{"slug": "elon-musk-secretly-acquires-1b-energy-company-to-power-the-ai-future", "title": "Elon Musk secretly acquires $1B energy company to power the AI future", "summary": "Elon Musk secretly acquired APR Energy, a $1 billion company specializing in rapidly deployable power infrastructure, to support the energy needs of his AI ventures, including xAI's supercomputing clusters. The deal, revealed through FTC documents, provides Musk with flexible generation assets to power data centers and complements Tesla's energy storage business.", "body_md": "[News](https://www.teslarati.com/category/news/)\n\n# Elon Musk secretly acquires $1B energy company to power the AI future\n\nElon Musk flew under the radar with his recent purchase of a $1 billion energy company, according to Federal Trade Commission (FTC) documents.\n\nTransaction number 202612350 listed [Tesla and SpaceX frontman Elon Musk](https://www.teslarati.com/elon-musk-texas-ranch-tesla-spacex-product-gallery/) as the acquiring party and CF APR Super Holdings LLC as the seller, with New APR Energy, LLC as the acquired entity. The deal, which closed without public announcement, came to light on May 14.\n\nBREAKING: Elon Musk acquires Jacksonville power company APR Energy in a deal valued at more than $1,000,000,000.00.\n\n— Polymarket Money (@PolymarketMoney)\n\n[July 15, 2026]\n\nAnalysts inferred the deal’s scale from minority stakeholder disclosures, [including one report of a 5 percent interest sold for approximately $50.4 million.](https://finance.yahoo.com/energy/articles/elon-musk-quietly-buys-jacksonville-090316138.html) Fortress Investment Group had purchased APR’s assets in late 2024, rebranded the operation as New APR Energy, and subsequently transferred ownership to Musk.\n\nAPR Energy specializes in rapidly deployable power infrastructure. The company maintains one of the world’s largest fleets of mobile gas and diesel turbines, with more than 1.1 gigawatts of generation capacity. Its modular units, which are often trailer-mounted, enable turnkey installations ranging from 20 MW to over 500 MW.\n\nAPR provides full engineering, procurement, construction, operation, and maintenance services for behind-the-meter power plants, s[erving everything from data centers, utilities, and industrial clients](https://www.teslarati.com/elon-musk-xai-brings-1gw-colossus-2-ai-training-cluster-online/).\n\nThe firm has expanded aggressively to meet surging demand, recently adding turbines and deploying over 100 MW for a major AI hyperscaler. Its solutions bridge critical gaps where grid interconnections face delays of two to five years, according to *Yahoo*.\n\nThe acquisition means something more for Musk. As he continues to expand projects in artificial intelligence, especially xAI, his AI venture, there is a greater need to supply energy-intensive supercomputing clusters, [including the Colossus project](https://www.teslarati.com/spacex-confirms-third-massive-compute-deal-colossus-memphis/), with what they need: reliable and high-capacity power.\n\nOwnership of APR provides immediate access to flexible generation assets that can be deployed adjacent to data centers, reducing dependence on a strained infrastructure. It also complements Tesla’s energy storage business, so Musk will be able to pull from his own entities to address the rapid scaling demands of AI training and compute.\n\nJoey has been a journalist covering electric mobility at TESLARATI since August 2019.\nIn his spare time, Joey is playing golf, watching MMA, or cheering on any of his favorite sports teams, including the Baltimore Ravens and Orioles, Miami Heat, Washington Capitals, and Penn State Nittany Lions.\nYou can get in touch with joey at [joey@teslarati.com](mailto:joey@teslarati.com). He is also on X [@KlenderJoey](https://x.com/klenderjoey).\nIf you're looking for great Tesla accessories, check out [shop.teslarati.com](https://shop.teslarati.com/)\n\n[News](https://www.teslarati.com/category/news/)\n\n# Tesla has to fix a big problem with its old headlights, NHTSA says\n\nTesla had a petition protesting a recall to fix a potential issue with 2017-2023 Model Y and Model 3 vehicles’ headlights was denied, as the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) disagreed with the company’s opinion of things.\n\nThe recall covers approximately 19,917 Model Y and Model 3 vehicles built from 2017 to 2023. Tesla initially submitted a noncompliance report for the headlights on these vehicles on March 15, 2024. Tesla then petitioned for an exemption from the fix, which violated FMVSS No. 108 (40 CFR 571.108), arguing that the “noncompliance is inconsequential as it relates to motor vehicle safety.\n\n🚨 Tesla was denied a petition by the NHTSA to avoid a recall of 19,900 2017-2023 Model 3 and Model Y vehicles.\n\nThe NHTSA found that the vehicles’ headlights may exceed maximum lighting levels. Tesla argued it was inconsequential and did not require a recall.\n\n[pic.twitter.com/m8Jmm1teLL]— TESLARATI (@Teslarati)\n\n[July 16, 2026]\n\n[The NHTSA disagreed](https://public-inspection.federalregister.gov/2026-14506.pdf), stating that Tesla’s conclusion that the headlights do not increase any risk was not an opinion it shared. The agency said it disagreed with Tesla’s assumption that glare is not increased to surrounding traffic. This issue could be highlighted even more in certain weather conditions.\n\nTesla will be required to remedy the issue, the NHTSA ruled:\n\n*“In consideration of the foregoing, NHTSA has decided that Tesla has not met its burden of persuasion that the subject FMVSS No. 108 noncompliance is inconsequential to motor vehicle safety. Accordingly, Tesla’s petition is hereby denied, and Tesla is consequently obligated to provide notification of and free remedy for that noncompliance under 49 U.S.C. 30118 and 30120.”*\n\nThe issue here appears to be the angle of the headlights and the brightness they emit during operation. The NHTSA report states that:\n\n*“Tesla’s headlamp supplier, Marelli Automotive Lighting, tested 25 right-hand and 25 left-hand lamps, and for this sample, found the maximum photometric intensity measured in the 10°U to 90°U and 90°L to 90°R zone was between 136.2 cd and 230.1 cd for the right-hand lamps and between 117.5 cd and 160.3 cd for the left-hand lamps. According to Tesla, these tests revealed that the photometric intensity of the right-hand and left-hand headlamp lower beam on the subject vehicles may measure as much as 230.1 cd in the 10°U to 90°U and 90°L to 90°R zone, exceeding the maximum photometric intensity by 105.1 cd. Additionally, Tesla states that a left-hand lamp tested by a Transport Canada recognized laboratory measured a maximum of 171.27 cd in the 10°U to 90°U and 90°L to 90°R zone. Despite these measurements exceeding the allowed photometric maximum of 125 cd, Tesla believes that the subject noncompliance is inconsequential to motor vehicle safety.”*\n\nTesla also argued at some points that the headlights had not been deemed responsible for any complaints, accidents, or injuries related to the noncompliance.\n\n[Lifestyle](https://www.teslarati.com/category/lifestyle/)\n\n# NTSB findings on fatal Tesla crash tell a very different story\n\nThe NTSB confirmed the driver, not Tesla’s FSD, caused the fatal Texas house crash.\n\nThe National Transportation Safety Board released preliminary findings Wednesday confirming that a Tesla driver, not the vehicle’s software, caused a fatal crash in Katy, Texas in June. The driver, 44-year-old Michael Butler, had engaged Full Self-Driving Supervised mode on Rose Hollow Lane, a residential street with a 30 mph speed limit, before manually overriding the system by pressing the accelerator pedal all the way to 100%. Data recovered from the 2025 Tesla Model 3 showed the vehicle was traveling over 70 miles per hour when it struck a home and killed 76-year-old Martha Avila, who was inside. Weather was clear, the road was dry, and it was daylight.\n\n[Texas man charged in fatal Tesla crash where he blamed Autopilot]\n\nButler told authorities he had passed out at the wheel. But security camera footage obtained by the NTSB told a different story, and showed the car accelerating through an intersection before leaving the road entirely. Police also found that Butler’s phone had Google searches including the terms “Tesla FSD not aggressive enough 2026” and “Tesla FSD too timid,” raising serious questions about how he was using the system before the crash. Butler has since been charged with manslaughter. The victim’s family has filed a lawsuit against both Butler and Tesla, alleging negligence.\n\nThe NTSB findings aligned directly with what Tesla VP of AI Software Ashok Elluswamy had already stated publicly on X in the weeks after the crash, writing that “the driver manually overrode self-driving by pressing the accelerator all the way to 100%.” The data confirmed his account.\n\nYup. In this case, the driver manually overrode self-driving by pressing the accelerator all the way to 100% of the accel pedal in this residential area. They reached a speed of 73 mph during the crash, and had the accelerator pressed even after the crash.\n\n— Ashok Elluswamy (@aelluswamy)\n\n[June 22, 2026]\n\n[Investor's Corner](https://www.teslarati.com/category/news/investors-corner/)\n\n# Lucid CEO dispels any rumors of bankruptcy: ‘So far from the facts’\n\nLucid CEO Silvio Napoli responded to rumors of an imminent bankruptcy that was reportedly being mulled after a report stated the automaker was working with the firm AlixPartners to iron out its next steps.\n\nThe company felt a massive loss on Wall Street yesterday, as the report essentially pushed the stock down as much as 55 percent on Tuesday.\n\nThe report, published initially by [ Eletric-Vehicles.com](https://eletric-vehicles.com/lucid/exclusive-lucid-weighs-going-private-or-chapter-11-as-adviser-reports-to-board/), claimed Lucid was essentially in dire straits and was told by AlixPartners, a commonly used restructuring advisor, to either take shares private or file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.\n\nLucid’s head of Communications, Nick Twork, immediately challenged the report and stated the company “has sufficient liquidity to carry its operations well into next year.”\n\nNow, the company’s CEO is chiming in as well, stating that the report is “so far from the facts that they require a direct response.”\n\nNapoli said:\n\n*“Lucid is not considering bankruptcy or a transaction to take the company private. Those reports are false. The Board did not explore either scenario. Period.*\n\n*As disclosed in our most recent quarterly filing, Lucid has sufficient liquidity to fund its operations well into next year.*\n\n*We work with outside advisors to improve operational performance and execution. They are not advising Lucid on a take-private transaction or bankruptcy, and any suggestion that they have recommended either course of action to management or the Board is false.*\n\n*My priority is clear: turn this company around. That is where the leadership team and I are focused.*\n\n*I look forward to providing a full update during our quarterly earnings call on August 4th.”*\n\n🚨 Lucid CEO Silvio Napoli calls rumors of financial issues “so far from the facts that they require a direct response.”\n\nRead his full remarks here:\n\n[https://t.co/t3Pg1NHvzy][pic.twitter.com/LvHUPhO4Qf]— TESLARATI (@Teslarati)\n\n[July 15, 2026]\n\nIt seems pretty clear that Lucid is confident things will be okay, and, to be honest, they should not have much to worry about, especially considering the company has been backed by the Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF) for years. It has solid financial backing, and its sales, while weak, are pretty much right on par with a company of this age.\n\nLucid also sent a [Cease & Desist letter](https://x.com/ntwork/status/2077238209587843194) to the publication for their report.\n\nLucid shares have rebounded nicely and are up nearly 21 percent at the time of publication. As soon as the company dispelled the rumors of bankruptcy yesterday, the stock began to climb back toward more reasonable levels.", "url": "https://wpnews.pro/news/elon-musk-secretly-acquires-1b-energy-company-to-power-the-ai-future", "canonical_source": "https://www.teslarati.com/elon-musk-secretly-acquires-1b-energy-company-power-ai-future/", "published_at": "2026-07-16 18:53:55+00:00", "updated_at": "2026-07-16 19:12:13.626179+00:00", "lang": "en", "topics": ["artificial-intelligence", "ai-infrastructure"], "entities": ["Elon Musk", "APR Energy", "Tesla", "SpaceX", "xAI", "Fortress Investment Group", "Federal Trade Commission", "New APR Energy"], "alternates": {"html": "https://wpnews.pro/news/elon-musk-secretly-acquires-1b-energy-company-to-power-the-ai-future", "markdown": "https://wpnews.pro/news/elon-musk-secretly-acquires-1b-energy-company-to-power-the-ai-future.md", "text": "https://wpnews.pro/news/elon-musk-secretly-acquires-1b-energy-company-to-power-the-ai-future.txt", "jsonld": "https://wpnews.pro/news/elon-musk-secretly-acquires-1b-energy-company-to-power-the-ai-future.jsonld"}}