News
Tesla Model S owner shares remarkable battery and brakes update after 400k km
A Tesla Model S 75D owner from Australia has shared some notable insights about his ownership experience after driving the premium all-electric sedan for over 400k km (248k miles). These include some remarkable anecdotes about the Model S’ physical brakes, as well as its 75 kWh battery pack.
The Model S owner, Nigel Raynard, currently runs an airport pickup business in the Byron Bay/Ballina region with his partner. During a conversation with electric vehicle publication The Driven, Raynard noted that a Tesla was actually not his first choice. Prior to getting the Model S, he was actually looking to purchase a BMW.
Things changed when he watched the “Hard NOx” episode of the series “Dirty Money,” which extensively covered the Dieselgate scandal. In the episode, it was highlighted that emissions cheating practices were not just exclusive to Volkswagen. Other automakers, including BMW, also had diesel cars that were polluting more than they should.
The episode hit Raynard hard, as his mother had passed away from cancer. Coupled with his background in environmental science, Raynard ultimately decided that a BMW was not the way to go. If we were going to operate an airport pickup business, he would be behind the wheel of a more environmentally-friendly car. Thus, he ended up selecting a Tesla Model S.
Being a car for an airport pickup service, Raynard’s Model S gets driven about 400 km (248 miles) every day. Those miles pack up, and just three years into his ownership experience, Raynard’s Model S 75D already crossed the 400k-km mark. Despite this, Raynard noted that his car is still running on its original brake pads, which is pretty impressive considering that brake pads are typically changed every 50k-70k miles.
The Model S 75D is also still using its original battery pack. And after 400k miles, Raynard noted that he still gets about 343 km (213 miles) out of the car’s original 379 km (235 miles) of range. That translates to a loss of just about 9-10% after 400k km. That’s not bad at all, and it proves that electric vehicle batteries from Tesla could indeed go the distance. It also effectively debunks allegations from critics that EV batteries need to be changed frequently.
Raynard, for his part, stated that Tesla staff typically get surprised with his vehicle. “Talking to the staff at the Tesla service centers in Brisbane and now the Gold Coast has been a great experience because they admit that they don’t have a model this new with this many kilometers. This is on the original battery. I’ve gone from 379 km fully charged to 343 km so I believe it’s about a 9 or 10% loss of battery,” he said.
Raynard informed The Driven that over the course of his Tesla Model S 75D ownership, he had spent about AUD5,000 (about USD3,700) in service and repairs. These include replacements for a camera that ended up damaged after too many high-pressure washes at 210k km (130k miles), an air conditioning compressor at 330k km (205k miles), and a driveshaft replacement at 360k km (223k miles). One of the vehicle’s door handles was also replaced, but that was covered by Tesla’s warranty.
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Cybertruck
Tesla Cybertruck undergoes interior mod that many owners wanted
Tesla Cybertruck is significantly different from traditional pickups on the market in a lot of ways. However, one feature that was recently modified with its interior was a highly requested characteristic that is present in other trucks, but was void from Cybertruck.
Tesla went with a five-seat configuration with Cybertruck: two in the front and three in the back. The spacious interior is matched with plenty of storage, especially up front, as a pass-through, center console, and other storage options, but some Tesla fans wanted something different: bench seating.
Bench seating is popular in many full-size pickups and allows three passengers to sit up front. The middle seat is usually accompanied by a fold-down storage unit with cupholders.
Tesla decided to opt for no bench seating up front, despite the fact that it equipped bench seating in the unveiling in 2019. Interior photos from the unveiling event from nearly six-and-a-half years ago show Tesla had originally planned to have a six-seat configuration.
This was adjusted after the company refined the design:

(Tesla Cybertruck interior configuration in 2019)
Despite Tesla abandoning this design, it does not mean owners were willing to accept it. One owner decided to modify their Tesla Cybertruck interior to equip that third seat between the driver’s and passenger’s thrones.
The fit is snug, and while it looks great, it is important to remember that this does not abide byregulations, as it would require an airbag to be technically legal. Please do not do this at home with your own Cybertruck:
- Credit: @blueskykites
- Credit: @blueskykites
- Credit: @blueskykites
The Cybertruck is a popular vehicle in terms of publicity, but its sales have been underwhelming since first delivered to customers back in 2023. It’s hard to believe it’s been out for two-and-a-half years, but despite this, Tesla has not been able to come through on its extensive order sheet.
This is mostly due to price, as Cybertruck was simply not as affordable as Tesla originally planned. Its three configurations were initially priced at $39,990, $49,990, and $69,990. At release, Cybertruck was priced above $100,000.
This priced out many of those who had placed orders, which is the main reason Cybertruck has not lived up to its expectations in terms of sales. The adjustments to the specific features, like the removal of the bench seat, likely did not impact sales as much as pricing did.
This modification shows some creativity by Tesla owners, but also shows that the Cybertruck could always be the subject of a potential refresh to include some of these features. Tesla routinely adjusts its vehicle designs every few years, so maybe the Cybertruck could get something like this if it chooses to refresh its all-electric pickup.
Elon Musk
Tesla CEO Elon Musk drops massive bomb about Cybercab
“And there is so much to this car that is not obvious on the surface,” Musk said.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk dropped a massive bomb about the Cybercab, which is the company’s fully autonomous ride-hailing vehicle that will enter production later this year.
The Cybercab was unveiled back in October 2024 at the company’s “We, Robot” event in Los Angeles, and is among the major catalysts for the company’s growth in the coming years. It is expected to push Tesla into a major growth phase, especially as the automaker is transitioning into more of an AI and Robotics company than anything else.
The Cybercab will enable completely autonomous ride-hailing for Tesla, and although its other vehicles will also be capable of this technology, the Cybercab is slightly different. It will have no steering wheel or pedals, and will allow two occupants to travel from Point A to Point B with zero responsibilities within the car.
Tesla shares epic 2025 recap video, confirms start of Cybercab production
Details on the Cybercab are pretty face value at this point: we know Tesla is enabling 1-2 passengers to ride in it at a time, and this strategy was based on statistics that show most ride-hailing trips have no more than two occupants. It will also have in-vehicle entertainment options accessible from the center touchscreen.
It will also have wireless charging capabilities, which were displayed at “We, Robot,” and there could be more features that will be highly beneficial to riders, offering a full-fledged autonomous experience.
Musk dropped a big hint that there is much more to the Cybercab than what we know, as a post on X said that “there is so much to this car that is not obvious on the surface.”
And there is so much to this car that is not obvious on the surface
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 2, 2026
As the Cybercab is expected to enter production later this year, Tesla is surely going to include a handful of things they have not yet revealed to the public.
Musk seems to be indicating that some of the features will make it even more groundbreaking, and the idea is to enable a truly autonomous experience from start to finish for riders. Everything from climate control to emergency systems, and more, should be included with the car.
It seems more likely than not that Tesla will make the Cybercab its smartest vehicle so far, as if its current lineup is not already extremely intelligent, user-friendly, and intuitive.
Investor's Corner
Tesla Q4 delivery numbers are better than they initially look: analyst
The Deepwater Asset Management Managing Partner shared his thoughts in a post on his website.
Longtime Tesla analyst and Deepwater Asset Management Managing Partner Gene Munster has shared his insights on Tesla’s Q4 2025 deliveries. As per the analyst, Tesla’s numbers are actually better than they first appear.
Munster shared his thoughts in a post on his website.
Normalized December Deliveries
Munster noted that Tesla delivered 418k vehicles in the fourth quarter of 2025, slightly below Street expectations of 420k but above the whisper number of 415k. Tesla’s reported 16% year-over-year decline, compared to +7% in September, is largely distorted by the timing of the tax credit expiration, which pulled forward demand.
“Taking a step back, we believe September deliveries pulled forward approximately 55k units that would have otherwise occurred in December or March. For simplicity, we assume the entire pull-forward impacted the December quarter. Under this assumption, September growth would have been down ~5% absent the 55k pull-forward, a Deepwater estimate tied to the credit’s expiration.
“For December deliveries to have declined ~5% year over year would imply total deliveries of roughly 470k. Subtracting the 55k units pulled into September results in an implied December delivery figure of approximately 415k. The reported 418k suggests that, when normalizing for the tax credit timing, quarter-over-quarter growth has been consistently down ~5%. Importantly, this ~5% decline represents an improvement from the ~13% declines seen in both the March and June 2025 quarters.“
Tesla’s United States market share
Munster also estimated that Q4 as a whole might very well show a notable improvement in Tesla’s market share in the United States.
“Over the past couple of years, based on data from Cox Automotive, Tesla has been losing U.S. EV market share, declining to just under 50%. Based on data for October and November, Cox estimates that total U.S. EV sales were down approximately 35%, compared to Tesla’s just reported down 16% for the full quarter. For the first two months of the quarter, Cox reported Tesla market share of roughly a 65% share, up from under 50% in the September quarter.
“While this data excludes December, the quarter as a whole is likely to show a material improvement in Tesla’s U.S. EV market share.“


