NHTSA Opens Investigation into Tesla Gaming Software

Patton plays games driving Model 3
Journalist Vince Patton demonstrates its possible to play video games while driving his Tesla Model 3.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) it is investigating 580,000 Tesla vehicles sold since 2017 that allow those seated up front to play games on the infotainment touchscreen while the vehicle is in motion.

The investigation stems from a complaint filed with agency earlier this month by Vince Patton, a retired journalist from Portland, Oregon.

The formal safety investigation, which was announced Wednesday, covers 2017-2022 Tesla Model 3, S, X, and Y vehicles. NHTSA opened the investigation “based on reports that Tesla gameplay functionality, which is visible on the front center touchscreen from the driver’s seat, is enabled even when the vehicle is being driven.”

Tesla made the software more dangerous

The 2021 Tesla Model S gets an all-new interior, a yoke-style steering wheel and the updated software being investigated by NHTSA.

The feature, known as “Passenger Play,” increases the risk of a crash. Since December 2020, the feature can be used while driving. Prior to that, it could only be used when the vehicle was in Park. The agency said that it is evaluating aspects of the feature, including how frequently it’s used and when.

NHTSA is concerned about distracted driving, an increasing risk as automakers bring increased online connectivity to infotainment touchscreens. Distracted driving caused 3,142 deaths in 2019, all of them preventable. 

While Passenger Play does have a warning stating the game is meant solely for passengers. Although it asks for confirmation that the player is a passenger and not the driver, there is nothing preventing the driver from playing while driving.

Other Tesla safety issues

Consumer Reports criticized the performance of Tesla’s latest version of Autopilot.

It’s not NHTSA’s only Tesla safety investigation, nor Tesla’s only safety issue.

In August, the agency opened a formal safety investigation of 765,000 Teslas equipped with its Autopilot driver-assistance system after 11 crashes involving parked emergency vehicles killed one person and injured 17. The inquiry covers 2014-2021 Models S, X, Y and 3. 

In October, Tesla had to roll back full self-driving, or FSD, with Musk revealing that the company is “seeing some issues with 10.3, so rolling back to 10.2 temporarily.” 

And in November, Tesla issued a recall for 11,704 vehicles sold in the U.S. since 2017. The recall covers Model S, X, 3 and Y vehicles and came about as a result of an over-the-air firmware update of the automaker’s “Full Self-Driving Beta,” its advanced driver assistance system.

The company identified a software communication error that could cause the forward-collision warning or automatic emergency brake system to falsely activate, possibly leading to a rear-end collision.

Other OEM infotainment issues

2022 Mercedes EQS 580 4Matic black daytime

The new Mercedes-Benz EQS was recalled after it was found that its MBUX system allowed television and internet to be displayed while driving

Other automakers are far more concerned over distracted driving than Tesla. On November 29, Mercedes-Benz recalled 227 vehicles in the U.S. after the company discovered that its MBUX infotainment system allowed television and internet to be displayed while driving.

The recall affected 2021 Mercedes-Benz S580, 2022 EQS450, EQS580, and S500 models. Mercedes-Benz has already corrected the problem, and no deaths or injuries seem to have resulted from the problem.

Musk pays billions to satisfy tax bill

In other Tesla news, Reuters is reporting that Tesla CEO Elon Musk sold 10% of his own company stock, 13.5 million shares, 8.06 million of which were sold to pay taxes. The billionaire said he is paying more than $11 billion in taxes this year. 

Tesla CEO Elon Musk

Tesla CEO Elon Musk slammed California over its tax policy.

“California used to be the land of opportunity and now it is … becoming more so the land of sort of overregulation, overlitigation, overtaxation,” Musk told Reuters, adding his combined federal and state tax rate tops 50 percent.

The tax bill may explain why Musk recently relocated Tesla’s headquarters to Austin, Texas from Palo Alto, California.

But taxes aren’t Musk’s only concern.

The company has submitted all the documentation required to get its factory approved near Berlin, Germany. Approval of Tesla’s newest manufacturing facility has been delayed by environmental concerns and red tape due to Tesla’s decision to add a battery factory to the site. That has delayed the approval process. It remains unclear when the new plant is expected to open.


Entertaining Or Outright Lunacy? Tesla Model S Blown Up With Dynamite

Entertaining Or Outright Lunacy? Tesla Model S Blown Up With Dynamite
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Entertaining Or Outright Lunacy? Tesla Model S Blown Up With Dynamite
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It was Go time and everyone was waiting in anticipation to see how things unfold

The era of YouTube & social media has significantly blurred the distinction between truth and viral videos. This video from the Finnish YouTube channel Pommijätkät, which translates literally to “Bomb Dudes” would have us believe that a dissatisfied Tesla Model S owner contacted them and asked them to blow up his electric car. 

Entertaining Or Outright Lunacy? Tesla Model S Blown Up With Dynamite
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Entertaining Or Outright Lunacy? Tesla Model S Blown Up With Dynamite
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Meet Tuomas Katainen from the Suomi, up in icy Finland

Meet Tuomas Katainen. In the video, which by the way you can watch with English subtitles, the man says that his 2013 Tesla Model S recently developed a slew of issues, prompting him to have it taken to a Tesla service facility. Four weeks later, after inspecting the vehicle, Tesla notified him that it would require a new battery, which would cost $22500.

Entertaining Or Outright Lunacy? Tesla Model S Blown Up With Dynamite
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Entertaining Or Outright Lunacy? Tesla Model S Blown Up With Dynamite
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With such a steep quote, Katainen chose not to fix the car and instead decided it would be more fun to blow it up, possibly in the hope that the advertising revenue produced by the film would enable him to buy a new car. Either that or perhaps he was so fed up with the whole thing that he set out to destroy it regardless. To ensure the Tesla’s demise, Katainen fastened close to 70 pounds of dynamite to the Model S’s exterior and placed a mannequin of Elon Musk in the driver’s seat. The vehicle was then parked beneath a small rocky cliff, and the rest is history.

Entertaining Or Outright Lunacy? Tesla Model S Blown Up With Dynamite
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Entertaining Or Outright Lunacy? Tesla Model S Blown Up With Dynamite
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Or be it a dummy, it was Elon Musk of course. They chose to strap on this dummy onto the passenger seat

The entire explosion was filmed by high-definition cameras recording in slow motion, and although it’s seldom pleasant to witness a car needlessly wrecked like this, it’s intriguing to watch how rapidly the car was almost instantly engulfed in a ball of fire. The explosives used were more than adequate to fully destroy the automobile. The Tesla was completely decimated after this. Was this taking it a bit too far? You be the judge. The video has raked up over 1.3 million views on YouTube so far.

Entertaining Or Outright Lunacy? Tesla Model S Blown Up With Dynamite
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Entertaining Or Outright Lunacy? Tesla Model S Blown Up With Dynamite
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And before you know it, the entire car was engulfed in flames

Now this Model S in question was obviously an early example and belonged to an era when people still had their doubts about EVs and Tesla’s were notorious for bad build their myriad of build quality issues. But, Tesla has vastly improved the quality of their cars since and has closed the gap to the legacy automakers. What remains to be seen is if they can hold on to that position. But in the end, the brand did succeed in helping sway the entire auto industry towards electrification.

You can watch these guys destroy this 2013 Model S with dynamite in the video below

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Its official; Tesla HQ to move to Texas, Musk confirms. Find out why

Its official; Tesla HQ to move to Texas, Musk confirms. Find out why
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Its official; Tesla HQ to move to Texas, Musk confirms. Find out why
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He made the announcement while addressing a gathering at the Austin facility where construction is still currently ongoing

So, after spending nearly two decades in Los Angeles, Tesla’s CEO himself relocated to Austin last year. The billionaire entrepreneur had justified his personal move with the need to be closer to the two projects that were then occupying most of his time; the development of rockets by SpaceX, and the construction of Tesla’s new facility near Austin.

Addressing a gathering in front of the factory on the outskirts of the city, Musk said “We are pleased to announce that we are moving our headquarters to Austin,”

This is a symbolic move, however, it doesn’t mean that Tesla is leaving the West Coast altogether. “To be clear, we will continue to expand our operations in California,” said Musk.

Its official; Tesla HQ to move to Texas, Musk confirms. Find out why
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Its official; Tesla HQ to move to Texas, Musk confirms. Find out why
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Some of the primary reasons for moving to Texas according to Musk include, the cost of living in Texas is lower for employees. According to experts, tax levies in Texas are projected to be far lower than in the golden state.

But, the entrepreneur noted, “you can’t expand forever in the San Francisco Bay Area, where density is high, the cost of living is high and traffic is often difficult. Whereas in Austin, the factory is located five minutes from the airport and fifteen minutes from downtown”.

But it’s not just Tesla that is making the move to Texas, other tech giants like HP & Oracle have also followed suit. Texas has been working hard in recent years to attract businesses with several tax incentives. With its highly rated universities and rich cultural life, Austin is certainly attracting a lot of attention. Here’s CNBC on why has Texas now become an attractive place for tech companies.

Its official; Tesla HQ to move to Texas, Musk confirms. Find out why
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Its official; Tesla HQ to move to Texas, Musk confirms. Find out why
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After this announcement, Musk later turned his attention to Business which according to the Billionaire CEO, is doing rather well

Musk later turned his attention to business, which he said was good for the company. Tesla announced in early October that it had delivered a record number of vehicles in the third quarter, against the backdrop of a market plagued by a shortage of semiconductors. The automaker is known for delivering a considerable number of vehicles, come the end of the quarter in order to impress investors with strong three-month figures.

Its official; Tesla HQ to move to Texas, Musk confirms. Find out why
- image 1023812

Its official; Tesla HQ to move to Texas, Musk confirms. Find out why
- image 1023812

Apart from the Austin factory, Europe’s very first Tesla plant, Giga Berlin in Germany. While Tesla HQ will move to Austin, the company will continue to have a strong presence in California. Swipe Up to Read More

In addition to the Texas factory, Tesla is constructing the first-ever European plant in Grünheide, near Berlin in Germany. It is projected that up to 12,000 people would work there and will produce up to 500,000 electric vehicles each year.

You can watch the entire presentation by Tesla below

Source: Youtube

Tesla Sets New Records with Q1 Results

Tesla set another quarterly record for deliveries during the first quarter of 2021.

As predicted by many, Tesla Inc. set another quarterly record for production and deliveries during the first quarter of 2021 while rolling out another profitable quarter.

The delivery numbers eclipsed the previous record by more than 4,000 units, coming in at 184,877 vehicles during the quarter. The overwhelming majority of the deliveries were Model 3 and Model Y at 182,847 vehicles – at 140% increase compared to the year-ago number. It’s also a 21,000-plus unit jump compared with the previous quarter.

The company’s automotive revenue came in at $9 billion, an increase of 75% compared with Q1 2020. Overall, the company’s total revenue came in at $10.4 billion with a net income of $438 million or 39 cents per share. It also reported an adjusted EBITDA of $1.8 billion for the quarter with operating income reported at $594 million with a 5.7% operating margin.

Big results — again

Tesla’s Elon Musk is taking on a new role: host of Saturday Night Live.

Quarter-end and cash equivalents to $17.1 billion in Q1, driven mainly by a net cash outflow of $1.2 billion in cryptocurrency (Bitcoin) purchases, net debt and finance lease repaymenbts of $1.2 billion, partially offset by free cash flow of $293 million.

“There’s no guarantee that Elon Musk’s appearance on SNL will garner big laughs, but it’s certain that he’s laughing all the way to the bank,” said Jessic Caldwell, Edmunds’ executive director of insights.

“Tesla had a record-breaking first quarter, and seems to be doing particularly well compared to its more traditional OEM competitors who are starting to flounder in light of the unique market conditions squeezing the industry right now. It’s pretty ironic that as an automaker known for producing computers on wheels, Tesla’s deliveries in a quarter marred by a global chip shortage have proven to be so strong.

The big numbers came despite the fact the average selling price for one of its vehicles fell during the quarter. However, officials seem almost pleased by that, noting that lowering “the average cost of the vehicles we produce is essential to our mission.”

The exterior of the new Model S is a little more angular than its predecessor.

Big sales — again

The company was quick to note that with production of its Model 3 basically coming from one plant (Shanghai), it is the best-selling premium sedan “in the world.” It outsold its top competitors, the BMW 3 Series and Mercedes E-Class.

“This demonstrates that an electric vehicle can be a category leader and outsell its gas-powered counterparts. We believe Model Y can become not just a category leader, but also the best-selling vehicle of any kind globally,” the company told investors.

With the strong performance of those two, production of the 2021 Model S — the vehicle that really started it all — “should start very shortly.” Officials noted that production of the Model Y production rate in Shanghai continues to improve and “two new factories — Berlin and Texas — are making progress. There is a lot to be excited about in 2021.”


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Teutonic Tesla: Volkswagen Now Building ‘Gigafactories’

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VW Group

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As much as we’ve criticized American luxury brands for emulating the Germans, we’ve failed to do the same for Volkswagen Group’s pathetic attempts at copying Tesla. That changes with Monday’s announcement that VW will assemble six “gigafactories” in Europe by 2030. Shared on “Power Day” — the company’s bastardized version of Tesla’s Battery Day — the plan is supposed to result in a production capacity of 240 GWh annually when completed and help VW reduce battery costs while also securing access.

It’s not a half-bad plan for a company entirely devoted to electrification, which is probably why Tesla follows a similar model using nearly identical terminology. Though, considering the absolute mess Volkswagen seems to have made of its EV transmission thus far, some might find it difficult to blame the automaker for looking at the competition and breaking out the notepad.

Others will be less sympathetic while acknowledging this is probably VW’s best play if it’s serious about EVs. 

Volkswagen is only in this mess for getting caught circumventing emissions by illegal means, specifically software that flubbed the test results of diesel models. While we’re happy to suggest the brand was placed in a difficult situation by being the first automaker to get majorly busted for skirting the nearly impossible to adhere to rules regarding modern diesel emissions, it was still being exposed to the same scrutiny as other manufacturers. But it went the coverup route before confessing and has responded by transmogrifying itself into a beacon of greenness as penance for its eco-crimes. Volkswagen became a “mobility company” overnight in 2016 — born again, so to speak — despite its product lineup showing its status as a relatively traditional automaker, often forcing us to take it at its word.

VW has endeavored to keep up appearances while sprinting full tilt toward widespread electrification. But the fruit of its labor haven’t always panned out. The company has had a terrible time with battery suppliers and most of the EVs delivered thus far aren’t offering the kind of ranges that would make them compelling choices. Digitizing its products has also resulted in software issues that helped stymie the launches of numerous vehicles. In some cases, it even resulted in incomplete vehicles coming to market.

These are issues most automakers are confronting as they collectively attempt to redefine the purpose of the automotive industry, and we’re now way past the point where the adage “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” would be useful. By now, most manufacturers are totally committed to a future where vehicles are electric, connected, and monetizing your data as often as possible. Volkswagen just seems to have dove in the quickest, suffered the worst for it, and is now in a situation where it absolutely has to make things work.

Hence the new “gigafactories” — which don’t seem a bad solution, if you can ignore the Tesla comparisons.

From Volkswagen:

The Group is pushing ahead at full speed with the development of production capacities in Europe in order to meet the increasing demand for battery cells. “Together with partners, we want to have a total of six cell factories up and running in Europe by 2030 thus guaranteeing security of supply”, explains [Chairman of the Board of Management of Volkswagen Group Technology] Thomas Schmall. The new factories are expected to produce cells with a total energy value of 240 GWh per year by the time they are finally completed. Volkswagen is therefore actively contributing to meet the targets of the European Union’s Green Deal. The first two factories will operate in the Swedish city of Skellefteå and in Salzgitter. In response to increased demand, Volkswagen has decided to refocus the previous plan in relation to cell production and concentrate production of its premium cells in the Swedish gigafactory “Northvolt Ett” in Skellefteå in collaboration with Northvolt. The production of these cells is set to commence in 2023 and will be expanded gradually to an annual capacity of up to 40 GWh.

Those capacities are annual and are supposed to cut battery costs by up to 50 percent once all synergies are accounted for. But we think the big get here is VW having a direct line on an essential component it’s had serious problems procuring in even modest quantities. These also help bring the automaker closer to its goal of making energy management a viable source of revenue. This again harkens back to Tesla. In 2019, Tesla CEO Elon Musk claimed that energy storage would gradually become a larger aspect of the business. The following year, he said that Tesla Energy would likely grow to be at least as big as its automotive aspirations.

Meanwhile, Volkswagen has repeatedly announced its role in the planned expansion of the public fast-charging network. Its latest release also said cooperation has been agreed to in Europe with some of the regions the energy companies, including BP, Iberdrola, and Enel. VW is plotting a course of staggered investments. As we’re not fortune tellers, we cannot predict how successful this strategy will be. But it does show that the company isn’t interested in taking half measures. And emulating the parts of Tesla that appear to be working makes it derivate and cringe-inducing, not stupid.

[Image: Volkswagen Group]

Former VW, Porsche, BMW and Tesla Execs Join Forces at New EV Startup

Several top former auto execs are joining forces at Piech Automotive. The first EV will be the GT2 coupe.

While it may not be quite as well known as that of the Porsche family, the Piech name is equally storied among automotive insiders and enthusiasts. Together, these frequently squabbling relatives can lay claim to having helped create two of the European industry’s most important brand names: Porsche and Volkswagen. And now, the Piech name will be applied to a new sports car being launched as part of a new, all-electric marque based in Switzerland.

Piech Automotive plans to have its first model, the GT2, in showrooms late in 2022, with at least two other models to follow.

The company might be dismissed as just one of the many startups hoping to profit from the global transition from internal combustion to electric propulsion, but there are several reasons why it deserves a closer look. The most significant is the fact that it is being run by a high-powered group of former Porsche, BMW, Tesla and Volkswagen executives, notably including one Matthias Mueller.

(Mueller out, Diess in at VW — and more shakeups to come.)

The Piech GT2 will reportedly race from 0 to 62 mph in less than three seconds.

Mueller was a one-time head of the Porsche brand and rose to become the CEO of Volkswagen AG after the German automaker’s diesel emissions scandal broke in 2015. He was subsequently ousted in a boardroom coup three years later, replaced by Herbert Diess who had been recruited from BMW.

Mueller now will serve as the chairman of Piech Automotive and his appointment comes at a critical time.

The BEV startup first showed off what was then called the Piech Mark Zero concept at the 2019 Geneva Motor Show and has been pushing for funding ever since. It expects the next funding round underway now will help it raise enough capital to take the sports car into production – newly renamed the Piech GT2.

In what is now the norm for electric vehicle design, the GT2 will rely on a skateboard-like platform that will be flexible enough to handle multiple “top hats,” or bodies, with two more apparently in development, according to the company.

Also in an approach becoming quite common among high performance BEV brands, the GT2 will rely on a three-motor layout, one on the front axle, two in the rear. The combined package set to deliver 450 kilowatts of power, or 603 horsepower. That will be enough, Piech claims, to hit 100 kph, or 62 mph, in “under three seconds.”

The new GT2 will put out 603 horsepower and can be charged from zero to 80% full in just 40 minutes and 40 seconds.

(EVs cost half as much as gas-powered vehicles for maintenance.)

While the size of the battery pack hasn’t been disclosed, the two-seater is said to have a range of 310 miles using a long-range pack, and 250 miles with the standard one. These are based on the European WLTP test cycle so, if the Piech GT2 comes to the U.S., it would likely come in 10 to 20% lower.

Recharging, meanwhile, will take as little as 40 minutes and 40 seconds from empty to 80% of capacity, Piech claims. While details of the sports car’s electric architecture hasn’t been released that would clearly indicate it can use the latest 350 kilowatt public fast chargers and operates at or above 800 volts.

Currently, the only vehicle capable of using such chargers to their full capacity is the Porsche Taycan, though it is expected to become more the norm in the years ahead as it brings charging times down to what motorists currently expect when filling a gas tank.

As for the Piech name, it is one of the family branches of the family tree linked to Ferdinand Porsche. He’s the engineering genius who helped create the original “people’s car,” or Volkswagen, and who later went on to lend his name to the eponymous Porsche sports car company.

Matthias Mueller once headed up VW and is now Piech Automotive chairman.

His most notable heir, at least within the auto industry, was Ferdinand Piech who was named Volkswagen AG CEO in 1992 and later became the company’s chairman. Piech eventually became embroiled in the diesel scandal and other controversies. He died in August 2019 at the age of 82.

(Former Volkswagen chief Ferdinand Piech dies at 82.)

Mueller, who was considered a Piech protégé, will join an assortment of former industry leaders running the new EV startup. That includes its new technical director, Klaus Schmidt, who was once a senior figure at BMW Motorsport, as well as Jochen Rudat, who set up Tesla’s European distribution network.

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background: none !important; text-decoration: none !important; width: auto !important; height: auto !important; display: block !important; line-height: 32px !important; padding: 0 !important; -moz-box-shadow: none !important; -webkit-box-shadow: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; } #gJSomKNtPm .mo-optin-form-container .mo-optin-form-wrapper .mo-optin-success-msg { font-size: 21px; font-family: “HelveticaNeue – Light”, “Helvetica Neue Light”, “Helvetica Neue”, Helvetica, Arial, “Lucida Grande”, sans-serif; color: #282828 !important; font-weight: 300; text-align: center; margin: 0 auto; width: 100%; position: absolute !important; left: 50%; top: 50%; -webkit-transform: translate(-50%, -50%); -moz-transform: translate(-50%, -50%); -o-transform: translate(-50%, -50%); -ms-transform: translate(-50%, -50%); transform: translate(-50%, -50%); } #gJSomKNtPm .mo-optin-form-container .mo-optin-form-wrapper .mo-optin-success-msg a { color: #0000EE; text-decoration: underline; }div#gJSomKNtPm div#gJSomKNtPm_inpost .mo-optin-form-headline, div#gJSomKNtPm div.mo-optin-form-container h2, div#gJSomKNtPm div.mo-optin-form-container h1 { font-size: 32px !important; }div#gJSomKNtPm div#gJSomKNtPm_inpost .mo-optin-form-description, div#gJSomKNtPm div.mo-optin-form-container div#gJSomKNtPm_inpost p { font-size: 18px !important; }div#gJSomKNtPm div#gJSomKNtPm_inpost .mo-optin-form-note { font-size: 14px !important; }@media screen and (max-width: 768px) { div#gJSomKNtPm div#gJSomKNtPm_inpost .mo-optin-form-headline, div#gJSomKNtPm div.mo-optin-form-container div#gJSomKNtPm_inpost h2, div#gJSomKNtPm div.mo-optin-form-container div#gJSomKNtPm_inpost h1 { font-size: 30px !important; } div#gJSomKNtPm div#gJSomKNtPm_inpost .mo-optin-form-description, div#gJSomKNtPm div.mo-optin-form-container div#gJSomKNtPm_inpost p { font-size: 18px !important; } div#gJSomKNtPm div#gJSomKNtPm_inpost .mo-optin-form-note { font-size: 14px !important; } }@media screen and (max-width: 480px) { div#gJSomKNtPm div#gJSomKNtPm_inpost .mo-optin-form-headline, div#gJSomKNtPm div.mo-optin-form-container div#gJSomKNtPm_inpost h2, div#gJSomKNtPm div.mo-optin-form-container div#gJSomKNtPm_inpost h1 { font-size: 25px !important; } div#gJSomKNtPm div#gJSomKNtPm_inpost .mo-optin-form-description, div#gJSomKNtPm div.mo-optin-form-container div#gJSomKNtPm_inpost p { font-size: 16px !important; } div#gJSomKNtPm div#gJSomKNtPm_inpost .mo-optin-form-note, div#gJSomKNtPm div#gJSomKNtPm_inpost .mo-optin-form-note * { font-size: 12px !important; } }div#gJSomKNtPm .mo-mailchimp-interest-container { margin: 0 10px 2px; } div#gJSomKNtPm .mo-mailchimp-interest-label { font-size: 16px; margin: 5px 0 2px; } div#gJSomKNtPm input.mo-mailchimp-interest-choice { line-height: normal; border: 0; margin: 0 5px; } div#gJSomKNtPm span.mo-mailchimp-choice-label { vertical-align: middle; font-size: 14px; } div#gJSomKNtPm .mo-mailchimp-interest-choice-container { margin: 5px 0; }div#gJSomKNtPm .mo-mailchimp-interest-label { display:inline-block!important; } div#gJSomKNtPm span.mo-mailchimp-choice-label { vertical-align:baseline!important; } div#gJSomKNtPm .mo-mailchimp-interest-container { padding:18px 0 6px 0; } div#gJSomKNtPm .mo-mailchimp-choice-label { font-size:16px!important; }