🇯🇲Matthew Thomas🇯🇲

Tesla has submitted a new letter to NHTSA, urging the federal government to modernize U.S. vehicle lighting regulations. Tesla argues that existing regulations were designed for traditional headlights, not modern matrix LED systems that use vehicle cameras to detect other vehicles, pedestrians, and cyclists and dynamically adjust light beams to improve visibility and reduce glare. Tesla also wants regulations to account for lighting improvements delivered through over-the-air software updates and is pushing for automakers to have greater representation in shaping the new rules. Tesla: "We do not treat lighting as an isolated supplier module whose only “sensor” is a dusk photocell. Lighting behavior is informed by the same surround-camera suite that continuously observes the driving scene: oncoming headlamps, preceding taillamps, pedestrians, cyclists, lane geometry, and ambient illumination. Semiautomatic beam switching and adaptive driving beam functions are therefore scene understanding problems, not binary light-threshold problems. Tesla has concerns about NHTSA’s proposed composition of the advisory committee tasked with reaching consensus recommendations. Specifically, Tesla urges the agency to increase the number of individual vehicle manufacturer committee members from the current proposal of just two representatives. The current proposal does not accurately reflect the interests of individual motor vehicle manufacturers, particularly when those interests will not be represented by a trade or industry association member of the committee."

SpaceX has just announced that it has signed a major deal with SINGULUS to manufacture advanced, high-efficiency solar cells for its Starmind satellites at its facility in Bastrop, Texas. The first production line is expected to be delivered in the first half of 2027, with plans to scale to more than 100 GW of solar cell production equipment. “We have signed a supply contract with SpaceX for a turnkey production line for the manufacture of heterojunction solar cells.” The agreement is part of a broader strategic partnership that could include multiple additional production lines as SpaceX rapidly expands its satellite manufacturing capabilities. More info: singulus.com/2026/11/10/spac…