Lifestyle
Tesla vs Porsche: Inside the emerging Nurburgring EV arms race
The results of Tesla’s brief time in Germany’s famed Nürburgring racetrack were impressive. During their stay, Tesla’s two Model S “Plaid” powertrain prototypes showcased great potential, at one point finishing a hand-timed lap of 7 minutes 23 seconds, about 20 seconds faster than the Porsche Taycan, a vehicle that was honed on the historic racecourse. This was made possible by a Silicon Valley-style strategy that allowed the electric car maker to push its vehicles to the limit and establish a presence in the nearly 13-mile track with authority.
The Upstart Newcomer
Elon Musk’s announcement of the Model S’ excursion to the Nürburgring was not universally supported, with some doubting the electric sedan’s capability to take on the “Green Hell,” and others dismissing the proclamation of as plain old “bulls**t.” The Tesla Model S, after all, is known for out-accelerating supercars in a straight line, but the vehicle is prone to throttling its power when driven hard on a closed circuit. To address this, Musk deployed two Model S prototypes, both of which were equipped with a “Plaid Powertrain” setup that featured three electric motors, racing-optimized tires, fenders, a new spoiler, and a slightly different fascia with a bigger air intake. These vehicles were track-worthy.
Tesla’s efforts to set up its Nürburgring sessions was commendable. Not long after Elon Musk’s announcement of the upcoming track runs, a Model S was spotted being transported to the circuit. A Supercharger was set up in the vicinity of the racetrack as well, allowing the prototype vehicles to recharge their batteries in between laps. Tesla seemed to have brought two vehicles, a red prototype accompanied by a blue unit. Reports claim that at least one of the vehicles was stripped of its interior to reduce weight, though images captured of the red Plaid Model S prototype hint that the sedan still had a passenger seat and door trims.
The Old Guard
What is rather ironic is that Tesla’s initiatives at the Nürburgring seemed to be a response to the feat of the Porsche Taycan, which set a record of 7 minutes 42 seconds around the track prior to its official unveiling. Musk has extended his praise for the Taycan on Twitter, stating that the vehicle seems like a good car, and mentioning that its track time at the Green Hell was “great.” While it seemed like Tesla rushed to get the Model S Plaid prototypes to the Nürburgring, it turned out that there was no rush needed at all.
This is because the Taycan’s 7:42 lap record was not officially sanctioned by the Nürburgring. In a statement to Jalopnik, Porsche described the Taycan’s time as “one for ourselves that we use as a point of historical record.” This is the reason that the Taycan’s lap time is not listed among the Nürburgring’s records. That being said, the German carmaker noted that the prototype it utilized for the run was production-spec, which meant that it was not stripped of any unnecessary weight. Porsche even stated that the Taycan it used for its Nürburgring run was actually heavier due to its roll cage, and it had stock tires on.
Quite interestingly, reports have emerged stating that Porsche utilized a Taycan Turbo prototype for its Nürburgring run. This is a rather interesting point, considering that the vehicle used by the company for its record lap was equipped with large yellow brake calipers, which is an option for the higher-end Porsche Taycan Turbo S (the Turbo comes with white calipers). Provided that these reports are true and Porsche did use its less powerful Turbo prototype for its “record attempt” at the nearly 13-mile track, the carmaker’s upcoming rounds with its Taycan Turbo S would be very interesting. The vehicle could definitely raise the stakes if it closes in or beats the Plaid Model S prototype’s 7:23 hand-stopped lap time.
An impending Nürburgring arms race
So what was the result of Tesla’s Silicon Valley-style approach to the Nürburgring? A lot of achievements and respect gained from professionals alike, actually. Professional race driver Robb Holland, who was initially skeptical about Tesla’s Nürburgring attempt, noted in an updated article that he commends Tesla for putting in the right effort, and for achieving a time that is not simply fast for an electric car or a four-door sedan with seven seats; but just plain fast. Tesla’s announcement that its Plaid Model S prototypes will be going for a 7:05 time when they return to the Nürburgring next month hints that more impressive feats could be expected.
Tesla’s Nürburgring session this time around ended with a 7:24 lap time and one of its red Plaid Model S prototypes being pushed hard enough that it retired in the middle of a run. With Tesla’s departure, a number of details have emerged about the electric car maker’s vehicle. For one, each Plaid prototype seemed to be capable of running five or six full laps at full speed around the Nürburgring per day, which is already close to that of high-performance ICE cars. Each vehicle was also charged after every lap, though it is unclear if this was due to heating issues or if Tesla was simply topping up lost range.
What is known from eyewitnesses, unofficial track timers, and racing drivers during Tesla’s testing days was that the Plaid Model S prototypes were very, very fast. In an article on auto news site Jalopnik, Holland mentioned that drivers operating other high-performance vehicles at the Nürburgring stated that the Model S Plaid prototypes were frighteningly fast when they ran their laps, to the point where the vehicles would almost vanish from another high-performance car with capable drivers.
Porsche did not establish its reputation by staying still when there is a powerful new challenger in the field. With Tesla establishing that its upcoming Plaid Model S is fast and track-capable, the German carmaker will likely respond with an equally impressive demonstration, perhaps with the Taycan Turbo S (provided that its initial run was conducted with a Turbo unit, of course) or an even more track-worthy car. For Klaus Zellmer, president and CEO of Porsche Cars North America, Tesla’s challenge is something that is more than welcome. “We call ourselves a true sports car manufacturer, and there aren’t that many ways to prove that it is a true sports car,” he said in a statement to CNET Roadshow.
As Elon Musk has said, now it’s game, set, match.
Lifestyle
Tesla saves its passengers again – This time after a 300-foot cliff fall in Malibu
A Tesla Model 3 fell 300 feet off a Malibu cliff and both passengers survived.
A Tesla Model 3 plunged roughly 300 feet off a cliff on Mulholland Highway in Malibu on Friday morning, May 29, 2026, and both occupants survived. The crash was reported at approximately 7:30 a.m. near the 2500 block of Mulholland Highway, triggering a multi-agency rescue operation involving Malibu Search and Rescue, the Los Angeles County Fire Department, the California Highway Patrol, and McCormick Ambulance.
When first responders arrived, the male driver was outside the vehicle shouting for help while the female passenger remained pinned inside the Tesla. Rescue crews rappelled down the cliffside on ropes to reach the wreckage. A flight medic was lowered by helicopter to begin treating both victims, and the driver was hoisted up to the roadway before crews used the Jaws of Life to free the trapped passenger. Both were airlifted to a local trauma center with moderate injuries despite a remarkable result for a fall that steep.
The outcome is not surprising, considering Model 3 earned an overall 5-star rating from NHTSA in every category and sub-category, and recorded the lowest probability of injury of any car ever evaluated by the U.S. New Car Assessment Program. The absence of a traditional engine in the front of the vehicle creates a longer crumple zone that absorbs impact energy before it reaches occupants, and the battery pack running along the floor gives the car an unusually low center of gravity that reinforces structural rigidity.
This is not the first time a Tesla has kept passengers alive after going off a cliff. A Tesla Model Y carrying a family of four survived a plunge off a cliff at Devil’s Slide near San Francisco in January 2023, with two adults and two children walking away from a 250-foot fall. That incident drew widespread attention to how the structural integrity of Tesla’s electric platform performs in extreme crash scenarios that most vehicles would not survive.
Tesla Model Y driver who drove off cliff with family attempts to avoid criminal conviction
Elon Musk
NASA’s first human outpost on the Moon starts now – SpaceX on deck
NASA named the rovers, landers, and vendors that will build America’s first Moon Base.
NASA has laid out its most detailed Moon Base plan to date, describing a permanent outpost near the Moon’s south pole that the agency intends to build over the coming decade as a direct stepping stone to Mars. “The Moon Base will be America’s and humanity’s first outpost on another celestial world,” NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said, adding that every mission crewed and uncrewed “will be a learning opportunity as we return to the lunar surface, build the infrastructure to stay, and master the skills required to live and operate in one of the most demanding and dangerous environments imaginable.”
The plan is structured in three phases involving both uncrewed and crewed missions to deliver equipment, vehicles, and infrastructure to the surface, with the first three moon base missions targeted to launch before the end of 2026.
Moon Base I, targeting fall 2026, will use Blue Origin’s Blue Moon Mark 1 lander to deliver scientific instruments to the Shackleton Connecting Ridge, the same region where Artemis astronauts will land. Moon Base II will send Astrobotic’s Griffin lander carrying more than 1,100 pounds of cargo including Astrolab’s FLIP rover to begin developing mobility systems on the surface. Moon Base III will carry the Lunar Vertex science mission on Intuitive Machines’ Nova-C Trinity lander to study lunar swirls near the south pole, with ESA and Korean science payloads aboard.
On the rover side, NASA awarded Astrolab $219 million and Lunar Outpost $220 million to build the first phase of Lunar Terrain Vehicles, with both rovers targeted for deployment to the lunar surface by 2028. Astrolab’s crewed rover weighs roughly 2,000 pounds and can reach over 6 mph. Lunar Outpost’s Pegasus rover can operate autonomously or via remote control at over 9 mph. Blue Origin separately received $188 million with an option worth $280.4 million to deliver cargo landers for rover transport.
NASA also confirmed that MoonFall, a mission deploying four survey drones to scout Artemis landing sites, has selected Firefly Aerospace to build the transport spacecraft, with a 2028 launch target.
SpaceX sits at the center of that commercial layer. SpaceX holds the NASA Human Landing System contract for the Starship-derived lander that will put astronauts on the surface under Artemis IV, currently targeting 2028. Before that can happen, SpaceX must demonstrate in-orbit propellant transfer at scale, a process requiring multiple Starship tanker launches to fuel a single mission. Water ice at the lunar south pole is central to the base’s long-term viability, as it can be converted into drinking water, breathable oxygen, and rocket fuel, directly reducing dependence on Earth resupply. That resource loop becomes far more practical if Starship can land and be refueled on or near the Moon itself.
Elon Musk has publicly stated that Starship V3, which recently completed its first flight, should be capable enough for initial Mars missions. The Moon Base plan announced Tuesday is the infrastructure layer that connects everything between those two ambitions, and SpaceX is the only American company currently contracted to build the rocket that gets humans to either destination.
Elon Musk
Tesla ditches India after years of broken promises
Tesla has ditched its plans to build a factory in India after years of failed negotiations.
Tesla’s long-running effort to establish a manufacturing presence in India is officially over. India’s Minister of Heavy Industries H.D. Kumaraswamy confirmed on May 19, 2026 that Tesla has informed authorities it will not proceed with a manufacturing facility in the country.
Tesla first signaled serious interest in India around 2021, when it began hiring local staff and lobbying the Indian government for lower import tariffs. The ask was straightforward: reduce duties enough for Tesla to test the market with imported vehicles before committing capital to a local factory. India’s position was equally firm, with an ask of Tesla to commit to manufacturing first, then receive tariff relief. Neither side moved, and the talks quietly collapsed.
Tesla to open first India experience center in Mumbai on July 15
India had offered a policy that would reduce import duties from 110% down to 15% on EVs priced above $35,000, provided companies committed at least $500 million toward local manufacturing investment within three years. Tesla declined to participate. The tariff standoff was only part of the problem. Analysts pointed to significant gaps in India’s local supply chain, inadequate industrial infrastructure, and a mismatch between Tesla’s premium pricing and the purchasing power of India’s automotive market as additional factors that made the investment difficult to justify.
First signs of an unraveling relationship came in April 2024, when Musk abruptly cancelled a planned trip to India where he was set to meet Prime Minister Modi and announce Tesla’s market entry. By July 2024, Fortune reported that Tesla executives had stopped contacting Indian government officials entirely. The government at that point understood Tesla had capital constraints and no plans to invest.
The more fundamental issue is that Tesla’s existing factories are currently operating at approximately 60% capacity, making a commitment to building new manufacturing capacity in a new market difficult to defend to investors. Tesla will continue selling imported Model Y vehicles through its existing showrooms in Mumbai, Delhi, Gurugram, and Bengaluru, but local production is no longer part of the plan.
Tesla’s European Comeback: Registrations soar in May as recovery gains momentum
Tesla plans ingenious improvement to one of its best features
