With the rollout of the Model S and Model X refresh, Tesla has brought its two flagship vehicles back into the front of the pack. This was especially true for the Model S, which now features a Plaid powertrain that allows it to achieve a 0-60 mph time of less than 2 seconds and a top speed of 200 mph. But this is not all—a look at the new Model S’ official webpage shows that the flagship sedan is now Tesla’s fastest charging vehicle as well.
Tesla’s page for the Model S notes reveals that the flagship sedan is capable of replenishing 200 miles of its range in 15 minutes. This effectively makes the Model S refresh about 12% faster than the Model 3, the fastest charging Tesla prior to the flagship sedan’s update. The Model X, for its part, now matches the Model 3’s Supercharging speed, with Tesla noting that the SUV could now recharge 175 miles of its range in 15 minutes.
Tesla did not specify the chargers that would enable the Model S and Model X refresh’s updated maximum recharge speed, though their impressive charging rates would likely rely on the electric car maker’s 250 kW Supercharger V3 network, which is currently being ramped. Prior to their refresh, the Model S and Model X were unable to take advantage of the V3 Superchargers’ full 250 kW output. With the refresh, this no longer seems to be the case.
What’s particularly impressive is that Tesla was able to achieve the Model S’ upgraded charging rate despite the vehicle still using the 18650 battery cell form factor, which has been in use since the days of the original Tesla Roadster. Elon Musk explained this during the Q4 FY 2020 earnings call when he explained that Tesla’s newest vehicles do not necessarily require the company’s larger, custom 4680 cells, to achieve optimum performance.
“We are talking with them about making the 4680 form factor, but they — it is not required. For example, the new S currently uses the 18650 form factor. So they’re just a more advanced cell, and we think we’ll continue to use that form factor for at least a few years. But we will, over time, be retiring the form factors and try to move to a consistent form factor.
“But it is not a requirement that we place on our suppliers, because they would — it would just result in fewer cells. So it’s better for us to deal with the complexity of different cell form factors than insist on a single form factor for our suppliers today. Like I said, over time, it will make sense to have a consistent form factor,” Musk noted.
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Elon Musk
Tesla CEO Elon Musk confirms Robotaxi is opening to the public: here’s when
Anyone will be able to request a Tesla Robotaxi in September, Elon Musk said this morning.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk has confirmed that the company’s Robotaxi platform is opening to the public, and he even gave a timeline for when anyone will be able to access one for a ride.
Tesla’s Robotaxi platform launched to a small group on June 22 in Austin, Texas. The company has continued to expand the number of riders and its geofence over the past month and a half.
Additionally, it launched rides in the Bay Area of California, but it differs slightly, as the Texas Robotaxi platform does not utilize a Safety Monitor in the driver’s seat. In California, the monitor sits in the driver’s seat.
As the geofence, service areas, and testing populations expand, Tesla fans are awaiting their elusive emails that enable their ability to use the Robotaxi platform. It now seems that the email will come soon, as Musk said Tesla will open up public access to Robotaxi next month:
It will be open access next month
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) August 11, 2025
Tesla has been prioritizing safety over anything else with the launch of the Robotaxi platform, which is why it has been slow to push invitations to new riders. It is confident in the abilities of the platform and its Full Self-Driving suite, which has been proven with data.
However, even a single accident could set Tesla back years in terms of its development of self-driving cars. It is not a risk it is willing to take.
Musk said during the recent Q2 Earnings Call:
“We need to make sure it works when the vehicles are fully under our control. It’s kind of one step at a time here. We don’t want to jump the gun. As I said, we’re being paranoid about safety. But I guess next year is I’d say confidently next year. I’m not sure when next year, but confidently next year, people would be able to add or subtract their car to the Tesla, Inc. fleet.”
As the platform will expand in Austin and the Bay Area for anyone, Tesla still continues to reiterate that Robotaxi will be available for everyone sometime next year, as Musk said in the quote above.
Things will continue to improve over time, and Tesla will likely expand its geofence in both regions in the coming weeks. It has already done that in Austin twice, with about a doubling in size occurring both times.
Elon Musk
Tesla warns consumers of huge, time-sensitive change coming soon
Tesla is urging customers to take delivery of their new EV by September 30 in order to take advantage of the $7,500 tax credit.
Tesla is continuing to warn consumers of a huge, time-sensitive change that is coming soon, as the end of the EV tax credit is less than two months away.
The EV tax credit has offered $7,500 off new EVs and $4,000 off used EVs for certain individuals who qualify due to income. For years, it has been a great incentive for consumers, and it has improved further as car companies were able to apply the credit at the point of sale starting in 2023.
Tesla is ready with a perfect counter to the end of US EV tax credits
However, with the Trump Administration, it always seemed as if the EV tax credit was in jeopardy. Earlier this year, the White House officially announced that it would do away with it completely.
On September 30, the tax credit will be abolished. In order to utilize it, customers will have to take delivery of their vehicle by that date. Orders placed before September 30 without delivery by that day will not be able to utilize the credit.
Tesla is truly pushing this point incredibly hard: the sooner an order gets in, the more likely you are to take delivery of the car by September 30.
If there ever was a time to yolo your car purchase, it’s now
– $7,500 fed tax credit is ending
– To take advantage, eligible buyers must take delivery (not just order) by Sept 30The sooner you order, the sooner you can pick it up
— Tesla (@Tesla) August 9, 2025
The end of the EV tax credit is something that has been looming on the minds of electric carmakers, consumers, and investors.
The $7,500 discount for buying a clean energy vehicle truly puts many of the cars in a much more affordable price range. Without it, the least expensive Tesla model will be the Model 3 Rear-Wheel-Drive, which starts at $42,490.
That price comes down to $34,990 with the tax credit, and brings the monthly payment down about $130, depending on how much money is put down.
Despite the change, CEO Elon Musk does not believe it will impact Tesla negatively. In fact, he has been in favor of getting rid of the EV tax credit for several years, believing it will actually work to Tesla’s advantage.
Take away the subsidies. It will only help Tesla.
Also, remove subsidies from all industries!
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 16, 2024
In my view, we should end all government subsidies, including those for EVs, oil and gas
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 14, 2024
Perhaps the most interesting thing that will come of this is how all EV makers will be impacted by the loss of credit. Musk believes Tesla will come out as the big winner here, especially as it plans to roll out new affordable models sometime this year.
News
Tesla FSD V14 gets tentative release date
The update will feature a 10X higher parameter count, among other improvements.
Tesla is not releasing Unsupervised FSD to regular customers yet, but the company seems to be preparing something special for its FSD users nonetheless.
This was, at least, according to Elon Musk in a recent post on X.
Tesla FSD V14
Tesla’s FSD program has been deemed by Elon Musk as one of the key factors that would determine the company’s long term success. Over the past months, however, Tesla has mostly been focusing on the rollout and ramp of its Robotaxi program in Austin and the Bay Area. Tesla’s Robotaxi service uses Unsupervised FSD, which is not yet released to customers.
However, in a post on X, Musk stated that Tesla is preparing its next big update for its consumer-grade FSD system—V14. Musk did not provide a lot of details about FSD V14’s capabilities, but the CEO did state that the update will feature a 10X higher parameter count, among other improvements.
“The FSD release in about 6 weeks will be a dramatic gain with a 10X higher parameter count and many other improvements. It’s going through training & testing now. Once we confirm real-world safety of FSD 14, which we think will be amazing, the car will nag you much less,” Musk wrote in his post.
Tesla Unsupervised FSD Rollout
During the second quarter earnings call, Tesla executives were asked for a timeline on the rollout of Unsupervised FSD to consumer vehicles. In his reply, Musk stated that he believes Unsupervised FSD will be available for consumers in certain geographies. He did explain that Tesla will be extra careful with the system’s release.
“We are getting there. I think it will be available for unsupervised personal use by the end of this year in certain geographies. We are just being very careful about it. This is not something we should rush,” Musk said, adding that “I am confident that by this year, within a number of cities in the US, it will be available to end users.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk confirms Robotaxi is opening to the public: here’s when
Tesla warns consumers of huge, time-sensitive change coming soon
Tesla FSD V14 gets tentative release date
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