News
Tesla owner arrested due to Autopilot abuse pledges to continue Autopilot abuse
After a night in jail for reckless driving, most drivers would probably make it a point to make sure that they drive safely and well within the rules of the road. Not so for 25-year-old Param Sharma, who was recently arrested and subsequently released by the California Highway Patrol (CHP) for reckless driving through gross misuse of his Model 3’s Autopilot features.
Sharma caught the eye of the CHP on the weekend after images of his Autopilot escapades made the rounds in social media. As could be seen in the photos, the 25-year old was sitting on the backseat of his Model 3 while the vehicle operated without a driver. These photos infuriated netizens, many of whom were Tesla owners themselves, as the stunt was not only extremely dangerous, but also a gross violation of how Autopilot is supposed to be used.
The Model 3 owner was arrested by the CHP on Monday evening and booked into Santa Rita Jail on two counts of reckless driving and disobeying a Peace Officer. Interestingly enough, authorities noted that Sharma had already been cited for a similar incident in the past, with the 25-year old being reported for similar antics in late April. But despite spending a night in jail, it appears that the stubborn Tesla owner remained undaunted.
Speaking with KTVU on Tuesday evening after his release, Sharma confirmed that he has no intention of stopping his Autopilot backseat driving habits. He claimed that his driving was not dangerous, and that he actually went home from jail doing what he is now known for doing. According to the 25-year-old, his trip home from jail involved Autopilot operating a Tesla while he and a friend sat in the backseat.
“I’m gonna go in the back seat right now. You feel me? I’m waiting for my car to charge,” Sharma said, claiming that was he was doing is not dangerous. “I’ve been brake-checked before really hard, and the car stopped. The car came to a complete stop… I think people are tripping and they’re scared,” he added.
Tesla owners disagree. David McPherson, a South Bay resident who has driven a Tesla for five years, explained that actual full-self driving technology is not yet here. Echoing Tesla’s own terms for Autopilot, which clearly states that drivers must stay vigilant and be ready to intervene at any time, McPherson remarked that the risks are still far too great.
“Technology is not there yet. And being a Tesla owner, there’s still a lot of unknowns to take that risk or even consider it at this time,” the longtime Tesla owner said.
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Autopilot misuse is a serious matter, and one can only hope that owners like Sharma learn that using the driver-assist system in such a risky manner is not only wrong, but irresponsible. After all, Tesla emphasizes caution for its driver-assist systems, with even members of the FSD Beta–which have access to features that are yet to see a wide release–still being required to pay attention to the road while operating their vehicles. CEO Elon Musk has even mentioned on Twitter that some members of the FSD Beta group have been removed from the program due to the drivers not paying enough attention to the road.
Sharma’s interview with KTVU could be viewed below.
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Tesla Energy has introduced the Powerwall Lease in conjunction with Tesla Electric, making the service available in Texas. This new option delivers whole-home backup power using two Powerwall units for a net monthly cost of $35 after credits, accompanied by a low fixed electricity rate.
Under the lease terms, customers pay a one-time order fee of $100. The base lease payment for the two Powerwalls is approximately $122 per month during the first year, subject to a 3 percent annual escalator thereafter. Enrollment in a qualifying Tesla Electric Backup plan or Virtual Power Plant plan provides an $87 monthly credit.
Powerwall Lease is now available with Tesla Electric in Texas
Whole-home backup for $35/month, with a low fixed electricity rate
– Two Powerwalls, $0 installation
– Storm Watch outage protection
– One app to manage it all pic.twitter.com/oTzqc6K3aF— Tesla Energy (@teslaenergy) August 13, 2026
This credit lowers the effective cost to roughly $35 per month plus applicable tax.
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Installation of the standard system carries no additional charge. The package features Storm Watch for outage protection and allows complete management through a single Tesla application. The system supplies continuous whole-home backup capability.
The Powerwall system enables households to maintain electricity during severe storms that disrupt the utility grid. When outages occur, the batteries automatically provide seamless backup power to the home.
Tesla announces 100k Powerwalls are participating in Virtual Power Plants
Tesla Storm Watch monitors weather forecasts and ensures the units are fully charged ahead of anticipated severe weather events so that power remains available throughout the disruption, keeping lights, refrigeration, and other essential systems operating without interruption.
Availability is restricted to select Texas locations where retail electric choice exists. Participants must lease exactly two Powerwall units and maintain continuous enrollment with Tesla Electric. Solar panels cannot be included under this particular lease arrangement.
The monthly credit activates automatically once the system is installed, receives permission to operate, and enrollment is confirmed. To retain the credit, customers are required to stay enrolled in Tesla Electric and fulfill all program conditions.
Nonstandard installations that involve electrical upgrades or special permitting may lead to extra expenses and might impact eligibility for the credit, so be sure to check with either your installer or Tesla to ensure you will still qualify.
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Elon Musk continues to tease the unveiling event for the Tesla Roadster, a continuing trend that has grown into a bigger game of “When” for fans who have been waiting years for the car to finally enter production.
A video shared on X of the Joe Rogan Experience podcast that Musk appeared on last year, teasing the Roadster unveiling, was shared once again on the social media platform. The poster said the Roadster event will be “unforgettable.”
Musk agreed:
Yes
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) August 12, 2026
The timing is interesting because just yesterday, Musk said that we will be getting flying cars, and for years, Tesla has hinted that it could develop a SpaceX cold gas thruster package that would help the car float or fly for a short period of time.
It would be reasonable to assume Tesla’s major delays with this unveiling event are likely caused by the company’s need to break the rules and push the envelope on nearly everything. Last July, Lars Moravy, Tesla’s VP of Vehicle Engineering, said:
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“Roadster is definitely in development. We did talk about it last Sunday night. We are gearing up for a super cool demo. It’s going to be mind blowing. We showed Elon some cool demos last week of the tech we’ve been working on and he got a little excited.”
The latest updates that Tesla has given us are that the Roadster is in design development, and it did have several potential dates for an unveiling event this year, including April. It was then pushed to August.
However, there are no clues as to when Tesla will be ready, and fans are certainly getting frustrated with the delays.
For what it is worth, Franz von Holzhausen told Jay Leno this week that the event would be “very soon.”
We sure hope.
Lifestyle
Tesla’s driverless Cybercab just passed a big test with State Governor
Florida’s governor rode Tesla’s Cybercab at a closed test track and called the experience impressive.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis rode in a Tesla Cybercab on a closed test track this week and came away impressed, posting on X that the vehicle “successfully navigated all hazards — a kid running into the street, a crash with police stopping traffic, a Model S cutting us off, etc.” He called the ride “impressive.”
The stop was part of a broader event Monday at SunTrax, a 775 acre state owned proving ground in Auburndale that Florida built specifically to test autonomous and connected vehicles before they reach public roads. Standing next to a gold Cybercab, DeSantis described the car in plain terms: “You go in there and you just sit. You have a screen. There’s no steering wheel, no pedals. Clearly these things could be very beneficial.”
We took a ride on a robotaxi on the Suntrax course and it successfully navigated all hazards — a kid running into the street, a crash with police stopping traffic, a Model S cutting us off, etc.
Impressive! https://t.co/FVAkzFLz3r
— Ron DeSantis (@RonDeSantis) August 11, 2026
DeSantis paired the praise with a caveat that has followed autonomous vehicles since the category existed. “You don’t want to be in an autonomous vehicle and it drives you into a ditch. That would not be good,” he said, framing safety validation as the gate before wider deployment.
SunTrax, the 2.25 mile oval which the state calls the only high speed autonomous vehicle test track in the Southeast, can simulate rain, pedestrian crossings, hills and crowded urban conditions at highway speeds, letting companies push a car past what an early public rollout would risk. Tesla, Waymo and Beep all use the facility, and Florida’s regulatory approach, among the most permissive for autonomous vehicles in the country, doesn’t require a human operator inside a fully autonomous car.
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Tesla has reason to want the blessing of Florida and states beyond, as the Cybercab entered volume production at Gigafactory Texas this spring and has since self certified as SAE Level 4 under Texas law. Public road testing so far has kept a safety monitor in the passenger seat, and Florida is where Tesla has been expanding its existing Model Y based Robotaxi service instead, adding Miami in July and then Orlando and Tampa two weeks later. A closed track endorsement from a sitting governor doesn’t change any of that, but it does put Tesla’s newest hardware in front of a state that has already shown it will move fast on rules.
Tesla launches Powerwall Lease for affordable home backup
Elon Musk teases Tesla Roadster unveiling once again
