The new Tesla Model Y “Juniper” was a mix of the expected and unexpected. While some of the vehicle’s exterior elements were accurately speculated by the electric vehicle community, some of its key features came as a surprise.
This is especially the case in the new Model Y’s cabin, where a particularly interesting component stood out.
Stalk vs stalkless:
- Since the launch of the Tesla Model S Plaid in 2021, it became evident that Tesla was moving towards a stalkless design language—no turn signals and no physical gearshift.
- Tesla repeated this theme with the refreshed Model X, as well as the much more affordable reengineered Model 3 sedan.
- Speculations were then high that Tesla’s update to the Model Y will likely feature a stalkless system as well.
- Much to the surprise of many, however, images from Tesla’s new Model Y configurator revealed that the updated all-electric crossover will have a physical stalk.
Tesla on the new Model Y steering wheel:
— Sawyer Merritt (@SawyerMerritt) January 10, 2025
"The New Model Y provides effortless control with a precision-engineered indicator stalk, thoughtfully refined based on valuable customer feedback. We’ve introduced customizable steering wheel switches, allowing quick and intuitive… pic.twitter.com/ekr2sgdk5j
The Model Y’s stalk:
- Tesla described the new Model Y’s stalk as follows:
- “The New Model Y provides effortless control with a precision-engineered indicator stalk, thoughtfully refined based on valuable customer feedback. We’ve introduced customizable steering wheel switches, allowing quick and intuitive operation of the most frequently used vehicle functions to better meet drivers’ needs.”
The reaction so far:
- Tesla’s decision to equip the update to its best-selling vehicle with a physical stalk has received polarizing reactions from EV community members.
- Some lamented the fact that Tesla was not fully able to commit to using a stalkless design for its vehicles, especially a best-seller like the Model Y.
- Others, however, praised Tesla for retaining a physical stalk for the new Model Y.
- The Model Y attracts drivers who are new to EVs, after all, so it might be best for the all-electric crossover to offer an experience that is quite familiar.


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News
Tesla Supercharger Network is so reliable, it’s pushing Model Y sales
Tesla’s Supercharger network is proving to be a key factor in the company’s dominance in several key markets.
 
														Tesla’s Supercharger network is proving to be a key factor in the company’s dominance in several key markets. These include Norway, which has become a place of strength for the new Model Y.
This was hinted at by Tesla’s Director of Charging, Max de Zegher, on social media platform X.
Supercharger network sets the industry standard
As noted by the Tesla executive, the Model Y accounted for 29% of all vehicle sales in Norway in September. Part of the vehicle’s success was likely due to the reliability of the Supercharger Network, which is class leading even in Norway, where 98% of new cars sold are electric.
De Zegher emphasized on X that Tesla Superchargers are still in a class of their own. An EPSI survey of nearly 1,500 Norwegian EV drivers supported his claim, as Tesla Superchargers retained first place in customer satisfaction for the fifth consecutive year. 
The EPSI Survey‘s results
Respondents to the EPSI survey praised the Supercharger network’s strong uptime, abundant capacity, and user-friendly digital solutions, placing it ahead of other operators such as Uno-X. Survey researchers highlighted that Tesla has set the standard when it comes to simplicity in the charging process.
Drivers also cited competitive pricing and seamless plug-and-charge functionality as major reasons they prefer Tesla’s network, especially in Norway’s extreme winter conditions where reliability is critical.
“Tesla has set the standard for simplicity in the charging process. Combined with competitive prices, this means that many electric car drivers say they are likely to choose Tesla again the next time they need to charge,” EPSI noted in a post.
News
Tesla top exec Tom Zhu highlights Elon Musk’s “prime directive” for FSD
Zhu’s comments emphasize Tesla’s uncompromising focus on safety, which has made the company’s vehicles among the safest on the road.
 
														Tesla Senior Vice President for Automotive Tom Zhu, a key executive behind the company’s success in China and Giga Texas, recently highlighted the “prime directive” of Full Self-Driving (FSD).
Zhu’s comments emphasize Tesla’s uncompromising focus on safety, which has made the company’s vehicles among the safest on the road.
Echoing Musk’s vision for safe autonomous driving
Zhu’s post quoted Musk’s statement from 2021, where the CEO reportedly stated that FSD must avoid accidents even if the most ridiculous events happened in the middle of the road. Zhu stated that beyond everything, Tesla’s systems like Autopilot and FSD are designed to keep passengers safe.
“Elon said it in 2021: “For self-driving, even if the road is painted completely wrong and a UFO lands in the middle of the road, the car still cannot crash and still needs to do the right thing. The prime directive for the autopilot system is: Don’t crash. That really overrides everything. No matter what the lines say or how the road is done, the thing that needs to happen is minimizing the probability of impact while getting you to your destination conveniently and comfortably,” Zhu stated.
“The prime directive, the absolute priority, is to minimize the probability of injury to yourself or to anyone on the road, to pedestrians, or anything like that. It can’t be dependent on the road markings being correct.”
Tesla leadership rallies behind global FSD rollout
Tom Zhu, who previously led Tesla China through its record-breaking growth phase, now oversees automotive operations worldwide. He has reportedly become a problem solver for Elon Musk over the years, with previous reports stating that he was brought in to help Giga Texas optimize its vehicle production ramp.
Zhu’s comments may sound ambitious, but FSD has proven that it values safety above all else over the years. This was highlighted recently in an incident in Australia, when a Model Y was hit by what could very well be a meteor. Despite the impact and part of its windshield melting, the vehicle was able to drive safely and keep its passengers safe.
Elon Musk
Elon Musk’s biggest tech rival just canceled his Tesla Roadster
“I really was excited for the car! And I understand delays. But 7.5 years has felt like a long time to wait,” Altman said.
 
														Elon Musk’s biggest tech rival just canceled his reservation for a Tesla Roadster, the supercar the company has been developing for nearly eight years.
Sam Altman, the CEO of OpenAI, announced on X on Thursday evening that he canceled his Tesla Roadster reservation, or at least is trying to:
A tale in three acts: pic.twitter.com/ClRZBgT24g
— Sam Altman (@sama) October 30, 2025
Altman placed his Tesla Roadster reservation with a $50,000 deposit way back on July 11, 2018. However, he recently decided that he had waited long enough and decided to email the company to officially cancel the order.
“Hi, I’d like to cancel my reservation. Could you please refund me the $50k?” Altman emails to reservations@tesla.com.
He then received an immediate response, but not from Tesla. Instead, it was a bounce-back message from Google, stating that the message could not be delivered to the email because it was not active.
Altman then provided a reason for his cancellation, and it was not related to the intense rivalry he had with Elon Musk:
“I really was excited for the car! And I understand delays. But 7.5 years has felt like a long time to wait.”
I really was excited for the car! And I understand delays. But 7.5 years has felt like a long time to wait.
— Sam Altman (@sama) October 30, 2025
Altman and Musk have a lengthy history with one another that dates back to 2015, when OpenAI was created. The feud has resulted in lawsuits over breaching founding agreements by prioritizing profits.
Musk has been especially critical in recent years because of Altman’s decision to turn OpenAI into a for-profit business that he says is “built on a lie.”
This year, Musk offered over $97 billion to buy OpenAI, and a judge blocked his request to stop the company from being converted into a for-profit in March.
OpenAI then countersued Musk in April, while xAI, Musk’s company, sued OpenAI for allegedly stealing secrets through poached employees in September.
Elon Musk explains why xAI sued OpenAI over alleged trade secret theft
Regarding the Roadster, Tesla has been developing it for several years and has delayed its release for five consecutive years. The company says it will have a demo of what it has changed since it was unveiled in 2017 later this year, but no date has been set quite yet.
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