News
Tesla Model S Plaid receives scathing review from Edmunds: ‘A waste of money’
Since its release, the Tesla Model S Plaid has received great reviews from both professionals and consumers alike. While there are a lot of criticisms of the controversial steering yoke that Tesla released for the flagship sedan, the performance of the vehicle, its overall practicality, its ride quality, and its improved build compared to the Model 3 and Model Y were frequent points of praise.
Edmunds, which lists itself as the “global authority for unbiased, unvarnished automotive advice, news, reviews and deals for over 50 years,” opted to take the opposite stance on the vehicle. In a recent post on its YouTube channel, Edmunds noted that the Model S Plaid is “a “waste of money,” and that it’s not worth its price of $130,000.
The motoring firm found numerous faults from the Plaid, from its build quality and the steering yoke to its interior, which lacks the conventional luxurious flairs from rivals like the Porsche Taycan and the Mercedes-Benz EQS. Edmunds’ Alistair Weaver, while summarizing his thoughts on the Model S Plaid, argued that the horrible steering yoke is a metaphor for the entire car. He also argued that the idea of releasing a car with that much power was “daft.”
“The problem for me is that this yoke is really a metaphor for the whole car. It’s almost as if Tesla’s execs thought about how much noise they could make on Twitter and then worked backwards. A yoke on a road car is just plain daft. But then, so is the whole idea of 1,020 horsepower four-door sedan.
“I love the Tesla Model, 3 because it’s a genuinely groundbreaking car that’s accessible to many people. This, by contrast, is just a marketing exercise designed to create attention for an aging car and to satiate the egos of multimillionaires in cocktail bars. Really, it’s only good for one thing. And that’s drag racing,” Weaver concluded.
Edmunds’ conclusions on the Model S Plaid are certainly in the minority, even among professional reviewers. Doug DeMuro, who has heavily criticized Tesla in the past, dubbed the Model S Plaid as “quite possibly the best all-around car ever made” after experiencing the vehicle. Unlike Edmunds, which had questions about the vehicle’s price, DeMuro noted that the Plaid brings a lot of value and performance considering that it’s a $140,000 car.
The same was true for veteran motoring journalist Jason Cammisa, who reviewed the Model S Plaid soon after the vehicle’s unveiling. While agreeing that the steering yoke is a gimmick, Camissa stated that the Model S Plaid is a vehicle that is effectively a class of one at its price range. ‘Judged as a Chiron-beatingly fast, everyday luxury car, I must say with apologizes to Rolls-Royce, Bentley, Bugatti, Mercedes-Benz, and every automaker on the planet: good luck catching up. You’ll need it. And at $130k, nobody has a chance,” Cammisa wrote.
Watch Edmunds’ Model S Plaid review in the video below.
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Investor's Corner
Tesla (TSLA) Q4 and FY 2025 earnings results
Tesla’s Q4 and FY 2025 earnings come on the heels of a quarter where the company produced over 434,000 vehicles, delivered over 418,000 vehicles, and deployed 14.2 GWh of energy storage products.
Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) has released its Q4 and FY 2025 earnings results in an update letter. The document was posted on the electric vehicle maker’s official Investor Relations website after markets closed today, January 28, 2025.
Tesla’s Q4 and FY 2025 earnings come on the heels of a quarter where the company produced over 434,000 vehicles, delivered over 418,000 vehicles, and deployed 14.2 GWh of energy storage products.
For the Full Year 2025, Tesla produced 1,654,667 and delivered 1,636,129 vehicles. The company also deployed a total of 46.7 GWh worth of energy storage products.
Tesla’s Q4 and FY 2025 results
As could be seen in Tesla’s Q4 and FY 2025 Update Letter, the company posted GAAP EPS of $0.24 and non-GAAP EPS of $0.50 per share in the fourth quarter. Tesla also posted total revenues of $24.901 billion. GAAP net income is also listed at $840 million in Q4.
Analyst consensus for Q4 has Tesla earnings per share falling 38% to $0.45 with revenue declining 4% to $24.74 billion, as per estimates from FactSet. In comparison, the consensus compiled by Tesla last week forecasted $0.44 per share on sales totaling $24.49 billion.
For FY 2025, Tesla posted GAAP EPS of $1.08 and non-GAAP EPS of $1.66 per share. Tesla also posted total revenues of $94.827 billion, which include $69.526 billion from automotive and $12.771 billion from the battery storage business. GAAP net income is also listed at $3.794 billion in FY 2025.
xAI Investment
On January 16, 2026, Tesla agreed to invest approximately $2 billion to acquire Series E preferred shares in xAI as part of the company’s recently disclosed financing round. Tesla said the investment was made on market terms consistent with those agreed to by other participants in the round.
The investment aligns with Tesla’s strategy under Master Plan Part IV, which centers on bringing artificial intelligence into the physical world through products and services. While Tesla focuses on real-world AI applications, xAI is developing digital AI platforms, including its Grok large language model.
Alongside the investment, Tesla and xAI entered into a framework agreement designed to build on their existing relationship. The agreement establishes a structure for evaluating potential AI collaborations between the two companies, with an emphasis on advancing applied AI capabilities.
Tesla said the investment and framework agreement are intended to strengthen its ability to develop and deploy AI-driven products and services at scale. The transaction remains subject to customary regulatory approvals, with closing expected in the first quarter of 2026.
Below is Tesla’s Q4 and FY 2025 update letter.
TSLA-Q4-2025-Update by Simon Alvarez
Tesla has rolled out a new Supercharging safety feature in the United States, one that will answer concerns that some owners may have if they need to leave in a pinch.
It is also a suitable alternative for non-Tesla chargers, like third-party options that feature J1772 or CCS to NACS adapters.
The feature has been available in Europe for some time, but it is now rolling out to Model 3 and Model Y owners in the U.S.
With Software Update 2026.2.3, Tesla is launching the Unlatching Charge Cable function, which will now utilize the left rear door handle to release the charging cable from the port. The release notes state:
“Charging can now be stopped and the charge cable released by pulling and holding the rear left door handle for three seconds, provided the vehicle is unlocked, and a recognized key is nearby. This is especially useful when the charge cable doesn’t have an unlatch button. You can still release the cable using the vehicle touchscreen or the Tesla app.”
The feature was first spotted by Not a Tesla App.
This is an especially nice feature for those who commonly charge at third-party locations that utilize plugs that are not NACS, which is the Tesla standard.
For example, after plugging into a J1772 charger, you will still be required to unlock the port through the touchscreen, which is a minor inconvenience, but an inconvenience nonetheless.
Additionally, it could be viewed as a safety feature, especially if you’re in need of unlocking the charger from your car in a pinch. Simply holding open the handle on the rear driver’s door will now unhatch the port from the car, allowing you to pull it out and place it back in its housing.
This feature is currently only available on the Model 3 and Model Y, so Model S, Model X, and Cybertruck owners will have to wait for a different solution to this particular feature.
News
LG Energy Solution pursuing battery deal for Tesla Optimus, other humanoid robots: report
Optimus is expected to be one of Tesla’s most ambitious projects, with Elon Musk estimating that the humanoid robot could be the company’s most important product.
A recent report has suggested that LG Energy Solution is in discussions to supply batteries for Tesla’s Optimus humanoid robot.
Optimus is expected to be one of Tesla’s most ambitious projects, with Elon Musk estimating that the humanoid robot could be the company’s most important product.
Humanoid robot battery deals
LG Energy Solution shares jumped more than 11% on the 28th after a report from the Korea Economic Daily claimed that the company is pursuing battery supply and joint development agreements with several humanoid robot makers. These reportedly include Tesla, which is developing Optimus, as well as multiple Chinese robotics companies.
China is already home to several leading battery manufacturers, such as CATL and BYD, making the robot makers’ reported interest in LG Energy Solution quite interesting. Market participants interpreted the reported outreach as a signal that performance requirements for humanoid robots may favor battery chemistries developed by companies like LG.
LF Energy Solution vs rivals
According to the report, energy density is believed to be the primary reason humanoid robot developers are evaluating LG Energy Solution’s batteries. Unlike electric vehicles, humanoid robots have significantly less space available for battery packs while requiring substantial power to operate dozens of joint motors and onboard artificial intelligence processors.
LG Energy Solution’s ternary lithium batteries offer higher energy density compared with rivals’ lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries, which are widely used by Chinese EV manufacturers. That advantage could prove critical for humanoid robots, where runtime, weight, and compact packaging are key design constraints.
Tesla (TSLA) Q4 and FY 2025 earnings results
Tesla rolls out new Supercharging safety feature in the U.S.
