Yahoo Finance The Morning After: Tesla's cheaper Model Y is almost here
Employees are able to buy one already.
Still waiting on a new Tesla with its higher-capacity batteries? Perhaps, once the company’s employees have got theirs, you’ll also be able to grab a Model Y with longer range. Electrek reports Tesla is selling the Model Y in a new Standard Range AWD variant that uses 4680 cells to offer 279 miles of range and five-second 0-60MPH for $59,990, which is $3,000 less than the Long Range AWD.
These 4680 cells are actually twice as large as Tesla's existing units — with five times the capacity. It means the company can choose to extend the range of its vehicles or use fewer batteries, which would shrink costs while maintaining range parity.
Reportedly, we muggles should be able to pick up the cheaper Model Y in the coming weeks, at a time when all the carmakers are finally ready to offer us a lot more EV options. We have news about Toyota’s late-to-the-party electric car below, and Honda plans to launch 30 EV models by 2030.
— Mat Smith
The biggest stories you might have missed
Acclaimed sci-fi mystery '13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim' lands on Nintendo Switch
What we bought: A microdermabrasion device to scrape off my skin
Toyota's first EV will start at $42,000
The new 2023 bZ4X will go on sale later this spring.
Talking of EVs, Toyota is almost, finally, ready to unleash its first (true) EV. The bZ4X SUV will start at $42,000 for the base front-wheel-drive model, with 252 miles of range on a single charge. Meanwhile, the Limited package (which starts at $46,700) adds more luxurious satin and soft-touch finishes and upgraded seats, with Toyota offering optional FWD and X-MODE AWD drive to both.
When it comes to recharging, the bZ4X will have a 6.6kW adapter that could get the car from low to full in about nine hours when connected to a Level 2 charger. Select dealers will sell the ChargePoint Home Flex charger direct to owners.
This is what it looks like inside a giant space balloon for tourists
Even the restroom has a view of the horizon.
Balloons are the cheaper version of space tourism, thanks to gentler, longer-lasting trips that don't require training, and now it's clearer what you'll get if you take one of those rides. Space Perspective has previewed the interior of Spaceship Neptune, its giant balloon that will take tourists to 100,000 feet (technically the stratosphere) for around two hours. It’s $125,000 per ticket with a $1,000 refundable deposit. So, $62,500 per hour.
GoPro's 'Bones' is a stripped-down Hero cam for drones
It can capture 5.3K 60p video.
GoPro has unveiled the Hero 10 Black Bones, a lightweight version of the Hero 10 Black designed for FPV and Cinewhoop drones that have taken off in popularity. Light enough to mount on three-inch sized drones, it still packs in GoPro features like HyperSmooth 4.0 and 5.3K video.
The Hero 10 Black Bones is cheaper with GoPro's one-year subscription, which is free the first year. It costs $400 with a new subscription and $500 without, meaning GoPro thinks you're going to like the subscription benefits enough to renew. Or at least forget to cancel. Those benefits include no-questions-asked camera replacement, discounts on accessories and unlimited cloud backup.
There’s a Theragun for your face now
With LED, microcurrent and thermal therapies.
Therabody, best known as the maker of Theragun percussive recovery devices, is launching its first product for your face. The company unveiled the $399 TheraFace Pro, which has percussive, light and microcurrent therapies. It can also provide cryothermal treatment, which the company said can help reduce tension, relax muscles and “[address] discomfort related to migraines, headaches, and jaw pain.”
FIFA launches its own soccer streaming service
FIFA+ is an ad-supported service with originals and live streams.
FIFA, the global governing body for world soccer, is launching its own streaming service. FIFA+ will livestream men's and women’s matches and broadcast a raft of original series and documentaries. The platform will also host a vast archive of older games from previous World Cups. FIFA says it’ll show the “equivalent of 40,000 live games per year.” At launch, we’ll see around 1,400 matches a month, with that figure “rising rapidly” until we get closer to 4,000 a month. Which is great, but I really don’t want a streaming service for every single sport.
