Lifestyle
Mileage on a Tesla is a Badge of Honor

When my husband told me that his meeting in out of state last week was postponed, I was a little disappointed. You see it would be that meeting that would get our Tesla over the 20,000 mile mark just in time for our one year anniversary of ownership on December 4th.
Fortunately, it was rescheduled to today. For one fleeting moment last night, I mentioned how it is just a little bit crazy that he would be driving more than 3 hours each way to attend a 1.5 hour meeting. He reminded me that I was happy about the trip because of the odometer goal. This morning I received a text message from him:
“You should do a post on how owning a Tesla makes you want to drive more”
I told him that it’s already been done. Nearly every owner I’ve ever spoken to has said they now drive more, even so far as making excuses to run errands or hit a new Supercharger. But then I thought about it for a minute and asked myself why. I came to several conclusions.
Mileage in the years before EV
In the “ICE Age” of cars, mileage is a bad thing. Used car ads tout low mileage or try to justify higher numbers with claims of mostly highway driving. Gasoline powered cars have thousands of parts that make up major systems such as the engine, fuel system, drive train, exhaust and transmission. Many of these parts have a life expectancy so if you put a lot of miles on your cars or buy used, you can expect to have to replace a water or fuel pump, belts, a muffler or even a whole transmission. What makes a gasoline engine so inefficient is heat loss. When you consider all that heat combined with so many small parts, some of which are rubber, it starts to make sense when you hear someone dreading their annual inspection because they wonder what part(s) they’re going to have to pay to replace in order to get the car to pass. It also starts to make sense when you learn that traditional car dealerships make more profit on parts and services than they do on sales. Gas cars are complex machines and the more you use them, the higher your risk of something going wrong.
Mileage beyond necessity
How many miles you drive on a daily basis related to your work or school routine is a very personal thing. When we got our car, my husband’s daily work commute was 22 miles round trip. It is even shorter now. Mine, which the Tesla makes once per week, is 32. One gentleman I chatted with a bit last year when we were both waiting for our cars to be built drives well over 100 miles each day. Some owners are retired. Some are medical professionals that work fewer than five days per week. For that reason, the total amount of miles you rack up can be very different than someone else. Yet for so many owners that I’ve spoken to, it is their non-commute mileage that is off the carts. They actually want to drive. The car is enjoyable, quiet, comfortable and fast. The internet radio keeps you company. And unlike the gasoline cars we’ve left behind, we are proud and almost eager to collect more miles.
Mileage is a badge of honor
I’ve come to the realization that mileage on a Tesla is a badge of honor. For one, it sort of blows detractors out of the water. Find me 10 people that think they “can’t” own a Tesla for a reason other than cost, and I’ll prove to 9 of them that they are wrong. Secondly, driving so many gas free miles is a fun way to stick it to big business – both oil and the auto industry as a whole. This is especially true in those states that ban Tesla’s direct sales model. A third reason is psychological. A small survey showed that many Tesla owners would not have otherwise chosen a car with a price tag close to that of their Model S. The more gas free miles you drive, the more you can justify the cost. In most cases, the cost of electricity at home is significantly less per mile than gas. In the case of long distance trips on the free super charger network, your fuel cost saving is 100%. (Add in a mileage reimbursement for business, and you may actually make a profit to take your Tesla while saving your company money compared to the cost of taxis and trains.)
It won’t be long before our Tesla, delivered in December 2014, has more miles on the odometer than our Hyundai, which was purchased in December 2012. It’s no wonder because aside from the fact that owning the Tesla makes us want to drive more, it also makes us want to drive the Hyundai less. Only one time in a whole year did we choose to drive that car. We had just washed and detailed the Tesla for my first ever local car show entry the following morning and didn’t want to get it dirty. Otherwise, I see no reason the two of us will ever be in the Hyundai together again.
How many miles does your Tesla have? Leave me a comment 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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