News
How Tesla Battery Day can silence critics once and for all
The hype surrounding Tesla’s Battery Day is very real. Enthusiasts and unknowns are talking about the potential findings that Elon Musk and his crew could unveil on September 22nd, and the event could make way for Tesla to become much larger than it already is. However, there is a good chance that the critics of the electric automaker will have little to say after the event, and if Tesla plays it right, it could be the beginning of the end of the Tesla FUD (Fear, Uncertainty, Doubt) movement.
It is understandable to assume that Tesla doubters will always exist. Some companies that have the best intentions still have their haters, and that’s just human nature. While Tesla will always have people who will doubt its intentions as a company, Battery Day could be the proverbial duct tape over the lips of the most vocal skeptics.
Tesla still has work to do, and Battery Day’s total appeal comes down to whether the company can manage to live up to the hype. Many rumors are circulating around what Elon Musk could unveil at the event, some related to batteries, and some aren’t. But whatever happens, it really comes down to the “Wow” factor, and whether Tesla can manage to attain that with their findings and unveilings.
To me, the most significant thing Tesla could announce is price parity, and something that is relatively an extra is the possibility that Musk could unveil the Plaid Powertrain. But if the company really wants to make a mark, several things, in my opinion, have to be confronted during the event.
Million-Mile Battery
Tesla’s Million-Mile Battery is almost certainly the most confirmed element of Battery Day. Developments from Jeff Dahn and his team of researchers have come up big for Tesla recently with electrolyte solutions and new studies that show revolutionary energy density measures. Reports across the globe have essentially confirmed that Tesla will unveil this development at the event, and it will be a big win for the electric automaker.
Having a battery that will last as long as two or three vehicle chassis means that when the increased longevity is combined with increasing production, Tesla will have a relatively large-scale supply of batteries available at their disposal. This opens the doors for many things, including price parity and the possibility of becoming a supplier for other electric car companies.
Price Parity…or close to it
Price parity with gas cars wouldn’t only be monumental for Tesla, but for EVs in general. It would prove that gas cars are not always going to be the most economical option for drivers, and the price of battery-powered cars would drop. Having Tesla announce price parity or something close would mean the premium EV brand would have the most affordable vehicles in terms of EV tech and range. It could mean the company’s growth may accelerate much quicker than initially anticipated. If the cars are cheaper, a lot of people will buy them, obviously. While $35,000 is reasonable for the Model 3 Standard Range, many people still are unwilling to spend that much on any car.
Getting the price of batteries down would literally begin the destruction of legacy automakers as if it hasn’t already started. Tesla being the best EV brand and having the best prices per kWh would be so massive, I don’t think many people can begin to fathom the possibilities.
This is a preview from our weekly newsletter. Each week I go ‘Beyond the News’ and handcraft a special edition that includes my thoughts on the biggest stories, why it matters, and how it could impact the future.
Status as a cell supplier for other companies
If Tesla can figure out price parity and long lifespan battery cells, the company will be well on its way to becoming a battery supplier. Long term battery life, combined with affordability, will be a big plus for Tesla’s plans to become a supplier for other EV brands. Having cheap batteries that are high-quality and offer an extended lifespan will be a no brainer. Tesla’s most notable competitors will be forced to source their cells from the Silicon Valley-based company.
Plaid Powertrain for the Model S
The Plaid Powertrain has been highly-anticipated for about a year, and there is a good chance Tesla unveils it at Battery Day. It seems that the issue with putting it into production last year was along the same lines as putting the Semi into production too early: battery shortages. The Plaid Powertrain will have a larger pack, meaning more cells, and putting it on Tesla’s menu too early would have spoiled their plans for the cars that are more crucial to the future of the company. The Model 3 is an excellent example of this. It’s a mass-market car, and the batteries should go toward these efforts instead of a sedan that has increased performance.
The Semi was not put into production because battery cells were not plentiful enough. Creating the Semi and fulfilling the preorders that the company had would have been troublesome for Tesla’s mass-market vehicle push, and it certainly wouldn’t have been the smartest strategy. However, Musk said that a “volume production” push of the Semi needed to occur soon, which basically confirms that the shortage is no longer an issue. The Plaid Powertrain will likely be the next piece of Tesla’s puzzle to be announced.
Is there the possibility that Tesla will shock us with something completely unexpected?
Of course, we’re talking about Elon Musk. The guy that unveiled the next-Gen Roadster as a surprise and the guy that rolled off a Cyberquad after the Cybertruck unveiling. While those are just a vehicle and a four-wheeler, we’re talking about Tesla’s most anticipated event, perhaps ever. There is a lot of potential for groundbreaking announcements next Tuesday, and there is no shortage of things that Musk could announce.
He has said on numerous occasions that Battery Day is going to be insanity and that it will likely blow a lot of minds. But what will transpire exactly, only a few people really know, and there is little sense in trying to guess what Musk will have for us on September 22nd.
A big thanks to our long-time supporters and new subscribers! Thank you.
I use this newsletter to share my thoughts on what is going on in the Tesla world. If you want to talk to me directly, you can email me or reach me on Twitter. I don’t bite, be sure to reach out!
News
Tesla adds awesome new driving feature to Model Y
Tesla is rolling out a new “Comfort Braking” feature with Software Update 2026.8. The feature is exclusive to the new Model Y, and is currently unavailable for any other vehicle in the Tesla lineup.
Tesla is adding an awesome new driving feature to Model Y vehicles, effective on Juniper-updated models considered model year 2026 or newer.
Tesla is rolling out a new “Comfort Braking” feature with Software Update 2026.8. The feature is exclusive to the new Model Y, and is currently unavailable for any other vehicle in the Tesla lineup.
Tesla writes in the release notes for the feature:
“Your Tesla now provides a smoother feel as you come to a complete stop during routine braking.”
🚨 Tesla has added a new “Comfort Braking” update with 2026.8
“Your Tesla provides a smoother feel as you come to a complete stop during routine braking.” https://t.co/afqCpBSVeA pic.twitter.com/C6MRmzfzls
— TESLARATI (@Teslarati) March 13, 2026
Interestingly, we’re not too sure what catalyzed Tesla to try to improve braking smoothness, because it hasn’t seemed overly abrupt or rough from my perspective. Although the brake pedal in my Model Y is rarely used due to Regenerative Braking, it seems Tesla wanted to try to make the ride comfort even smoother for owners.
There is always room for improvement, though, and it seems that there is a way to make braking smoother for passengers while the vehicle is coming to a stop.
This is far from the first time Tesla has attempted to improve its ride comfort through Over-the-Air updates, as it has rolled out updates to improve regenerative braking performance, handling while using Full Self-Driving, improvements to Steer-by-Wire to Cybertruck, and even recent releases that have combatted Active Road Noise.
Tesla holds a unique ability to change the functionality of its vehicles through software updates, which have come in handy for many things, including remedying certain recalls and shipping new features to the Full Self-Driving suite.
Tesla seems to have the most seamless OTA processes, as many automakers have the ability to ship improvements through a simple software update.
We’re really excited to test the update, so when we get an opportunity to try out Comfort Braking when it makes it to our Model Y.
News
Tesla finally brings a Robotaxi update that Android users will love
The breakdown of the software version shows that Tesla is actively developing an Android-compatible version of the Robotaxi app, and the company is developing Live Activities for Android.
Tesla is finally bringing an update of its Robotaxi platform that Android users will love — mostly because it seems like they will finally be able to use the ride-hailing platform that the company has had active since last June.
Based on a decompile of software version 26.2.0 of the Robotaxi app, Tesla looks to be ready to roll out access to Android users.
According to the breakdown, performed by Tesla App Updates, the company is preparing to roll out an Android version of the app as it is developing several features for that operating system.
🚨 It looks like Tesla is preparing to launch the Robotaxi app for Android users at last!
A decompile of v26.2.0 of the Robotaxi app shows some progress on the Android side for Robotaxi 🤖 🚗 https://t.co/mThmoYuVLy
— TESLARATI (@Teslarati) March 13, 2026
The breakdown of the software version shows that Tesla is actively developing an Android-compatible version of the Robotaxi app, and the company is developing Live Activities for Android:
“Strings like notification_channel_robotaxid_trip_name and android_native_alicorn_eta_text show exactly how Tesla plans to replicate the iOS Live Activities experience. Instead of standard push alerts, Android users are getting a persistent, dynamically updating notification channel.”
This is a big step forward for several reasons. From a face-value perspective, Tesla is finally ready to offer Robotaxi to Android users.
The company has routinely prioritized Apple releases because there is a higher concentration of iPhone users in its ownership base. Additionally, the development process for Apple is simply less laborious.
Tesla is working to increase Android capabilities in its vehicles
Secondly, the Robotaxi rollout has been a typical example of “slowly then all at once.”
Tesla initially released Robotaxi access to a handful of media members and influencers. Eventually, it was expanded to more users, so that anyone using an iOS device could download the app and hail a semi-autonomous ride in Austin or the Bay Area.
Opening up the user base to Android users may show that Tesla is preparing to allow even more users to utilize its Robotaxi platform, and although it seems to be a few months away from only offering fully autonomous rides to anyone with app access, the expansion of the user base to an entirely different user base definitely seems like its a step in the right direction.
News
Lucid unveils Lunar Robotaxi in bid to challenge Tesla’s Cybercab in the autonomous ride hailing race
Lucid’s Lunar robotaxi is gunning for Tesla’s Cybercab in the autonomous ride hailing race
![Lucid Lunar robotaxi concept [Credit: Rendering by TESLARATI]](https://www.teslarati.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/lucid-lunar-robotaxi-concept-teslarati-rendering.jpg)
Lucid Group pulled back the curtain on its purpose-built autonomous robotaxi platform dubbed the Lunar Concept. Announced at its New York investor day event, Lunar is arguably the company’s most ambitious concept yet, and a direct line of sight toward the autonomous ride haling market that Tesla looks to control.
At Lucid Investor Day 2026, the company introduced Lunar, a purpose-built robotaxi concept based on the Midsize platform.
A comparison to Tesla’s Cybercab is unavoidable. The concept of a Tesla robotaxi was first introduced by Elon Musk back in April 2019 during an event dubbed “Autonomy Day,” where he envisioned a network of self-driving Tesla vehicles transporting passengers while not in use by their owners. That vision took another major step in October 2024 when, Musk unveiled the Cybercab at the Tesla “We, Robot” event held at Warner Bros. Studios in Burbank, California, where 20 concept Cybercabs autonomously drove around the studio lot giving rides to attendees.
Fast forward to today, and Tesla’s ambitions are finally materializing, but not without friction. As we recently reported, the Cybercab is being spotted with increasing frequency on public roads and across the grounds of Gigafactory Texas, suggesting that the company’s road testing and validation program is ramping meaningfully ahead of mass production. Tesla already operates a small scale robotaxi service in Austin using supervised Model Ys, but the Cybercab is designed from the ground up for high-volume, low-cost production, with Musk stating an eventual goal of producing one vehicle every 10 seconds.
At Lucid Investor Day 2026, the company introduced Lunar, a purpose-built robotaxi concept based on the Midsize platform.
Into this landscape steps Lucid’s Lunar. Built on the company’s all-new Midsize EV platform, which will also underpin consumer SUVs starting below $50,000. The Lunar mirrors the Cybercab’s core philosophy of having two seats, no driver controls, and a focus on fleet economics. The platform introduces Lucid’s redesigned Atlas electric drive unit, engineered to be smaller, lighter, and cheaper to manufacture at scale.
Unlike Tesla’s strategy of building its own ride hailing network from scratch, Lucid is partnering with Uber. The companies are said to be in advanced discussions to deploy Midsize platform vehicles at large scale, with Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi publicly backing Lucid’s engineering credentials and autonomous-ready architecture.
In the investor day event, Lucid also outlined a recurring software revenue model, with an in-vehicle AI assistant and monthly autonomous driving subscriptions priced between $69 and $199. This can be seen as a nod to the software revenue stream that Tesla has long championed with its Full Self-Driving subscription.
Tesla’s Cybercab is targeting a price point below $30k and with operating costs as low as 20 cents per mile. But with regulatory hurdles still ahead, the window for competition is open. Lucid’s Lunar may not have a launch date yet, but it arrives at a pivotal moment, and when the robotaxi race is no longer viewed as hypothetical. Rather, every serious EV player needs to come to bat on the same plate that Tesla has had countless practice swings on over the last seven years.
Tesla adds awesome new driving feature to Model Y
Tesla finally brings a Robotaxi update that Android users will love
![Lucid Lunar robotaxi concept [Credit: Rendering by TESLARATI]](https://www.teslarati.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/lucid-lunar-robotaxi-concept-teslarati-rendering-80x80.jpg)
