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EV Drivers Love Their Cars by Rick Laezman

William Attardi on August 21, 2026

The market for electric vehicles may experience its ups and downs, but owner satisfaction remains unphased. In fact, it couldn’t be much higher. According to the results of the “2026 Annual EV Driver Survey” releasedby the nonprofit Plug In America, “EV drivers love their vehicles. It covered such aspects as loyalty, consumer confidence, charging and the experience of purchasing or leasing. Overall, they point to a group of consumers that are extremely happy with the product they have acquired, with 94.3% of EV drivers saying that they are likely or very likely to acquire another EV for their next vehicle. This is great news for electrical contractors who install EV charging infrastructure. EV Drivers Love Their Cars – Electrical Contractor Magazine  

(My son and I own a Tesla and we agree…)

Elon Musk’s Terafab Will Be Earth’s Most Valuable Building, 50x the Size of the Pentagon by Phil Haunhorst

William Attardi on August 8, 2026

Elon Musk announced Terafab, a Texas chip factory that Tesla and SpaceX will build together. The comparisons landed as Tesla-SpaceX merger speculation intensifies. The planned semiconductor plant for artificial intelligence and robotics is expected to become the largest building in the world at more than 100 million square feet and will be built in Grimes, Texas, outside of Houston. Terafab will build chips for Tesla’s Optimus humanoid robots and Full Self-Driving software. It will also produce space-hardened chips for SpaceX satellites and orbital data centers tied to xAI, Musk’s artificial intelligence venture. The project promises at least 3,000 local jobs. Musk said Terafab Texas would become the most valuable building on Earth by far. Tesla and SpaceX plan to invest $16.8 billion to start construction. Total spending could reach $119 billion across multiple phases, according to regulatory filings reported this week. Terafab Texas will be the largest and most valuable building on Earth by far. And it will be stunningly beautiful says Musk. Elon Musk’s Terafab Will Be Earth’s Most Valuable Building, 50x the Size of the Pentagon

VIDEO:  https://twitter.com/i/status/2085377974396752305  

Enbridge and Meta Announce 1.6 GWh Wyoming Solar and Energy Storage Facility to Serve Data Center Needs

William Attardi on May 30, 2026

Independent power producer and renewable energy developer Enbridge has announced that Meta will purchase power delivered by the first phase of its Cowboy Project utility-scale solar and energy storage facility.  The plan for the $1.2 billion site located near Cheyenne, Wyoming includes 365 MW of solar generation capacity and a 200 MW, 1,600 MWh battery energy storage system (BESS) supplied and serviced by Tesla. The Cowboy Project expands the existing renewable energy partnership between Enbridge and Meta, which now totals approximately 1.6 GW of contracted capacity across North America, and includes a 600 MW solar projectand two wind projects in Texas. Enbridge and Meta announce 1.6 GWh Wyoming solar and energy storage facility to serve data center needs – Energy Storage

Is Waymo Ahead of the Curve? by Sam Klebanov

William Attardi on July 27, 2025

The Alphabet-owned company (Goggle) has 1,500 robotaxis ferrying passengers around Phoenix, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Austin, and Atlanta, with plans to roll into new locales. It quietly ramped up to provide over 250,000 weekly paid trips in the US, and beat Lyft’s market share in San Francisco, making it the clear front-runner in the quest to scale rides without a driver. Several companies have hit potholes while chasing the driverless taxi prize. Uber abandoned its internal efforts to develop an autonomous vehicle in 2020 and partnered with Waymo in 2024.  Amazon has yet to launch a paid service, but it is testing a couple dozen of its Zoox futuristic driverless cabs—described by some riders as a “toaster on wheels.” It plans to start giving rides to the public in Las Vegas later this year.  Tesla launched a robotaxi pilot service in Austin last month and one in San Francisco this weekend. Meanwhile, abroad…the roads are getting dominated by Chinese startups like Pony.ai and tech behemoth Baidu, which are operating or testing driverless taxis in China, the Middle East, and Europe.  The stakes are high: The global rideshare market will nearly quadruple from $123 billion in 2024 to $480 billion in 2032, Fortune Business Insights projects.  Is Waymo ahead of the curve?

Tesla Launches Robotaxi Program in Austin, Texas

William Attardi on June 23, 2025

Musk appears to be on the verge of making his robotaxi vision a reality with a test run of a small squad of self-driving cabs in Austin, Texas, that began Sunday with customers paying a $4.20 flat fee! Reaching a million may take a year or more, however, although the billionaire should be able to expand the service this year if the Austin demo is a success. The stakes couldn’t be higher, nor the challenges. Rival Waymo was busy deploying driverless taxis in Los Angeles, San Diego, Austin and other cities by using a different technology that allowed it to get to market faster. It just completed its 10 millionth paid ride. Musk says the robotaxis will be running on an improved version of Full Self-Driving and the cabs will be safe. He also says the service will be able to expand rapidly around the country. His secret weapon: Millions of Tesla owners now on the roads. He says an over-the-air software update will soon allow them to turn their cars into driverless cabs and start a side business while stuck at the office for eight hours or on vacation for a week. “Instead of having your car sit in the parking lot, your car could be earning money,” Musk said earlier this year, calling it an Airbnb model for cars. Musk finally rolls out his driverless Tesla taxis after years of promises | AP News

Interesting: The Three Pillars of Independence of an Organization

The 3 Pillars of Independence most commonly refers to a framework from the UK voluntary sector (specifically promoted by organizations like Bond and the Directory of Social Change). It is a toolkit for assessing and maintaining the independence of charities, NGOs, or civil society organizations.

The Three Pillars are:

  1. Independent of Party Politics – The organization (or regulator) must remain free from bias or influence by any political party or the government of the day. Decisions should be impartial, not favoring one political side.
  2. Independent of Populism – It should not be swayed by popular public opinion, media-driven campaigns, or transient public pressure, especially on controversial or unpopular causes.
  3. Independent of the Press – Freedom from media influence or pressure, ensuring decisions are based on evidence and law rather than headlines or public narratives.

This toolkit was created to monitor potential political encroachment on charitable regulation and to ensure charities can operate without undue external interference.

 

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