Lifestyle
Tesla Model 3 race-tuned by Unplugged heads to historic Tokyo Auto Salon exhibit
Amidst the impeccably-detailed engines and stunning matte wraps of tuned cars in this year’s Tokyo Auto Salon event, a gunmetal gray electric sedan stands as a symbol of what may very well be the future of tuning. Shipped from the United States, the Tesla Model 3 Performance equipped with Unplugged Performance’s Ascension R package joins the ranks of the best JDM cars in the country. It’s arguably the most aggressively-modified Model 3 in the market today, and it looks every bit like it belongs in a Japanese track, ripping through corners with legends like the Nissan GT-R.
Twenty years ago, Ben Schaffer took inspiration from the Tokyo Auto Salon and brought home a vision to the United States. That vision took form as Bulletproof Automotive, a tuning house that would eventually create monsters out of high-performance cars. From European monsters to hyper-tuned vehicles from Japan, Bulletproof Automotive has pretty much done it all. Being a true automotive enthusiast, Schaffer did not turn his nose up on electric cars. Instead, with the Tesla Model S, he saw a new breed of vehicles that can revolutionize motoring, and in extension, tuning. And thus, Unplugged Performance was born.
With its headquarters in California, Unplugged Performance took everything that Schaffer learned from Bulletproof Automotive and translated them for all-electric mobility. From body kits to brake upgrades, Schaffer’s tuning house became one of the go-to companies for aftermarket Tesla modifications. Just like Bulletproof, Unplugged has made a few monsters of its own, including the Tesla Model S-APEX P100D widebody, which made its debut at the 2019 SEMA Show.
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- Tesla Model 3 by Unplugged Performance heading to Tokyo Auto Salon. (Credit: Ben Schaffer/Facebook)
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- Tesla Model 3 by Unplugged Performance heading to Tokyo Auto Salon. (Credit: Ben Schaffer/Facebook)
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- Tesla Model 3 by Unplugged Performance heading to Tokyo Auto Salon. (Credit: Ben Schaffer/Facebook)
The Tesla Model 3 Performance Ascension R Package is even closer to Schaffer’s JDM roots than the Model S-APEX. The best JDM cars like the R32 Nissan Skyline GT-R are amazing machines for the track, but at the end of the day, the Model S is a vehicle that’s more of a grand tourer, not a track car. Tesla’s actual track-capable car is the smaller, nimbler Model 3 Performance, making it the perfect platform for a true all-electric track project.
The Tesla Model 3 Performance in question is owned by owner-enthusiast Erik Strait, who hosts the DAErik YouTube channel. Strait’s Model 3 Performance features a long list of upgrades that make it a track-optimized all-electric car. Following is the full list of upgrades fitted in Strait’s Model 3.
- Unplugged Performance Ascension Front Bumper
- Unplugged Performance Ascension Carbon Side Skirts
- Unplugged Performance Ascension Carbon Rear Bumper
- Unplugged Performance Ascension Carbon Rear Diffuser Fins
- Unplugged Performance by Voltex Carbon GT Wing
- Unplugged Performance UP-03 Superlight Forged 19×10.5 Wheel Set with Michelin 305/30ZR20 Cup 2 Tires
- Unplugged Performance Coilover Suspension Kit
- Unplugged Performance 6 Piston 15.5 Inch Carbon-Ceramic Big Brake Kit
- Unplugged Performance Competition Brake Pads
- Unplugged Performance Sport Brake Lines
- Unplugged performance Billet Adjustable Front Upper Control Arms
- Unplugged Performance 3 Way Adjustable Front and Rear Sway Bar Kit
- Unplugged Performance Billet Adjustable Rear Camber Arms
- Unplugged Performance Billet Adjustable Rear Toe Arms
- Unplugged Performance Carbon Racing Bucket Seat Set
- Unplugged Performance Seat Rail Set
- Unplugged Performance by Willans Racing Harness Set
- Unplugged Performance Superlight 64 Titanium Lugnuts
In a recently shared video on his YouTube channel, Strait has announced that he will be flying over to Japan to visit his car as it is being showcased at the Tokyo Auto Salon. Schaffer will be there as well, particularly as Unplugged Performance will have its booth at the event. The vehicle will not only be showcased at the TAS either, as the Model 3 will also be taken to the Tsukuba Circuit, a location iconic for time attack rounds, to determine just how well a track-optimized Tesla can perform on an actual closed circuit.
As for Schaffer, the Model 3 Ascension R’s arrival in Japan practically takes his motoring journey full circle. While the Tokyo Auto Salon provided him with the inspiration he needed to start his own tuning house in the United States, he is hoping that the Model 3 Ascension R can inspire new generations of tuning in Japan. If it does, then Tesla can very well end up tapping into what could very well be a very lucrative and iconic market — one that would likely push the company’s vehicles to the limit, and perhaps even a little bit beyond.
Lifestyle
NTSB findings on fatal Tesla crash tell a very different story
The NTSB confirmed the driver, not Tesla’s FSD, caused the fatal Texas house crash.
The National Transportation Safety Board released preliminary findings Wednesday confirming that a Tesla driver, not the vehicle’s software, caused a fatal crash in Katy, Texas in June. The driver, 44-year-old Michael Butler, had engaged Full Self-Driving Supervised mode on Rose Hollow Lane, a residential street with a 30 mph speed limit, before manually overriding the system by pressing the accelerator pedal all the way to 100%. Data recovered from the 2025 Tesla Model 3 showed the vehicle was traveling over 70 miles per hour when it struck a home and killed 76-year-old Martha Avila, who was inside. Weather was clear, the road was dry, and it was daylight.
Texas man charged in fatal Tesla crash where he blamed Autopilot
Butler told authorities he had passed out at the wheel. But security camera footage obtained by the NTSB told a different story, and showed the car accelerating through an intersection before leaving the road entirely. Police also found that Butler’s phone had Google searches including the terms “Tesla FSD not aggressive enough 2026” and “Tesla FSD too timid,” raising serious questions about how he was using the system before the crash. Butler has since been charged with manslaughter. The victim’s family has filed a lawsuit against both Butler and Tesla, alleging negligence.
The NTSB findings aligned directly with what Tesla VP of AI Software Ashok Elluswamy had already stated publicly on X in the weeks after the crash, writing that “the driver manually overrode self-driving by pressing the accelerator all the way to 100%.” The data confirmed his account.
Yup. In this case, the driver manually overrode self-driving by pressing the accelerator all the way to 100% of the accel pedal in this residential area. They reached a speed of 73 mph during the crash, and had the accelerator pressed even after the crash.
— Ashok Elluswamy (@aelluswamy) June 22, 2026
Elon Musk
Elon Musk’s Texas ranch to showcase the lifelong work that changed the world
Elon Musk is building a product gallery at his Texas ranch spanning his lifelong inventions.
Elon Musk took to X earlier today, noting “Am putting together a product gallery at my ranch in Texas.” in response to a resurfaced famous quote from JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon’s wherein he draw parallels of the Tesla CEO to legendary physicist Albert Einstein.
Dimon made the remark at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland back in January 2025, telling CNBC at the time, “SpaceX, Tesla, Neuralink, I mean, the guy is our Einstein.” The remark seemingly ended a long-time feud between the two high profile execs.
While details are thin about the exact location of Elon Musk’s Texas ranch and any pending projects that would serve as a gallery and homage to his portfolio of revolutionary product inventions spanning from 1984 to 2025, land acquisition records point to roughly a location of several thousand acres in Bastrop County, east of Austin near the Colorado River and held through an LLC called Horse Ranch LLC that’s managed by Musk’s longtime personal friend and family wealth manager Jared Birchall. Birchall also serves as the CEO of Neuralink.
Tesla’s “ecological paradise” in Giga Texas may be larger than expected
The broader Bastrop County footprint surrounding the ranch has grown significantly. Entities tied to Musk have accumulated approximately 2,000 acres in Bastrop County as of mid-2026, up from 700 acres earlier in the year, with possibly as much as 6,000 acres acquired in total across Bastrop and Travis counties based on deed records.
No completion date for the gallery has been announced and Musk has not confirmed whether it will be open to the public. As Teslarati has reported, SpaceX just completed the largest IPO in history raising $75 billion, a milestone that makes this particular moment in Musk’s career a natural inflection point for looking back at what he has built through the years.
Am putting together a product gallery at my ranch in Texas https://t.co/xQf5FRy4uz
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 15, 2026
Starting with Blastar, a simple space shooter game Musk coded at 12 years old and sold to a South African magazine for $500. From there the timeline moves through a commercial career that started with Zip2 in 1995, a city guide software company sold to Compaq for roughly $300 million in 1999. That was followed by X.com in 1999, which merged with Confinity to become PayPal, acquired by eBay in 2002 for $1.5 billion. SpaceX came in 2002, Tesla in 2003, SolarCity in 2006, the Supercharger network in 2012, Neuralink in 2016, The Boring Company in 2016, OpenAI co-founded in 2015, X acquired in 2022, xAI in 2023, Optimus in 2024, the Cybercab in 2026, and most recently SpaceXAI following the SpaceX and xAI merger. The gallery will also likely include items that blur the line between product and cultural artifact, among them The Boring Company’s Not-a-Flamethrower from 2018, Tesla Short Shorts from 2020, and Burnt Hair perfume released under X in 2022.
Lifestyle
Tesla makes the cut on California’s newest EV Rebate program
California just signed a $270 million EV rebate into law and it starts this summer.
California Governor Gavin Newsom signed SB 168 into law on Monday, July 13, 2026, creating a $270 million EV rebate program that delivers money directly at the dealership rather than as a tax credit applied months later. The program, called MyFirstEV, is funded equally by California’s state budget and participating automakers, with each contributing $135.5 million to make the math work.
The timing is directly tied to the loss of federal support when the $7,500 federal EV tax credit ended, removing the most significant consumer incentive that had driven EV adoption in the U.S. California, which accounts for roughly one-third of all EVs sold nationally, moved to fill that gap with a state-level replacement.
The rebate structure is straightforward. First-time EV buyers can receive $3,500 off any new battery-electric vehicle with an MSRP up to $50,000. Used EVs priced at $25,000 or below qualify for a $1,750 rebate. The credit is applied at the point of sale, which removes the friction of the old federal system where buyers had to wait for tax season to see the benefit. The program goes live later this summer, with the California Air Resources Board expected to release full participation details next month.
California hits Tesla Cybercab and Robotaxi driverless cars with new law
For Tesla buyers, the implications are mixed. The Tesla Model 3 RWD at $42,490 and the Model 3 Long Range at $47,490 both fall under the $50,000 cap and would qualify for the full $3,500 rebate for first-time buyers. The Model Y, which starts at $44,990 after Tesla’s recent price adjustment, also qualifies. The Model X, Model S, and Cybertruck all exceed the cap and receive no benefit. As Teslarati has reported, the program also includes a carve-out exempting California-based automakers like Rivian and Lucid from the price cap entirely, a provision that puts Tesla at a disadvantage since it relocated its headquarters to Texas in 2021.
Other qualifying vehicles include the Chevrolet Equinox EV, Ford Mustang Mach-E, Hyundai Ioniq 5, Kia EV6, and Volkswagen ID.4.
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