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Tesla Model S Plaid to make TV debut on ‘Jay Leno’s Garage’ on November 10

Credit: CNBC Television

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The Tesla Model S Plaid will make its television debut on an episode of “Jay Leno’s Garage” on November 10th. In the episode, the former late-night TV show host will get behind the wheel of the Model S Plaid at Famoso Raceway, where the all-electric flagship sedan from Tesla broke the 1/4-mile record for a production vehicle dethroning the Bugatti Chiron Sport.

CNBC recently confirmed to Teslarati that the episode, titled “Limited Edition,” featuring the Model S Plaid, would air on November 10th. The description episode from CNBC states:

“Get ready to regale yourself with rarities in this extremely Limited Edition of Jay Leno’s Garage. First up, Jay and talk show phenom Trevor Noah test-drive the lightning-fast, all-new, all-electric Mercedes EQS. Then Jay does his damnedest to demolish the already ludicrous world record for the fastest production vehicle ever in Tesla’s all-new Model S Plaid. After attempting to rewrite history, Jay squeezes Comedian Tom Segura into a bug-size Bugatti, lets loose in a one-of-a-kind Porsche Carrera Coupe, and rides off into the sunset with actor Balthazar Getty in a ridiculously rare Lamborghini Sian.”

Rumors of the Model S Plaid’s record time swirled through the EV community in May after reports indicated that the vehicle had turned a 9.247-second 1/4-mile at 152 miles per hour. Leno was evidently there and confirmed in early June on an episode of Spike’s Car Radio podcast that the record was set. Leno said:

“I’ll tell you what I did. I went up to Famoso Dragway in Bakersfield and the Tesla Plaid…I drove by, and the NHRA guy was there to make it official. It turned a 9.247, at 152 MPH.”

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Leno stated that the NHRA official was there to confirm the time.

In mid-June, a trailer showed that Leno would drive the vehicle himself, attempting to better the already impressive record. This was before any deliveries of the vehicle had started. We know that Leno and Tesla CEO Elon Musk have had several interactions in the past and seem to have developed a friendship that gives Leno special access to some of Tesla’s most interesting designs, including the Cybertruck. Leno confirmed during an interview with Shepard Smith that the Model S Plaid is one of the best vehicles he’s ever driven. “It was a winner,” he said. “I mean, it is now the fastest production car you can buy. Faster than any Ferrari, faster than any $3.5 million Bugatti.”

The Model S Plaid is one of the automotive industry’s most impressive vehicles. The car has an acceleration rate of 1.99 seconds from 0-60 MPH with an impressive 390 miles per charge. The Model S Plaid is available for purchase on Tesla’s website for $129,990. This seems like a steep price, but for the performance, range, and the unbelievable 1,020 horsepower the vehicle offers, it’s likely somewhat of a bargain to some owners.

Check out Leno’s interview about the Model S Plaid with Shepard Smith below.

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Joey has been a journalist covering electric mobility at TESLARATI since August 2019. In his spare time, Joey is playing golf, watching MMA, or cheering on any of his favorite sports teams, including the Baltimore Ravens and Orioles, Miami Heat, Washington Capitals, and Penn State Nittany Lions. You can get in touch with joey at joey@teslarati.com. He is also on X @KlenderJoey. If you're looking for great Tesla accessories, check out shop.teslarati.com

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Tesla gets new information request from NHTSA on Robotaxi rollout

Tesla has been contacted by the NHTSA regarding plans for the Robotaxi rollout and how it will handle poor weather.

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Credit: Tesla

Tesla has been contacted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) regarding its planned rollout of a Robotaxi platform in Austin, Texas.

The agency sent a letter to Tesla Field Quality Director Eddit Gates, seeking more information on exactly how the company plans to operate the fleet in poor weather conditions. The NHTSA wants to know how Tesla’s technology and operational use cases will “assess the ability of Tesla’s system to react appropriately to reduced roadway visibility conditions.”

Additionally, the NHTSA said it would like additional information on Tesla’s development of technologies for use in ‘robotaxi’ vehicles to understand how Tesla plans to evaluate its vehicles and driving automation technologies for public roads.

Tesla has already started operating a supervised version of the Robotaxi platform for employees in both Austin and San Francisco. This limited rollout has completed thousands of rides already, but differs from the version it plans to roll out in the coming weeks in Austin, as it currently has a driver sitting in the driver’s seat.

Tesla says it has launched ride-hailing Robotaxi teaser to employees only

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They are there to supervise the vehicle and ensure safety early on in the program.

The letter that was sent to Tesla on May 8 is part of a greater investigation that was opened by the NHTSA on October 17, titled “FSD Collisions in Reduced Roadway Visibility Conditions.”

The agency said the purpose of the “Preliminary Evaluation of FSD” was to assess:

  • The ability of FSD’s engineering controls to detect and respond appropriately to reduced roadway visibility conditions;
  • Whether any other similar FSD crashes have occurred in reduced roadway visibility conditions and, if so, the contributing circumstances for those crashes; and
  • Any updates or modifications from Tesla to the FSD system that may affect the performance of FSD in reduced roadway visibility conditions. In particular, this review will assess the timing, purpose, and capabilities of any such updates, as well as Tesla’s assessment of their safety impact.

Tesla is required to respond to the NHTSA’s request by June 19.

INIM-PE24031-62887 by Joey Klender on Scribd

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Potential affordable Tesla “Model 2/Model Q” test car spotted anew in Giga Texas

The recent footage featured an apparent test car that looks very similar to a vehicle that was spotted in the Fremont Factory last month.

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Credit: @JoeTegtmeyer/X

Tesla has been very secretive about the “more affordable models” that it intends to start producing in the first half of 2025, but the company does seem to be quite busy testing something interesting in the Giga Texas complex. This was, at least, as per recent aerial footage from a longtime Giga Texas watcher.

The recent footage featured an apparent test car that looks very similar to a vehicle that was spotted in the Fremont Factory last month. 

New Giga Texas Sighting

In a post on X, longtime Giga Texas watcher and drone operator Joe Tegtmeyer noted that he recently spotted a rather unique test car in the factory complex. The vehicle was under a car cover, but it was evidently missing its body panels and roof. Interestingly enough, it seemed to be shaped like a Model Y (it even had Model Y wheels), though it looked a bit more compact than another Model Y that was parked next to it.

Interestingly enough, a rather similar test car was spotted at another Tesla plant, the Fremont Factory in California, last month. Tesla watcher Met God in Wilderness, who has been posting aerial videos of the Fremont Factory for years, shared some footage from a drone flyover in mid-April. One of the vehicles captured in the flyover was an apparent test car that was parked next to fully-built Model Y and Model S vehicles. The test car in this sighting also looked like a compact crossover, and it was also missing its roof and body panels. 

Tesla’s Affordable Cars

In the Q1 2025 Update Letter, Tesla noted that “plans for new vehicles, including more affordable models, remain on track for start of production in the first half of 2025.” In the Q1 earnings call, Tesla VP of Vehicle Engineering Lars Moravy stated that Tesla’s affordable cars would resemble the company’s existing vehicles, though they will be more affordable.

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These comments suggested that Tesla’s affordable cars, which have been informally dubbed by the EV community as the “Model 2 or Model Q,” will look a lot like its two mass market vehicles, the Model 3 sedan and the Model Y crossover. “Models that come out in the next months will be built on our lines and will resemble, in form and shape, the cars we currently make. And the key is that they’ll be affordable, and you’ll be able to buy one,” Moray stated.

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Elon Musk

Elon Musk invited to attend investment summit in Saudi Arabia: report

Musk’s reported invitation comes on the sidelines of United States President Donald Trump’s visit to the Middle East.

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Joel Kowsky, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

A planning note reported viewed by Reuters has indicated that Tesla CEO Elon Musk has been invited to a Saudi-U.S. investment forum in Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia. The event is expected to be held on Tuesday.

Musk’s reported invitation comes on the sidelines of United States President Donald Trump’s visit to the Middle East.

Musk’s Invitation

As per Reuters, the upcoming investment forum is expected to be attended by some of the most distinguished people in the investment world. These include the CEOs of high-profile companies such as Blackrock, Citigroup, IBM, Boeing, Delta Airlines, American Airlines, and United Airlines, among others, the publication noted. 

Considering the other attendees of the event, Elon Musk would likely fit right thanks to his leadership of companies like Tesla, SpaceX, and xAI, as well as his close ties with the Trump administration through his work at the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).

Musk and Saudi Arabia

Elon Musk’s relationship with Riyadh have notably improved since the start of Trump’s second term as United States president. Highlighting this improvement was Tesla’s launch in Saudi, which was held in April. Tesla’s launch was a notable event based on videos posted of the occasion, with the company showcasing some of its most exciting products, including Optimus, the Cybertruck, and the Cybercab, its self-driving robotaxi.

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Tesla’s launch in Saudi Arabia, as well as his reported invitation to the upcoming investment forum, suggests that the CEO’s feud with Yasir Al Rumayyan, head of the $925 billion Public Investment Fund, has ended. The PIF Head was among the people involved in Elon Musk’s infamous “funding secured” tweet in 2018, which resulted in hefty fines and his removal as Tesla’s Board Chair. The PIF also sold its Tesla holdings and invested in another EV company, Lucid Group Inc.

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