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Tesla invites Europeans to take ‘Drive To Believe’ challenge: one week with Model S
A new program being offered by Tesla invites residents in select European markets to participate in the company’s latest ‘Drive To Believe’ challenge and win a chance to experience Model S through an extended one week test drive.
Residents of the UK, Germany, Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, France, Austria, Belgium, Finland, Luxembourg, Italy, Denmark, and Ireland that win the challenge will have the opportunity to swap their existing vehicles for a Tesla Model S on specific dates between November 16 and December 31, 2016.
“At Tesla, we believe that it takes driving a Tesla and experiencing its superior performance, safety, and technology, to be convinced. We now want to give you that opportunity as well.”, reads the description on Tesla’s ‘Drive to Believe’ online form.
It’s no secret that Tesla is making a significant investment in expanding its European footprint. CEO Elon Musk recently told investors that the company has plans to expand its battery production into Europe with a second Gigafactory. The company also recently announced that it had acquired top-notch German engineering firm Grohmann Engineering to form a new division aimed at building automated assembly systems, a step towards Musk’s goal of “building the machine that builds the machine”. Continued efforts on scaling Tesla’s European infrastructure while streamlining manufacturing processes and logistics allows the company to position itself ahead of demand.
Meanwhile, programs such as the latest ‘Drive To Believe’ challenge allows the company’s sales arm to focus on driving demand overseas. Secondarily, by having prize winners sign off on terms that would allow Tesla to film their experience with a Model S, the company is able to leverage its Customer Stories program as a tool to build trust among interested buyers and further stimulate sales efforts.
We’ve included the full details of Tesla’s ‘Drive to Believe’ European competition.
TESLA ‘DRIVE TO BELIEVE’ EUROPEAN COMPETITION 2016
1. The promoter
1.1 The promoter is: Tesla Motors Netherlands B.V., Burgemeester Stramanweg 122 (1101 EN), Amsterdam Netherlands (Tesla).
2. The competition
2.1 The title of the competition is TESLA ‘DRIVE TO BELIEVE’.
2.2 Entrants must answer a skill-based question within the space provided in the competition field online at www.tesla.com/drive-to-believe
2.3 The competition will run in one phase. For you to be eligible for the competition, your entry must be submitted between 00:01 on 16th November to 23:59 on 31 December 2016
2.4 You may enter the competition only once.
2.5 All competition entries received after 23:59 on 31 December 2016 will be automatically disqualified from the competition.
2.6 To enter the competition you must fill in all required fields on www.tesla.com/drive-to-believe
2.7 Participation in the competition can only take place at www.tesla.com/drive-to-believe. No applications to enter made in any other manner will be accepted.
2.8 No purchase necessary.
2.9 Tesla will not accept:
(a) responsibility for competition entries that are lost, mislaid, damaged or delayed in transit, regardless of cause, including, for example, as a result of any equipment failure, technical malfunction, systems, satellite, network, server, computer hardware or software failure of any kind; or
(b) proof of transmission as proof of receipt of entry to the competition.
2.10 By submitting a competition entry, you are agreeing to be bound by these terms and conditions.
2.11 The competition entry selection will be based on the entrant’s specific eligibility for the competition. The decision of Tesla (acting reasonably) will be final. Tesla reserves the right to amend the criteria used to judge entries.
2.12 By entering the competition, you hereby warrant that all information submitted by you in your entry is true, accurate and complete in every respect. Tesla reserves the right to verify any information contained in your entry and/or your eligibility to enter the competition.
2.13 Tesla reserve the right in its absolute discretion to disqualify any entrant if it has reasonable grounds to believe that an entrant has breached any of these terms and conditions or any applicable law. Each entrant acknowledges and agrees that any failure to comply with these terms and conditions could lead to Tesla disqualifying that person, without Tesla giving any reason for such disqualification or granting any opportunity for challenge.
2.14 In the event that a prize-winner is disqualified from the competition, Tesla will select an alternative prize-winner in the same manner as the original prize-winner and such selection will be subject to these terms and conditions.
3. Eligibility
3.1 The competition is only open to all residents in the following European markets: UK, Germany, Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, France, Austria, Belgium, Finland, Luxembourg, Italy, Denmark, Ireland
3.2 Entrants must be 25 years of age or above and own a car and hold a valid driver’s license for the market they reside in and enter the competition from.
3.3 Entrants must be able to provide proof of identity.
3.4 Entrants must be willing to be filmed and for all footage and image and voice recordings of their person to be used for Tesla promotional purposes, in all media, globally, in perpetuity for no additional fee or financial remuneration of any kind.
3.5 Any person that is any of the following is not eligible to win the competition:
(a) an employee of Tesla or its holding or subsidiary companies;
(b) an employee of agents or suppliers of Tesla or its holding or subsidiary companies, who are professionally connected with the competition or its administration; or
(c) a member of the immediate families or households of (a) and (b) above.
Tesla reserves the right to disqualify any person that it knows is, or has reasonable grounds to believe is, ineligible for the competition as a result of this condition.
3.6 In entering the competition, you confirm that you are eligible to do so and eligible to claim the prize. Tesla may require you to provide proof that you are eligible to enter the competition.
3.7 Tesla will not accept competition entries that are:
(a) automatically generated by computer;
(b) completed by third parties;
(c) illegible, have been altered, reconstructed, forged or tampered with;
(d) incomplete.
3.8 There is a limit of one entry per person for the duration of the competition. In the event that Tesla discovers or has reasonable grounds to believe that the same person has made multiple entries, such person and any entries made by them shall be disqualified and, if such entrant has already been selected as a prize-winner, an alternative prize-winner will be selected in accordance with condition 2.14
3.9 Tesla reserves all rights to disqualify you if your conduct is contrary to the spirit or intention of the competition or if you engage in political slogans or homophobic language, behaviour of a lewd or explicitly sexual nature or engage in content which is defamatory, obscene, illegal, vulgar, offensive or otherwise unsuitable or infringes others’ rights (including intellectual property rights).
4 The prize
4.1 The prize is as following:
(a) Competition winners must swap their current car for a Tesla Model S for the duration of one week to take place on specific dates Tesla will select between 00:01 on 16th November to 23:59 on 31 December 2016.
4.2 The prize is supplied by Tesla.
4.3 There is no cash alternative for the prize. The prize is not negotiable or transferable.
4.4 In order to claim the prize you must comply with condition 6.
5. Winner announcement
5.1 The winners of the competition will be announced across all media to be selected by Tesla on a date or dates to be selected by Tesla.
5.2 The decision of Tesla is final and no correspondence or discussion will be entered into.
5.3 Tesla will contact the winner personally as soon as Tesla has selected a shortlist of winners.
6. Claiming the prize
6.1 If you are the winner of the prize, you will have 2 days from the Announcement Date to claim the prize. If you do not claim the prize within this timeframe, your claim will become invalid.
6.2 The prize may not be claimed by a third party on your behalf.
6.3 Tesla will make all reasonable efforts to contact the winner. If the winner cannot be contacted or is not available, or has not claimed their prize within 2 days of contact, Tesla reserves the right to offer the prize to the next eligible entrant selected from the correct entries that were received.
6.4 Tesla does not accept any responsibility if you are not able to take up the prize.
6.5 No prize will be awarded where any entrant has committed any form of misconduct (as determined by Tesla in its sole discretion).
7. Limitation of liability
Insofar as is permitted by law, Tesla, its agents or distributors will not in any circumstances be responsible or liable to compensate the winner or accept any liability for any loss, damage, disappointment, personal injury or death occurring as a result of any entrant entering this competition, taking up the prize, or as a result of any entrant winning or not winning any prize, except where it is caused by the negligence of Tesla, its agents or distributors or that of their employees. Your statutory rights are not affected.
8. Ownership and intellectual property rights
8.1 You agree that Tesla (and any third party authorised by Tesla) may use your person, voice and image for any promotional purpose (for example, placing it on the Tesla webpage and social channels for advertising media. You give Tesla (and any third party authorised by Tesla) your irrevocable permission to use, reproduce, publish, display, transmit, copy, amend, store, sell and sub-license your person, voice and image worldwide and in perpetuity for promotional purposes and for the purposes of the competition. Tesla will own the right to your image and voice recordings captured during the duration of the competition.
8.2 By submitting your competition entry, you agree to:
(a) assign to Tesla all your voice and image rights with full title guarantee; and
(b) waive all moral rights,
8.3 You agree that Tesla may, but is not required to, make your personal image and voice recordings available on our social media channels and websites and any other media, whether now known or invented in the future, and in connection with any publicity of the competition. You agree to grant Tesla a non-exclusive, worldwide, irrevocable license, for the full period of any intellectual property rights in your image and voice recordings, to use, display, publish, transmit, copy, edit, alter, store, re-format for such purposes.
9. Data protection and publicity
9.1 If you are the winner of the competition you agree that Tesla may use your name, image, and town or country of residence to announce the winner of this competition and for any other reasonable and related promotional purposes.
9.2 You further agree to participate in any reasonable publicity required by Tesla.
9.3 By entering the competition, you agree that any personal information provided by you with the competition entry may be held and used only by Tesla or their agents and suppliers to administer the competition.
10. General
10.1 If there is any reason to believe that there has been a breach of these terms and conditions, Tesla may, at its sole discretion, reserve the right to exclude you from participating in the competition.
10.2 In the event of any dispute regarding these terms and conditions, the conduct or results of the competition, or any other matter relating to a competition, the decision of Tesla shall be final and unchallengeable and no correspondence or discussion shall be entered into, comment issued, or reason given in respect of any decision made by Tesla.
10.3 Tesla reserves the right to hold void, suspend, cancel, or amend all or any part of the competition where it becomes necessary to do so. Any changes to these terms and conditions, or cancellation of the competition, will be posted on the Tesla website. It is the responsibility of entrants to keep themselves informed as to any changes to the terms and conditions.
10.4 These terms and conditions and any dispute arising out of or in connection with them or their subject matter (including any non-contractual disputes or claims) shall be governed by the laws of the Netherlands and the parties submit to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of The Netherlands.
News
Tesla developing small, affordable SUV, report claims
This latest rumor deserves heavy scrutiny. Tesla has already walked away from a mass-market $25,000 EV once before.
Tesla is developing a small, affordable SUV, a new report claims, speculating that the automaker is planning to add yet another vehicle to its lineup at a price point similar to the Model 3 and Model Y, but smaller and more compact.
But it does not make a whole lot of sense, especially considering a handful of things CEO Elon Musk said and the overall plan for Tesla’s future.
Reuters reported that Tesla is in the early stages of developing an all-new, smaller, cheaper electric SUV. Citing four sources familiar with the matter, the story claims the vehicle would be shorter than the Model Y, built in China, and represent a fresh platform rather than a variant of the Model 3 or Y.
Suppliers have reportedly been contacted to discuss details, though Tesla has not commented. The move appears aimed at broadening affordability amid slowing EV demand and intensifying competition, particularly from Chinese rivals.
This latest rumor deserves heavy scrutiny. Tesla has already walked away from a mass-market $25,000 EV once before.
In 2024, the company scrapped its long-teased “Redwood” project for a budget-friendly car. Elon Musk explained the decision bluntly during an earnings call: a conventional low-cost model would be “pointless” and “completely at odds with what we believe.”
It’s sort of hard to believe this report: 3/Y are already relatively affordable, Elon said a $25k wouldn’t make sense, consumers want something larger than the Y with X going away, and Musk said what’s coming is “cooler than a minivan.”
Have to think the car is at least an SUV. https://t.co/4CQUV9ZNA5
— TESLARATI (@Teslarati) April 9, 2026
In other words, chasing a bare-bones cheap EV runs counter to Tesla’s core mission of accelerating sustainable energy through cutting-edge technology and autonomy rather than volume-driven price wars.
Musk’s own recent statements reinforce skepticism about a compact SUV pivot. Just two weeks ago, on March 25, he responded to fan requests for a minivan by posting on X: “Something way cooler than a minivan is coming.”
Elon Musk says Tesla is developing a new vehicle: ‘Way cooler than a minivan’
The remark came in the context of family-hauling needs, with Musk highlighting the Cybertruck’s ability to seat multiple child seats. It signals Tesla’s focus is shifting toward more spacious, innovative people-movers—not shrinking its lineup.
U.S. demand data echoes this logic.
The long-wheelbase Model Y L—a six-seat, stretched variant offering extra room for families—has generated massive interest wherever offered. Fans in the U.S. have basically begged for the Model Y L to make its way to the States, or for the company to develop a full-size SUV.
The Model Y L is selling well in China, where it is manufactured.
Delivery wait times for the Model Y L stretched into February 2026 as orders poured in. Tesla recently expanded the trim to eight new Asian markets, yet it remains unavailable in the United States, where consumer appetite for a larger, more practical SUV is reportedly strong.
American buyers have consistently favored bigger vehicles; the Model Y already outsells most competitors precisely because it delivers crossover utility without compromise. A compact model shorter than today’s bestseller would likely miss this mark entirely.
Tesla’s product strategy has long emphasized differentiation through autonomy, range, and desirability rather than racing to the bottom on price. Stripped-down variants of the Model 3 and Y have already struggled to ignite broad demand.
A new compact SUV built in China might sound logical on paper for cost-sensitive buyers, but it risks repeating past missteps—diluting brand cachet while ignoring clear signals from Musk and the market.
History suggests Tesla talks about affordable cars more often than it delivers them. Whether this Reuters scoop evolves into metal or joins the $25k project on the scrap heap remains to be seen.
For now, the smart money is on Tesla doubling down on “way cooler” vehicles that actually fit American families—and Tesla’s ambitious vision—rather than a smaller SUV that feels like yesterday’s news.
News
Tesla CEO Elon Musk says next FSD release is the one we’ve been waiting for
On Thursday, Musk teased the capabilities and next steps for Tesla’s Full Self-Driving software, focusing squarely on the incremental improvements of the current v14.3 suite, as well as the looming arrival of v15.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk teased the capabilities of a future Full Self-Driving release, but it seems like we are getting what Yogi Berra once called “Déjà vu all over again.”
On Thursday, Musk teased the capabilities and next steps for Tesla’s Full Self-Driving software, focusing squarely on the incremental improvements of the current v14.3 suite, as well as the looming arrival of v15.
He confirmed that upcoming point releases of v14.3 will deliver additional polish to the current build, smoothing out remaining edges in an already capable system. These iterative updates, Musk noted, are designed to refine performance without requiring a full version overhaul.
Yet the real headline was Musk’s forecast for v15.
“V15 will far exceed human levels of safety, even in completely unsupervised and complex situations,” he wrote.
Tesla V14.3 self-driving review. The point releases will bring polish.
V15 will far exceed human levels of safety, even in completely unsupervised and complex situations. https://t.co/s4UK9RWw9f
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 9, 2026
He clarified that v15 will be powered by Tesla’s long-awaited large model, an AI architecture with roughly 10x the parameters of the smaller model currently in widespread use. The leap, Musk explained, stems from the unusually rapid progress of the compact model, which has advanced so quickly that the larger counterpart has yet to catch up in real-world deployment.
However, it is becoming a pattern that is, by now, familiar to anyone following Tesla’s autonomous driving roadmap.
There’s no debating you on that 🤷
— TESLARATI (@Teslarati) April 9, 2026
Musk has consistently and repeatedly framed each successive major release as the one poised to deliver game-changing autonomy. Earlier versions were similarly positioned as a movement toward the final piece of the puzzle, only for attention to pivot to the next milestone once they arrived.
The refrain has become a recurring feature of FSD communication: current software is impressive, the point releases will sharpen it further, but the true breakthrough lies one major iteration ahead.
Musk’s latest comments fit squarely into that cadence. While v14.3 point releases are expected to tighten supervised driving behaviors in the coming weeks, v15 is cast as the version that finally crosses the threshold into unsupervised operation at human-or-better safety levels across demanding scenarios.
Our rate of advancement with the small model has been so fast that the large model has not yet caught up.
V15 will be the large model.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 9, 2026
The 10x parameter scale of the underlying large model is presented as the key technical enabler, promising richer reasoning and more robust decision-making than anything deployed to date.
Whether v15 ultimately fulfills that promise remains to be seen. Tesla’s history shows that each new target generates fresh excitement—and occasional skepticism—about timelines.
Fans realize Musk’s timelines for FSD are exciting, but rarely met:
You can see a rift happening in the Tesla bull community between a large group of reasonable people who aren’t afraid to acknowledge the elephants in the room, and those who are essentially bull bots whose entire identities are destroyed if they have to acknowledge any bump in…
— Mike P (@mikepat711) April 9, 2026
For now, Musk’s message is familiar: the immediate focus is polishing v14.3 through targeted point releases, while the 10x-parameter large model in v15 represents the next decisive step toward fully unsupervised, superhuman safety.
Hopefully, Tesla can come through, but we can only believe that once v15 gets here, v16 will be the next big step toward autonomy.
Drivers can expect continued refinement in the short term and a significantly more ambitious leap once the large model is ready. The cycle continues, but the stakes, Musk insists, keep rising.
Elon Musk
Tesla Supercharger for Business exposes jaw-dropping ROI gap between best and worst locations
Tesla’s new Supercharger for Business calculator reveals an eye-opening all-in cost and location-based ROI projections.
Tesla has launched an online calculator for its Supercharger for Business program, giving property owners their first transparent look at what it really costs to install Superchargers on site and what kind of return they can expect.
The program itself launched in September 2025, allowing businesses to purchase and operate Supercharger hardware on their own property while Tesla handles installation, maintenance, software, and 24/7 driver support. As Teslarati reported at launch, hosts also get their logo placed on the chargers and their location integrated into Tesla’s in-car navigation, meaning drivers are actively routed there. The stalls are open to all EVs, not just Teslas.
We launched Supercharger for Business in 2025 to help companies get charging right. We found simplicity and transparency to be a problem in this industry.
We’re now sharing pricing and a financial calculator to help make informed decisions. The goal is to accelerate investments,…
— Tesla Charging (@TeslaCharging) April 8, 2026
The new online calculator, announced by Tesla on Wednesday with the note that “simplicity and transparency” have been a problem in the industry, lets any business enter a U.S. address and get a real cost and revenue model. A standard 8-stall V4 Supercharger site runs approximately $500,000 in hardware and $55,000 per post for installation, bringing an all-in price just shy of $1 million. Tesla charges a flat $0.10 per kWh fee to cover software, billing, and network operations. Businesses set their own retail price and keep the margin above that fee.
Taking a look at Tesla’s Supercharger for Business online calculator, we can see that ROI is not uniform, and the gap between a strong location and a poor one can stretch the breakeven point by several years.
The biggest driver is foot traffic and how long people stay. A busy rest station, hotel, or outlet mall brings in repeat visitors who need to charge while they’re already stopped, pushing utilization numbers higher and shortening payback time.
Tesla Supercharger for Business ROI calculator
Local electricity rates matter just as much on the cost side. Markets like California carry some of the highest commercial electricity rates in the country, which eats into the margin between what a host pays per kWh and what they charge drivers. At the same time, dense urban areas with high EV adoption tend to support higher retail charging prices, which can offset that cost if demand is strong enough. Weather also plays a role. Cold climates reduce battery efficiency and increase charging frequency, but they can also suppress utilization in winter months if drivers avoid stopping in exposed outdoor locations. Suburban and rural sites face a different problem: lower baseline EV traffic, which means a site with cheaper power and lower operating costs can still take longer to pay back simply because the stalls sit idle more often. Tesla’s calculator uses real fleet data to pre-fill utilization estimates by ZIP code, so businesses can run their specific address against these variables rather than relying on averages.
The program has seen real adoption. Wawa, already the largest host of Tesla Superchargers with over 2,100 stalls across 223 locations, opened its first fully owned and branded site in Alachua, Florida earlier this year. Francis Energy of Oklahoma and the city of Alpharetta, Georgia have also deployed branded stations through the program, as Teslarati covered in January.
Tesla now exceeds 80,000 Supercharger stalls worldwide, and the calculator makes the economic case for accelerating that number through private investment rather than company-owned sites alone.
Tesla developing small, affordable SUV, report claims
Tesla CEO Elon Musk says next FSD release is the one we’ve been waiting for
