Lifestyle

Behind the Scenes of Tesla’s First ‘Weekend Social’ Event

Published

9 years ago

April 18, 2016

On Thursday, Tesla sent an email to owners to introduce the Tesla Weekend Social program.

This program, a way to get local owners together in one place, promised a light breakfast and a chance to engage and learn more about new features. Having already been planning to get together with some local owners the same day and time, the whole group of us decided to attend Tesla’s official event instead.

We arrived right on time at 10:00am to quite a few other Teslas pulling in at the same time. As expected, every charger was already in use and the parking lot space on both sides of the Devon, PA Service Center location had quite a few cars – no doubt including those in for service as well as yet-to-be-delivered new cars.

There was a light breakfast, as promised, including bagels, pastries, fruit and coffee from Panera Bread. For at least 30 minutes, guests were free to eat, roam and mingle. Some sat in the waiting room to eat, others stood around chatting. There was a white Model X available for viewing and climbing in. I, for one, got inside and really played around with the seating, steering wheel and mirror positions. As expected, there is a generous range of seating options to grant my petite stature visibility. I also have no issues with the Model S, so this wasn’t a surprise.

After a while, the main Tesla employee responsible for the event (Bryan) made an announcement to gather us all around. I was pleased that by this point, I had already learned that the guests ranged from long time owners to those waiting for delivery to a woman who was just returning a 2 day test drive Model S and was seriously in love. We were welcomed and told that Tesla wanted to bring owners together to showcase and demonstrate some new features as well as gain feedback. There were cars set up outside to show us how to use the summon, parallel park and perpendicular park features. Plenty of owners and soon-to-be owners flocked toward those demonstrations once they started, so it appears that even those with AP-enabled cars were unsure of or hadn’t yet used these new features.

“the very first software update on Model S – introducing creep mode – was born from owner feedback”

The conversation inside flowed informally with members of the crowd offering questions and feedback, which was something our host Bryan mentioned wanting. He emphasized many times just how valuable owner feedback is and that Tesla takes both positive and negative feedback very seriously. In fact, he told us that the very first software update on Model S – introducing creep mode – was born from owner feedback. He also confirmed what we already suspect, which is that Tesla does monitor their own forums. By monitor, I really mean monitor, so we were encouraged to keep up the good work giving feedback. As he seemed to expect by a playful comment he made, the conversation turned to charging. Everyone is interested in more Superchargers, specifically at certain hot locations that are currently unserved.

Tesla plans to double the number of Superchargers between now and when Model 3 deliveries really get rolling, but as we know their charger plans don’t always pan out. Much of the discussion was around the newer features with one gentleman making a wonderful suggestion to have a learning mode where you can park your car in your garage while in this mode and have it memorize your position. This would probably be perfect for another guest whose feedback was that he can’t use Summon to get his car into his garage due to a center pole that the car just seems bent on getting too close to comfort to. Other feedback was that eventually, the car needs to know how to handle driveways that are not a straight line out of the garage, as well as have a higher tolerance for driveways on an incline with lipped garage openings.

Tesla Weekend Social gathering at the Devon, PA Store and Service Center

Once we were done chatting, we all made our way outside to see some of the demonstrations. As someone who is well versed in the features, I hung back and chatted with other owners. As always, this was the highlight of the event. Some of them I already knew and others were my pleasure to meet. One couple that seemed too shy to join the group and stood alone turned out to be soon-to-be owners in the midst of a wait for a 70D. They already have an outlet in their garage, it just needs the car.

For more than an hour I chatted with what felt like half of the 4 dozen guests about everything from Model 3 speculations to overlapping day jobs (it’s a small world!) and everything in between. This car, as most owners and enthusiasts already know, has a very unique way of turning people into true believers. There is no shortage of things to discuss about the Tesla experience, be it at an intentional meet up or a happenstance Supercharger encounter. (My latest Supercharger experience led me to an 11 year old who knew more than I did about Tesla and let me try out his super cool electric skateboard!)

Tesla hit a home run with this idea and I encourage every owner to attend the Tesla Weekend Social to enjoy the company of other owners and make your voice heard to Tesla.

Elon Musk seemingly confirms Cybertruck gift to 13-year-old cancer fighter

Diagnosed in 2018 with a rare form of brain and spine cancer with no cure, the teen has undergone 13 surgeries by the time he was 12.

Published

2 weeks ago

March 6, 2025

Simon Alvarez

Credit: Tesla

Elon Musk has seemingly confirmed that he will be sending a Tesla Cybertruck to 13-year-old Devarjaye “DJ” Daniel, a 13-year-old Houston boy fighting brain cancer. The teen was recognized as an honorary Secret Service member by U.S. President Donald Trump during his address to Congress on Tuesday.

A Chance Meeting

The Tesla CEO’s Cybertruck pledge was mentioned during DJ’s short interview with CNN’s Kaitlan Collins. When Collins asked the 13-year-old what he told the Tesla CEO, DJ answered that he asked for a Cybertruck.

“I said, ‘can you do me a big favor, when you get back to Houston can you send us a Cybertruck down there?’” the cancer fighter stated.

Daniel noted that Musk responded positively to his request, which was highlighted by Collins in a post on X. Musk responded to the post with a heart emoji, suggesting that he really will be sending a Cybertruck to the 13-year-old cancer fighter.

❤️— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) March 6, 2025

Teen’s Cancer Battle Inspires

Diagnosed in 2018 with a rare form of brain and spine cancer with no cure, Daniel has undergone 13 surgeries by the time he was 12. During his speech, Trump highlighted the 13-year-old’s long battle with his disease.

“Joining us in the gallery tonight is a young man who truly loves our police. The doctors gave him five months at most to live. That was more than six years ago. Since that time, DJ and his dad have been on a quest to make his dream come true,” Trump stated.

Daniels officially received an honorary badge from U.S. Secret Service Director Sean Curran, to much applause during the event.

Surprisingly Partisan

While Daniels’ story has been inspiring, Trump’s focus on the 13-year-old cancer fighter has received its own fair share of criticism. MSNBC host Nicolle Wallace, while referencing Daniels’ love for law enforcement, noted that she is hoping the 13-year-old never has to defend the U.S. capitol against Trump supporters. “If he does, I hope he isn’t one of the six who loses his life to suicide,” Wallace stated.

Anti-Musk and Trump accounts on X have also thrown jokes at the cancer fighter’s honorary badge, with some dubbing the 13-year-old as a “DEI hire” that should be looked into by DOGE.

Lifestyle

Tesla owner highlights underrated benefit of FSD Supervised

Published

2 months ago

January 31, 2025

Simon Alvarez

Credit: Tesla

Elon Musk has been pretty open about the idea of FSD being the difference maker for Tesla’s future.

If Tesla succeeds in achieving FSD, it could become the world’s most valuable company. If it doesn’t, then the company would not be able to reach its optimum potential.

FSD Supervised’s safety benefits:

But even if FSD is still not perfect today, FSD Supervised is already making a difference on the roads today.
This was highlighted in Tesla’s Q4 2024 Vehicle Safety Report.
As per Tesla, it recorded one crash for every 5.94 million miles driven in which drivers were using Autopilot technology.
For comparison, the most recent data available from the NHTSA and FHWA (from 2023) showed that there was one automobile crash every 702,000 miles in the United States.

This morning, Tesla FSD proved to be an absolute godsend. I had to take my brother-in-law to the hospital in Sugar Land, TX, which is 40 miles away, at the ungodly hour of 4 AM. Both of us were exhausted, and he was understandably anxious about the surgery.

The convenience of…
— JC Christopher (@JohnChr08117285) January 29, 2025

FSD user’s tale:

As per an FSD user’s post on social media platform X, FSD Supervised was able to help him drive a relative to a medical facility safely even if he was exhausted.
During the trip, the driver only had to monitor FSD Supervised’s performance to make sure the Tesla operated safely.
In a vehicle without FSD, such a trip with an exhausted driver would have been quite dangerous.
“This morning, Tesla FSD proved to be an absolute godsend. I had to take my brother-in-law to the hospital in Sugar Land, TX, which is 40 miles away, at the ungodly hour of 4 AM. Both of us were exhausted, and he was understandably anxious about the surgery.
“The convenience of sending the hospital’s address directly from my iPhone to my Tesla while still inside my house, then just a single button press once inside, and 40 miles later we were precisely in front of the hospital’s admissions area.This experience really underscores just how transformative this technology can be for society,” Tesla owner JC Christopher noted in his post.

Don’t hesitate to contact us with news tips. Just send a message to simon@teslarati.com to give us a heads up.

Lifestyle

Tesla Optimus “stars” in incredible fanmade action short film

Published

2 months ago

January 14, 2025

Simon Alvarez

Credit: @SoKrispyMedia/YouTube

There are few things that prove an enthusiast’s love towards a company more than a dedicated short film. This was highlighted recently when YouTube’s SoKrispyMedia posted a 10-minute action movie starring Optimus, Tesla’s humanoid robot, as well as several of the company’s most iconic products.

The video:

Shot like a Hollywood action flick, the video featured a rather humorous plot involving a group of thieves that mistakenly targeted a Tesla Model 3 driver.
The Model 3 driver then ended up speaking to Tesla for assistance, and some high-octane and high-speed hijinks ensued.
While the short film featured several Tesla products like the Model 3, Superchargers, and the Cybertruck, it is Optimus that truly stole the show.
Optimus served several roles in the short film, from an assistant in a Tesla office to a “robocop” enforcer that helped out the Model 3 driver.

Future Robo-cop @Tesla_Optimus

full video: https://t.co/TXpSRhcP5K pic.twitter.com/YFHZ7siAP7
— SOKRISPYMEDIA (@sokrispymedia) January 12, 2025

Cool inside jokes:

The best Tesla videos are those that show an in-depth knowledge of the company, and SoKrispyMedia definitely had it.
From the opening scenes alone, the video immediately poked fun at TSLA traders, the large number of gray Tesla owners, and the fact that many still do not understand Superchargers.
The video even poked fun at Tesla’s software updates, as well as how some Tesla drivers use Autopilot or other features without reading the fine print in the company’s release notes.
The video ended with a tour de force of references to Elon Musk products, from the Tesla Cybertruck to the Boring Company Not-a-Flamethrower, which was released back in 2018.

Check out SoKrispyMedia’s Tesla action short film in the video below.