

News
Elon Musk drops cryptic Plaid Tesla Model S hint ahead of Battery Day
Tesla’s highly-anticipated Battery Day is still several weeks away, but CEO Elon Musk appears to have started posting cryptic teasers about some of the innovations that would be introduced at the event. Based on a recent post on Twitter, it appears that Tesla’s Plaid Model S, and perhaps even the Plaid Model X, may be unveiled at Battery Day.
Ever the internet’s resident meme lord, Elon Musk recently posted a photo of Herbert Ruggles Tarlek, Jr., a character on the television situation comedy WKRP in Cincinnati, which ran from 1978 to 1982. The character was noted for his loud plaid suits, which were usually dominated by bold colors and patterns. Musk’s tweet noted that “One day soon, I will wear this outfit.”
Musk’s statement was simple, though references to plaid patterns were promptly related by the Tesla community to the company’s upcoming Plaid Model S and X and Battery Day, which is scheduled to be held on September 22. While the Herb Tarlek image may be a simple act of jest from the CEO, it should be noted that Musk is noted for dropping cryptic hints about Tesla’s upcoming products.
Musk posted something similar back in 2014, when he noted that it was “about time to unveil the D,” referring to the Model S P85D, the first vehicle in Tesla’s lineup with two electric motors. Musk’s references to a “D” incited a notable amount of memes and lighthearted posts from the Tesla community then, considering the connotations of the letter on the internet. Musk also started posting about lemurs on Twitter in the days leading up to the release of the Mid-Range Model 3.
Tesla’s Plaid variants of the Model S and Model X are poised to be released as the new top-tier versions of the company’s flagship sedan and SUV. Announced last year, Musk noted that the Plaid Model S will have three electric motors, similar to the next-generation Roadster, and that the vehicle will feature seven seats. Most importantly, the Plaid Model S will also be track-capable like the Model 3, likely due to new battery and powertrain tech.
Prototypes of the Plaid Model S were spotted on the Nurburgring last year, and over their stay at the noted racetrack, the two test units ended up breaking the unofficial record set by a Porsche Taycan Turbo prototype, a car that was bred to be at home on the track. So far, details about the Plaid Model S remain unknown, though speculations point to a potential interior and exterior refresh in the near future.
Elon Musk
Tesla ‘activist shareholders’ sue company and Elon Musk for Robotaxi rollout
Tesla’s activist shareholders are coming after the company, claiming it misled investors about the Robotaxi rollout.

Tesla’s “activist shareholders” seem to be one of the biggest threats to the company and its CEO, Elon Musk, who has spoken extensively about them in recent times. They’re up to their latest bit of work against the company, suing both Tesla and Musk, accusing them of securities fraud by alleging they concealed “significant risk” over the Robotaxi launch in Austin, Texas.
On Monday night, a group of shareholders sued Tesla and Musk in a proposed class action lawsuit in Texas federal court. They claim Tesla misled investors about the safety of the vehicles used in the Robotaxi rollout in Austin, which started on June 22.
The suit indicates that videos show the vehicles “speeding, exhibiting sudden braking, driving over a curb, entering the wrong lane, and dropping passengers off in the middle of multilane roads.” Reuters first reported on the lawsuit.
The plaintiffs are seeking damages for shareholders between April 19, 2023, and June 22, 2025.
Tesla’s Robotaxi platform has been operating for less than two months, and the company has already expanded its geofence in Austin twice.
🚨 Tesla Austin Robotaxi geofence sizes (in square miles):
Initial: 6/22 – ~20 square miles
First Expansion: 7/14 – ~42 square miles
Second Expansion: 8/3 – ~80 square miles pic.twitter.com/IwnvSJseE4
— TESLARATI (@Teslarati) August 3, 2025
In the roughly six weeks that Robotaxi has been operational, Tesla has only had one incident reported to the Austin Government, and it was a “Safety Concern” in June 2025. Since July 2023, which is when autonomous vehicle operation began in Austin, 130 incidents have been reported. AV Ride, Cruise, Waymo, and Zoox also operate in Austin.
Waymo has the most incidents with 73. Its first was in June 2024 when a unit blocked traffic.
Activist Shareholders
Musk has warned that activist shareholders are potentially dangerous to both Tesla and his position as CEO. He recently spoke about them during the Q2 Earnings Call regarding his stake in the company:
“That is a major concern for me, as I’ve mentioned in the past. I hope that is addressed at the upcoming shareholders meeting. But, yeah, it is a big deal. I want to find that I’ve got so little control that I can easily be ousted by activist shareholders after having built this army of humanoid robots. I think my control over Tesla, Inc. should be enough to ensure that it goes in a good direction, but not so much control that I can’t be thrown out if I go crazy.”
Tesla’s Board yesterday made an attempt to help secure Musk’s stake by offering him a massive 96 million share pay package of restricted stock. It will only help his stake in the company bump up slightly to 14.6 percent from 12.9 percent.
News
Radical Tesla aero patent may make new Roadster’s ~1-sec 0-60 mph launch feasible
The patent is for a multi-mode active aero system that uses fans and deployable skirts to generate controllable downforce.

A radical new patent from Tesla has provided a potential hint at a technology that the electric vehicle maker can utilize to meet the new Roadster’s ambitious 0-60 mph targets. If the technology outlined in the patent does come into fruition, it could help the Roadster stay planted on the ground even as it executes extremely rapid and demanding driving maneuvers.
The Roadster’s 0-60 mph time
When the new Roadster was announced way back in late 2017, Elon Musk stated that the upcoming vehicle would have a 0-60 mph time of 1.9 seconds. This was impressive, but the new Roadster has become so late that this metric is no longer industry-leading. Even Tesla’s own Model S Plaid, a large and heavy family sedan, can now hit a 0-60 mph time in 1.99 seconds, all for a price that starts just under $100,000.
Back in February 2024, Elon Musk stated that Tesla “radically increased the design goals for the new Tesla Roadster.” He stated that there will never be another car like the Roadster, if it could even be called a car. Musk also added that Tesla is now looking to achieve a 0-60 mph time in less than one second with the new Roadster, though this would be the “least interesting part” of the vehicle.
Inasmuch as a 0-60 mph time of 1 second or less sounds insane, these figures are achieved by vehicles like top fuel dragsters, which could accelerate well under 1 second. Of course, these vehicles are specialized machines and not road legal by any means, so the Roadster would still be in a class of its own if Tesla does manage to achieve a sub-1-second 0-60 mph time.
Tesla’s new aero patent
A new patent from Tesla has now outlined a technology that could be a perfect fit for the upcoming all-electric supercar. Tesla’s patent is for a multi-mode active aero system that uses fans and deployable skirts to generate controllable downforce. This should pave the way for optimal vehicle grip and performance across varying conditions, from the track to the drag strip.
Tesla describes the patent’s technology as follows:
“The system operates by creating bounded (e.g., sealed or partially-sealed) regions beneath the vehicle through the selective deployment of skirts that interact with the ground surface. Fans positioned in airflow pathways that extend to these bounded regions generate low pressure within these areas by extracting air, creating downforce that enhances vehicle grip and stability (e.g., by creating a vacuum, or partial vacuum in the bounded regions).”
If Tesla could indeed create a fully bounded region under the new Roadster using the technology outlined in the patent, the company could all ensure that the all-electric supercar always has perfect traction when it launches. It could also help the vehicle handle better in corners, which would be useful if the Roadster were to attempt setting records in tracks such as the Nurburgring.
Check out Tesla’s patent below.
Tesla Roadster Patent by Simon Alvarez on Scribd
Elon Musk
Tesla’s new Robotaxi geofence shape is an FU by Elon Musk to the competition
Maybe it’s all pareidolia. But maybe it’s not. After all, Tesla embraced the first geofence expansion for what it appeared to be.

Tesla expanded its Robotaxi geofence in Austin once again early Sunday morning. The new shape seems to be somewhat of a proverbial, and potentially literal, middle finger to the competition.
If you thought the first expansion was a message to the competition and doubters of the company’s ride-hailing service, you probably will believe the second expansion is an even stronger gesture.
Tesla’s first expansion did not go unnoticed, as its shape was particularly recognizable. The company has always operated with a sense of humor, and it embraced what it did. Some, including me, took it as a message to competitors: We can expand in any direction, in any size, at any time. We’ll prove it.”
They picked a shape and went with it:
Tesla’s Robotaxi expansion wasn’t a joke, it was a warning to competitors
It is evident that Tesla is keeping its humor up to continue to show a few things. The first is that it really can expand in any direction it wants and that’s how it is choosing to show it.
The second, well, maybe it’s an edgier way to show doubters that it is really executing on Robotaxi:
Tesla has expanded the Austin RoboTaxi network.
Looks like a giant middle finger.
Giant F U to the competition? 🤷🏻♂️ pic.twitter.com/tcaIxdQk10
— Farzad (@farzyness) August 3, 2025
all I see is Tesla giving the middle finger pic.twitter.com/P4otjxSCQm
— Daniel Harding (@ArchamusDK) August 3, 2025
Maybe it’s all pareidolia. But maybe it’s not. After all, Tesla embraced the first geofence expansion for what it appeared to be. This might be a similar occurrence, and it might be sending another message to the competition, critics, and doubters.
The expansion was a near-doubling of the geofence Tesla offered previously. After the initial geofence covered just about 20 square miles, Tesla was able to more than double it to 42 square miles with the first growth. This new geofence shape was just under double, and is about 80 square miles.
Tesla’s rapid expansion has impressed many, especially considering the service area has roughly doubled for the second time in well under two months. The Robotaxi service was first offered on June 22.
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