Lifestyle
Tesla community sends Elon Musk well-wishes as CEO works on his 48th birthday
Every so often, an innovator with the capability to inspire and move people emerges. These men and women in the past have left their mark in society, and in this era, one of these innovators could very well be Elon Musk. And as the industrialist celebrates yet another birthday working at his electric car company, the Tesla and SpaceX community has banded together to extend their well-wishes to the hard working chief executive.
Today marks Elon Musk’s 48th year on Earth (0 years on Mars, for now), and in a recent Twitter interaction with his social media followers, the CEO mentioned that he would just be working on his birthday. Tesla, after all, is at a crucial point, with the company attempting to reach its delivery and production goals before the end of the second quarter. This would require everyone at Tesla, Musk included, to work extra hard until the end of June to deliver as many vehicles to customers as possible.
The Tesla community is known for being an appreciative group. Taking the initiative, a number of enthusiasts have taken it upon themselves to compile several warm birthday greetings from Tesla and SpaceX supporters across the globe. One of these came in the form of a video compiled by Model 3 owner-enthusiast Tesla_Raj, who runs a YouTube channel. An initiative to gather letters from Tesla supporters in numerous countries has also resulted in a long list of around 500 people thanking Musk for his work and wishing him well on his birthday.
Many of Musk’s birthday greetings featured well-wishes from individuals, families, and groups who have been positively affected by Tesla in one way or another. Several greetings were also quick to remind the CEO that it is important to take a breather once in a while, a reference to Musk’s tendency to overwork himself during times when Tesla is under pressure. Musk explained this habit in an interview last year, when he described his 120-hour workweeks during the height of the Model 3 ramp as some of the most painful points of his career.
A key theme that is also present in a good number of greetings were references to Musk and Tesla’s ongoing battle against veterans in the auto industry, as well as the negative narrative surrounding the company that has remained persistent over the years. Quite unsurprisingly, some of these struggles were mentioned by a Tesla community member who created an Elon Musk-inspired track as a birthday gift under the meme-proficient CEO’s fictional label, Emo G records.
Looking at the history of Tesla and SpaceX, it is evident that Musk is someone who never really takes the path of least resistance. And it is evident in the constant battle that both companies continue to fight today. SpaceX is somewhat protected from the rabid attacks directed at Tesla by skeptics due to the company’s private nature, but the company is no stranger to negativity. Tesla, of course, is pretty much the resident whipping boy of critics thanks to a pervading negative narrative surrounding the company and its products.
Yet, despite these challenges, both companies have flourished nonetheless. SpaceX currently operates one of the world’s most powerful rockets, the Falcon Heavy, which has already flawlessly delivered two commercial payloads this year. Tesla, for its part, continues to take a steadily larger piece of the auto market that has long been guarded by veteran carmakers. All these, of course, were the results of the hard work of thousands upon thousands of people working tirelessly at both SpaceX and Tesla. All these won’t be possible either without a CEO that is willing to lead from the front lines.
Musk is considered to be a man of many talents, but perhaps his biggest strength is his stubborn refusal to give up. In an interview with 60 Minutes back in 2012, Musk noted that he would have to be “dead or completely incapacitated” before he throws in the towel, and he has stood by these words ever since. The original Tesla Roadster was released at the worst possible time due to the US financial crisis; the Model S was mocked as “vaporware” during the years leading up to its release; the Model X was dubbed impossible due to its complexity; and the Model 3 was dismissed as a sure-fire failure that will crumble amidst the shadow of competitors such as the Chevy Bolt EV. As history would prove, each one of these vehicles would prove to be successful.
Even at 48 years old, Musk remains optimistic, almost to a fault. One could sigh at how Musk seemingly retains some naïveté to a certain degree, being a person that seemingly still believes in the good in people. This is evident in the mission of both his companies, with SpaceX aiming to make humans an interplanetary species and Tesla looking to accelerate the world’s transition to sustainable energy. As the Tesla and SpaceX story unravels more, one cannot help but conclude that in more ways than one, Elon Musk is precisely the type of innovator that the world needs right now: optimistic, persistent to a fault, flawed, relentless, and most of all, unwilling to accept the word “impossible.” And for being that, Musk deserves all the well-wishes he can get on this special (working) day.
Lifestyle
Tesla teases “Halloween Mode” update with Optimus rising from a graveyard
Tesla’s Halloween teaser hides a covered vehicle and an Optimus hand rising from the ground.
Tesla has started teasing a Halloween software update for its vehicles, with a short clip on X that reads, “Halloween is coming.” The clip opens on a glowing pumpkin before pulling back to the car’s center touchscreen, where the usual parked visualization has been replaced by a graveyard scene, and the vehicle draped with a white sheet so it reads as a cartoon ghost.
Halloween is coming pic.twitter.com/lM3ASUeOqX
— Tesla (@Tesla) October 1, 2026
The second detail is a robotic hand clawing its way out of the dirt like a zombie, which looks to be the hand of Tesla’s latest Optimus V3 humanoid robot. While Tesla still has not formally shown Optimus Gen 3 walking around in service, renders pulled from Tesla’s Android app last month gave the clearest look yet, including far more refined hands that Tesla has said carry 22 degrees of freedom. The hand has been the hardest part of the program. Musk has called it the majority of the robot’s engineering difficulty, and Tesla’s patents describe a design driven by tendons with the actuators moved into the forearm.
Tesla Optimus V3 hand and arm details revealed in new patents
Optimus also has a Halloween track record. Last October the robot handed out candy in Times Square, and a costumed “zombie” Optimus shuffled around the Tesla Diner in Los Angeles on Halloween night.
On the software side, Tesla’s 2025 Holiday Update expanded Santa Mode with a Santa sleigh, snowmen, snow effects, and a festive lock chime, so it wouldn’t be too far fetched if we saw something similar but themed for a Halloween Mode.
Lifestyle
Tesla’s newest feature lets you floor it out of a Supercharger while plugged in
Tesla’s new Emergency Drive Away feature lets owners flee a Supercharger while still plugged in.
Tesla has given drivers a way to escape while a vehicle is plugged-in at a Supercharger, in the event of an emergency. The company’s charging team announced a new feature on X called Emergency Drive Away, which lets a driver shift into Drive and pull away while the charging cable is still connected to the car.
Until now, a Tesla would not leave Park with a charge cable plugged in. Drivers had to release the latch from the touchscreen, the Tesla app, or the button on the charge handle, then wait for the port to let go. Emergency Drive Away removes that lockout, but Tesla is clear that it comes at a cost. “Use of this feature will damage your vehicle and the Supercharger,” the company wrote, adding that the function is meant for emergencies only and that deliberate misuse will lead to “additional penalties.” Tesla did not say what those penalties are.
Emergency Drive Away lets you shift into Drive while still plugged into a Supercharger pic.twitter.com/40GSzyP4lG
— Tesla Charging (@TeslaCharging) October 1, 2026
The in-car prompt is just as direct, with the warning reading: “Driving with the cable connected will cause damage to your vehicle and the Supercharger. Short camera recordings will be shared with Tesla.” That footage gives Tesla a way to separate a real emergency from someone who simply did not want to wait for the latch.
The feature requires software update 2026.38.3, and Tesla said in replies to owners that it works at every Supercharger in the United States without new stall hardware. Model S and Model X vehicles built before 2021 are not supported, and the company says the feature applies to U.S. Superchargers “for now,” leaving Canada and other markets out at launch.
Tesla Supercharger argument leads to tragic shooting incident
Tesla did not tie the announcement to any specific event, but it arrives two months after a gunman opened fire at an In-N-Out in Twin Falls, Idaho, on August 1, targeting three people in two Teslas at the neighboring Supercharger. One of them, a 66 year old man from Salt Lake City, was killed. Superchargers have been the scene of violence before, including a fatal shooting at a station near Denver in 2023.
In the weeks after Twin Falls, owners pushed Tesla for a native way to escape a stall, and many pointed back to EVject, the aftermarket breakaway connector Tesla sued in 2024 over claims it lacked overtemperature protection. The two companies later reached an agreement that led EVject to recall its earlier connectors in favor of a version with thermal sensors.
Our mission has always been about providing peace of mind and eliminating sitting duck scenarios.
We patented the built-in breakaway charger tip on Feb 15, 2023. Awarded Jan 30, 2024. Then shared the designs with @TeslaCharging
Thank you @Tesla for rolling out a solution. This… https://t.co/djOzswLw9N
— EVject (@EVject) October 2, 2026
Tesla’s Automatic Collision Evasion feature can be seen in one of the first owner videos of it in action.
Tesla owner Spencer (@scotsrule08) posted on Monday that the feature “worked flawlessly,” saying FSD reengaged itself just as he was about to hit a curb. Ashok Elluswamy, who leads Tesla’s AI team, shared the clip and wrote, “A guardian angel always looking out for you.”
The video arrives in the middle of a staged rollout. Tesla first shipped Automatic Collision Evasion with FSD (Supervised) v14.3.9 in software update 2026.27.6 earlier this month, which Teslarati covered as it reached cars. Update 2026.27.10, which began going out on September 19, carried the feature improvements with FSD v14.3.10, according to release notes tracked by Not a Tesla App. The newer 2026.27.11 build is now reaching another wave of vehicles.
The new Automatic Collision Evasion feature worked flawlessly! FSD reengaged itself just as I was about to hit a curb.
Kudos @Tesla_AI team! 👏 pic.twitter.com/Fbp15HhpL2
— Spencer (@scotsrule08) September 28, 2026
The feature only runs on HW4 vehicles, and it requires an active FSD purchase or subscription with both FSD (Supervised) and Automatic Emergency Braking enabled. HW3 owners receive FSD v14.2 Lite in the same updates, but that build does not include collision evasion.
Tesla’s release notes describe two triggers. The first is an imminent frontal collision that braking alone may not prevent, in which case the car can activate FSD to steer, brake or accelerate around the hazard. That scenario is limited to highways below 85 mph, with no pedestrians or cyclists detected and no slippery road surface. The second covers a driver who appears inattentive, such as reaching into the back seat, or who seems to have switched off FSD by accident. Spencer’s curb clip appears to fall into that second category.
Tesla plans big safety improvements for Full Self-Driving v15
Once the system takes over, the accelerator is muted and light brake input will not cancel the maneuver. Drivers need to apply firm, deliberate steering force to take back control, and the car chimes to hand control back once the danger has passed.
Elluswamy recently noted that earlier hazard prediction, faster reaction time and better collision avoidance would arrive with FSD v15, the next major version.
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