Connect with us

Lifestyle

Tesla Model S, X, 3 up for grabs as Climate XChange takes carbon fight nationwide

[Credit: Climate XChange]

Published

8 years ago

on

The UN has warned us of the serious and irreversible consequences of global warming if we do not enact “rapid, far-reaching and unprecedented changes in all aspects of society.” A crucial policy that will, according to the report, drive the move towards a low-carbon economy and help us reduce emissions, is putting a price on carbon pollution. Doing so captures externalities from emissions the public pays for in other ways, including property damage from floods, healthcare costs, and economic losses.

Climate XChange, a Boston-based organization aiming to tackle global warming by researching and advocating for methods to curb carbon pollution, has been fighting for carbon pricing legislation since 2013. With the help of Tesla owners, electric vehicle enthusiasts and clean energy advocates, the team was able to successfully push through a carbon pricing bill which passed the Massachusetts State Senate unanimously. Now, Climate XChange is setting its sights in other states across the U.S. that are looking to support carbon pricing efforts and research.

In order to fight carbon emissions and see through its successes in Massachusettes but on a national scale, the organization needs to raise additional funds and aims to do so by raffling off three brand new Teslas (Model 3 Performance, Model S, and Model X) on New Year’s Day. For context, the non-profit first raffled off a Tesla Model S – a car that symbolizes the industry’s shift towards renewable energy – in previous years, and the success of the initiative led to this year’s biggest Tesla raffle yet.

Make a difference. Help Climate XChange take the fight against carbon emissions on a national level and win a Tesla

The organization is offering a limited 4,000 tickets in their third annual Carbon raffle, as they take the ongoing fight against carbon emissions across the United States. Climate XChange will be covering the Prize Taxes associated with the vehicles, allowing the lucky winners of the premium electric cars to acquire their prizes completely hassle-free.

Details of the fundraiser/Carbon-raffle are as follows:

Advertisement
-

1st Prize – Tesla Model 3 Performance, Model S or Model X

First prize winners of this year’s Carbon Raffle can select between a Tesla Model S, Tesla Model X, or a fully-loaded Tesla Model 3 Performance. The organization estimates the cost of the vehicle to be $89,763 on its own. Considering that Climate XChange is paying the vehicle’s total tax payments of $38,470, the total cost of the grand prize for this year’s raffle is worth $128,233.

2nd Prize – Dual Motor Long Range Tesla Model 3

Second prize winners are set to receive a Long Range Tesla Model 3 with Dual Motor AWD that’s worth $58,950. The organization will cover the vehicle’s taxes as well, which is worth an extra $25,625.

3rd Prize – Tesla Model 3 RWD

Climate XChange has committed to giving away a Standard Range RWD Model 3 and set aside $39,825 for the car, as well as total tax payments of $17,068.

New Year’s Day, January 1, 2019 @ 3 p.m. ET: Drawing

The Carbon Pricing Awareness Raffle Drawing will be conducted at 3 p.m. Eastern Time at Climate XChange’s headquarters, located at:

Old West Church
131 Cambridge Street
Boston, MA 02114

All ticket holders are invited to be present for the drawing but need not be present to win. The Drawing will be streamed over the Internet; instructions for locating and joining the stream will be published on the website a few days before the Drawing is held.

Winners of the raffle who do not wish to acquire a Tesla could instead opt for a cash prize. Those that choose to take delivery of a Tesla, will be given the opportunity to fully configure the vehicle to their liking. Deliveries for the electric cars are set to be conducted in centers closest to the homes of the raffle’s winners, where a representative from Climate XChange will facilitate the handover.

Advertisement
-

“We don’t believe that climate action and business interests are at odds with each other, and we are doing our research to prove that. We have spent the past five years sharpening our tools on a campaign in Massachusetts and finally this year, our legislation passed the State Senate unanimously … we have already set our sights in other states across the country and are looking to support carbon pricing efforts and research in as many states as possible. – Climate XChange”

Please consider helping and make a difference.

Following Climate XChange’s success in Massachusetts when the State Senate unanimously voted in favor of the carbon pricing bill, the organization contacted Teslarati and asked for support in taking their fight against carbon emissions to a national level.

Related Topics:

Simon is an experienced automotive reporter with a passion for electric cars and clean energy. Fascinated by the world envisioned by Elon Musk, he hopes to make it to Mars (at least as a tourist) someday. For stories or tips--or even to just say a simple hello--send a message to his email, simon@teslarati.com or his handle on X, @ResidentSponge.

Advertisement
Comments

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.

Published

9 hours ago

on

October 2, 2026

By

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.

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.

Advertisement
-

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.

Continue Reading

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.

Published

1 day ago

on

October 1, 2026

By

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.


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

Advertisement
-

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.

Advertisement
-
Continue Reading

Lifestyle

Watch Tesla’s “guardian angel” FSD feature take over for collision evasion

Published

5 days ago

on

September 28, 2026

By

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 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.

Advertisement
-

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.

Continue Reading