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.
Elon Musk
Elon Musk’s surprise addition to the X Takeover lineup has fans talking
Elon Musk will join Saturday’s X Takeover at Giga Texas for a live virtual interview.
Elon Musk will join X Takeover at Giga Texas on Saturday for a live virtual interview, according to Sawyer Merritt, who shared the news late Thursday. Musk will not be on stage in Austin. The conversation is set to stream for free on the @teslaownersSV account on X.
Organizers had kept expectations in check. In a September update, Tesla Owners Silicon Valley said Musk had appeared at the event twice before but was not promising a third appearance, even as fans hoped he would walk the Giga Texas grounds in person. A virtual spot matches 2024, when Musk gave a surprise interview of about an hour to the crowd in San Luis Obispo, as Teslarati reported at the time.
Wasn’t expecting this 🫡
— Tesla Owners Silicon Valley (@teslaownersSV) October 9, 2026
This year’s edition is a first in several ways. It is the first X Takeover held outside California and the first at a Tesla facility, with tickets selling out in eight days. Tesla provides the venue, but the event is produced independently by Tesla Owners Silicon Valley. The main event runs from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. CT, followed by a drone and light show at 9 p.m. Maye Musk is the keynote speaker, Franz von Holzhausen is set for a virtual keynote, and Nicki Minaj is the special guest. Joe Tegtmeyer, whose drone footage Teslarati used to track the Optimus factory steel frame at Giga Texas, is also on the speaker list.
Musk’s interview topics have not been revealed, but the backdrop is busy. Tesla doubled its Cybercab fleet in Austin in late September, and last week Musk explained why Robotaxi hours only moved from 10 p.m. to 11 p.m.. Merritt also reported Thursday that Texas DMV records now show 319 registered Cybercabs, up from 169. NHTSA’s deadline for Tesla’s sworn answers on Cybercab certification is October 30, and Tesla reports third quarter earnings on October 21.
Fans who cannot make it to Austin can watch the livestream on X. Musk tends to say more in unscripted settings than he does in prepared remarks, which is the reason this one is worth having open on Saturday.
Elon Musk
Elon Musk’s Boring Company lands a new Middle East deal, and Nashville is about to get faster
The Boring Company signs Abu Dhabi tunnel agreement while adding more Prufrock machines in Nashville.
The Boring Company has signed an agreement with Abu Dhabi to study underground transport and utility tunnels across the emirate, adding a second UAE city to its pipeline as it prepares to also scale up tunneling back home in Nashville.
The deal was signed Thursday at the Liveability and Investment Exhibition (LIVEX 2026) by Boring Company President Steve Davis and Maysarah Mahmoud Salim Eid, director general of the Abu Dhabi Projects and Infrastructure Centre (ADPIC), according to the Abu Dhabi Media Office. Mohamed Ali Al Shorafa, chairman of the emirate’s Department of Municipalities and Transport, attended the signing.
Under the agreement, the two sides will assess feasibility, delivery and operating models for tunnels that could carry passengers or utilities. They will also look at Abu Dhabi’s potential as a regional hub for tunneling work. The current phase is exploratory, and no construction commitment or project budget has been announced.
“Abu Dhabi provides an ideal environment to explore the next generation of underground infrastructure solutions, supported by its ambitious growth vision and strong commitment to advanced technologies,”
Davis said. He added that the company wants to assess how tunnels can “expand urban capacity more efficiently, and enable better use of available space.”
The timing lines up with the money, considering last month, The Boring Company closed a $3 billion Series D led by the UAE and affiliated investors, valuing the company at $23 billion, as Teslarati reported. That round came with a commitment to build more than 150 kilometers of tunnel across the UAE, separate from the Dubai Loop pilot already under contract with Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority. That pilot covers 6.4 kilometers and four stations linking DIFC and Dubai Mall at a cost of about $154 million.
Back home, The Boring Company projects in Nashville are also scaling up, with the company telling local NewsChannel 5 that a third Prufrock machine could start digging the Music City Loop in late October. A fourth is also targeted before the end of the year. Two machines are already mining Nashville limestone at the same time, and work is underway on a new launch site for the third.
The company said it has made more than 300 design and performance upgrades to its original Nashville machine. It is also working with property owners on more than 40 planned stations, with approvals in place for a future Nashville International Airport connection, a downtown station near the Music City Center, and stops at residential towers and the JW Marriott.
Construction on the Music City Loop began the same evening Tennessee and federal regulators approved the project’s lease in February, and the company targeted its first operational segment for late 2026. Back in Las Vegas, The Boring Company has said it plans to double its Vegas Loop station count by year’s end.
Lifestyle
Tesla FSD changed its mind mid-intersection, and it may have saved a life
Tesla shares dashcam footage of FSD Supervised stopping mid intersection to avoid a T-bone crash.
Tesla is putting another Full Self-Driving save in front of its 24.8 million followers on X.
On Tuesday morning, Tesla’s main account shared a dashcam clip with the caption “FSD Supervised preventing T-bone crash.” The footage came from an owner posting as TheNewGrid, who described what happened at a stop sign: “I looked at the car coming to the stop sign figured they would stop, my car went, then came to a stop mid intersection as they flew by. Had I been manually driving this would have resulted in a crash.”
The sequence is the notable part. FSD had already started crossing when the other driver ran the stop sign. Instead of pressing on, the car braked hard in the middle of the intersection and let the crossing vehicle pass in front of it. By the owner’s own account, they had made the same assumption the software initially made, that the other car would stop, and would not have corrected in time.
FSD Supervised preventing T-bone crash
— Tesla (@Tesla) October 6, 2026
The clip is the latest in a run of safety posts Tesla has amplified over the past several days. On Saturday, the company shared a video from Selling Sunset star Jason Oppenheim, who sold his Bentley for a Model Y and said he was buying Teslas with FSD for 10 of his employees. Ashok Elluswamy, who leads Tesla AI, followed up by writing that Tesla self-driving “reacts to other people cutting into your path with super-human response times.” On Monday, a Cybertruck owner posted footage of FSD moving across three lanes from a red light to clear a path for an ambulance approaching from behind.
This recent clip also lands a few weeks after Tesla began shipping Automatic Collision Evasion with FSD v14.3.9, a feature that can activate FSD on the driver’s behalf when a frontal collision is imminent or the driver appears distracted. Elluswamy said in September that “even earlier prediction of hazards, even faster reaction time and overall significantly better safety and collision avoidance” are coming with v15, the release Tesla has tied to round the clock Robotaxi operation.
The safety messaging matters beyond social media. Tesla has said FSD Supervised was 4.1 times less likely to crash than manual driving across 100 million kilometers on European roads, and it has been putting those figures in front of regulators. Eight EU countries have now approved FSD Supervised, with Croatia the most recent, but the EU’s bloc-wide vote originally set for October 6 has been pushed to December at the earliest.
FSD Supervised is still a Level 2 system, and the driver remains responsible at all times. Even heavy users find reasons to step in. Teslarati’s Joey Klender, who uses FSD for about 76 percent of his driving, laid out five recurring issues on Tuesday that still prompt him to intervene. Clips like this one show the other column of that ledger: moments where the software caught a mistake a human was about to make.
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