Energy
Tesla’s latest referral program prize includes a Tesla Semi race competition
Tesla updated its acclaimed Referral Program today, revealing several new rewards and extending popular perks for new and existing customers. Among the most notable updates are an opportunity to race the Tesla Semi around the company’s test track, as well as the extension of Free Unlimited Supercharging and a possible VIP invitation to what could be the Model Y reveal event.
Unlike past Referral Programs, the updated list of perks includes a fun competition among existing Tesla owners. As noted in the description for Tesla’s latest promotion that will run between Feb 1 to April 30, 2018, the person who can get the most number of friends to sign up for Tesla’s newsletter would have the opportunity to race the Tesla Semi around the company’s test track.
According to Tesla, each weekly winner would be ranked according to their times on the course. The performance of each winner behind the wheel of the electric long-hauler would also be posted on the Tesla app’s leaderboards.
Considering the astounding performance of the Tesla Semi, this particular perk in the company’s updated Referral Program could very well prove to be its most popular yet. Powered by four Model 3-derived electric motors, the Tesla Semi is capable of accelerating from 0-60 mph in 5 seconds without a full load.
Such acceleration is comparable to performance cars like the 2016 Ford Mustang V6 and the 2017 Chevrolet Camaro V6 1LE. Unlike these muscle cars, however, the Tesla Semi is a Class 8 truck that’s capable of towing 80,000 lbs. The acceleration was recently seen on video, when a Tesla Semi was spotted speeding through an industrial park that’s located between Tesla’s headquarters in Palo Alto and the company’s factory in Fremont, California.
Apart from the fun Tesla Semi reward, the latest Referral Program also includes an update to the company’s Supercharging policy. Model S and Model X buyers that purchase a vehicle after using an existing owner’s referral code, before the April 30 deadline, will receive free and unlimited use of Tesla’s global Supercharging network. In addition, a $500 credit will be given to the first friend each owner refers through their referral code. The $500 credit could be applied towards service or accessories, notes Tesla.
Tesla owners who earn five qualified referrals also earn a VIP invitation to the Elon Musk-led electric car and energy firm’s next unveiling event. Considering that Tesla has already unveiled the Tesla Semi and the next-generation Roadster, there is a pretty good chance that the next event would focus on the Model Y, the highly-anticipated compact SUV that will be built on Model 3’s architecture.
Tesla’s solar customers are can also earn perks by referring solar installations, including a $400 cash or $750 credit for each installed referral, a well as a Founders Series Powerwall 2 home battery unit.
We’ve provided the complete details of Tesla’s latest Referral Program below.
Tesla Referral Program
Tesla customers can give friends exclusive benefits on Model S, Model X and solar panels with their personal referral code.
Model S and Model X: Free Unlimited Supercharging
Owners can give five friends free, unlimited Supercharging with the purchase of a new Model S or Model X. In addition to unlimited Supercharging, the first friend each owner refers between February 1 and April 30 will also receive a $500 credit toward service or accessories.
As a thank you, participating owners will be eligible to receive referral awards.
1 to 2 Qualifying Referrals:
Owners can choose either of the options below for each of their first and second referrals.
- Founders Series Tesla Model S for Kids
Share the Tesla experience with your kids, with this miniature drivable electric Model S – including working headlights, a sound system, and a charge port, just like yours.
3 Qualifying Referrals:
Owners can choose either of the options below for their third referral.
- One Week with Model S or Model X
Experience a new Model S or Model X for one week—at home or on the road. If you do not use this award, this exclusive test drive may be given to a friend.
4 Qualifying Referrals:
Founders Series Powerwall 2
Store energy for future use and provide backup power with this red, limited-production Powerwall 2 home battery. This edition is not available to the public and will become available for installation starting Fall 2017.
5 Qualifying Referrals:
- Tesla Unveiling Invitation
Experience our next official unveiling event. Owners who reach five referral orders will be invited to our next unveiling event. Your VIP invitation will be valid for you and one guest. - Early Access Token for Solar Roof
Be one of the first to get Solar Roof with this early-access token for priority scheduling of a Solar Roof installation. If you do not use this award, the token may be given to a friend.
Race an Electric Semi Truck
One winner each week will get to race a giant electric semi truck around our test track. There will be additional prizes and trophies for the best track times. Each friend who signs up for our newsletter through your referral link gets each of you an entry. Owners can track their entries and the leaderboard in the Tesla App.
Solar: 5-Year Extended Limited Warranty
Owners can give five friends a 5-year extended limited warranty on a new solar energy system installation, and will be eligible to receive referral awards.
1 to 4 Qualifying Referrals:
Receive $400 cash or $750 in credit per each installed referral.
Credits are valid for 12 months from the referral installation date and can be used toward new Tesla products or accessories.
5 Qualifying Referrals:
Founders Series Powerwall 2
Store energy for future use and provide backup power with this red, limited-production Powerwall 2 home battery.
Thank you for helping to accelerate the world’s transition to sustainable energy.
Cybertruck
Tesla updates Cybertruck owners about key Powershare feature
Tesla is updating Cybertruck owners on its timeline of a massive feature that has yet to ship: Powershare with Powerwall.
Powershare is a bidirectional charging feature exclusive to Cybertruck, which allows the vehicle’s battery to act as a portable power source for homes, appliances, tools, other EVs, and more. It was announced in late 2023 as part of Tesla’s push into vehicle-to-everything energy sharing, and acting as a giant portable charger is the main advantage, as it can provide backup power during outages.
Cybertruck’s Powershare system supports both vehicle-to-load (V2L) and vehicle-to-home (V2H), making it flexible and well-rounded for a variety of applications.
However, even though the feature was promised with Cybertruck, it has yet to be shipped to vehicles. Tesla communicated with owners through email recently regarding Powershare with Powerwall, which essentially has the pickup act as an extended battery.
Powerwall discharge would be prioritized before tapping into the truck’s larger pack.
However, Tesla is still working on getting the feature out to owners, an email said:
“We’re writing to let you know that the Powershare with Powerwall feature is still in development and is now scheduled for release in mid-2026.
This new release date gives us additional time to design and test this feature, ensuring its ability to communicate and optimize energy sharing between your vehicle and many configurations and generations of Powerwall. We are also using this time to develop additional Powershare features that will help us continue to accelerate the world’s transition to sustainable energy.”
Owners have expressed some real disappointment in Tesla’s continuous delays in releasing the feature, as it was expected to be released by late 2024, but now has been pushed back several times to mid-2026, according to the email.
Foundation Series Cybertruck buyers paid extra, expecting the feature to be rolled out with their vehicle upon pickup.
Cybertruck’s Lead Engineer, Wes Morrill, even commented on the holdup:
As a Cybertruck owner who also has Powerwall, I empathize with the disappointed comments.
To their credit, the team has delivered powershare functionality to Cybertruck customers who otherwise have no backup with development of the powershare gateway. As well as those with solar…
— Wes (@wmorrill3) December 12, 2025
He said that “it turned out to be much harder than anticipated to make powershare work seamlessly with existing Powerwalls through existing wall connectors. Two grid-forming devices need to negotiate who will form and who will follow, depending on the state of charge of each, and they need to do this without a network and through multiple generations of hardware, and test and validate this process through rigorous certifications to ensure grid safety.”
It’s nice to see the transparency, but it is justified for some Cybertruck owners to feel like they’ve been bait-and-switched.
Energy
Tesla starts hiring efforts for Texas Megafactory
Tesla’s Brookshire site is expected to produce 10,000 Megapacks annually, equal to 40 gigawatt hours of energy storage.
Tesla has officially begun hiring for its new $200 million Megafactory in Brookshire, Texas, a manufacturing hub expected to employ 1,500 people by 2028. The facility, which will build Tesla’s grid-scale Megapack batteries, is part of the company’s growing energy storage footprint.
Tesla’s hiring efforts for the Texas Megafactory are hinted at by the job openings currently active on the company’s Careers website.
Tesla’s Texas Megafactory
Tesla’s Brookshire site is expected to produce 10,000 Megapacks annually, equal to 40 gigawatt hours of energy storage, similar to the Lathrop Megafactory in California. Tesla’s Careers website currently lists over 30 job openings for the site, from engineers, welders, and project managers. Each of the openings is listed for Brookshire, Texas.
The company has leased two buildings in Empire West Business Park, with over $194 million in combined property and equipment investment. Tesla’s agreement with Waller County includes a 60% property tax abatement, contingent on meeting employment benchmarks: 375 jobs by 2026, 750 by 2027, and 1,500 by 2028, as noted in a report from the Houston Business Journal. Tesla is required to employ at least 1,500 workers in the facility through the rest of the 10-year abatement period.
Tesla’s clean energy boom
City officials have stated that Tesla’s arrival marks a turning point for the Texas city, as it highlights a shift from logistics to advanced clean energy manufacturing. Ramiro Bautista from Brookshire’s economic development office, highlighted this in a comment to the Journal.
“(Tesla) has great-paying jobs. Not just that, but the advanced manufacturing (and) clean energy is coming to the area,” he said. “So it’s not just your normal logistics manufacturing. This is advanced manufacturing coming to this area, and this brings a different type of job and investment into the local economy.”
Energy
Tesla and Samsung SDI in talks over new US battery storage deal: report
The update was related by industry sources and initially reported by South Korean news outlets.
Recent reports have suggested that Tesla and Samsung SDI are in talks over a potential partnership to supply batteries for large-scale energy storage systems (ESS).
The update was related by industry sources and initially reported by South Korean news outlets.
ESS batteries to be built at Samsung’s Indiana plant
As noted in a report from Korea JoongAng Daily, the demand for energy storage systems has been growing rapidly in North America, thanks in no small part to the surge in AI investments across numerous companies. With this in mind, Tesla has reportedly approached Samsung SDI about a potential battery supply deal.
The deal is reportedly worth over 3 trillion Korean won (approximately $2.11 billion) and will span three years, according to The Korea Global Economic Daily. A battery supply deal with Samsung SDI could make sense for Tesla as the company already has a grid-scale battery, the Megapack, which is perfect for industrial use. Samsung SDI could simply supply cells for the EV maker.
Production of the batteries would reportedly take place at Samsung SDI’s joint venture factory with Stellantis in Indiana, which is currently under construction. Samsung SDI recently announced plans to use part of that plant’s EV lines to produce cells for ESS, with a targeted capacity of 30 GWh by the end of next year.
Tesla and Samsung’s partnership
At present, only a handful of manufacturers, including Korea’s LG Energy Solution, Samsung SDI, SK On, and Japan’s Panasonic, are capable of producing energy storage-scale batteries domestically in the United States. A Samsung SDI official issued a comment about the matter, stating, “Nothing has been finalized regarding cooperation with Tesla.”
The possible energy storage system deal adds another layer to Tesla’s growing collaboration with Samsung, which is already in line as a partner in the upcoming production of Tesla’s AI5 and AI6 chips. Early sample manufacturing of the AI6 is expected to begin in South Korea, with mass production slated for Samsung’s Texas-based Taylor foundry when it starts operations.
The AI6 chip will power Tesla’s next wave of high-volume projects, including the Optimus humanoid robot and the autonomous Cybercab service. Musk has called the partnership with Samsung a “real collaboration,” adding that he personally plans to “walk the line” at the Taylor facility to speed up progress.