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Meet The People Behind Talking Tesla Podcast

The Talking Tesla podcast brings together EV owners and climate activists Mel Herbert and Tom Wolfson to talk about anything and everything Tesla.

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Mel Herbert and Tom Wolfson, creators and personalities behind the popular Talking Tesla podcast, delight Tesla owners and enthusiasts as they talk about “the cars, the batteries, the superchargers, the rumors, the stock price—anything and everything Tesla.”

As passionate electric car owners themselves – Mel drives a Tesla Model S and has a Model X on reservation; Tom has a Tesla battery powered Toyota RAV4 EV – they take to the digital airwaves to entertain, but also educate on the merits of living a sustainable lifestyle.

“For me personally, the reason to be on Talking Tesla was that we just did not see another podcast that was answering the questions we had about Tesla’s and the EV’s place in the world. We thought we could entertain and educate not only ourselves but all people who have interests in electric cars and sustainable living. We felt we could do it in a way that would excite people to take a chance on this relatively new and expensive technology. “, says Tom.

Talking Tesla hosts

Hosts to the popular Talking Tesla podcast. (Tom Wolfson, left. Mel Herbert, right.)

The dynamic duo have completed 16 Talking Tesla episodes to date with many more on the way. Past topics have included live coverage from the Model X unveil event, a visit to the Tesla factory, and a stop at the TMC Connect conference. They have also featured guests ranging from Electric Jen to financial journalist and Model S owner Daniel Sparks. Their recording sessions are largely free-form discussions that later get edited into the finished product by the FOOLYBOO staff, including Mel’s cousin, Ceci Herbert, who acts as the producer on the show.

Australian born Mel Herbert is an internationally recognized and award winning educator in Emergency Medicine. He is the founder and editor of EM:RAP, a monthly emergency medicine audio education series with over 20,000 subscribers, and a co-founder of Hippo Education, an online educational resource for the medical profession.

Tom Wolfson is a career photographer who has traveled the globe in search of the perfect picture. In 2008 he became a producer and director for Hippo Education. The organization has an informative, entertaining, and occasionally the same wacky style that listeners to the Talking Tesla podcast have come to love.

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Talking Tesla is about more than just cars. Ceci says, “Mel and Tom are incredibly passionate about getting the message out about global warming and alternatives to fossil fuels, and basically this is them trying to play their little part in helping.” Talking Tesla has over 1,000 subscribers, with more signing up every day. It’s the best automotive radio since The Tappet Brothers did Car Talk on NPR.

You can catch all of the episodes of Talking Tesla on TalkingTesla.net or subscribe and listen through the Talking Tesla iTunes podcast channel.

 

Lifestyle

Tesla brings perhaps the coolest interior feature to cars in latest update

Tesla adds on to the “fun” aspect of its vehicles.

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Credit: Tesla

Tesla has brought perhaps the coolest interior feature to its cars in a new update that is rolling out to vehicles now.

The feature will require a newer vehicle that has interior ambient lighting, which is present on the new Model S, Model X, Model 3 “Highland,” and Model Y “Juniper.” The Cybertruck also has ambient lighting strips throughout.

Tesla Model Y’s ambient lighting design changes revealed in leaked video

With the Version 2025.26+ Software Update, Tesla is rolling out a new “Sync Accent Lights w/ Music” feature, which is available on the Tesla Toybox:

To enable the feature, you’ll access the Toybox, choose “Light Sync,” and then choose “Sync Accent Lights w/ Music.”

Although it does not improve the performance of the vehicle, it is yet another example of Tesla making one of the coolest cars out there. This is truly a cool add-on that can be used to impress your friends and family.

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Elon Musk

xAI, Musk Foundation helps schools near Memphis supercomputer site

Reports of xAI and the Musk Foundation’s work were recently posted by local news media.

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(Credit: xAI)

Elon Musk’s artificial intelligence startup xAI and the Musk Foundation have been supporting Memphis-Shelby County Schools with HVAC repairs and facility upgrades, while also funding youth programs for students in the area. 

Reports of xAI and the Musk Foundation’s work were recently posted by local news media.

xAI’s school visits lead to facility repairs

Representatives from xAI visited John P. Freeman Optional School, Fairley High School, and Westwood High School, all of which are located near its Colossus supercomputer site, to assess HVAC systems, plumbing, gym facilities, and athletic fields. The visits resulted in a list of priority repairs, some of which were completed in April and May.

In addition to the repairs, xAI also shared a number of initiatives that are planned for students in the area, as stated in a Commercial Appeal report.

“xAI is working on providing STEM workshops for local students, donating equipment to technical training programs, and supporting job fairs to boost employment opportunities. These initiatives reflect xAl’s commitment to fostering education and economic growth in Memphis,” xAI noted in a statement.

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Musk Foundation donation

Apart from xAI, the Musk Foundation also donated $350,000 to the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Memphis, enabling the reopening of two club sites located at Booker T. Washington High School and Westwood High School. Both locations had closed earlier this year due to lapses in funding. As per xAI, the Musk Foundation’s donation allows clubs to reopen for almost 1,000 students. 

The donation will fund staffing, supplies, and transportation, among others. “Kids are the future of humanity,” Elon Musk said in a statement, adding that students need “every chance to shoot for the stars.”

“We’re honored to support the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Memphis in reopening these sites, giving kids in underserved communities the tools to build brighter futures,” Musk said.

The gift was praised by local officials, including Boys & Girls Clubs board chair Michael Garriga, who stated that the “commitment will ensure the youth of our community have the opportunities they need to develop their skills and talents to become successful students and future citizens.”

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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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