Lifestyle
Tesla’s latest referral program prize includes Tesla Semi unveiling event invitation
Tesla introduced yet another referral program today, the company’s ninth since its July, 2015 inception date. In an email sent to existing Model S and Model X owners, and through a posting on the company’s website, Tesla revealed that participants of its most recent referral program who refer 5 or more vehicle sales will have the opportunity to attend the Tesla Semi unveiling event that’s slated for September 28, 2017.
According to the details outlined in Tesla’s latest referral program, existing owners also have the power to gift free unlimited Supercharging to their choice of five friends that are looking to purchase a Model S or Model X. Other prizes include Radio Flyer’s Tesla Model S for Kids, early access to Tesla’s Solar Roof, and a Founders Series Powerwall 2.
“As a thank you, we will send you a drivable Tesla Model S for Kids with your first referral. With two referrals, you will receive early access to Solar Roof. Tesla owners with three referrals will receive a set of four 21” forged‑aluminum Arachnid wheels. Other awards include a Founders Series Powerwall 2 and a VIP invitation for two to our Tesla Semi Truck Unveil Event.” says Tesla through email.
Today’s program overlaps with the previous referral program which is set to end on June 15, 2017. Because of the overlap, Tesla says that referrals obtained in the last program will also count towards current awards in the new program.
We’ve provided the full details of the newest Tesla Referral Program below. Model S and Model X buyers looking to save $1,000 off the purchase price and receive free unlimited Supercharging, for life, are welcomed to use our referral code.
REFERRAL PROGRAM (May 19 to Dec. 31, 2017)
Starting May 19, 2017, Tesla owners can give five friends free unlimited Supercharging and a $1,000 credit toward a new Model S or Model X with their personal referral code. As a thank you, owners will be eligible to receive exclusive Referral Program awards, including:
1 Qualifying Referral: Founders Series Tesla Model S for Kids
Share the Tesla experience with your kids, with this miniature drivable electric Model S – including working headlights, a sound system, and a charge port, just like yours.
2 Qualifying Referrals: Early Access Token for Solar Roof
Be one of the first to get Solar Roof with this early-access token for priority scheduling of a Solar Roof installation. If you do not use this award, the token may be given to a friend.
3 Qualifying Referrals: 21” Arachnid Wheels
Enhance the performance of your Model S with exclusive 21” forged-aluminum Arachnid wheels in silver. These are not available to the public and will be available for installation in August for winners in this program.
4 Qualifying Referrals: Founders Series Powerwall 2
Store energy for future use and provide backup power with this red, limited-production Powerwall 2 home battery. This edition is not available to the public and will be available for installation starting Fall 2017 for winners in this program. Installation charges may apply.
5 Qualifying Referrals: Tesla Semi Truck Unveil Invitation
Experience the official unveil of our semi truck on September 28, 2017. Your VIP invitation is valid for you and one guest.
Ludicrous P100D Model S or Model X and Private SpaceX Tours
Each qualified referral gets you one entry into our Referral Program drawing. The next drawing will take place on June 30, 2017.
Ludicrous P100D Model S or Model X + Private SpaceX Tour: One referrer will win a Ludicrous P100D Model S or Model X as well as a private tour for four of the SpaceX headquarters in Los Angeles, including travel and accommodations. SpaceX designs, manufactures and launches advanced rockets and spacecraft. SpaceX headquarters is not open to the public.
SpaceX Tour: Five referrers will win a tour for four of the SpaceX headquarters in Los Angeles, including travel and accommodations.
Thank you for helping to accelerate our transition to sustainable energy.
Limits
Related order must be placed between May 19, 2017 and December 31, 2017. Owners with one or more referrals in the previous phase between March 16, 2017 and May 19, 2017 will be eligible for both updated and previous phase awards until June 15, 2017. Referral order vehicles must be actually delivered to qualify for awards. Pre-owned vehicles are not eligible. Model 3 orders are not eligible. Limit of 5 referrals per owner. Referral code must be applied at the time of order and cannot be added after the order has been placed. Free unlimited Supercharging will only apply to the original vehicle owner and only for the duration of original vehicle ownership.
Must be at least 18 years old to be eligible for awards. No entry fee, payment or purchase required for the drawing. A random drawing will be held on or around June 30, 2017 to determine the winners, who will be contacted thereafter. Awards are non-transferable and not redeemable for cash. The customer is responsible for all taxes and local requirements and fees. Customers are responsible for their own travel and accommodations unless otherwise specified. SpaceX tours are subject to the visitor meeting facility entrance eligibility criteria. Program and awards are conditional on and subject to local laws and regulations. Unfortunately, Ohio and Virginia residents are not eligible for awards.
The customer may not be an employee, legal representative or partner of Tesla or any Affiliate of Tesla. Nothing in the Referral Program shall be deemed to create any kind of relationship between the referrer and Tesla or any of Tesla’s Affiliates. The referrer has no authority to represent or bind Tesla. Terms and conditions are subject to change. Some awards including the Semi Unveil Invitation may be updated on or after August 15, 2017.
Good Faith
We introduce programs such as these in good faith and expect the same good faith in return. Please note that we may withhold awards where we believe customers are acting in bad faith or otherwise acting contrary to the intent of this program. To be clear, commercializing or otherwise selling referral codes is not appropriate, and we will not honor such codes. We cannot cover every nefarious scenario, nor will we attempt to, but we do promise to be fair and reasonable.
Lifestyle
Tesla teases “Halloween Mode” update with Optimus rising from a graveyard
Tesla’s Halloween teaser hides a covered vehicle and an Optimus hand rising from the ground.
Tesla has started teasing a Halloween software update for its vehicles, with a short clip on X that reads, “Halloween is coming.” The clip opens on a glowing pumpkin before pulling back to the car’s center touchscreen, where the usual parked visualization has been replaced by a graveyard scene, and the vehicle draped with a white sheet so it reads as a cartoon ghost.
Halloween is coming pic.twitter.com/lM3ASUeOqX
— Tesla (@Tesla) October 1, 2026
The second detail is a robotic hand clawing its way out of the dirt like a zombie, which looks to be the hand of Tesla’s latest Optimus V3 humanoid robot. While Tesla still has not formally shown Optimus Gen 3 walking around in service, renders pulled from Tesla’s Android app last month gave the clearest look yet, including far more refined hands that Tesla has said carry 22 degrees of freedom. The hand has been the hardest part of the program. Musk has called it the majority of the robot’s engineering difficulty, and Tesla’s patents describe a design driven by tendons with the actuators moved into the forearm.
Tesla Optimus V3 hand and arm details revealed in new patents
Optimus also has a Halloween track record. Last October the robot handed out candy in Times Square, and a costumed “zombie” Optimus shuffled around the Tesla Diner in Los Angeles on Halloween night.
On the software side, Tesla’s 2025 Holiday Update expanded Santa Mode with a Santa sleigh, snowmen, snow effects, and a festive lock chime, so it wouldn’t be too far fetched if we saw something similar but themed for a Halloween Mode.
Lifestyle
Tesla’s newest feature lets you floor it out of a Supercharger while plugged in
Tesla’s new Emergency Drive Away feature lets owners flee a Supercharger while still plugged in.
Tesla has given drivers a way to escape while a vehicle is plugged-in at a Supercharger, in the event of an emergency. The company’s charging team announced a new feature on X called Emergency Drive Away, which lets a driver shift into Drive and pull away while the charging cable is still connected to the car.
Until now, a Tesla would not leave Park with a charge cable plugged in. Drivers had to release the latch from the touchscreen, the Tesla app, or the button on the charge handle, then wait for the port to let go. Emergency Drive Away removes that lockout, but Tesla is clear that it comes at a cost. “Use of this feature will damage your vehicle and the Supercharger,” the company wrote, adding that the function is meant for emergencies only and that deliberate misuse will lead to “additional penalties.” Tesla did not say what those penalties are.
Emergency Drive Away lets you shift into Drive while still plugged into a Supercharger pic.twitter.com/40GSzyP4lG
— Tesla Charging (@TeslaCharging) October 1, 2026
The in-car prompt is just as direct, with the warning reading: “Driving with the cable connected will cause damage to your vehicle and the Supercharger. Short camera recordings will be shared with Tesla.” That footage gives Tesla a way to separate a real emergency from someone who simply did not want to wait for the latch.
The feature requires software update 2026.38.3, and Tesla said in replies to owners that it works at every Supercharger in the United States without new stall hardware. Model S and Model X vehicles built before 2021 are not supported, and the company says the feature applies to U.S. Superchargers “for now,” leaving Canada and other markets out at launch.
Tesla Supercharger argument leads to tragic shooting incident
Tesla did not tie the announcement to any specific event, but it arrives two months after a gunman opened fire at an In-N-Out in Twin Falls, Idaho, on August 1, targeting three people in two Teslas at the neighboring Supercharger. One of them, a 66 year old man from Salt Lake City, was killed. Superchargers have been the scene of violence before, including a fatal shooting at a station near Denver in 2023.
In the weeks after Twin Falls, owners pushed Tesla for a native way to escape a stall, and many pointed back to EVject, the aftermarket breakaway connector Tesla sued in 2024 over claims it lacked overtemperature protection. The two companies later reached an agreement that led EVject to recall its earlier connectors in favor of a version with thermal sensors.
Our mission has always been about providing peace of mind and eliminating sitting duck scenarios.
We patented the built-in breakaway charger tip on Feb 15, 2023. Awarded Jan 30, 2024. Then shared the designs with @TeslaCharging
Thank you @Tesla for rolling out a solution. This… https://t.co/djOzswLw9N
— EVject (@EVject) October 2, 2026
Tesla’s Automatic Collision Evasion feature can be seen in one of the first owner videos of it in action.
Tesla owner Spencer (@scotsrule08) posted on Monday that the feature “worked flawlessly,” saying FSD reengaged itself just as he was about to hit a curb. Ashok Elluswamy, who leads Tesla’s AI team, shared the clip and wrote, “A guardian angel always looking out for you.”
The video arrives in the middle of a staged rollout. Tesla first shipped Automatic Collision Evasion with FSD (Supervised) v14.3.9 in software update 2026.27.6 earlier this month, which Teslarati covered as it reached cars. Update 2026.27.10, which began going out on September 19, carried the feature improvements with FSD v14.3.10, according to release notes tracked by Not a Tesla App. The newer 2026.27.11 build is now reaching another wave of vehicles.
The new Automatic Collision Evasion feature worked flawlessly! FSD reengaged itself just as I was about to hit a curb.
Kudos @Tesla_AI team! 👏 pic.twitter.com/Fbp15HhpL2
— Spencer (@scotsrule08) September 28, 2026
The feature only runs on HW4 vehicles, and it requires an active FSD purchase or subscription with both FSD (Supervised) and Automatic Emergency Braking enabled. HW3 owners receive FSD v14.2 Lite in the same updates, but that build does not include collision evasion.
Tesla’s release notes describe two triggers. The first is an imminent frontal collision that braking alone may not prevent, in which case the car can activate FSD to steer, brake or accelerate around the hazard. That scenario is limited to highways below 85 mph, with no pedestrians or cyclists detected and no slippery road surface. The second covers a driver who appears inattentive, such as reaching into the back seat, or who seems to have switched off FSD by accident. Spencer’s curb clip appears to fall into that second category.
Tesla plans big safety improvements for Full Self-Driving v15
Once the system takes over, the accelerator is muted and light brake input will not cancel the maneuver. Drivers need to apply firm, deliberate steering force to take back control, and the car chimes to hand control back once the danger has passed.
Elluswamy recently noted that earlier hazard prediction, faster reaction time and better collision avoidance would arrive with FSD v15, the next major version.
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