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Tesla Model S misses top safety rating by Insurance Institute for Highway Safety

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Tesla’s 2017 Model S has missed the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s (IIHS) top-safety pick+ rating, citing issues with the small overlap front test. Tesla had made changes to the vehicle in January to fix issues in this area, but the IIHS test results show otherwise.

“Tesla made changes to the safety belt in vehicles built after January with the intent of reducing the dummy’s forward movement,” IIHS said in a statement today. “However, when IIHS tested the modified Model S, the same problem occurred, and the rating didn’t change.”

The small overlap front test is meant to simulate crashes into trees, poles, and other vehicles. IIHS EVP & chief research officer David Zuby said that the small overlap front test still remains a “hurdle” for some vehicles, including vehicles with existing “stellar” ratings.

Tesla’s changes to the vehicle in January were largely focused on the seat belt, but inconsistent wheel movement in the test actually performed worse than the previous test vehicle. “Maximum intrusion increased from less than 2 inches to 11 inches in the lower part and to 5 inches at the instrument panel in the second test,” IIHS said in their statement.

Tesla responded to the report, saying that Model S received the highest rating in IIHS’s crash testing in every category except in the overlap front crash test, where it received the second highest rating available. “IIHS and dozens of other private industry groups around the world have methods and motivations that suit their own subjective purposes,” said a spokesperson from Tesla.

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2017 Tesla Model S received an “acceptable” rating the IIHS on the small overlap front test (Photo: IIHS)

The test also damaged the front left portion on the battery pack, but the test vehicle didn’t contain battery cells in that area. The damage to the battery pack didn’t cause any changes to the rating.

“The greater deformation in the second test also resulted in damage to the left front corner of the battery case. The deformation was limited to an area that didn’t contain battery cells in the tested vehicle, so this damage didn’t affect the rating. Higher-performance variants of the Model S could have battery cells in this area, but, according to Tesla, they also have different structure. They haven’t been tested separately and aren’t covered by this rating.” reads the IIHS report.

IIHS tests also concluded that the Tesla Model S headlights earned a poor rating because they have yet to be rated for front crash prevention. The agency also noted that they were unable to test the vehicle’s automatic emergency braking system as Tesla only recently activated the feature via a software update.

Despite Model S’ top safety rating by the NHTSA, the person who oversaw the IIHS Model S crash test said, “If you’re looking for top-line safety, we believe there are other, better choices than the Model S.”

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Vehicles winning the Top Safety Pick+ include the Lincoln Continental, Mercedes-Benz E-Class, and the Toyota Avalon. The Tesla Model S received the highest rating in every other category besides the small overlap front test. The Tesla Model X recently received a 5-star safety rating from the NHTSA.

Christian Prenzler is currently the VP of Business Development at Teslarati, leading strategic partnerships, content development, email newsletters, and subscription programs. Additionally, Christian thoroughly enjoys investigating pivotal moments in the emerging mobility sector and sharing these stories with Teslarati's readers. He has been closely following and writing on Tesla and disruptive technology for over seven years. You can contact Christian here: christian@teslarati.com

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Tesla launches ‘Mad Max’ Full Self-Driving Speed Profile, its fastest yet

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Credit: Teslarati

Tesla launched its fastest Full Self-Driving Speed Profile with the v14.1.2 Software Update on Wednesday, as “Mad Max” mode has overtaken “Hurry” as the most spirited travel option on FSD.

On Wednesday evening, Tesla’s Head of AI, Ashok Elluswamy, teased that the v14.1.2 Software Update would be released to those drivers in the Early Access Program (EAP). He said it was a “much-awaited feature.”

Tesla just teased something crazy with the next Full Self-Driving update

Many people, myself included, believed it would be the introduction of “Banish,” which would be a perfect complement to the Actually Smart Summon (ASS) suite, as it would find a parking spot and park itself after dropping you off at the front door of your destination.

However, Elluswamy’s post on X finished with two emojis: one a race car, the other being smoke behind the car.

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On Wednesday night, we received the v14.1.2 software update to the new Model Y, which revealed that “Mad Max” mode was the new addition:

The release notes state that:

“Introduced new speed profile MAD MAX, which comes with higher speeds and more frequent lane changes than Hurry.”

It is pretty interesting that Tesla would introduce yet another speed profile that is even faster and more aggressive than “Hurry.” Personally, I’ve found Hurry to be realistic in terms of other drivers and their aggressiveness, speed of travel, and overall lane change behavior, especially on interstates.

Mad Max mode will be an interesting adjustment.

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Tesla CEO Elon Musk first talked about Mad Max mode back in 2018 in posts on X, first mentioning the feature with the Tesla Semi:

Musk then teased Mad Max mode in 2019 with an early Autopilot update, stating that it would be an ideal option for aggressive traffic seen in places like Los Angeles. There was formerly a mode of the same name back in the late 2010s:

Now that it’s here, we’ll be testing it very soon and giving you a good idea of what to expect when it releases to others in the coming weeks.

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Tesla just teased something crazy with the next Full Self-Driving update

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Credit: Tesla Europe & Middle East | X

Update 9:56 p.m. ET: We got it…

Tesla launches ‘Mad Max’ Full Self-Driving Speed Profile, its fastest yet

Tesla just teased something crazy with the next Full Self-Driving update, which will be released to Early Access Program (EAP) members today.

Tesla just recently released the v14 Full Self-Driving update, and it followed up just a few days later with v14.1.1.

The subsequent release helped refine a handful of things, especially an issue with stuttering at intersections and overall indecisiveness, but it was more of a smoothing over of the initial v14.1 Full Self-Driving release.

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However, on Wednesday evening, Tesla’s Head of AI, Ashok Elluswamy, said that the company would be releasing v14.1.2 to EAP members today, and that it would “debut a much-awaited feature.”

He followed that up with a racecar emoji and a smoke emoji, potentially hinting toward something speed-related. However, it could mean something totally different.

Some suggested it was potentially a new Speed Profile that could rank above the “Hurry” option, but that seems unnecessary. As far as other features that have been teased, one that definitely comes to mind is the “Banish” feature that was recently teased by CEO Elon Musk.

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Banish is essentially the finishing touch to Tesla’s Actually Smart Summon (ASS), which launched earlier this year.

While ASS will bring your car to your location using the Tesla app on your phone, Banish does just the opposite by dropping you off at the door of your destination and finding a parking spot on its own.

Elon Musk teases ‘Banish’ feature to pair perfectly with Summon

This was recently teased by Musk yet again, as he said earlier this month that Full Self-Driving would be capable of it very soon.

Based on what we’ve seen out of v14.1 and v14.1.1, there is some potential that Banish could be released and could be the feature that Elluswamy is hinting toward, although there is no direct evidence of that.

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Luckily, I was able to get into the EAP, so as the feature is released and the Release Notes are available, we’ll be able to report on exactly what feature is on the way.

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Tesla benefits from new incentive program that’s active after tax credit loss

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(Credit: Tesla)

Tesla benefits from an incentive program in Texas that has become active following the loss of the $7,500 EV tax credit, which was a significant advantage for EV drivers.

In Texas, the State Commission on Environmental Quality has a grant program for light-duty motor vehicles that are either purchased or leased by consumers.

Referred to as the Light-Duty Motor Vehicle Purchase or Lease Incentive Program (LDPLIP), the program opened on October 13 and provides grants for consumers who want to buy new energy vehicles.

Will Tesla thrive without the EV tax credit? Five reasons why they might

The program allows for grants of up to $2,500 for electric or hydrogen fuel cell vehicles.

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These are the eligibility criteria:

  • Individuals or entities who purchase or lease an eligible vehicle on or after September 1, 2025, and who apply for or acquire title and registration of the vehicle in Texas
  • Applicants must have taken possession of the vehicle before applying
  • Applicants must commit to operating and registering the vehicle in Texas for at least one year

Additionally, the car must:

  • Be included on the TCEQ Eligible Vehicle List
  • Be new and must not have been the subject of any prior retail sale or lease
  • Have a gross vehicle weight rating of 10,000 pounds or less

They are awarded on a first-come, first-served basis.

The good news is that Tesla’s entire vehicle lineup, as of October 7, qualifies. Here is what the LDPLIP’s list of qualifying vehicles shows for Tesla:

  • Tesla Cybertruck AWD
  • Tesla Cybertruck Beast
  • Tesla Model S AWD
  • Tesla Model S Plaid
  • Tesla Model X AWD
  • Tesla Model X Plaid
  • Tesla Model Y Long Range RWD
  • Tesla Model Y Long Range AWD
  • Tesla Model Y Performance
  • Tesla Model 3 Long Range RWD
  • Tesla Model 3 Long Range AWD
  • Tesla Model 3 Performance

This list was published during the day of October 7, which is coincidentally the same day Tesla launched its Tesla Model 3 ‘Standard’ and Tesla Model Y ‘Standard.’

We reached out to the program to confirm that these vehicles qualify for that grant, and we will update when we hear back.

With the loss of the Federal EV Tax Credit, local programs are still available to help with the cost of an EV. Although electric cars are affordable, there are benefits to choosing one, especially as these grant programs continue to become available.

The full list of vehicles that qualify for the grant is available here.

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