2 October 2026

Tesla lets US drivers pull away with the charging cable attached when they are in danger

Tesla released a software update in the US with an emergency departure feature: if the driver confirms on screen that they need to flee, they can drive off while charging without unplugging the cable. The plug is then ripped out of the port, damaging both the plug and the car. According to The Verge, it is a response to the August shooting at a Supercharger station in Twin Falls, Idaho, in which four people were killed and seven injured.

The Verge ↗

From recent days

New York court sentences Michael Smith to 18 months in prison - his bots played AI songs billions of times, earning him over $8 million in royalties

Judge John G. Koeltl on Tuesday, October 6, sentenced Michael Smith, 54, of North Carolina to 18 months in prison and two years of supervised release and ordered the forfeiture of $8,091,843.64, the US Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York said. According to prosecutors, from 2017 to 2024 Smith ran thousands of fake accounts (up to 10,000 at once) that streamed hundreds of thousands of AI-generated songs billions of times; in April 2023, Smith's bots using YouTube Music family plans played his music 80.9 million times, while Taylor Swift's entire catalog had 9.3 million plays on such plans. Smith pleaded guilty in March to conspiracy to commit fraud; it is the first criminal streaming fraud case in the US, Billboard reports, adding that the defense asked for no prison time and prosecutors for at least 46 months.

justice.gov ↗ Billboard ↗ Gizmodo ↗

SpaceX strikes deal to buy 800 MHz spectrum licenses and wants to become a major US mobile carrier

SpaceX announced a deal to buy nationwide 800 MHz spectrum licenses (up to 14 MHz of paired spectrum). This band is meant to let the Starlink Mobile network reach inside buildings. Once the FCC approves, the company wants to combine satellites that connect directly to phones with a terrestrial network and compete with T-Mobile, AT&T and Verizon. The same week, the FCC approved the Gen2 constellation: 15,000 V2 Starlink Mobile satellites, which according to SpaceX will provide more than 100 times the capacity of the current generation.

SpaceX ↗ The Verge ↗

California: fines of up to $10,000 for a robotaxi that blocks emergency services

California Governor Gavin Newsom signed SB 1246, under which courts will be able to impose fines of up to $10,000 for each autonomous vehicle that blocks emergency services for more than 30 minutes. Companies such as Waymo, Tesla and Zoox will have to send their own technicians to the scene, and remote vehicle operators will have to work in the US and hold a valid California driver's license. The law takes effect on July 1, 2028.

TechCrunch ↗ The Verge ↗ California Legislative Information ↗

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