already traveling at high speed and overtaking other vehicles in the middle lane, the BMW SUV traveled much faster–and then, something extremely dangerous happened. 

The BMW SUV driver performed what appeared to be a pit maneuver attempt, which would have ran the Model 3 right into the concrete median barrier. Fortunately, Autopilot reacted just in time, avoiding the BMW and the median barrier at the same time. Thanks to Autopilot, the Model 3 was back in its lane practically at the same time as the BMW. 

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While some Tesla critics may attempt to justify the SUV driver’s aggressive behavior by arguing that the electric sedan was driving too slow in the fast lane, it should be noted that the Model 3 was already traveling fast enough to overtake other vehicles. It should also be noted that aggressive behaviors against other cars, particularly those that seem intent to cause a crash, are never justifiable. 

During Elon Musk’s interview with automotive teardown expert Sandy Munro, he noted that Autopilot must be so safe in the future that even those who deliberately attempt to crash a Tesla would be unsuccessful. So far, Autopilot is already protecting drivers on the road, even if its features are still actively in development. With more improvements coming in the way of the Full Self-Driving beta and the deployment of the Dojo computer, Tesla’s Autopilot may very well become one of the best safety features on the road, bar none. 

Don’t hesitate to contact us for news tips. Just send a message to tips@teslarati.com to give us a heads up. 

Simon is an experienced automotive reporter with a passion for electric cars and clean energy. Fascinated by the world envisioned by Elon Musk, he hopes to make it to Mars (at least as a tourist) someday. For stories or tips--or even to just say a simple hello--send a message to his email, simon@teslarati.com or his handle on X, @ResidentSponge.

Elon Musk

Tesla CEO Elon Musk says this common issue is ‘major area of focus’

Tesla, like any other company, goes through hardware issues with its vehicles, but some are more publicized than others.

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Credit: Tesla

Elon Musk said this afternoon on X that a commonly reported issue with the Tesla vehicles is a “major area of focus” for the company.

Tesla, like any other company, goes through hardware issues with its vehicles, but some are more publicized than others.

However, the simple yet annoying issues that owners encounter through thousands of miles of driving do not receive as much attention, even though they are likely more pertinent and frequently encountered by owners.

One of those problems is with the central windshield Full Self-Driving camera, which sits inside a housing at the top of the glass, enabling Tesla Vision to have an uninterrupted view of the traffic and surroundings ahead of the vehicle.

Many owners have reported that their vehicles alert them when Full Self-Driving is unavailable due to an obstruction with this camera. Commonly, it is caused by a buildup of condensation, which creates a haze on the camera and obstructs its view.

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Tesla suggests a quick cleaning of the housing and cameras, which resolves the problem. Still, owners are not necessarily ecstatic about having to do this themselves.

Tesla developing more comprehensive Cybertruck camera cleaning system

Musk says that Tesla is attempting to fix the issue, and said in response to one owner who performed the maintenance that it was a “major area of focus” for the company:

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While many were enthusiastic about the potential fix, but some complained that their cars had been in for service many times for the issue, inhibiting their ability to utilize FSD and truly enjoy the full experience of owning a Tesla.

It will likely be a hardware fix that will be implemented through a service appointment, but knowing Tesla, they could have something up their sleeve through a software update to resolve the issue.

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Tesla’s Lead of Optimus AI departs and people are confused about it

Kumar, who has been with Tesla for just over two years, made his announcement on X, revealing he was taking a role at Meta as a Research Scientist.

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Credit: @heydave7/X

Tesla’s Lead of Optimus AI, Ashish Kumar, is departing the company, and people sure are confused about it.

Kumar, who has been with Tesla for just over two years, made his announcement on X, revealing he was taking a role at Meta as a Research Scientist.

He said:

“Decided to leave Tesla. It’s been an incredible ride leading the Optimus AI team. We went all-in on scalable methods — swapping the classical stack with reinforcement learning & scaling dexterity by learning from videos. AI is the most significant bit to unlock humanoids.”

Tesla fans were baffled by Kumar’s decision, immediately questioning his choice, with many wondering why he’d leave Elon Musk for Mark Zuckerberg.

Some said the choice had to be financially motivated, but Kumar said it was not, and if money were the driving factor, he would have stayed at Tesla:

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Others were grateful for Kumar’s contributions to the company and were very respectful regarding his decision:

It’s possible that Kumar chose to leave Tesla for more reasons than one, and financial reasons do not appear to be the issue, as he admitted. However, it could be a better work-life balance at Meta, or perhaps there is an internal project that simply interests him more.

Tesla will be okay, and Optimus will continue to improve with a new Lead in that position. We wish Ashish the best of luck in his new role, and we are thankful for what he contributed to the Optimus program.

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Elon Musk: Tesla shareholder vote results could “affect the future of the world”

“This shareholder vote decides the future of Tesla and may affect the future of the world,” Musk posted on X.

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MINISTÉRIO DAS COMUNICAÇÕES, CC BY 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

Elon Musk is urging Tesla shareholders to take part in the company’s upcoming annual meeting, calling the vote critical not just for the automaker but potentially for the world. 

“This shareholder vote decides the future of Tesla and may affect the future of the world,” Musk posted on X, emphasizing the importance of proposals that will be voted on in the upcoming meeting on November 6, 2025.

A pivotal inflection point

In a message from its official account, Tesla described itself as being at “a critical inflection point” as it prepares for its annual meeting. Shareholders will soon receive voting instructions, with the company asking investors to back the Board’s recommendations on all proposals. The post also referenced Tesla’s Master Plan Part IV, which outlines ambitious growth targets across vehicles, energy, and artificial intelligence.

“Tesla is at a critical inflection point. We need your vote ahead of our 2025 Annual Meeting on November 6. Tesla shareholders, the owners of our company, will soon receive their control numbers and voting instructions from their brokers. This will enable you to vote. We are asking you to vote with the Board’s recommendations on *all* proposals,” Tesla wrote in its post.

The company also highlighted that it is currently on the brink of a “massive wave of transformational growth.” Tesla stressed that confidence in Musk’s leadership is central to this trajectory, as he is the CEO who could lead Tesla into its new, ambitious era.

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Some Key proposals

Two proposals stand out in Tesla’s recommendations, as per the company’s VoteTesla.com website. The first seeks to amend and restate Elon Musk’s 2019 Equity Incentive Plan, creating a special reserve of nearly 208 million shares to give the board flexibility amid ongoing litigation surrounding Musk’s 2018 CEO Performance Award. It also calls for replenishing the general share reserve with 60 million additional shares, ensuring capacity for employee equity grants.

“Equity is the cornerstone of Tesla’s compensation philosophy. We believe we need a framework that allows us to honor the deal we made with Elon and the extraordinary value he created for Tesla shareholders under the 2018 CEO Performance Award. In addition, it is essential that we maintain sufficient equity reserves and maximum flexibility to attract, retain and motivate talent at Tesla,” Tesla wrote.

The second proposal is a new 2025 CEO Performance Award, a pay-for-performance framework that links Musk’s compensation to reaching ambitious market cap and operational milestones. Under the plan, Musk would earn nothing unless Tesla achieves extraordinary results, potentially creating more than $7 trillion in shareholder value and pushing the company’s valuation to as high as $8.5 trillion. The company also asked shareholders to vote in favor of re-electing three directors: Ira Ehrenpreis, Joe Gebbia, and Kathleen Wilson-Thompson.

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