Lifestyle
Tesla drivers add to Supercharging with ChargePoint’s EV charging network
I love California in many more ways than one. Show me a land that seemingly basks in eternal sunshine and is home to arguably one of the most iconic automotive brands in history, Tesla, and I’ll tell you that any Model S owner like myself would be hard-pressed to imagine the Golden State as anything less than a basket of rainbows and unicorns. Except, I don’t live there. And the thought of possibly having to wait in long lines to charge my Tesla frightens me.
I’m a Philly Gal who’s grown used to my electric car lifestyle over the years, and in a region where finding a charging station was once akin to playing a game of Where’s Waldo. We don’t have Tesla Superchargers in every town like our left coast friends (unicorn world). Not to mention that it took a long while before Tesla installed one of their Supercharger stations along the east side of Pennsylvania where I would frequent.
However, Tesla has done a phenomenal job of making long distance and cross-country travel possible with its ever-expanding Supercharger network. Still, I found solace in being able to plug my Model S into a Level 2 charger from time to time, especially during my local routines like going to the market or dining out in the city. And it’s for those reasons that I turned my attention to California-based ChargePoint, the world’s largest electric vehicle charging network, to highlight reasons why Tesla owners might want to extend their charging options beyond Superchargers.
Teslarati’s Interactive Map includes over 42,000 ChargePoint chargers
I asked our development team if we can somehow include ChargePoint chargers into our Teslarati mobile app for iOS and Android, as it could bring value to the incoming Model 3 crowd that won’t have free Supercharger access, but more importantly help advance the adoption of electric vehicles around the world. Furthermore, Tesla owners that have the CHAdeMO adapter will be able to locate their nearest ChargePoint DC Fast Charger through our app and initiate a charge that would replenish roughly 200 miles (322 kilometers) of range per hour. I’m happy to report that ChargePoint was kind enough to let us integrate their charging locations into Teslarati’s app, and explained the reasons as such:
“ChargePoint’s mission is to help every driver get behind the wheel of an electric vehicle. We are committed to electric mobility and are eager to partner with progressive organizations like Teslarati to make it easier for EV drivers to charge up, and ultimately, help advance the adoption of electric vehicles around the world. We are excited to work with Teslarati to offer even more choice for drivers as more Teslas hit the road.”
Life beyond Superchargers
Because our mobile app now features integration with ChargePoint’s public charging stations, we encourage Tesla drivers, current and future, to feel unbounded by the types of all-electric journeys they can make in their vehicles. Gather information about those locations; check-in and share your favorite recommendations, like the tens of thousands have done across their Supercharger travels, and further the adoption of electric mobility.
Teslarati App available for iOS and Android
As convenient as Tesla’s Superchargers are, the chargers are generally located along major freeways and meant for long distance travel only. Level 2 chargers on the other hand are great for topping off and arguably easier to use for local charging.
I recall a plan I had to utilize nothing but Tesla Superchargers on a recent road trip, only to be pleasantly surprised when we saw a ChargePoint station at our destination. This wasn’t at a fancy hotel or winery like where some of Tesla’s destination chargers are located, but at a nearby strip mall next to where we were staying. Plugging into the Level 2 charger allowed us to charge up overnight and skip the first planned Supercharger on our way out, which would have required us to drive into a traffic congested area that’s off of a major highway.
Having the option to charge at a typical 6.6 kW Level 2 speed at home is the ultimate in convenience. But not everyone has the option. This is where work place Level 2 charging comes into play. Be it your actual employer or some nearby business, grabbing a few hours of charge during your work day can be the difference between owning an EV effortlessly and having to plan for and make dedicated charging trips.
In fact, major cities across the country are starting to get hip to this need. Where I live, having dedicated parking is something only certain neighborhoods enjoy. The coolest of places to live are in or near our center city, which are overwhelmingly full of rowhomes with no garages and a first come, first served street parking system. Most of these folks can only now start considering EV ownership as Level 2 chargers pop up in their neighborhoods, at their shopping destinations and other places they frequent. The city itself is considering how to facilitate and encourage a charging network that results in increased EV ownership. Sustainability and cleaner air are priorities in many places, including my beloved Philadelphia.
Having a mobile app with location services to tell you where nearby chargers can be found is key to convenience. Even more importantly, being able to find a trusted charging provider like ChargePoint, along with crowdsourced comments and photos, and access to charging station statuses will make trip planning even easier.
Happy electric journeys.
Lifestyle
Tesla hit by Iranian missile debris in Israel
A Tesla in Israel absorbed a direct hit from missile debris, and the glassroof held.
On March 30, 2026, Lara Shusterman was in Netanya, Israel when Iranian ballistic missiles triggered air raid sirens across the city. While she remained in safety, her 2024 Tesla Model Y did not escape untouched. A heavy piece of missile debris struck the car’s massive glass roof, leaving a deep crater but without shattering. In a Facebook post to the Tesla Israel community the following morning, Shusterman described what happened: “The glass did not shatter into dangerous shards. She stopped the damage and pushed the metal part to the ground.” She closed by thanking Elon Musk and the Tesla team for building what she called “security and a sense of trust even in extreme situations.”
Netanya is a coastal city in central Israel, roughly 18 miles north of Tel Aviv and has been among the areas most frequently struck during Iran’s ongoing missile campaign, following coordinated U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iranian military infrastructure. Falling shrapnel from intercepted missiles is a common occurrence.
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- Tesla Model Y glass roof shattered from a piece of falling Iranian missile debris
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- A piece of Iranian missile debris that struck Lara Shusterman’s Tesla Model Y in Netanya, Israel on March 30, 2026, after being intercepted by Israeli air defenses.
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- Tesla Model Y glass roof shattered from a piece of falling Iranian missile debris
Source: Tesla Israel Facebook Group
The incident is a testament to Tesla’s structural engineering. Tesla’s glass roof is designed to support over four times the vehicle’s own weight. That strength has shown up in real-world accidents too. In 2021, a Model Y in California was struck by a falling tree during a storm, with the glass roof holding firm and the cabin remaining intact. In another widely reported incident, a Tesla Model Y plunged 250 feet off the cliff at Devil’s Slide in California in January 2023, with all four occupants, including two young children, surviving.
Disturbing details about Tesla’s 250-foot cliff drop emerge amid initial investigation
Tesla officially launched sales in Israel in early 2021 and captured over 60 percent of Israel’s EV market in the first year. The brand’s foothold in Israel remains significant. Tens of thousands of Teslas are now on Israeli roads, making incidents like Shusterman’s easy to corroborate. On the same week her Model Y took the hit, the U.S. Space Force awarded SpaceX a $178.5 million contract to launch missile tracking satellites, a separate but fitting reminder of how intertwined the Musk ecosystem has become with the realities of modern conflict.
Elon Musk
NASA sends humans to the Moon for the first time since 1972 – Here’s what’s next
NASA’s Artemis II launched four astronauts toward the Moon on the first crewed lunar mission since 1972.
NASA’s Space Launch System rocket launches carrying the Orion spacecraft with NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, commander; Victor Glover, pilot; Christina Koch, mission specialist; and CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut Jeremy Hansen, mission specialist on NASA’s Artemis II mission, Wednesday, April 1, 2026, from Operations and Support Building II at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. NASA’s Artemis II mission will take Wiseman, Glover, Koch, and Hansen on a 10-day journey around the Moon and back aboard SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft launched at 6:35pm EDT from Launch Complex 39B. (NASA/Bill Ingalls)
NASA launched four astronauts toward the Moon on April 1, 2026, marking the first crewed lunar mission since Apollo 17 in December 1972. The Artemis II mission lifted off from Kennedy Space Center aboard the Space Launch System rocket at 6:35 p.m. EDT, sending commander Reid Wiseman, pilot Victor Glover, mission specialist Christina Koch, and Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen on a 10-day journey around the far side of the Moon and back.
The mission does not include a lunar landing. It is a test flight designed to validate the Orion spacecraft’s life support systems, navigation, and communications in deep space with a crew aboard for the first time. If the crew reaches the planned distance of 252,000 miles from Earth, they will set a new record for the farthest any human has ever traveled, surpassing even the Apollo 13 distance record.
As Teslarati reported, SpaceX holds a central role in what comes next. The Starship Human Landing System is under contract to carry astronauts to the lunar surface for Artemis IV, now targeting 2028, after NASA restructured its mission sequence due to delays in Starship’s orbital refueling demonstration. Before any Moon landing happens, SpaceX must prove it can transfer propellant between two Starships in orbit, something no rocket program has done at this scale.
The last time humans left Earth’s orbit was 53 years ago. Gene Cernan and Harrison Schmitt of Apollo 17 were the final people to walk on the Moon, a record that stands to this day. Elon Musk has long argued that returning is not optional. “It’s been now almost half a century since humans were last on the Moon,” Musk said. “That’s too long, we need to get back there and have a permanent base on the Moon.”
The Artemis program involves 60 countries signed onto the Artemis Accords, and this mission sets several firsts beyond distance. Glover becomes the first person of color to travel beyond low Earth orbit, Koch the first woman, and Hansen the first non-American astronaut to reach the Moon’s vicinity. According to NASA’s live mission updates, the spacecraft’s solar arrays deployed successfully after liftoff and the crew completed a proximity operations demonstration within the first hours of flight.
Artemis II is step one. The Moon landing and the permanent lunar base come later. But after more than five decades, humans are heading back.
Elon Musk
Tesla Optimus Gen 3 is coming to the Tesla Diner with new ambitions
Tesla’s Optimus robot left the Hollywood Diner within months of opening. Now Musk is planning its return with a bigger role and a major Gen 3 upgrade underway.
![Tesla Optimus Gen 3 [Credit: Tesla]](https://www.teslarati.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/tesla-optimus-gen3-diner.jpg)
Tesla’s Optimus robot was one of the most talked-about features when the Tesla Diner opened on Santa Monica Boulevard in Hollywood on July 21, 2025. Dubbed “Poptimus” by Tesla fans, the Gen 2 robot stood upstairs at the retro-futuristic, drive-in theater and Tesla Supercharging station, scooping popcorn into bags and handing them to guests with a wave.
The diner itself had been years in the making. Elon Musk first floated the idea in 2018 with a tweet about building an “old-school drive-in, roller skates & rock restaurant” at a Hollywood Supercharger. What eventually opened was a unique two-story neon-lit space, with 80 EV charging stalls, and Optimus serving as a live demonstration of where Tesla’s ambitions were headed.
If our retro-futuristic diner turns out well, which I think it will, @Tesla will establish these in major cities around the world, as well as at Supercharger sites on long distance routes.
An island of good food, good vibes & entertainment, all while Supercharging! https://t.co/zmbv6GfqKf
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 21, 2025
But Optimus did not stay long, and was gone by December 2025.
Now, the robot is set to return with a more demanding job. Musk has ambitions for Optimus to take on a food runner role in 2026, delivering meals directly to cars at the Supercharger stalls. While the latest Gen 3 Optimus is likely to initially take on its previous popcorn-serving role, it wouldn’t be out of the question for Optimus to see a quick promotion. With improved hand dexterity that features 50 total actuators and 22 degrees of freedom per hand, and significantly more powerful processing through Tesla’s latest AI5 chip that includes Grok-powered voice interaction, Musk described Optimus at the Abundance Summit on March 12, 2026, as “by far the most advanced robot in the world, Nothing’s even close.”
Back to work
See you at Tesla Diner tomorrow pic.twitter.com/H3tTajrUbu
— Tesla Optimus (@Tesla_Optimus) March 30, 2026
That confidence is backed by a major manufacturing shift. At the Q4 2025 earnings call in January, Musk announced Tesla would discontinue the Model S and Model X and convert those Fremont production lines to build Optimus. “It’s time to basically bring the Model S and X programs to an end,” he said, calling for a pivot that reflects where the Tesla’s future lies.
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