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Volkswagen shares Elon Musk’s test drive of the VW ID.3: ‘It’s pretty good’
One of the more surprising elements in Elon Musk’s recent visit to Germany was his meeting with Volkswagen Group executive Herbert Diess, who hosted the Tesla CEO at the Braunschweig Airport. During their two-hour meeting, the two electric car advocates took a drive in the ID.3, Volkswagen’s first EV from its MEB platform. The news came as a pleasant surprise to the electric car community, many of whom were interested to see Elon Musk’s insights on the ID.3, a car that could rise alongside the Model 3 in the mainstream vehicle market.
Fortunately, a video of Elon Musk’s Volkswagen ID.3 test drive was recently shared by Herbert Diess in his LinkedIn profile. The short video, which was also posted by the Volkswagen Group’s official Twitter account, featured Musk and Diess engaging in friendly conversation while the former was test driving the ID.3. As it turned out, Musk seemed to be pretty optimistic about the vehicle, at one point stating that the ID.3’s steering was “pretty good” for a non-sporty electric car.
Quite amusingly, the recently-shared video included segments of Herbert Diess setting Musk’s expectations about the ID.3 by reminding the Tesla CEO that the hatchback was a mainstream car and “not a race machine.” Laughing in response, Musk lightly stated that he “just wanted to see what the acceleration is like.” Musk could later be seen seemingly flooring the ID.3 while jokingly asking Diess “What’s the worst that could happen?”
In the few segments of the test drive featured in the clip, it could be seen that Musk inquired about several aspects of the ID.3, such as its battery pack and its driver-assist features. Diess, for his part, stated that the ID.3 is equipped with German state-of-the-art lane-keeping and emergency assist systems. The clip ended with Elon Musk and Herbert Diess getting out of the ID.3, with the Tesla CEO seemingly looking over some details of the mainstream EV. The ID.4, an all-electric crossover, could be seen nearby as well.
Diess later commented in his post with some new details about Musk’s Volkswagen ID.3 test drive. According to the Volkswagen Group executive, Musk was a bit critical of the ID.3’s torque at higher speeds. Diess also told Musk that for a true sports car experience, the Tesla CEO should try out the Porsche Taycan, an all-electric high-performance EV that Musk has openly supported in the past.
“Thanks for the visit, Elon! Hope you like the video. It was great driving the ID.3 with you! You were just quite critical with the available torque at higher speed. I told you: ‘Yes, we are on the runway – but no need for takeoff – it’s not a sports car.’ For this, you should try our Porsche Taycan. Looking forward to our next meeting!” Diess wrote.
Elon Musk and Herbert Diess have openly supported each other’s endeavors in the past, with the Tesla CEO recently stating during an interview at Gigafactory Berlin that companies like Volkswagen are putting in a lot of real work to get EVs to the mainstream market. While responding to a rather critical report on the Volkswagen Group executive last year, Musk noted on Twitter that “Herbert Diess is doing more than any big carmaker to go electric. The good of the world should come first. For what it’s worth, he has my support.”
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Diess, for his part, has also openly defended Musk. Last October alone, reporters suggested that while the Model 3 was successful, they still view Tesla as a “niche” carmaker capable of making low-volume cars but out of its league in the mass market segment. Diess promptly came to Tesla’s defense, stating that the American carmaker is not a “niche” company in any way. “Tesla is not niche. The Model 3 is a large-series model and they are one of the biggest manufacturers of electric-car batteries. We have a lot of respect for Tesla. It’s a competitor we take very seriously,” the Volkswagen Group executive said.
Tesla Energy has introduced the Powerwall Lease in conjunction with Tesla Electric, making the service available in Texas. This new option delivers whole-home backup power using two Powerwall units for a net monthly cost of $35 after credits, accompanied by a low fixed electricity rate.
Under the lease terms, customers pay a one-time order fee of $100. The base lease payment for the two Powerwalls is approximately $122 per month during the first year, subject to a 3 percent annual escalator thereafter. Enrollment in a qualifying Tesla Electric Backup plan or Virtual Power Plant plan provides an $87 monthly credit.
Powerwall Lease is now available with Tesla Electric in Texas
Whole-home backup for $35/month, with a low fixed electricity rate
– Two Powerwalls, $0 installation
– Storm Watch outage protection
– One app to manage it all pic.twitter.com/oTzqc6K3aF— Tesla Energy (@teslaenergy) August 13, 2026
This credit lowers the effective cost to roughly $35 per month plus applicable tax.
Installation of the standard system carries no additional charge. The package features Storm Watch for outage protection and allows complete management through a single Tesla application. The system supplies continuous whole-home backup capability.
The Powerwall system enables households to maintain electricity during severe storms that disrupt the utility grid. When outages occur, the batteries automatically provide seamless backup power to the home.
Tesla announces 100k Powerwalls are participating in Virtual Power Plants
Tesla Storm Watch monitors weather forecasts and ensures the units are fully charged ahead of anticipated severe weather events so that power remains available throughout the disruption, keeping lights, refrigeration, and other essential systems operating without interruption.
Availability is restricted to select Texas locations where retail electric choice exists. Participants must lease exactly two Powerwall units and maintain continuous enrollment with Tesla Electric. Solar panels cannot be included under this particular lease arrangement.
The monthly credit activates automatically once the system is installed, receives permission to operate, and enrollment is confirmed. To retain the credit, customers are required to stay enrolled in Tesla Electric and fulfill all program conditions.
Nonstandard installations that involve electrical upgrades or special permitting may lead to extra expenses and might impact eligibility for the credit, so be sure to check with either your installer or Tesla to ensure you will still qualify.
Elon Musk continues to tease the unveiling event for the Tesla Roadster, a continuing trend that has grown into a bigger game of “When” for fans who have been waiting years for the car to finally enter production.
A video shared on X of the Joe Rogan Experience podcast that Musk appeared on last year, teasing the Roadster unveiling, was shared once again on the social media platform. The poster said the Roadster event will be “unforgettable.”
Musk agreed:
Yes
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) August 12, 2026
The timing is interesting because just yesterday, Musk said that we will be getting flying cars, and for years, Tesla has hinted that it could develop a SpaceX cold gas thruster package that would help the car float or fly for a short period of time.
It would be reasonable to assume Tesla’s major delays with this unveiling event are likely caused by the company’s need to break the rules and push the envelope on nearly everything. Last July, Lars Moravy, Tesla’s VP of Vehicle Engineering, said:
“Roadster is definitely in development. We did talk about it last Sunday night. We are gearing up for a super cool demo. It’s going to be mind blowing. We showed Elon some cool demos last week of the tech we’ve been working on and he got a little excited.”
The latest updates that Tesla has given us are that the Roadster is in design development, and it did have several potential dates for an unveiling event this year, including April. It was then pushed to August.
However, there are no clues as to when Tesla will be ready, and fans are certainly getting frustrated with the delays.
For what it is worth, Franz von Holzhausen told Jay Leno this week that the event would be “very soon.”
We sure hope.
Lifestyle
Tesla’s driverless Cybercab just passed a big test with State Governor
Florida’s governor rode Tesla’s Cybercab at a closed test track and called the experience impressive.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis rode in a Tesla Cybercab on a closed test track this week and came away impressed, posting on X that the vehicle “successfully navigated all hazards — a kid running into the street, a crash with police stopping traffic, a Model S cutting us off, etc.” He called the ride “impressive.”
The stop was part of a broader event Monday at SunTrax, a 775 acre state owned proving ground in Auburndale that Florida built specifically to test autonomous and connected vehicles before they reach public roads. Standing next to a gold Cybercab, DeSantis described the car in plain terms: “You go in there and you just sit. You have a screen. There’s no steering wheel, no pedals. Clearly these things could be very beneficial.”
We took a ride on a robotaxi on the Suntrax course and it successfully navigated all hazards — a kid running into the street, a crash with police stopping traffic, a Model S cutting us off, etc.
Impressive! https://t.co/FVAkzFLz3r
— Ron DeSantis (@RonDeSantis) August 11, 2026
DeSantis paired the praise with a caveat that has followed autonomous vehicles since the category existed. “You don’t want to be in an autonomous vehicle and it drives you into a ditch. That would not be good,” he said, framing safety validation as the gate before wider deployment.
SunTrax, the 2.25 mile oval which the state calls the only high speed autonomous vehicle test track in the Southeast, can simulate rain, pedestrian crossings, hills and crowded urban conditions at highway speeds, letting companies push a car past what an early public rollout would risk. Tesla, Waymo and Beep all use the facility, and Florida’s regulatory approach, among the most permissive for autonomous vehicles in the country, doesn’t require a human operator inside a fully autonomous car.
Tesla has reason to want the blessing of Florida and states beyond, as the Cybercab entered volume production at Gigafactory Texas this spring and has since self certified as SAE Level 4 under Texas law. Public road testing so far has kept a safety monitor in the passenger seat, and Florida is where Tesla has been expanding its existing Model Y based Robotaxi service instead, adding Miami in July and then Orlando and Tampa two weeks later. A closed track endorsement from a sitting governor doesn’t change any of that, but it does put Tesla’s newest hardware in front of a state that has already shown it will move fast on rules.
Tesla launches Powerwall Lease for affordable home backup
Elon Musk teases Tesla Roadster unveiling once again
