Lifestyle
Elon Musk delivered Jay Leno his first Tesla and it’s still on his mind
Jay Leno’s legendary career in television led to him chasing his passion for driving and owning the fastest, most expensive, and most unique vehicles in the world. On April 19, Leno released previously unseen footage of a young Tesla CEO Elon Musk, bringing him the first production model of the Roadster.
Perhaps what is most impressive is that twelve years later, Tesla continues to quench Leno’s thirst for automobiles, despite owning some of the rarest and most sought after cars in the world. The 2008 Roadster ignited Jay’s interest in the next generation of high-performance and electrified transportation. Before taking the silent sports car for a spin throughout Los Angeles, Leno was educated on the vehicle’s finer points from Elon Musk himself.
Leno and Musk’s relationship started at the former late-night show host’s garage in Los Angeles. Musk delivered the first-ever Tesla Roadster to Leno during an overcast day in 2008, where the CEO of the then-named “Tesla Motors” took Jay through a crash course of how the electric vehicle startup was building its initial vehicle.
The Roadster’s design was based on the Lotus Elise but utilized no Lotus parts for its exterior. The body was made out of carbon fiber and manufactured by French supplier Sotira. The 6,831 battery cells were put into a pack with blades and powered the battery enough to give the car 244 miles of EPA estimated range when fully charged. The vehicle’s weight was roughly 30% heavier than its inspiration in the Lotus; it offered a longer body and a battery pack that contributed significantly to the increase in mass.
Leno was impressed by the instant torque, the aerodynamics, and the aesthetically-pleasing shape of the car. “I just want to say, it’s a real sports car, it handles good, it’s fast, and hey, if this is the future, I’m not that worried,” Leno yells into his microphone before speeding away.
Fast forward eleven years later in November 2019. In Hawthorne, California, at a rocket ship manufacturing facility, Tesla is at it again. This time, it was unveiling its sixth vehicle, The Cybertruck, which would inevitably end up in the hands of Jay Leno in January 2020, after it was spotted outside SpaceX headquarters during the filming a segment of Jay Leno’s Garage.
Leno’s collection of cars includes some of the best and most rare vehicles on Earth. Despite having a garage filled with automobiles that is worth an estimated $52 million, his commentary when describing Tesla’s vehicles speaks for itself.
A vocal supporter of the electric vehicle movement and Tesla in specific, Leno said his love for the electric vehicle company comes from a battery car’s clear-as-day advantage over internal combustion engines. “There’s no maintenance. They’re faster than the gas car. So there’s almost no reason to have a gas car unless you’re doing long-haul duty.”
Leno sees a future that involves more electric vehicles than internal combustion ones. His extensive knowledge of the automotive industry describes a transition that seems to be the equivalent of when gas cars took over in 1911,” he said to CNBC. “Steam ran everything from 1800 to about 1911. Then internal combustion took over from 1911 to right about now. And I predict that a child born today probably has as much chance of driving in a gas car as people today have been driving a car with a stick shift.”
In a world where any car is available to Leno, his decision to continuously mention Tesla shows the impressive nature of the company’s cars. Twelve years after the talk show host and comedian drove the Roadster, it remains on his mind. So much so that it incited him to share with the world footage that has not been seen before.
Watch Jay Leno’s throwback footage of the 2008 Tesla Roadster below.
Lifestyle
Tesla Model S Plaid battles China’s 1500 hp monster Nurburgring monster, with surprising results
There is just something about Tesla’s tuning and refinement that makes raw specs seem not as game-changing.
The Tesla Model S Plaid has been around for some time. Today, it is no longer the world’s quickest four-door electric sedan, nor is it the most powerful. As per a recent video from motoring YouTube channel Carwow, however, it seems like the Model S Plaid is still more than a match for some of its newer and more powerful rivals.
The monster from China
The Xiaomi SU7 Ultra is nothing short of a monster. Just like the Model S Plaid, it features three motors. It also has 1,548 hp and 1,770 Nm of torque. It’s All Wheel Drive and weighs a hefty 2,360 kg. The vehicle, which costs just about the equivalent of £55,000, has been recorded setting an insane 7:04.957 at the Nurburgring, surpassing the previous record held by the Porsche Taycan Turbo GT.
For all intents and purposes, the Model S Plaid looked outgunned in Carwow’s test. The Model S Plaid is no slouch with its three motors that produce 1,020 hp and 1,420 Nm of torque. It’s also a bit lighter at 2,190 kg despite its larger size. However, as the Carwow host pointed out, the Model S Plaid holds a 7:25.231 record in the Nurburgring. Compared to the Xiaomi SU7 Ultra’s record, the Model S Plaid’s lap time is notably slower.
Real-world tests
As could be seen in Carwow’s drag races, however, Tesla’s tech wizardry with the Model S Plaid is still hard to beat. The two vehicles competed in nine races, and the older Model S Plaid actually beat its newer, more powerful counterpart from China several times. At one point in the race, the Xiaomi SU7 Ultra hit its power limit due to its battery’s temperature, but the Model S Plaid was still going strong.
The Model S Plaid was first teased five years ago, in September 2020 during Tesla’s Battery Day. Since then, cars like the Lucid Air Sapphire and the Xiaomi SU7 Ultra have been released, surpassing its specs. But just like the Model Y ended up being the better all-rounder compared to the BYD Sealion 7 and the MG IM6, there is just something about Tesla’s tuning and refinement that makes raw specs seem not as game-changing.
Check out Carwow’s Model S Plaid vs Xiaomi SU7 drag race video below.
Lifestyle
500-mile test proves why Tesla Model Y still humiliates rivals in Europe
On paper, the BYD Sealion 7 and MG IM6 promised standout capabilities against the Model Y.
BYD is seeing a lot of momentum in Europe, so much so that mainstream media has taken every opportunity to argue that the Chinese automaker has beaten Tesla in the region. But while BYD sales this year in Europe are rising and Tesla’s registrations remain challenged, the raw capabilities of vehicles like the Model Y are difficult to deny.
This was highlighted in a 500-mile challenge by What Car? magazine, which showed that the new Tesla Model Y is more efficient, cheaper to run, and more reliable than rivals like the BYD Sealion 7, and even the nearly 400 KW-charging MG IM6.
Range and charging promises
On paper, the BYD Sealion 7 and MG IM6 promised standout capabilities against the Model Y. The Sealion 7 had more estimated range and the IM6 promised significantly faster charging. When faced with real-world conditions, however, it was still the Model Y that proved superior.
During the 500-mile test, the BYD nearly failed to reach a charging stop, arriving with less range than its display projected, as noted in a CarUp report. MG fared better, but its charging speeds never reached its promised nearly-400 kW charging speed. Tesla’s Model Y, by comparison, managed energy calculations precisely and arrived at each stop without issue.
Tesla leads in areas that matter
Charging times from 25% to 80% showed that the MG was the fastest at 17 minutes, while Tesla and BYD were close at 28 and 29 minutes, respectively. Overall efficiency and cost told a different story, however. The Model Y consumed 19.4 kWh per 100 km, compared to 22.2 for MG and 23.9 for BYD. Over the full trip, Tesla’s charging costs totaled just £82 thanks to its supercharger network, far below BYD’s £130 and MG’s £119.
What Car? Magazine’s testers concluded that despite BYD’s rapid sales growth and the MG IM6’s seriously impressive charging speeds, Tesla remains the more compelling real-world choice. The Model Y just offers stability, efficiency, and a proven charging infrastructure through its Supercharging network. And as per the magazine’s hosts, the Model Y is even the cheapest car to own among the three that were tested.
Watch What Car? Magazine’s 500-mile test in the video below.
Lifestyle
Tesla Cybertruck slapped with world’s least intimidating ticket, and it’s pure cringe
One cannot help but cringe and feel second-hand embarrassment at the idea of a person just driving around with a stack of these babies.
A Cybertruck parked at Stanford Shopping Center in California was recently hit with what might be the most try-hard piece of paper ever slipped under a wiper blade: a “fake citation” accusing the driver of supporting a “fascist car.”
The note, shared on X by Tesla staff program manager Ryan Torres, quickly made the rounds on X, where it quickly gained attention as an example of how not to protest.
The world’s least intimidating ticket
According to the citation, the supposed “violation” was “driving a fascist car.” The remedial action? Take the bus, call an Uber, or ride a bike. The note also dubbed Elon Musk a “chainsaw-wielding Nazi billionaire.” Now, protests against Tesla and Elon Musk have become commonplace this year, but one cannot help but cringe and feel second-hand embarrassment at the idea of a person just driving around with a stack of fake anti-Tesla/Musk citations.
Torres pointed out the irony himself in his post on X. Tesla currently employs over 140,000 Americans, and SpaceX has put the U.S. firmly back at the top of space technology. As Torres put it, maybe the person behind the world’s least intimidating ticket should “read a book on innovation before vandalizing” other people’s property.
Peak performative clownery
Not to mention that the fake ticket’s logic collapses under its own weight. EVs like the Cybertruck are literally designed to reduce emissions, not “destroy the economy.” If anything, Tesla has bolstered the United States’ economy by fueling jobs in engineering, manufacturing, and clean energy. It’s not the first time a Tesla has been the target of vandalism or politically charged notes, but this one stands out for sheer cringe value.
Torres summed it up neatly: “Peak clownery.” On that point, at least, the citation earns full marks. In a way, though, perhaps cringe fake tickets are not as bad as the literal firebombs that were being thrown at Tesla stores and cars earlier this year because some critics were gleefully misinformed about Elon Musk.
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