Revel, a New York City-based ridesharing company, will launch its fleet of Tesla Model Y taxis in the Big Apple in early August after a mix-up with NYC’s regulatory agency, the Taxi and Limousine Commission (TLC).
The approval and soon-to-be-launched fleet of Model Y taxis will hit New York City streets on August 2nd, according to Revel executives.
In mid-June, it was reported by several news media outlets that the NYC TLC had successfully blocked the inclusion of Revel’s Tesla Model Y taxis citing a stoppage on issuing new-for-hire taxi licenses for electric cars. However, the story was blown widely out of proportion through what TLC Spokesperson Allan Fromberg called, “a giant game of telephone.” In reality, the City placed a capacity limitation on the number of approved taxi licenses in 2018, halting the issuance of new taxi licenses for all vehicles, not just electric ones.
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Cries of conspiracy floated through the EV community, failing to accept the unfortunate verdict that was placed upon Revel’s all-electric, sustainable fleet of taxi cabs donning the notorious Tesla “T.” However, the TLC has granted Revel 49 licenses, according to Fromberg, covering all but one vehicle in the company’s Model Y fleet.
Of the 49, fifteen have been inspected and approved for operation as early as next week. The New York Daily News, who initially covered the story, said 35 others will roll out when they are inspected and approved for ride-hailing services. The fleet will operate south of 42nd St. in Manhattan, stretching down to the tip of the island. Revel told Teslarati that it will consider growing into other neighborhoods and boroughs once the company has more of an idea of where the fleet is being utilized most frequently.
The company will also open a Superhub in Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn with 25 Level 3 chargers. This will make it the largest universal fast charging depot in the Americas, the company said.
The addition of Revel’s 49 Model Ys broadens New York City’s small fleet of electrified taxis. 120,000 licensed vehicles already navigate through the City’s five boroughs, and there is not room for many more cars. However, the TLC is fully supportive of a transition to electrification, and it expects several agencies to make a more conscious effort toward introducing electric powertrains in the coming years. “The TLC is fully committed to a 100% electrified future, just not at the cost of additional congestion,” Fromberg told Teslarati.
For Revel, it has been a long and drawn-out process. The company’s attempts to gain licenses for its Model Y fleet started in March. After the five-to-one vote that approved the banishment of the EV exemption for taxis, Revel’s already-submitted applications were ultimately approved. A company spokesperson told Tesarati that Revel did not anticipate the approval of the licenses.
Fromberg, who has been the TLC’s Deputy Chief of Public Relations for several years, said that the agency was legally required to review and process Revel’s applications because they were submitted prior to June 25th, three days after the vote took place. “Revel applied for a Base License in the late Spring and submitted applications for electric cars ahead of the June 22nd vote. The Yellow Taxi market is rebounding and ridership has increased steadily since the City’s reopening,” Fromberg told us.
Revel CEO Frank Reig said, “The initial response from the public has been overwhelming, and we can’t wait to start serving New Yorkers who care as much about the City’s future as we do. With our all-electric rideshare fleet and fast-charging Superhub network, we’re investing in a zero-carbon transportation future. We’d like to thank Commissioner Jarmoszuk and the TLC for supporting New York City’s climate goals, and working with us to get the city’s first all-electric, all-employee driven fleet on the road.”
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The Tesla Model X has always been one of the company’s most loved vehicles, despite its low sales figures, which can be attributed to its high price tag.
However, the Model X has been a signature item on Tesla’s menu of cars, most notably recognized by its Falcon Wing Doors, which are aware of its surroundings and open according to what’s around it.
But recent improvements to the Model X were looking slim to none, but it appears most of the fixes actually happened under the body, at least according to Tesla’s Vice President of Powertrain, Lars Moravy.
In a recent interview with Car and Driver, Moravy detailed all of the changes to the 2026 iteration of the vehicle, which was about 400 pounds lighter than it was originally. The biggest change is a modification with the rear motor, switching from an induction-type motor to a permanent-magnet design and optimizing the half-shafts, which shed about 100 pounds.
Tesla also got “almost 80 pounds out of the interior bits and pieces,” which “included making parts thinner, different manufacturing process choices, and incorporating airbag-deployment requirements into the headliner fabric,” the report said.
Additionally, the standard five-passenger, bench seat configuration saved 50 pounds by ditching pedestal mounting. This also helped with practicality, as it helped the seat fold flat. Engineers at Tesla also saved 44 pounds from the high-voltage wiring through optimizing the wiring from the charge-port DC/DC converter and switching from copper to aluminum wiring.
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Tesla also simplified the cooling system by reducing the number of radiators. It also incorporated Nürburgring cooling requirements for the Plaid variant, which saved nearly 30 pounds.
Many Tesla fans will be familiar with the megacastings, manufactured in-house by presses from IDRA, which also saves more than 20 pounds and boosts torsional stiffness by around 10 percent. Tweaks to the suspension also saved 10 pounds.
People were truly disappointed with what Tesla did with the Model S and Model X, arguing that the cars needed a more severe exterior overhaul, which might be true. However, Tesla really did a lot to reduce the weight of the vehicle, which helps increase range and efficiency. According to Grok, every 200 pounds removed adds between 7 and 15 percent to range estimations.
This makes sense considering the range estimations both increased by 7 percent from the Model X’s 2025 configuration to the 2026 builds. Range increased on the All-Wheel-Drive trim from 329 miles to 352 miles, while the Plaid went from 314 miles to 335 miles.
Tesla has officially launched its first branded Supercharger just months after initiating a new program that allows third-party companies to brand their own charging piles.
The site opened in Land O’ Lakes, Florida, and features eight V4 Supercharging stalls offering up to 325 kW of charging speed. It appears it was purchased by a company called Suncoast Credit Union. This particular branch is located Northeast of Tampa, which is on the Gulf of Mexico.
It features graphics of Florida animals, like alligators:
Here’s a video of the graphics being installed on the Tesla Superchargers at this site: https://t.co/oIfEPNZjAH pic.twitter.com/ENWakZ2qT9
— TESLARATI (@Teslarati) November 20, 2025
Tesla launched this program back in September, and it basically was a way to expand its Supercharger presence and also allow companies to pay for the infrastructure. Tesla maintains it. When it announced the “Supercharger for Business,” it said:
“Purchase and install Superchargers at your business. Superchargers are compatible with all electric vehicles, bringing EV drivers to your business by offering convenient, reliable charging.”
The program does a few things. Initially, it expands EV charging infrastructure and makes charging solutions more readily available for drivers. It can also attract people to those businesses specifically.
Tesla launches new Supercharger program that business owners will love
The chargers can also be branded with any logo that the business chooses, which makes them more personalized and also acts as an advertisement.
The best part is that the customers do not have to maintain anything about the Supercharger. Tesla still takes care of it and resolves any issues:
“We treat your site like we treat our sites. By providing you with a full-service package that includes network operations, preventative maintenance, and driver support, we’re able to guarantee 97% uptime–the highest in the industry.”
It appears the Superchargers will also appear within the in-car nav during routing, so they’ll be publicly available to anyone who needs to use them. They are still available to all EVs that have worked with Tesla to utilize its infrastructure, and they are not restricted to people who are only visiting the business.
Tesla has revealed its Cybertruck light bar installation fix after a recall exposed a serious issue with the accessory.
Tesla and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) initiated a recall of 6,197 Cybertrucks back in October to resolve an issue with the Cybertruck light bar accessory. It was an issue with the adhesive that was provided by a Romanian company called Hella Romania S.R.L.
Tesla recalls 6,197 Cybertrucks for light bar adhesive issue
The issue was with the primer quality, as the recall report from the NHTSA had stated the light bar had “inadvertently attached to the windshield using the incorrect surface primer.”
Instead of trying to adhere the light bar to the Cybertruck with an adhesive, Tesla is now going to attach it with a bracketing system, which will physically mount it to the vehicle instead of relying on adhesive strips or glue.
Tesla outlines this in its new Service Bulletin, labeled SB-25-90-001, (spotted by Not a Tesla App) where it shows the light bar will be remounted more securely:
The entire process will take a few hours, but it can be completed by the Mobile Service techs, so if you have a Cybertruck that needs a light bar adjustment, it can be done without taking the vehicle to the Service Center for repair.
However, the repair will only happen if there is no delamination or damage present; then Tesla could “retrofit the service-installed optional off-road light bar accessory with a positive mechanical attachment.”
The company said it would repair the light bar at no charge to customers. The light bar issue was one that did not result in any accidents or injuries, according to the NHTSA’s report.
This was the third recall on Cybertruck this year, as one was highlighted in March for exterior trim panels detaching during operation. Another had to do with front parking lights being too bright, which was fixed with an Over-the-Air update last month.
Tesla Model X lost 400 pounds thanks to these changes
Tesla launches its new branded Supercharger for Business with first active station
