One of the most memorable moments in the documentary Revenge of the Electric Car involved then-Jalopnik Editor-in-Chief Ray Wert bluntly dismissing the Tesla Model S as “vaporware.” During the sequence, it was very evident that the idea of Tesla pulling off a vehicle like the Model S seemed to be so farfetched for Wert, that refused to consider the possibility of the car being real.
That scene, in a lot of ways, is symbolic of Tesla’s journey as a whole. For every step that the company took over the years, Tesla has faced countless criticisms and doubt. Yet today, with the company producing its one-millionth electric vehicle, it is becoming more and more evident that critics and naysayers, both to Elon Musk and Tesla as a whole, are steadily losing the narrative. There are now 1 million reasons proving that Tesla is a thriving company, after all, and the number grows by the day.
Elon Musk has stated that starting an electric car company is idiocy squared, mainly due to the sheer amount of work required to thrive in the automotive industry. Couple that with the fact that Musk took over as Tesla’s CEO right in the midst of the US financial crisis, and one could see just how dire the situation was for the electric car maker during its early days. It was dire enough, for one, that its circumstances inspired an actual Tesla Death Watch series from The Truth About Cars, which eventually abandoned the initiative after it became evident that the electric car maker wasn’t going anywhere.
In a way, Tesla attracts a lot of critics because the company and its CEO dreams big without hesitation. With the Model S, Tesla wanted to prove that electric cars could be better than petrol-powered vehicles, period. With the Model 3, the company wanted to show that EVs can be mainstream. These are lofty goals, and they are very difficult to accomplish. It is then no surprise to see why there is so much opposition to the electric car maker. Some of these opposition comes in the form of short-sellers, who are financially incentivized to push TSLA stock down. A look at social media shows a glimpse of just how cruel and tasteless the company’s critics could become.
Yet despite the unwavering ad hominem attacks against Elon Musk, the physical intimidation of company employees testing Autopilot software, and the downright disturbing practice of doxxing Tesla supporters online, the electric car maker has stubbornly refused to stay down. It has fought every day since the days of the original Roadster, and it continues to do so until today, with the production ramp and impending deliveries of the Model Y. And based on the company’s perception, it will likely continue fighting every day for decades to come.
This is one of the reasons why the Tesla story is so compelling. It is difficult to not root for a company that took years to produce its first electric car and is now on track to manufacture about 500,000 vehicles in one year. Tesla, after all, dug deep to produce 20,000 vehicles in 2013, and just last year, the company closed 2019 with just over 410,000 vehicles manufactured. That’s a remarkable growth story, and it doesn’t even include the massive arm that is Tesla Energy, which is now seeing a ramp of its own.
It is not difficult to see why Tesla attracts such passionate support and anger at the same time. The company is different, its mission is ambitious, its CEO is a brazen dreamer, and it does not function like a traditional carmaker. But for Tesla supporters, the company is something that symbolizes something far more. The company represents some degree of optimism, and that is something that is pretty rare these days. Elon Musk and Tesla will likely be polarizing for years to come, but the company has 1 million reasons and counting that prove its naysayers wrong.
Here’s to the next million, and many more to come.
News
Tesla gets major upgrade that Apple users will absolutely love
Tesla is unloading a new feature for iPhone users that they will absolutely love.
Tesla is giving its owners who use iPhones and the iOS platform a major upgrade that will make the vehicles more compatible with the current capabilities of Apple devices.
Much to the chagrin of Android users, Apple iPhone users who own Teslas are usually the first to get new features.
However, Tesla is rolling out a new feature to iPhone users that will only be available to them, as Live Update compatibility is now rolling out.
🚨 Tesla Supercharging now will give Live Updates to iOS users
This will help Tesla owners with iPhones track their charging progress while using other apps pic.twitter.com/sjmnjj5BCC
— TESLARATI (@Teslarati) May 28, 2025
Live Updates on the iPhone allow users to track the progress of tasks while using other apps. For example, uploading a post on X can be tracked while using an internet browser, as the Dynamic Island, the small display near the speaker on an iPhone, will show progress.
Tesla will now do this for Supercharging, a new update shows. The Dynamic Island is not the only thing that will monitor the progress of Supercharging, though. Updates will also be visible on the lock screen and as a drop-down notification:
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- Credit: @Deandawiz | X
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- Credit: @Deandawiz | X
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- Credit: @Deandawiz | X
You will need iOS 17.2 or newer to use this feature.
The Supercharging updates will show the current State of Charge (SoC), time remaining, and price of the current session. These notifications will make the charging process easier when you’re not inside your Tesla, as many Superchargers are located in retail settings.
You’ll be able to monitor the price and time remaining with a quick glance at your phone.
News
Tesla rolls out new crucial safety feature aimed at saving children
Tesla has been working on this child detection feature for several years.
Tesla is finally rolling out a new, crucial safety feature that is aimed at saving children from being left in the car.
Over the past few months, we have reported on a feature Tesla was planning to roll out in its vehicles that would help keep children out of hot cars unattended.
Tesla set to roll out new child safety and navigation features, coding shows
The company has been working on a solution to this problem for several years, as it has been working on an ultrawave sensor that would detect heartbeats instead of movement, as cameras would.
Now, Tesla is implementing the feature in its vehicles with Software Update 2025.14.12, calling it “Child Left Alone Detection.”
The release notes, via Not a Tesla App, show that the vehicle and the Tesla app will both make various attempts to alert the driver of a child in the car:
“If an unattended child is detected, the vehicle will flash the exterior indicator lights, play an alert tone, and send a notification to your Tesla app. This will repeat at regular intervals until you return to your vehicle. Cabin data is processed locally and is not transmitted to Tesla.
This feature is enabled by default. To disable, go to Controls > Safety > Child Left Alone Detection.”
Tesla later said that the feature is currently rolling out to mid-2023 and later Model 3 vehicles in Europe initially, while other models and regions will receive the update in the coming months.
News
Tesla Semi frames stack up in Nevada as production nears
Tesla Semi frames are being spotted outside of the Nevada production facility ahead of initial high-volume manufacturing.
Tesla is moving closer to the initial production of the Semi later this year, and outside of its dedicated factory in Nevada, which will be responsible for building the all-electric truck, frames, and other parts of the vehicle, are beginning to stack up.
The Semi production facility is located on the same property as Gigafactory Nevada, and is moving closer to completion as the construction crews on site have already enclosed walls.
Semi Factory progress update pic.twitter.com/OQ1oXvnjev
— Tesla Semi (@tesla_semi) April 28, 2025
Now, production is moving even closer as parts of the Semi were spotted outside of the Semi production facility in Nevada. The images were captured by Zanegler, a Tesla Semi enthusiast and Giga Nevada tracker:
Assemble these parts and you have the beginning of a Tesla semi. pic.twitter.com/ygCBUjWcJ3
— Zanegler (@HinrichsZane) May 26, 2025
The Semi is already used by a handful of companies, including U.S. Foods, Frito-Lay, and PepsiCo. However, the vehicle is not up for public use quite yet, as Tesla is working with various companies to carry out pilot testing of the Semi to see how it performs during regional runs.
Tesla Semi fleet from Frito-Lay gets more charging at Bakersfield factory
The results have been very encouraging, with the Semi even completing a 1,000-mile run in a single day two years ago.
Now, Tesla is truly focusing on the launch of the factory, which will put production into full swing moving into 2026. Earlier this year, Lars Moravy, Tesla’s VP of Vehicle Engineering, gave an update on the Semi and the company’s current timeline for the product:
“So, we just closed out the Semi factory roof of walls last week in Reno, a schedule, which is great with the weather. In Reno, you never know what’s going to happen. But we’re prepping for mechanical installation of all the equipment in the coming months.
The first builds of the high volumes in design come late this year in 2025 and begin ramping early in 2026. But as we’ve said before, the Semi is a TCO, no-brainer. I think it’s really similar to Optimus. It’s going to be set by how much people pay and it has the total cost of ownership, it’s much, much cheaper than any other transportation you could have.”
Tesla also started ordering parts for the Semi and Cybercab after the tariff situation between the U.S. and China was alleviated.
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