Tesla Model S
Charging the Tesla Model S with the HPWC
When I was buying my Model S I decided that I didn’t need the High Power Wall Charger (HPWC), but I did go with the dual chargers. At home I regularly charge on a NEMA 14-50 which gives me about 28 miles per 1 hour of charge, but with the onboard dual chargers it’s possible to double that rate provided you’re using the proper charger.
My office is across the street from the Tesla store in Natick, MA and they have free charging available in 6 parking spots with a couple of HPWCs a short walk away. The other day I skipped my nightly charge and parked in one of the HPWC spots at the mall for a charge the next morning.
Tesla HPWC
The HPWC does not require any special adapters or additional cables and simply plugs into the Model S. It charges at up to 80A when equipped with the Model S dual chargers, but even without it things still work – just at half the charge rate. That’s what I love about the Tesla. Even if you know nothing about voltages, amperages and watts, things just work. Just plug, play and Tesla manages the rest.
Charging
Unlike the Tesla Supercharger which uses a direct current (DC) that bypasses the onboard chargers, the HPWC uses a more traditional alternating current (AC) approach, but with a very high amp draw.
There are very few public chargers out there that can charge at over 40A, and the ones that do probably don’t have a Tesla Model S adapter such as the CHAdeMO.
Editor’s note: Tesla Motors loaned PlugShare a custom CHAdeMO to Model S adapter for their epic 12,000+ mile journey.
The Model S has the ability to charge at different amperages depending on your setting. The rate is limited by both your car’s ability (40A or 80A for single or dual chargers respectively) and the maximum draw allowed by your power source. Make sure your charge rate is set to the highest limit before plugging into a HPWC in order to maximize your rate of charge. The charge rate settings should be auto-memorized by the vehicle based on your GPS location.
Charge Rate
After I confirmed that the car was charging, I walked to my office while monitoring my state of charge through the iOS app. It reported the charge rate to be about 50 miles/hour (208v at 81A) which confirmed that my dual chargers were working since I was charging twice as fast as my home NEMA 14-50.
To validate the rate of charge I timed the charge and recorded the reported rated range. I started charging at 8:30am and stopped at 11:07 AM (a 90% charge limit was set). I went from 106 miles of rated range to 240 miles of rated range. So I added 134 miles in 2.6 hours for an actual charge rate of 51.2 miles/hour.
I’ve heard about charge rates tapering off as your near the upper limits of your charge, but in my case it charged at the same rate all the way to a 90% limit. I’m assuming that the charge rate begins to slow down after the 90% mark, but unfortunately I didn’t have a chance to confirm that this time around.
Summary
My main goal was to be able to test my onboard dual chargers – something I debated long and hard on when ordering my Model S. I wanted to see them in action and gain peace of mind that they’re there and ready for fast charging if I should one day need it while on the road without access to a Tesla Supercharger.
The HPWC worked great and provided a high rate of charge that was twice the speed of my home NEMA 14-50. But even with that I still don’t think a HPWC at home is really needed.
Also see: Every New Tesla Owner’s Dilemma: Dual Chargers vs High Power Wall Connector (HPWC)
Cybertruck
Tesla Mobile App gets a new feature that wrap fans are going to love
Tesla’s Summer Update removes the USB drive step from customizing your car’s digital wrap design.
Tesla’s latest 2026 Summer Update quietly closes out one of the more tedious steps in personalizing a Tesla’s digital appearance. Uploading a custom wrap design used to require a USB drive. Now it doesn’t.
The feature is listed in Tesla’s release notes as “Send Custom Wraps from Mobile App.” The company described it plainly: “Skip the USB drive and upload a custom wrap of your car from the mobile app. Instructions for creating a custom wrap here: github.com/teslamotors/custom-wraps.”
The digital wrap tool has been around since Tesla’s 2024 Holiday Update, when it launched for Cybertruck owners first, as Teslarati reported at the time. Getting a design onto the car meant formatting a USB drive, creating a folder named exactly “Wraps,” dropping in PNG files sized between 512×512 and 1024×1024 pixels and under 1 MB each, then plugging the drive in and applying the wrap through Toybox. Tesla expanded the tool to other models and renamed it from “Colorizer” to “Paint Shop” with the 2025 Holiday Update, while also adding license plate and window tint customization alongside the wraps.
Custom wraps via mobile app https://t.co/5OydZ26g9p pic.twitter.com/uexU0ZePxu
— Tesla (@Tesla) July 22, 2026
The latest Summer Update removes the USB step from that process. Owners will be able to pull a design from wherever they saved it, whether that’s a download from social media or something built from Tesla’s own GitHub templates, and push it to the car directly through the app.
Tesla reveals 2026 Summer Update with crazy fixes to Nav and more
It’s a small fix relative to the rest of this latest release, which also included expanded Grok voice commands, automatic navigation that learns regular routes, and self-driving stats inside the mobile app, all detailed in our rundown of the full Summer Update. The USB requirement was one of the more common complaints about Paint Shop since it launched. Tesla did not say when the wrap upload change would reach individual vehicles, only that the broader update is rolling out now in waves.
A Tesla owner who purchased a Model S Signature Edition, one of the final 250 units of the all-electric flagship vehicle that the company discontinued earlier this year, is attempting to sell the car despite a no-resale clause that prohibits reselling for the first year.
The car is being sold by J&S Autohaus in Ewing, New Jersey, and is priced at $260,490, well above the $159,420 that Tesla sold it for earlier this year.
🚨 The first Tesla Model S Signature Edition is up for sale for $260,490
Tesla placed a no-resale clause on the Model S and X Signature, so it will be interesting to see if the company takes any action. https://t.co/N9rKGHnbD6 pic.twitter.com/6FZhDL1KNR
— TESLARATI (@Teslarati) July 14, 2026
To those who do not know, the Model S Signature was a highly exclusive, limited-run farewell variant of the Model S Plaid that was produced this year to mark the end of production of both the Model S and Model X, Tesla’s two flagship vehicles.
Limited to just 250 units with invite-only sales, it serves as a collector’s item celebrating the legacy of the Model S, which helped pioneer Tesla’s electric vehicle success since its 2012 launch.
It bundles top-tier performance with bespoke cosmetic and luxury upgrades, plus Tesla’s Luxe Package. Here’s what the Model S Signature has over the typical Model S Plaid:
- Exclusive Exterior – Unique Garnet Red Paint, matching door handles, gold Tesla “T” badges upfront, gold Plaid and Signature badging at the rear.
- Premium Interior – White Alcantara upholstery with gold piping/accents, gold Plaid seat badges, Signature-marked door sills, individually numbered dashboard plaque, gold puddle lights, special interior lighting sequence, and a custom Signature key fob.
- Performance Upgrades – Carbon-ceramic brakes with gold calipers
- Bundled Luxe Package – Full Self-Driving (Supervised), four years of Premium Connectivity, free lifetime Supercharging
- Performance Metrics – ~1,020 horsepower, sub-2-second 0-60 MPH, ~390-mile range
Tesla quickly introduced a No Resale Agreement for the Signature Editions of the Model S and Model X, which would penalize the seller for “the amount of $50,000 or the value received as consideration for the sale or transfer, whichever is greater.”
The company continues:
“If you sell or otherwise transfer the ownership of your Model S or Model X, the remainder of the Recommended Maintenance, Wheel and Tire Protection Plan, and Windshield Protection Plan will transfer automatically to the buyer. The Full Self-Driving (Supervised), Free Supercharging and Premium Connectivity will not transfer with the vehicle and will terminate once the ownership of the Model S or Model X is transferred.”
Tesla will likely come after the seller, especially as it has been about two months since Tesla launched deliveries.
Lifestyle
Tesla makes the cut on California’s newest EV Rebate program
California just signed a $270 million EV rebate into law and it starts this summer.
California Governor Gavin Newsom signed SB 168 into law on Monday, July 13, 2026, creating a $270 million EV rebate program that delivers money directly at the dealership rather than as a tax credit applied months later. The program, called MyFirstEV, is funded equally by California’s state budget and participating automakers, with each contributing $135.5 million to make the math work.
The timing is directly tied to the loss of federal support when the $7,500 federal EV tax credit ended, removing the most significant consumer incentive that had driven EV adoption in the U.S. California, which accounts for roughly one-third of all EVs sold nationally, moved to fill that gap with a state-level replacement.
The rebate structure is straightforward. First-time EV buyers can receive $3,500 off any new battery-electric vehicle with an MSRP up to $50,000. Used EVs priced at $25,000 or below qualify for a $1,750 rebate. The credit is applied at the point of sale, which removes the friction of the old federal system where buyers had to wait for tax season to see the benefit. The program goes live later this summer, with the California Air Resources Board expected to release full participation details next month.
California hits Tesla Cybercab and Robotaxi driverless cars with new law
For Tesla buyers, the implications are mixed. The Tesla Model 3 RWD at $42,490 and the Model 3 Long Range at $47,490 both fall under the $50,000 cap and would qualify for the full $3,500 rebate for first-time buyers. The Model Y, which starts at $44,990 after Tesla’s recent price adjustment, also qualifies. The Model X, Model S, and Cybertruck all exceed the cap and receive no benefit. As Teslarati has reported, the program also includes a carve-out exempting California-based automakers like Rivian and Lucid from the price cap entirely, a provision that puts Tesla at a disadvantage since it relocated its headquarters to Texas in 2021.
Other qualifying vehicles include the Chevrolet Equinox EV, Ford Mustang Mach-E, Hyundai Ioniq 5, Kia EV6, and Volkswagen ID.4.
Tesla is about to make parking in busy lots less stressful than ever
Tesla starts preparing for Optimus in its smartphone app
