Lifestyle
Bringing a Tesla to a Car Show
Northeast Philadelphia is perhaps the most perfect example of a classic, blue-collar town in America. With a population of 300,000 in this section of the city alone, it certainly has enough size to qualify as its own town. Filled with trademark row homes, it is densely populated and tight-knit, with many families choosing to settle mere blocks from where one or both adults grew up.
If Americans of all ages and backgrounds can agree on one thing, it’s that we love our cars! Specifically, we love American Muscle. There were no fewer than two dozen mustangs at this year’s Car Show, sponsored by a local oldies radio station (WOGL) and the credit union whose property it was held on. In fact, the gentleman who was parked beside me had one of the most beautiful mustangs I’ve ever seen. So it’s almost sad that he spent the entire day watching lines of people waiting to talk to me about my Tesla.
“Make no mistake about it, the shift has happened.”
In May of 2015, I decided to participate in this Car Show. It was the first time I had ever done so, but with our Model S all shined up and ready to be shown, I went home with a beautiful trophy. I spent all day fielding questions and several times being told that “I need gas” or “I’d miss the sound” or “it’s just not the same.” This from traditional gear heads, so I was always gracious. Overall people were positive and pleasant – plus very curious – but most hadn’t ever heard of Tesla.
368 days later? I estimate that more than 75% of the people I spoke with had heard of the car. A solid 50% knew exactly what it was and knew at least one thing about it. Unlike the few that thought they knew something about it last year, almost every fact I overheard someone claiming was true. “This car technically scored over 5 stars in safety,” “They’re making one that starts at $35,000 soon,” and “It’s both designed and built right here in America!” were some of things I was happy to hear.
As of today, it is still true that Tesla has not spent any money on placement or advertising in traditional mediums. There are no billboards, no glossy magazine spreads and certainly no commercials during the Super Bowl. Tesla has relied on word of mouth, social media and a really nice boost from the local news (overheard today: “I saw it on Channel 6, people were lining up!”) to get more and more Americans familiar with this idea of an electric car.
For this reason, I urge every owner, if you have the chance, to bring your Tesla to a local car show.
This year, I opened not to technically register my car for judgement. I was there just for the simple joy of getting to talk about it all day, as well as doing my duty to spread the word about the car.
Here are some of my favorite memories:
- Jay from near Hamilton New Jersey was well versed on the Superchargers in town. He knows someone with a Tesla and had a “curious story” to tell me. That acquaintance got a letter from Tesla that he was using that charger too much. Jay was there with a wood-sided station wagon from the 1970s, but also owns a 1980s Ford Escort that had been modified and converted into a replica Batmobile from the 1960s TV show version. He was a charmer, and guessed me a PR professional with a future in broadcasting.
- Two very short and very mature ladies (better than 70 I’d guess) were at the show together. They had not heard of the car but had a ton of questions. They were all very good, intelligent questions. Very quickly, one mentally calculated that the maintenance costs (or lack thereof) make this car totally worth it. I happen to agree.
- An electrician could not wait to ask me some specific questions about the amps/volts required to power this car. He made a very interesting observation. He likened this shift in technology to the advent and popular adoption of central air conditioning at home. He wanted to stay up-to-date knowing that all new homes built should probably be done with the ability to easily add a car charger in the garage, just like the accommodation of central air.
- Several folks who have already looked into or knew someone who was looking into buying this car. Remember, Northeast Philadelphia is a very traditional area, with modest wages and home values.
- Hundreds of men, women and children excitedly asking questions to understand what it’s like to live, drive and road trip with a Tesla. Some of whom stuck around for 10 minutes solid and really wanted to know everything.
I am so thrilled, if a little exhausted, at how differently the conversations today were framed compared to this time last year. Sure I had to tell people the same things we’re all used to repeating – around 250 miles; well it depends on the source of electricity but 1-2 hours per night; they invented these super fast chargers along major routes that are free – but this time they had heard of the car and wanted to know more.
Ford, Chevy and GM, be afraid. Be very afraid. Your key demographic has now heard of this not-so-little start up in California.
Here’s a Mustang, just for good measure.
Lifestyle
Tesla Semi hauls fresh Cybercab batch as Robotaxi era takes hold
A Tesla Semi was filmed hauling Cybercab units out of Giga Texas for the first time.
A Tesla Semi loaded with Cybercab units was recently filmed leaving Gigafactory Texas, marking what appears to be the first documented delivery run of Tesla’s autonomous two-seater. The footage shows multiple Cybercabs secured on a flatbed trailer being hauled by a production Tesla Semi, a truck rated for a gross combination weight of 82,000 lbs. The location is consistent with Giga Texas in Austin, where Cybercab production has been ramping since February 2026.
The sighting follows a wave of Cybercab activity at the Austin facility. In late April, drone operator Joe Tegtmeyer spotted approximately 60 Cybercabs parked in two organized groups in the factory’s outbound lot, the largest concentration observed to date. Units being staged in an outbound lot is a standard pre-delivery step, and the Semi footage is the logical next frame in that sequence.
En route with @tesla_semi pic.twitter.com/ZfuOjaeLH1
— Tesla Robotaxi (@robotaxi) May 7, 2026
This is not the first time Tesla has used its own Semi to move Tesla products. When the Semi was unveiled in 2017, Musk noted it would be used for Tesla’s own operations, and over the years Semi prototypes were spotted carrying cargo ranging from concrete weights to Tesla vehicles being delivered to consumers. In 2023, a Semi was photographed transporting a Cybertruck on a trailer ahead of that vehicle’s delivery launch.
The Cybercab itself was first revealed publicly at Tesla’s “We, Robot” event on October 10, 2024, at Warner Bros. Studios in Burbank, where 20 pre-production units gave attendees rides around the studio lot. Musk stated at the event that Tesla intends to produce the Cybercab before 2027. The first production unit rolled off the Giga Texas line on February 17, 2026, with Musk posting on X: “Congratulations to the Tesla team on making the first production Cybercab.”
Tesla’s annual production goal is 2 million Cybercabs per year once multiple factories reach full design capacity, with the company targeting a price under $30,000 per unit. Tesla has confirmed plans to expand its robotaxi service to seven cities in the first half of 2026, including Dallas, Houston, Phoenix, Miami, Orlando, Tampa, and Las Vegas, building on the unsupervised service already running in Austin. Musk has said he expects robotaxis to cover between a quarter and half of the United States by end of year.
Tesla has taken home the “Overall Loyalty to Make” award from S&P Global Mobility for the fourth consecutive year, reinforcing Tesla owners’ willingness to come back. The 2025 awards are based on S&P Global Mobility’s analysis of 13.6 million new retail vehicle registrations in the U.S. from October 2024 through September 2025. The complete list of 2025 winners includes General Motors for Overall Loyalty to Manufacturer, Tesla for Overall Loyalty to Make, Chevrolet Equinox for Overall Loyalty to Model, Mini for Most Improved Make Loyalty, Subaru for Overall Loyalty to Dealer, and Tesla again for both Ethnic Market Loyalty to Make and Highest Conquest Percentage.
Tesla’s streak in this category started in 2022, and the brand has now won the Highest Conquest Percentage award for six straight years, meaning it keeps pulling buyers away from other brands at a rate no competitor has matched. Tesla’s retention among Asian households reached 63.6% and among Hispanic households 61.9%, rates that significantly outpace national averages for those groups. That breadth of appeal across demographics adds a layer of significance to a win that some might dismiss as routine.
The timing matters too. After several consecutive quarters of decline, Tesla’s share of U.S. EV sales jumped to 59% in Q4 2025. That rebound, arriving just as competitors were flooding the market with new models and incentives, suggests Tesla’s loyalty numbers are not simply the result of limited alternatives. Buyers are still choosing it when they have plenty of other options.
What keeps Tesla owners coming back has a lot to do with the and convenience of charging. The Supercharger network is the most straightforward example. With over 65,000 Superchargers globally, it remains the largest and most reliable fast-charging network in the world, and owners who have built their routines around it face a real practical cost when considering a switch. Competitors have made progress, but the consistency, speed, and availability of Tesla’s network is still the benchmark the rest of the industry is chasing. Then there is the software side. Tesla has built a model where the car you own today is functionally different from the car you bought two years ago, through over-the-air updates that add continuous game-changing improvements such as Full Self-Driving that has moved from a driver-assist feature to an increasingly capable autonomous system. For many Tesla owners, leaving the brand means starting over with a car that will not get meaningfully better over time, and that is a trade-off fewer and fewer are willing to make.
Cybertruck
Tesla Cybercab just rolled through Miami inside a glass box
Tesla paraded a Cybercab in a glass display at Miami’s F1 Grand Prix event this week.
Tesla set up an “Autonomy Pop-Up” at Lummus Park in Miami Beach from April 29 through May 3, 2026, embedded within the official F1 Miami Grand Prix Fan Fest. The centerpiece was a Cybertruck towing the Cybercab inside a glass display case marked “Future is Autonomous,” rolling through the beachfront crowd.
Miami is on Tesla’s confirmed list of cities for robotaxi expansion in the first half of 2026, making the promotion a strategic promotion that lays groundwork in a target market.
This was not Tesla’s first time using Miami as a showcase city. In December 2025, Tesla hosted “The Future of Autonomy Visualized” at its Miami Design District showroom, coinciding with Art Basel Miami Beach. That event featured the Cybercab prototype and Optimus robots interacting with attendees. The F1 pop-up this week marks Tesla’s return to Miami and follows a pattern Tesla has been running since early 2026. Just two weeks before Miami, Tesla stationed Optimus at the Tesla Boston Boylston Street showroom on April 19 and 20, directly on the final stretch of the Boston Marathon, letting tens of thousands of runners and spectators meet the robot for free, generating massive earned media at zero advertising cost.
Tesla is sending its humanoid Optimus robot to the Boston Marathon
Tesla has confirmed plans to expand its robotaxi service to seven cities in the first half of 2026, including Dallas, Houston, Phoenix, Miami, Orlando, Tampa, and Las Vegas, building on the unsupervised service already running in Austin. Musk has said he expects robotaxis to cover between a quarter and half of the United States by end of year. On the production side, Musk told shareholders that the Cybercab manufacturing process could eventually produce up to 5 million vehicles per year, targeting a cycle time of one unit every ten seconds. Scaling robotaxis to 10 million operational units over the next ten years is a key condition of his compensation package, alongside selling 20 million passenger vehicles.
As for the Cybercab’s price, Musk has said buyers will be able to purchase one for under $30,000, with an average operating cost around $0.20 per mile. Whether those numbers hold through full production remains to be seen.
Cybercab at F1 Fan Fest in Miami
by
u/Joshalander in
teslamotors
Tesla Semi gets strange-but-understandable comparison from Jay Leno
Tesla expands its mass-market color palette in the U.S.
