Gordon said the DMV would give Tesla a 90-day grace period to change its marketing before the state reconsiders a monthlong sales ban and won’t pursue a manufacturing pause at all. “We want to give them a chance — you could argue one more chance — to be able to remedy the situation,” he said.

Of course, the patent application doesn't specifically mention Starlink, nor has Tesla described any plans to integrate its EVs with Starlink. And companies file patents all the time for products or innovations that never make it to the factory floor. But it's an interesting look into the potential future of connected cars.

It's one of the last big steps before the company can truly claim it's operating a robotaxi service, and start to take on Waymo.

There’s been no dearth of sell signals for Tesla Inc. It’s facing a potential sales halt in California, an electric vehicle slowdown across the US and is losing market share in China and Europe.

Tesla shares closed at a record-high $489.88 on Tuesday, days after CEO Elon Musk announced the company had been testing driverless vehicles in Texas.

Morgan Stanley cut Tesla to equal weight yet tweaked its price target to $425, saying valuation is stretched while 2026 volumes look choppy. Bank of America bumped its Tesla target to $471 from $341 while keeping a neutral rating, saying Robotaxi and Optimus are driving the bulk of its SOTP.

Tesla cleaned up in the last IIHS safety ratings test for 2025 with the Cybertruck and Model 3 both earning safety awards. Only four EVs were award-winners.