In an interview with Teslarati, an early Tesla Model 3 owner, shared her story of how her Tesla saved her and her family’s lives when they were hit by another car. Anna Febiana was picking up her son and daughter from school and were just minutes away from their home when they were struck by a BMW.
Anna took delivery of her Model 3 in December of 2018 and the accident happened on October 1, 2019. Although it happened two years ago, this was a hard story for Anna to share due to the trauma but she believed that people need to know that her Tesla saved her and her family’s lives.
“That was a Thursday afternoon and the crazy thing is that people think accidents happen on the freeway or the busy street. No, it was two miles away from my house at a quiet intersection. I was hit by a Series 5 BMW. I think it’s an older version, like the early 2000s. The car was bigger than my Tesla Model 3.”
The impact caused her car to spin twice and crash into a wooden street pole that fell onto the roof over her Model 3. It was the glass roof that prevented the pole from fully penetrating the roof. Although it left a hole, the glass held.
Tesla glass is a key safety design in its vehicles and it can not only protect drivers from UV rays but it can take on four times the weight of the car. This fact has been proven in multiple stories of accidents where miraculously, the occupants in the car survived.
“I don’t think we could have come out of the car to tell this story if it’s not for stable the Model 3 was. But also especially for my son, if it was not for how strong the roof of the car was, I don’t think he would be here,” Anna told me over the phone.
Anna’s daughter was sitting on the back passenger’s side where the impact occurred. Although she and her daughter had concussions, there were no bruises.
“The back wheel on the passenger side was completely crooked. My daughter was sitting there and because of how good the airbags were inside, I believe that saved my daughter. Both my daughter and I had concussions. My daughter had it a little bit worse than I had it. But there were no bruises on my daughter. It’s a miracle.”
Anna told me that she believed that God protected her that day through how safe the Model 3 was. She also didn’t realize how bad the accident was.
“After the accident, my son had all this corn-sized glass on top of his head and I didn’t have time to analyze anything. I was so shocked. My kids were in shock. My son had a bloody nose and half of his face was swollen.”
At that moment, her focus was on her children, not the accident itself. So she didn’t realize how bad it was until afterward. The car, she told me, didn’t flip over and they were able to leave the car.
When she saw the car after the accident, that’s when the gravity of the situation set in. She realized that all of the airbags had been deployed. And there was a big dent in the glass roof and a hole. The hole was above where her son was sitting. It was then she realized where those corn-sized pieces of glass came from.
“I don’t know if any other car has airbags the way Tesla designs the car with the airbags but with the strong impact, I had the side airbags deployed. The back–and I believe, as I said, saved my kids. That and how strong the car was.”
“My daughter got out of that crash with just a concussion. It’s a testament to how well built the car was.”
“When my car spun and stopped, the back of the car hit a street pole. I’ve never seen a wooden street pole anymore. I believe that the pole is the last of a kind in the city. It’s a wooden pole that held three different street signs. It was so heavy and I think that’s why the glass broke but it didn’t break completely.”
“Coming back and looking at the car, I got chills. Had it been any other glass or roof, I don’t think my son would be here today. He was sitting under that pole.”
Anna was the first person in her circle of friends to buy a Tesla. Many of her friends said that she was fancy and no, she was just tired of paying for service and maintenance and wanted to contribute to the planet by driving an EV.
After the accident, she told me that many of her friends had skeptical questions. She told them that she was alive because her car was a Model 3. And of course, she was going to get another Tesla.
“People need to know. This is a good car. It’s fancy for some people. But it’s safe and I will get it again. And we got another Model 3.”
Note: Johnna is a Tesla shareholder and supports its mission.
Your feedback is important. If you have any comments, or concerns, or see a typo, you can email me at johnna@teslarati.com. You can also reach me on Twitter @JohnnaCrider1
Elon Musk
SpaceX to become America’s Military data backbone for missiles, drones, and warfighters
The Space Force just handed SpaceX $2.29 billion to build the military’s space internet backbone.
The U.S. Space Force awarded SpaceX a $2.29 billion contract on May 26, 2026 to build the backbone of its Space Data Network, a satellite-based communications system designed to keep American military forces connected anywhere on Earth in real time. The contract is firm-fixed-price and requires SpaceX to deliver a fully operational prototype by the end of 2027.
In plain terms, the SDN Backbone is the plumbing behind the military’s space-based internet. It functions as a low Earth orbit satellite constellation providing robust, high-capacity, and low-latency data transport for the Joint Force, connecting sensors and weapons systems continuously, globally, and securely. Think of it as a private, hardened version of Starlink built specifically for battlefield communications, one that soldiers, ships, and aircraft can rely on even in contested environments where ground-based networks have been disrupted.
SpaceX is quietly becoming the U.S. Military’s only reliable rocket
The Space Force was direct about why SpaceX was selected. “The SDN Backbone leverages the best of commercial innovation and delivers a strong foundation for the SDN mission set — a huge benefit and enabler for our warfighters,” said USSF Col. Ryan Frazier.
“We aren’t trading speed for scale; we are demanding both. By using rapid prototyping and Other Transaction Authorities, we are ensuring our advanced solutions are integrated and delivered to the warfighter as fast as possible,” added USSF Lt. Col. Fry, SDN Backbone system program manager.
The SDN Backbone will work alongside the Space Development Agency’s Transport Layer, with the two systems forming a unified open architecture to provide critical data transport for current and future Department of War missions.
As Teslarati has reported, this is not SpaceX’s first Space Force contract of 2026. In April, the Space Force awarded SpaceX $178.5 million to launch missile tracking satellites, and SpaceX is already embedded in the Golden Dome missile defense software group. The $2.29 billion SDN Backbone award puts SpaceX at the center of how the American military communicates in space, a position with direct implications for its reported $1.75 trillion IPO valuation as the company heads toward a public offering as early as June 2026.
Tesla’s dedicated factory for building up to ten million Optimus units is officially under construction at Gigafactory Texas.
Drone footage released on May 27 by Giga Texas observer Joe Tegtmeyer captures the significant milestone of the first steel structure officially standing at Tesla’s new Optimus factory on the North Campus of the facility.
Phase two of land reclamation is advancing steadily, and the progress will let the new building extend nearly the full length of the main Giga Texas factory, potentially exceeding 4,000 feet, while measuring somewhere between 50 and 70 meters narrower. Extensive foundation work is proceeding as well.
Big news at the new Optimus 10m/y factory construction site today! The 1st steel structure has been erected & as expected the second phase of land reclamation is underway.
This will allow this new factory to grow to nearly the same length as the main Giga Texas factory,… pic.twitter.com/FidRLV6XpU
— Joe Tegtmeyer 🚀 🤠🛸😎 (@JoeTegtmeyer) May 27, 2026
This facility forms a central element of Tesla’s broader North Campus expansion at Giga Texas. The project will add more than 5.2 million square feet of new industrial space. It sits alongside other advanced developments, including a Terafab for next-gen AI chips. The scale reflects Tesla’s commitment to transforming humanoid robotics into a core pillar of the company’s future.
Musk has said that Optimus will be the biggest product in the world on several occasions. He believes it will be Tesla’s biggest valuation contributor.
Tesla prepares to expand Giga Texas with new Optimus production plant
Tesla plans to build about 10 million robots at the site annually once it is completed, which would be about 27,000 units each day.
The Optimus plant at Giga Texas is part of Tesla’s phased strategy for Optimus manufacturing. In an effort to start production of the robot well before the Giga Texas plant is complete, Tesla ended production of the Model S and Model X vehicles, which were built in Fremont, California, to make way for initial Optimus manufacturing efforts.
Production there will start in either July or August of this year, and early units will support internal factory tasks while the team gathers real-world data to refine processes. The Gigafactory Texas facility will house a second-gen production line. It targets high-volume output starting in Summer 2027.
Musk has repeatedly described Optimus as potentially more valuable than Tesla’s entire vehicle business. Current versions are already completing minor tasks around various facilities, while Tesla continues to refine its abilities and add new features.
Tesla’s total investment could reach several billion dollars. Significant challenges lie ahead, including the creation of an entirely new manufacturing ecosystem, the refinement of AI systems for dependable autonomy, and the development of reliable supply chains for actuators, sensors, and other components.
Nevertheless, the visible progress at Giga Texas highlights Tesla’s capacity to translate ambitious concepts into physical reality.
Tesla’s Optimus factory stands as much more than a simple expansion project, as it is quite literally the second phase of what could potentially be the biggest product ever. With construction beginning, 2027 is poised to become a transformative year for Tesla, as it evolves even further from an electric vehicle leader into a pioneer of intelligent, general-purpose machines.
Tesla Vice President of Vehicle Engineering, Lars Moravy, recently revealed the company has thought about introducing a Plaid powertrain on the Model 3, but there could be some challenges involved.
On the Ride the Lightning podcast, Moravy revealed that he thinks about a Plaid Model 3 “all the time,” and it certainly has a place in Tesla’s potential lineup of future vehicles.
Now that the Plaid powertrain is technically defunct due to the newfound absence of the Model S and Model X, Tesla could find a way to reintroduce the lightning-quick trim level to its mass-market vehicles.
But there are going to be some challenges with it. Moravy said that the Model 3 Plaid would likely adopt the carbon-sleeved motors that the Model S Plaid had. However, packaging would be a major challenge, as Moravy said on the podcast, it would be a “tight engineering squeeze.”
It’s important to note that there are no active production plans for the Model 3 Plaid at this point, but it’s also worth noting that with the Model S and Model X Plaid no longer available, Tesla would likely be willing to introduce something that is even more white-knuckle than the Model 3 Performance, which already boasts a 2.9-second 0-60 MPH acceleration rate and a top speed of 163 MPH.
Of course, there is the Roadster, but we don’t know when that will exactly make it to market, and we know that, for sure, it will not be accessible to many.
Tesla unveils juicy new detail on the Roadster and hints at new unveil timeline
Tesla has prided itself in building some of the best cars out there, but they’re also interested in building cars that are simply fun to be in.
A Plaid Model 3 could truly push the limits and could end up being one of the best cars Tesla will ever build, especially if it can shave off at least half of a second from its 0-60 MPH time and increase its top speed slightly.
More than anything, the real changes will be in the ride and aerodynamics. Tesla improving things like the suspension, handling, and downforce will be the true trademarks of its Plaid powertrain; putting it in the Model 3 could be a great move for the company and for customers interested in high-end performance.
SpaceX to become America’s Military data backbone for missiles, drones, and warfighters
Tesla’s dedicated Optimus factory construction officially underway at Giga Texas
