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How does Tesla’s web presence compare to its competitors?

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The internet is one of the first places car buyers go when researching electric vehicles. Tesla dominates the market, but they aren’t without competition. Those competitors are going to do everything possible not only to keep up with Tesla’s products, but also try to grab as much web real estate, search traffic, and clicks as possible.

So how does Tesla stack up against its competitors when it comes to web presence? Let’s find out:

Tesla on the Internet

First let’s look at Tesla’s online world, and then we’ll check out the rest. Right away Tesla has a huge advantage thanks in large part to charismatic CEO Elon Musk. Even people who aren’t interested in cars consider him a household name. Nearly anything he says or does captures headlines and gets people talking. Tesla gets entire articles written about them on the largest publishers in the world from Musk’s individual tweets, which helps them dominate the blogosphere when it comes to news. Can you name a CEO of any other company that has such a strong presence? If you’re a regular consumer, probably not.

That high level of familiarity extends to social media, too, in large part because Musk writes his own tweets and has over five million followers. On Facebook, fans can click a link to design their dream Tesla or look through a variety of relevant content, ranging from news stories to videos. The brand’s Instagram channel, which has over a million followers, features hundreds of inspiring photos.

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Interestingly, Tesla’s website itself doesn’t have a social media section, which is it’s one downfall. It’s very clean and modern, and uses colors similar to apple.com.

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Having a rockstar-type CEO means Tesla’s competitors have their online work cut out for them. Let’s look at how their competitors market their electronic models on the Web.

General Motors

Maker of the Chevy Bolt, General Motors largely relies on external media outlets to spread the word about its car. Cruise Automation, an autonomous car technology company acquired by General Motors, released a snapshot of the self-driving car cruising around San Francisco.

Soon afterward, Mashable picked up the story, along with other news outlets. Details were scarce, but the picture sparked curiosity. It certainly didn’t create the buzz of Tesla.

Chevy has tried extremely and possibly too hard at using the internet to reach millennials. It spent an entire campaign based around emoji’s, which seemed forced and out of touch. Can you sit through this entire commercial without being embarrassed for them?

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With the Bolt though, things may finally be heading in the right direction for them. Apple Co-Founder Steve Wozniak just announced yesterday that he’s ditching his Tesla for the Bolt. In the online world, that’s a big deal, and is already starting to grab headlines. A Google search for his name right now shows up more articles about his choice of car than about the hugely newsworthy iPhone 7 announcement.

Nissan

2016_nissan_leaf_electric_carNissan made a smart move by creating social media accounts specifically for the Leaf, its electric vehicle, so interested purchasers could get targeted information. There are designated Nissan Leaf channels on Facebook and Twitter, each with new content posted least daily. Topics vary, from tips for finding fellow electric car enthusiasts in your area to funny pictures viewers can caption.

Their actual website isn’t nearly as nice, and uses a few large images that don’t make much sense. For example, one of the first things you see is a huge image of the rear windshield.

BMW

The i3 is BMW’s contribution to the electric car market. During the 2015 Super Bowl, the company put a commercial online that offered a dose of nostalgia. Featuring Katie Couric and Bryant Gumbel, the spot played off of the pair’s famous “What is the internet?” segment, which aired on the “Today” show in 1994.

The modern commercial suggested that similarly to the internet, the BMW i3 would change society’s perception of what’s possible. Twitter followers responded especially well, praising the ad for the way it was different from the typical male-centric Super Bowl commercial and made them think of days past.

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Unlike Nissan, BMW hasn’t created specific social media profiles for the i3. However, it has one of the earliest forms of social media — a message board. The Circuit is a forum for i3 owners and enthusiasts. Although the approach makes sense, the message board isn’t often used and has just over a couple hundred posts in its most popular section.

Ford and Google

True to form, Elon Musk wowed consumers by discussing ongoing work related to Tesla’s fully autonomous car. Musk asserts the technology will be ready well before regulators approve it for public use. Even in these early stages, he confidently talks about how impressed he is about the technology so far.

Musk’s words came as no surprise to Google and Ford, as those companies plan to compete with Tesla. At the end of last year, the two companies said they’d come together to engineer self-driving cars.

Ford has one of the most impressive websites, but because they have so much to offer, the spotlight doesn’t reach anything electric very often. They’re one to keep an eye on for the future.

Mercedes

Last month, Mercedes attracted attention on the internet by publicizing plans to directly challenge Tesla and other electric car brands by creating a to-be-named sub brand of electric vehicles that’ll include a minimum of two SUVs and two sedans. Earlier, the brand promoted its AA class of electric vehicles with a memorable “Saturday Night Live” spoof featuring Julia Louis-Dreyfus. It originated on TV but got significant online traction through social sharing.

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The brand will reportedly showcase the first of its new electric vehicles at a Parisian auto show soon. Only time will tell whether Mercedes can truly pose a threat to Tesla, but the brand’s already created a buzz through online news articles about its upcoming offerings posted on well-known sites such as TechCrunch and Bloomberg.

Audi

You might say Audi is the least-likely Tesla challenger since it doesn’t have a fully electric vehicle yet. Even so, automotive media outlets report the company may be testing an electric version of its A7. Pictures of a prototype show a car without exhaust tips, which could indicate an emissions-free design.

Beyond the potential electric version of the A7, Audi will release an electric SUV in 2018. The A7 snapshots have drawn attention online because some media outlets specifically focused on how the pictures might show sneak peeks of electric car technology. They also point out how Audi’s hybrid cars have charging ports behind the front grilles and speculate how it’d be easy to install them on the A7, too.

Audi has generalized social media profiles and those related to the brand’s racing vehicles. It might capitalize upon current electric vehicle interest and branch out further by creating profiles for those cars, too.

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While their competitors are on the right track, Tesla remains a formidable online marketing force. It probably helps that Tesla has stayed on track for making electric, driverless cars while the other brands mentioned have numerous other goals. They’ve all taken good first steps but have a long way to go before reaching Tesla’s level.

Owner of Off The Throttle. Writes about cars for Forbes, Yahoo Autos, Business Insider, more. Slightly colorblind.

Lifestyle

EV fans urge Tesla to acquire Unplugged Performance for edge in fleet and security industry

Unplugged Performance has built a name for itself by producing performance upgrades for Tesla vehicles.

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Credit: Unplugged Performance

A growing number of Tesla enthusiasts and longtime community voices are calling on the electric vehicle maker to acquire Unplugged Performance, a California-based aftermarket company best known for tuning Tesla vehicles and developing specialized government fleet solutions under its UP.FIT division.

The idea was once considered a niche proposal among EV fans, but it is now gaining serious attention not just as a performance play but as a strategic move to deepen Tesla’s roots in the fleet and security industry. 

A strategic fit

Unplugged Performance has built a name for itself by producing performance upgrades for Tesla vehicles, from track-optimized components to visual and aerodynamic upgrades. But in recent years, its UP.FIT division has pivoted toward a more functional future by outfitting Tesla vehicles like Model Ys for police, military, and government use.

That work has sparked growing calls for closer collaboration with Tesla, especially as the EV maker increasingly leans into autonomy, AI, and fleet services as core components of its next chapter.

“I posted this four years ago, but I think it’s more true now than ever,” wrote Whole Mars Catalog, a well-known Tesla investor and FSD Beta tester, on X. “Tesla should buy Unplugged. But not just as a Performance division. What they are doing with UP.FIT unlocks large government and commercial fleet purchases that can improve utilization.”

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Tesla fans such as shareholder Sawyer Merritt echoed the sentiment, calling Unplugged a “great fit within Tesla.” adding, “They are literally located directly next to Tesla’s design studio in Hawthorne.”

Enabling the next wave

Supporters of the idea noted that integrating Unplugged into Tesla’s corporate structure could help accelerate the adoption of autonomous technologies in government sectors. With UP.FIT patrol cars already in use across some U.S. police departments, Tesla fans envisioned a future where self-driving Teslas could potentially revolutionize law enforcement, search-and-rescue, and public service logistics.

“Just imagine how autonomous patrol cars could transform policing and bring us into a safer future,” the veteran FSD tester wrote.

The benefits could also extend to Tesla’s existing consumer base. “They also have some incredible products in the works that I think will appeal to many ordinary Tesla drivers — not just those looking for performance or mods. Stuff that’s so good it should have come straight from the design studio next door,” Whole Mars Catalog noted.

Unplugged Performance, founded in 2013, shares not just a product vision with Tesla, but also geography. Its Hawthorne headquarters sits directly adjacent to Tesla’s design studio, and the two companies have maintained a close working relationship over the years. The aftermarket firm has long positioned itself as a “mission-aligned” partner to Tesla.

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In response to the recent calls for acquisition, Unplugged Performance acknowledged the support from the community. “Our very existence is to support the Tesla mission with @UpfitTesla and @UnpluggedTesla,” Unplugged CEO Ben Schaffer posted on X. “We love working with Tesla and are grateful for the community’s support since 2013!”

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Elon Musk

X account with 184 followers inadvertently saves US space program amid Musk-Trump row

Needless to say, the X user has far more than 184 followers today after his level-headed feat.

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Joel Kowsky, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

An X user with 184 followers has become the unlikely hero of the United States’ space program by effectively de-escalating a row between SpaceX CEO Elon Musk and President Donald Trump on social media.

Needless to say, the X user has far more than 184 followers today after his level-headed feat.

A Near Fall

During Elon Musk and Donald Trump’s fallout last week, the U.S. President stated in a post on Truth Social that a good way for the United States government to save money would be to terminate subsidies and contracts from the CEO’s companies. Musk responded to Trump’s post by stating that SpaceX will start decommissioning its Dragon spacecraft immediately. 

Musk’s comment was received with shock among the space community, partly because the U.S. space program is currently reliant on SpaceX to send supplies and astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS). Without Dragon, the United States will likely have to utilize Russia’s Soyuz for the same services—at a significantly higher price.

X User to the Rescue

It was evident among X users that Musk’s comments about Dragon being decommissioned were posted while emotions were high. It was then no surprise that an X account with 184 followers, @Fab25june, commented on Musk’s post, urging the CEO to rethink his decision. “This is a shame this back and forth. You are both better than this. Cool off and take a step back for a couple days,” the X user wrote in a reply.

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Much to the social media platform’s surprise, Musk responded to the user. Even more surprising, the CEO stated that SpaceX would not be decommissioning Dragon after all. “Good advice. Ok, we won’t decommission Dragon,” Musk wrote in a post on X.

Not Planned, But Welcomed

The X user’s comment and Musk’s response were received extremely well by social media users, many of whom noted that @Fab25june’s X comment effectively saved the U.S. space program. In a follow-up comment, the X user, who has over 9,100 followers as of writing, stated that he did not really plan on being a mediator between Musk and Trump. 

“Elon Musk replied to me. Somehow, I became the accidental peace broker between two billionaires. I didn’t plan this. I was just being me. Two great minds can do wonders. Sometimes, all it takes is a breather. Grateful for every like, DM, and new follow. Life’s weird. The internet’s weirder. Let’s ride. (Manifesting peace… and maybe a Model Y.)” the X user wrote.

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Lifestyle

Tesla Cybertruck takes a bump from epic failing Dodge Charger

The Cybertruck seemed unharmed by the charging Charger.

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Credit: Hammer_of_something/Reddit

There comes a time in a driver’s life when one is faced with one’s limitations. For the driver of a Dodge Charger, this time came when he lost control and crashed into a Tesla Cybertruck–an absolute epic fail. 

A video of the rather unfortunate incident was shared on the r/TeslaLounge subreddit.

Charging Charger Fails

As could be seen in the video, which was posted on the subreddit by Model Y owner u/Hammer_of_something, a group of teens in a Dodge Charger decided to do some burnouts at a Tesla Supercharger. Unfortunately, the driver of the Charger failed in his burnout or donut attempt, resulting in the mopar sedan going over a curb and bumping a charging Cybertruck.

Ironically, the Dodge Charger seemed to have been parked at a Supercharger stall before its driver decided to perform the failed stunt. This suggests that the vehicle was likely ICE-ing a charging stall before it had its epic fail moment. Amusingly enough, the subreddit member noted that the Cybertruck did not seem like it took any damage at all despite its bump. The Charger, however, seemed like it ran into some trouble after crashing into the truck.

Alleged Aftermath

As per the the r/TeslaLounge subreddit member, the Cybertruck owner came rushing out to his vehicle after the Dodge Charger crashed into it. The Model Y owner then sent over the full video of the incident, which clearly showed the Charger attempting a burnout, failing, and bumping into the Cybertruck. The Cybertruck owner likely appreciated the video, in part because it showed the driver of the Dodge Charger absolutely freaking out after the incident.

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The Cybertruck is not an impregnable vehicle, but it can take bumps pretty well thanks to its thick stainless steel body. Based on this video, it appears that the Cybertruck can even take bumps from a charging Charger, all while chilling and charging at a Supercharger. As for the teens in the Dodge, they likely had to provide a long explanation to authorities after the incident, since the cops were called to the location.

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