Lifestyle
2014 – The Year of the Tesla Model S

2014 has been a year of amazing experiences one of which is my journey with owning a Tesla Model S.
I entered 2014 researching and thinking about purchasing a hybrid car to replace my aging high mileage Acura MDX but ended up buying a Tesla Model S. I couldn’t convince myself that having two separate power systems in a hybrid actually made sense plus the improvements in MPG was marginal at best. My quest to purchasing a new car turned out to be something much larger than I expected.
After benchmarking cost of ownership of a Tesla versus a new MDX, I was convinced that I could afford the Model S. That was the beginning of a wonderful journey to come.
Tesla Model S Ownership
Like many potential buyers, I was nervous about buying a crazy-expensive car from a high-tech startup that was a new player in the automotive world. While researching everything I could I encountered the Tesla Motors and the Tesla Motors Club forums and found an active and vibrant community of early adopters and potential owners. The Tesla community eased many of my fears and answered a lot of questions which ultimately helped me cope through the painful waiting phase until the day I took delivery of my Model S.
As I went through the process I realized that researching, buying, taking delivery and owning the Model S was going to be quite a different experience and adventure so I decided to document my journey by writing about it.
Tesla Lifestyle Community
I created a starter WordPress site and wrote my first “Hello World” post in March before test driving the Model S. Fast forward nine months and here I am with well over a 100 posts. I started actively engaging on Twitter via @teslaliving and made many friends along the way. I started this adventure as a small fish learning to swim in this great big sea, but 1,500 tweets and more than 1,000 followers later, I’m getting the hang of things and starting to find my niche as a voice within the Tesla community. This I find amazing.
As I continued to learn more about owning the Model S I wrote candidly about both the good and the bad. And despite being a a huge fan of Tesla and the Model S, I believe that constructive feedback helps people improve and get better with time (ie. shuffle anyone?).
By the end of the year I was writing independent product reviews (my leather jacket was seen in a coat hook ad!), writing joint posts and collaborating with other well known voices within the Tesla community such as Nick Howe and the TeslaOwnerBlog.
Engaging with the Tesla community has been an amazing experience. As time went on I realized that there was an even larger community out there, that of Electric Vehicle (EV) owners that are coming together to help educate and change the auto industry as a whole, and it’s been exciting to be a part of that larger community.
Giving Back
I felt a need to help the growing Tesla community beyond my writing.
There wasn’t a good way to keep track of all of the new developments of Tesla Motors so I decided to develop a Tesla monitoring system which emails and tweets as new Superchargers, Tesla Stores, Service Centers, and Model S versions are released. I’m actively working with a number of groups to help integrate these notices into their own initiatives and am excited to be a part of that.
I look forward to the day when Tesla opens up its APIs to third party developers so applications like VisibleTesla and dash apps such as Tesla Apps can take things to the next level.
The Future is Bright
Having just finished my solar installation project, the future is looking bright. Between my new Solar City installation and the new local Auburn, MA Supercharger location my electric bills should drop significantly.
I’m looking forward to measuring and reporting on my experiences with the Model S as I continue down the road of ownership and graduate from being a new owner to an experienced Model S owner especially having notched several Tesla road trips, services, and other experiences under my belt.
Tesla has made mind-blowing improvements to the Model S in 2014 with the announcement of autopilot, all wheel drive rounding and 691hp to an already amazing vehicle. Tesla’s rapid growth of the Supercharger network (over 330 Superchargers worldwide at the time of writing) has been impressive to watch and as a Model S owner and investor I truly believe the company has unlimited growth opportunity ahead.
2014 was an exciting year and certainly the year of the Model S but I’m equally excited about the upcoming year of the Model X.
I wish you all a Happy New Year and thank you for following along in my adventures.
Lifestyle
Tesla brings perhaps the coolest interior feature to cars in latest update
Tesla adds on to the “fun” aspect of its vehicles.

Tesla has brought perhaps the coolest interior feature to its cars in a new update that is rolling out to vehicles now.
The feature will require a newer vehicle that has interior ambient lighting, which is present on the new Model S, Model X, Model 3 “Highland,” and Model Y “Juniper.” The Cybertruck also has ambient lighting strips throughout.
Tesla Model Y’s ambient lighting design changes revealed in leaked video
With the Version 2025.26+ Software Update, Tesla is rolling out a new “Sync Accent Lights w/ Music” feature, which is available on the Tesla Toybox:
Turn your Tesla into a rave cave with the new Light Sync feature 🎶
Rolling out now in software update 2025.26+ pic.twitter.com/IIsQxZ9jDP
— Tesla (@Tesla) July 29, 2025
To enable the feature, you’ll access the Toybox, choose “Light Sync,” and then choose “Sync Accent Lights w/ Music.”
Although it does not improve the performance of the vehicle, it is yet another example of Tesla making one of the coolest cars out there. This is truly a cool add-on that can be used to impress your friends and family.
Elon Musk
xAI, Musk Foundation helps schools near Memphis supercomputer site
Reports of xAI and the Musk Foundation’s work were recently posted by local news media.

Elon Musk’s artificial intelligence startup xAI and the Musk Foundation have been supporting Memphis-Shelby County Schools with HVAC repairs and facility upgrades, while also funding youth programs for students in the area.
Reports of xAI and the Musk Foundation’s work were recently posted by local news media.
xAI’s school visits lead to facility repairs
Representatives from xAI visited John P. Freeman Optional School, Fairley High School, and Westwood High School, all of which are located near its Colossus supercomputer site, to assess HVAC systems, plumbing, gym facilities, and athletic fields. The visits resulted in a list of priority repairs, some of which were completed in April and May.
In addition to the repairs, xAI also shared a number of initiatives that are planned for students in the area, as stated in a Commercial Appeal report.
“xAI is working on providing STEM workshops for local students, donating equipment to technical training programs, and supporting job fairs to boost employment opportunities. These initiatives reflect xAl’s commitment to fostering education and economic growth in Memphis,” xAI noted in a statement.
Musk Foundation donation
Apart from xAI, the Musk Foundation also donated $350,000 to the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Memphis, enabling the reopening of two club sites located at Booker T. Washington High School and Westwood High School. Both locations had closed earlier this year due to lapses in funding. As per xAI, the Musk Foundation’s donation allows clubs to reopen for almost 1,000 students.
The donation will fund staffing, supplies, and transportation, among others. “Kids are the future of humanity,” Elon Musk said in a statement, adding that students need “every chance to shoot for the stars.”
“We’re honored to support the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Memphis in reopening these sites, giving kids in underserved communities the tools to build brighter futures,” Musk said.
The gift was praised by local officials, including Boys & Girls Clubs board chair Michael Garriga, who stated that the “commitment will ensure the youth of our community have the opportunities they need to develop their skills and talents to become successful students and future citizens.”
Lifestyle
EV fans urge Tesla to acquire Unplugged Performance for edge in fleet and security industry
Unplugged Performance has built a name for itself by producing performance upgrades for Tesla vehicles.

A growing number of Tesla enthusiasts and longtime community voices are calling on the electric vehicle maker to acquire Unplugged Performance, a California-based aftermarket company best known for tuning Tesla vehicles and developing specialized government fleet solutions under its UP.FIT division.
The idea was once considered a niche proposal among EV fans, but it is now gaining serious attention not just as a performance play but as a strategic move to deepen Tesla’s roots in the fleet and security industry.
A strategic fit
Unplugged Performance has built a name for itself by producing performance upgrades for Tesla vehicles, from track-optimized components to visual and aerodynamic upgrades. But in recent years, its UP.FIT division has pivoted toward a more functional future by outfitting Tesla vehicles like Model Ys for police, military, and government use.
That work has sparked growing calls for closer collaboration with Tesla, especially as the EV maker increasingly leans into autonomy, AI, and fleet services as core components of its next chapter.
“I posted this four years ago, but I think it’s more true now than ever,” wrote Whole Mars Catalog, a well-known Tesla investor and FSD Beta tester, on X. “Tesla should buy Unplugged. But not just as a Performance division. What they are doing with UP.FIT unlocks large government and commercial fleet purchases that can improve utilization.”
Tesla fans such as shareholder Sawyer Merritt echoed the sentiment, calling Unplugged a “great fit within Tesla.” adding, “They are literally located directly next to Tesla’s design studio in Hawthorne.”
Enabling the next wave
Supporters of the idea noted that integrating Unplugged into Tesla’s corporate structure could help accelerate the adoption of autonomous technologies in government sectors. With UP.FIT patrol cars already in use across some U.S. police departments, Tesla fans envisioned a future where self-driving Teslas could potentially revolutionize law enforcement, search-and-rescue, and public service logistics.
“Just imagine how autonomous patrol cars could transform policing and bring us into a safer future,” the veteran FSD tester wrote.
The benefits could also extend to Tesla’s existing consumer base. “They also have some incredible products in the works that I think will appeal to many ordinary Tesla drivers — not just those looking for performance or mods. Stuff that’s so good it should have come straight from the design studio next door,” Whole Mars Catalog noted.
Unplugged Performance, founded in 2013, shares not just a product vision with Tesla, but also geography. Its Hawthorne headquarters sits directly adjacent to Tesla’s design studio, and the two companies have maintained a close working relationship over the years. The aftermarket firm has long positioned itself as a “mission-aligned” partner to Tesla.
In response to the recent calls for acquisition, Unplugged Performance acknowledged the support from the community. “Our very existence is to support the Tesla mission with @UpfitTesla and @UnpluggedTesla,” Unplugged CEO Ben Schaffer posted on X. “We love working with Tesla and are grateful for the community’s support since 2013!”
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