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Tesla Model S ‘Refresh’ test vehicle interior: New Steering Wheel, Touchscreen, HVAC system

Credit: Tesla Owners Club of Michigan | Facebook

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The first images of the Tesla Model S “Refresh” have landed online, after a person in Toledo, Ohio, spotted the newly-designed sedan at the Toledo Service Center. After speaking with Service Center employees, it has been confirmed that this is a test vehicle. However, images show that the Model S interior is here, and preliminary designs are in the works.

Upon the release of the Q4 2020 Earnings Call Update Letter, Tesla released new photographs of the Model S interior. Rumors that Tesla’s flagship sedan was going to be subjected to a “refresh” were spinning through the rumor mill since December 2020, after the company shut down production lines of the Model S and Model X at the Fremont factory. The vehicle was then spotted at the Fremont Test Track by Teslarati and the Kilowatts, further confirming that Tesla was revamping its flagship vehicle.

While exterior photos showed some changes, many were interested in whether Tesla would modify the interior design. It did, after confirming some new features in photographs that were included in the Q4 2020 Shareholder Deck. A new Yoke Steering wheel, horizontal touchscreen, and rear passenger screen were all included, along with modifications to the vehicle’s HVAC design, center console, and others.

Tesla teases Model S Plaid with refreshed interior: New touchscreen, Roadster steering wheel, and more

Now, new images have surfaced of the Model S interior, thanks to Tom of the Tesla Owners Club of Michigan Facebook group. These photographs were then shared to the r/TeslaMotors Subreddit.

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Credit: Tesla Owners Club of Michigan | Facebook

It appears that Tesla’s Yoke Steering Wheel will be optional and can be equipped with a new steering column design. The new steering wheel is noticeably different than past Model S steering wheels. The center of the wheel seems to have a cap for the horn instead of the past one-piece design that has been used.

As far as the Yoke design, the NHTSA has told Teslarati on several occasions that it will work with the automaker on the regulations regarding steering wheel shape. The Yoke has been approved in several other countries, but the NHTSA still hasn’t confirmed whether it will be allowed or not.

The NHTSA told Teslarati:

“At this time, NHTSA cannot determine if the steering wheel meets Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards. We will be reaching out to the automaker for more information.”

It also appears that this vehicle is undergoing some kind of testing as there are plenty of exposed wires and labels on the interior. Tesla has been known to test upcoming vehicles in a number of different conditions, including snow. Several past vehicle prototypes have run spirited drives in challenging, snowy conditions ahead of their releases. The Model Y and Semi are just two of them.

Tom, the original poster in the Facebook Group, stated that:

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“Model S refresh test vehicle spotted at the Toledo service center!! Sorry for the crummy photos. Best I could do at the time. Also, yoke steering wheel confirmed as option, by service staff!!”

Credit: Tesla Owners Club of Michigan | Facebook

Tesla is currently producing the refreshed Model S and Model X at the Fremont Factory, and has contacted orderers about their possible delivery dates. One Model X reservation holder told Teslarati earlier this month that his planned delivery date is between February 15th and March 15th, meaning that the new vehicles could be rolling into customer driveways any day now.

Tesla’s Crash Testing History in Ohio

While unclear for the exact reasoning that Tesla sent a Model S Refresh to Ohio, there is some history with Tesla’s soon-to-be-released cars in the state. In 2017 before the Model 3 was officially released and began deliveries, Tesla sent almost 100 Model 3s to Central Ohio for crash testing.

According to @Model3Owners, Tesla was sending the Model 3s to an independent crash safety testing facility, run by the Transportation Research Center‘s “Smart Mobility Advanced Research Test Center,” a $45 million facility that sits on 540 acres. Ohio State University and the Ohio Department of Transportation both donated at least $20 million to the facility that tests a wide variety of crash scenarios for automakers.

With the Model S having a new design, it is possible that Tesla could be sending the new car, along with several others, to the Transportation Research Center facility to test its performance in accidents. While the Model S already holds a five-star crash safety rating from the NHTSA, the slightly refined body design could need some additional research from Tesla to keep its great reputation for making safe vehicles.

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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 board reveals reasoning for CEO Elon Musk’s new $1 trillion pay package

“Yes, you read that correctly: in 2018, Elon had to grow Tesla by billions; in 2025, he has to grow Tesla by trillions — to be exact, he must create nearly $7.5 trillion in value for shareholders for him to receive the full award.”

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(Credit: Tesla)

Tesla’s Board of Directors has proposed a new pay package for company CEO Elon Musk that would result in $1 trillion in stock offerings if he is able to meet several lofty performance targets.

Musk, who has not been meaningfully compensated since 2017, completed his last pay package by delivering billions in shareholder value through a variety of performance-based “tranches,” which were met and resulted in the award of billions in stock.

Elon Musk’s new pay plan ties trillionaire status to Tesla’s $8.5 trillion valuation

However, Musk was unable to claim this award due to a ruling by the Delaware Chancery Court, which deemed the payout an “unfathomable sum.”

Now, the company is taking steps to ensure Musk gets paid, as the Board feels that it is crucial to retain its CEO, who has been responsible for much of the company’s success.

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This is not a statement to undermine the work of all of Tesla’s terrific employees, but a ship needs to be captained by someone, and Musk has proven he is the right person for the job.

The Board also believes that, based on a statement made by the company in its proxy, various issues will be discussed during the upcoming Shareholder Meeting.

Robyn Denholm and Kathleen Wilson-Thompson recognized Musk’s contributions in a statement, which encouraged shareholders to vote to approve the payout:

“We’re asking you to approve the 2025 CEO Performance Award. In designing the new performance award, we explored numerous alternatives. Ultimately, the new award aims to build upon the success of the 2018 CEO Performance Award framework, which ensure that Elon was only paid for the performance delivered and incentivized to guide Tesla through a period of meteoric growth. The 2025 CEO Performance Award similarly challegnes Elon to again meet a series of even more aspirational goals, including operational milestones focused on reaching Adjusted EBITDA targets (thresholds that are up to 28 times higher than the 2108 CEO Performance Award’s top Adjusted EBITDA milestone) and rolling out new or expanded product offerings (including 1 million Robotaxis in commercial operation and delivery of 1 million AI Bots), all while growing the company’s market capitalization by trillions of dollars.

Yes, you read that correctly: in 2018, Elon had to grow Tesla by billions; in 2025, he has to grow Tesla by trillions — to be exact, he must create nearly $7.5 trillion in value for shareholders for him to receive the full award.

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In addition to these unprecedented performance milestones, the 2025 CEO Performance Award also includes innovative structural features, born out of the special committee’s considered analysis and extensive shareholder feedback. These features include supercharged retention (at least seven and a half years and up to 10 years to vest in the full award), structural protections to minimize stock price volatility due to administration of this award and, thereafter, incentives for Elon to participate in the Board’s continued development of a framework for long-term CEO Succession. If Elon achieves all the performance milestones under this principle-based 2025 CEO Performance Award, his leadership will propel Tesla to become the most valuable company in history.”

Musk will have a lot of things to accomplish to receive the 423,743,904 shares, which are divided into 12 tranches.

However, the Board feels he is the right person for the job, and they want him to remain the CEO. This package should ensure that he stays with Tesla, as long as shareholders feel the same way.

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Tesla Robotaxi app download rate demolishes Uber, Waymo all-time highs

After two and a half months of testing with a group of hand-picked Tesla influencers and some media, the company has officially launched Robotaxi rides in both Austin, Texas, and the California Bay Area to the public.

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Credit: @BLKMDL3 | X

Tesla launched its Robotaxi app to the general public yesterday, and the number of downloads is a testament to the platform’s high demand for testing.

After two and a half months of testing with a group of hand-picked Tesla influencers and some media, the company has officially launched Robotaxi rides in both Austin, Texas, and the California Bay Area to the public.

Tesla Robotaxi makes major expansion with official public app launch

Downloading the app is available to iOS users, so if you have an iPhone, you can get it and join the waitlist. Tesla has not yet launched the Robotaxi app for the Android platform, but did hint that it would be coming soon.

The testing phase with the group Tesla selected has gone well. In Austin, the City has only listed one “Safety Concern” with Robotaxi during the testing phase. For the most part, things have gone extremely well, and riders have had good things to say.

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Tesla is still operating with some safeguards in place, such as Safety Monitors and Safety Drivers, but these are precautionary and temporary; CEO Elon Musk has said they should be removed by the end of the year.

Elon Musk says Tesla will take Safety Drivers out of Robotaxi: here’s when

Even still, Tesla Robotaxi is something that many people want to experience, and the app downloads prove it.

The Tesla Robotaxi app was downloaded at a rate that exceeded all rolling 30-day periods of both Uber and Waymo, according to Brett Winton of ARK Invest. Tesla’s Robotaxi’s first day on the App Store exceeded Uber’s by 40 percent and Waymo’s best download day ever by six times:

The surge in downloads is a good indication of how in demand the Robotaxi suite was, as many people within the community had vocalized their requests to try the platform, but Tesla was not ready to expand it beyond its handpicked group.

The expansion of the program will result in more rides, provided Tesla continues to expand its fleet of vehicles. It has already admitted many of those who were initially placed on the waitlist.

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Elon Musk’s xAI expands to Seattle with salaries up to $440,000

The move was announced by the artificial intelligence startup and Elon Musk on social media platform X.

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(Credit: xAI)

Elon Musk’s artificial intelligence startup xAI is opening a new office in Seattle as it accelerates its global expansion. 

The move was announced by the artificial intelligence startup and Elon Musk on social media platform X. xAI is also hiring for its first positions in the new site.

New Seattle office

As could be seen on xAI’s Careers webpage, the Seattle office is currently hiring for three engineering roles. Each of the three technical roles tied to the new site carry salaries ranging from $180,000 to $440,000. 

The new office adds to xAI’s growing presence, which now spans San Francisco, Austin, London, Dublin, New York, and Memphis. The Seattle-based roles focus on video and image generation systems, signaling Musk’s intent to challenge rivals like OpenAI and Meta in generative AI.

Pressures and challenges

Seattle also places xAI within reach of Microsoft’s headquarters in Redmond. Microsoft has emerged as a central player in the AI race through its multibillion-dollar partnership with OpenAI, making xAI’s move into the region notable. The competition for AI specialists has pushed salaries higher across the industry, with filings showing OpenAI staff earning up to $530,000 and Anthropic engineers as much as $690,000 annually, as noted by Insider.

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The startup has also seen some high-profile departures in recent months, including cofounder Igor Babuschkin and general counsel Robert Keele. Still, xAI continues to grow aggressively, and its Grok large language model has been gaining momentum among mainstream users. Work also continues to be underway to further build out the company’s Colossus supercomputer cluster. Reports have also suggested that xAI has moved into San Francisco offices in the Mission District, a site Musk initially leased during OpenAI’s early years.

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