News
Tesla Model X splits in half after blindsided by Nissan GT-R, Tesla driver walks away unscathed
A serious car crash in Hallandale Beach, Florida left a Tesla Model X split in two after a Nissan GT-R alleged ran a red light before slamming into the all-electric SUV at high speed. The driver of the Model X walked away with a minor injury to his leg while the occupants of the other vehicle were brought to nearby hospitals for treatment and are expected to recover.
The driver of the Model X was identified as Jose Diaz who was seen counting his blessings moments after walking away from the incident. In a brief phone interview with 7News Miami, Diaz narrated that the Nissan came so fast that he didn’t even see it and that he just felt the bang.
Eyewitnesses to the scene recall seeing the white Nissan GT-R running through a red light at the intersection of Hallandale Beach Boulevard and Three Islands Boulevard before careening into the rear section of the Tesla Model X.
“I went over to help the guy in the white car, because the car had a lot of smoke, and I thought it was going to blow. He came out unscathed, and he was kissing the floor. It was a little blood coming from his nose, and he said, ‘Oh, I just wanna see my girl,’” said Tony Peart, a witness who approached to help the Tesla driver seconds after the wreck.
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- Tesla Model X Florida car crash (Source: 7News Miami)
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- Tesla Model X sheers in half after high speed crash (WPLG Local 10 | YouTube)
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- Tesla Model X Florida car crash (Source: 7News Miami)
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- Tesla Model X Florida car crash (Source: 7News Miami)
While it’s unfortunate to read about serious vehicular accidents, those involving a Tesla put into spotlight the all-electric carmaker’s award-winning safety features. It is very common to see SUVs involved in rollovers when involved in side-impact crashes because of their high center of gravity, but the opposite is true for Tesla vehicles and the Model X. With its low-mounted skateboard design battery pack, the center of gravity is far lower than traditional combustion engine cars, making it virtually impossible to roll over in high-speed crash testing.
The battery pack outer casing also serves as an extra layer of structural rigidity for the vehicle. Combined with a hybrid of ultra-high-strength materials, and large crumple zones that absorb energy to protect occupants from harm, and it’s no wonder that Tesla owners have touted never buying another car other than a Tesla.
“I waited 4 years for this one and would wait 4 more if that is what it took to protect my family like this” recalls one Model X owner after his all-electric SUV saved his life and the lives of his family after being involved in a horrific crash.
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The Tesla Model X was awarded a 5-star safety rating in every category by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration since its debut. Last December, the Model X was a standout in its class for earning the highest overall rating to date in the 2018/2019 protocol of the European New Car Assessment Programme (Euro NCAP) for Large Off-Road Vehicles with a near-perfect score of 98 percent in Adult Occupant Protection category.
Tesla’s Q4 2019 Vehicle Safety Report revealed that its vehicles are still 3 to 4x safer compared to the average even without Autopilot and active safety features enabled. With Autopilot on, the numbers are even more impressive at one accident per 3.07 million miles driven compared to the NHTSA findings of one automobile crash per 479,000 miles in the United States.
Tesla Energy has introduced the Powerwall Lease in conjunction with Tesla Electric, making the service available in Texas. This new option delivers whole-home backup power using two Powerwall units for a net monthly cost of $35 after credits, accompanied by a low fixed electricity rate.
Under the lease terms, customers pay a one-time order fee of $100. The base lease payment for the two Powerwalls is approximately $122 per month during the first year, subject to a 3 percent annual escalator thereafter. Enrollment in a qualifying Tesla Electric Backup plan or Virtual Power Plant plan provides an $87 monthly credit.
Powerwall Lease is now available with Tesla Electric in Texas
Whole-home backup for $35/month, with a low fixed electricity rate
– Two Powerwalls, $0 installation
– Storm Watch outage protection
– One app to manage it all pic.twitter.com/oTzqc6K3aF— Tesla Energy (@teslaenergy) August 13, 2026
This credit lowers the effective cost to roughly $35 per month plus applicable tax.
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Installation of the standard system carries no additional charge. The package features Storm Watch for outage protection and allows complete management through a single Tesla application. The system supplies continuous whole-home backup capability.
The Powerwall system enables households to maintain electricity during severe storms that disrupt the utility grid. When outages occur, the batteries automatically provide seamless backup power to the home.
Tesla announces 100k Powerwalls are participating in Virtual Power Plants
Tesla Storm Watch monitors weather forecasts and ensures the units are fully charged ahead of anticipated severe weather events so that power remains available throughout the disruption, keeping lights, refrigeration, and other essential systems operating without interruption.
Availability is restricted to select Texas locations where retail electric choice exists. Participants must lease exactly two Powerwall units and maintain continuous enrollment with Tesla Electric. Solar panels cannot be included under this particular lease arrangement.
The monthly credit activates automatically once the system is installed, receives permission to operate, and enrollment is confirmed. To retain the credit, customers are required to stay enrolled in Tesla Electric and fulfill all program conditions.
Nonstandard installations that involve electrical upgrades or special permitting may lead to extra expenses and might impact eligibility for the credit, so be sure to check with either your installer or Tesla to ensure you will still qualify.
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Elon Musk continues to tease the unveiling event for the Tesla Roadster, a continuing trend that has grown into a bigger game of “When” for fans who have been waiting years for the car to finally enter production.
A video shared on X of the Joe Rogan Experience podcast that Musk appeared on last year, teasing the Roadster unveiling, was shared once again on the social media platform. The poster said the Roadster event will be “unforgettable.”
Musk agreed:
Yes
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) August 12, 2026
The timing is interesting because just yesterday, Musk said that we will be getting flying cars, and for years, Tesla has hinted that it could develop a SpaceX cold gas thruster package that would help the car float or fly for a short period of time.
It would be reasonable to assume Tesla’s major delays with this unveiling event are likely caused by the company’s need to break the rules and push the envelope on nearly everything. Last July, Lars Moravy, Tesla’s VP of Vehicle Engineering, said:
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“Roadster is definitely in development. We did talk about it last Sunday night. We are gearing up for a super cool demo. It’s going to be mind blowing. We showed Elon some cool demos last week of the tech we’ve been working on and he got a little excited.”
The latest updates that Tesla has given us are that the Roadster is in design development, and it did have several potential dates for an unveiling event this year, including April. It was then pushed to August.
However, there are no clues as to when Tesla will be ready, and fans are certainly getting frustrated with the delays.
For what it is worth, Franz von Holzhausen told Jay Leno this week that the event would be “very soon.”
We sure hope.
Lifestyle
Tesla’s driverless Cybercab just passed a big test with State Governor
Florida’s governor rode Tesla’s Cybercab at a closed test track and called the experience impressive.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis rode in a Tesla Cybercab on a closed test track this week and came away impressed, posting on X that the vehicle “successfully navigated all hazards — a kid running into the street, a crash with police stopping traffic, a Model S cutting us off, etc.” He called the ride “impressive.”
The stop was part of a broader event Monday at SunTrax, a 775 acre state owned proving ground in Auburndale that Florida built specifically to test autonomous and connected vehicles before they reach public roads. Standing next to a gold Cybercab, DeSantis described the car in plain terms: “You go in there and you just sit. You have a screen. There’s no steering wheel, no pedals. Clearly these things could be very beneficial.”
We took a ride on a robotaxi on the Suntrax course and it successfully navigated all hazards — a kid running into the street, a crash with police stopping traffic, a Model S cutting us off, etc.
Impressive! https://t.co/FVAkzFLz3r
— Ron DeSantis (@RonDeSantis) August 11, 2026
DeSantis paired the praise with a caveat that has followed autonomous vehicles since the category existed. “You don’t want to be in an autonomous vehicle and it drives you into a ditch. That would not be good,” he said, framing safety validation as the gate before wider deployment.
SunTrax, the 2.25 mile oval which the state calls the only high speed autonomous vehicle test track in the Southeast, can simulate rain, pedestrian crossings, hills and crowded urban conditions at highway speeds, letting companies push a car past what an early public rollout would risk. Tesla, Waymo and Beep all use the facility, and Florida’s regulatory approach, among the most permissive for autonomous vehicles in the country, doesn’t require a human operator inside a fully autonomous car.
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Tesla has reason to want the blessing of Florida and states beyond, as the Cybercab entered volume production at Gigafactory Texas this spring and has since self certified as SAE Level 4 under Texas law. Public road testing so far has kept a safety monitor in the passenger seat, and Florida is where Tesla has been expanding its existing Model Y based Robotaxi service instead, adding Miami in July and then Orlando and Tampa two weeks later. A closed track endorsement from a sitting governor doesn’t change any of that, but it does put Tesla’s newest hardware in front of a state that has already shown it will move fast on rules.
Tesla launches Powerwall Lease for affordable home backup
Elon Musk teases Tesla Roadster unveiling once again
