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Tesla has a second Model Y Easter Egg in the form of a ‘Skyrim’ meme

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In the lead up to this week’s highly anticipated Tesla Model Y unveiling, the company has embedded a second Easter Egg on its website that’s based on the popular video game The Elders Scroll.

If you already visited the Model Y web page and didn’t notice it, that’s normal. If you found it, you’re probably a seasoned Tesla site-snooper because there’s nothing obvious about the location.

Opening up the browser’s JavaScript console and one can see that Tesla put a “todo” placeholder with a link that suggests there’s a “reveal video.” Only, it’s not.

Tesla Model Y registration page for livestream updates.

Click that “todo:” link and one can find the opening scene from Bethesda Game Studios’, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim.

You’re waking up on a horse-driven cart after being caught by an imperial ambush, on your way to death via an axe-wielding executioner. It’s not clear whether you were driving your Model Y when ambushed or if it’s your escape vehicle.

Don’t worry. Right as your head is about to be forcibly detached, a dragon creates a ruckus, and you escape to eventually save the day, per the game’s plot. Is this a parallel to Tesla CEO Elon Musk’s SEC woes wherein the Model Y makes everything all better? Per the Skyrim dialogue, “Empire loves their damn lists.”

Probably not.

It might mean that Tesla’s journey after the Model Y launch will be epic and full of adventure. Or maybe driving the Model Y will elicit that sense of adventure. But, more likely than not, Elon Musk is just trying to deliver some laughs. Regardless, it’s fun to ponder for a moment.

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Followers of Musk’s Twitter account are, by now, quite familiar with his enjoyment of Internet memes as are Tesla owners and their Easter Eggs. It’s not the first bit of fun Tesla has had leading up to the Model Y announcement.

Recipients of the Model Y invitation were treated to the words “nice try” hidden in a teaser photo of the vehicle, preempting any clever attempts to adjust the brighten the image to reveal the car’s shape. Web video producer and social media personality Marques Brownlee shared a screencast video of his attempt to do just that on Twitter, to which Musk responded with a winking emoji.

The official Model Y unveiling will be livestreamed on March 14th from Tesla’s LA Design Studio. The all-electric crossover is expected to be similar in shape and style to the Model 3 as the two vehicles share about 75% of their components in common. Tesla expects to reach volume production of the Model Y by the end of 2020 from Gigafactory 1 in Sparks, Nevada, as detailed in the company’s fourth quarter and 2018 full year update letter.

Accidental computer geek, fascinated by most history and the multiplanetary future on its way. Quite keen on the democratization of space. | It's pronounced day-sha, but I answer to almost any variation thereof.

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Tesla V2L adapter for Model Y stirs up a new complaint among owners

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Credit: Tesla

On Friday, Tesla launched the Outlet Adapter that enabled Vehicle-to-Load (V2L) energy transfer, meaning owners could essentially utilize their cars as a power source for things like laptops, electric grills, or string lights.

However, even owners of some of the newest builds of the Model Y are finding out that their cars are not compatible with the new $80 accessory, stirring up a new complaint among members of the community.

Tesla launches V2L Outlet Adapter for Premium Model Y in the U.S.

Upon the release of the Outlet Adapter on Friday, I signed into my Tesla account to order the accessory. However, I was met with the dreaded “This product is not compatible with your 2026 Model Y” message at the bottom of the screen.

Some said their accounts also displayed the same message, but they ordered anyway. However, they might be surprised to find that this is no mistake; some of the newest Model Ys do not have the appropriate Power Conversion System (PCS). Mine, which was ordered on this day last year and delivered on August 31, has the old 48A, single-phase PCS.

Vehicles with the new, two-piece PCS are able to utilize V2L features on their cars:

Obviously, it’s disappointing. Many owners have taken delivery this year and still can not utilize the Outlet Adapter because their cars feature the old PCS:

It looks like if you have one of these older PCS units, you can upgrade, but the parts alone are $1,750, and that’s before Tesla adds labor for installing. It is honestly more logical to get some kind of portable power supply or power station at that point.

It is great that Tesla has enabled V2L for Model Y vehicles, but it is also unfortunate that vehicles that are less than one year old are not able to take advantage of this awesome new feature.

With that being said, it truly is a first-world problem; can you really complain when Full Self-Driving is available, maintenance is incredibly inexpensive, and the car has been so good through a year of ownership?

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Tesla launches V2L Outlet Adapter for Premium Model Y in the U.S.

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Credit: Tesla

Tesla has launched a new Vehicle-to-Load (V2L) Outlet Adapter for Premium Model Y vehicles in the United States, meaning you can now power devices like laptops or light strings with your vehicle’s battery.

It appears the capability will be available for any Model Y Premium trim, including those that were purchased prior to the Adapter being launched. It will also only impact Juniper Model Y vehicles, so the first-gen owners will unfortunately not have access to this capability.

If your Model Y was purchased before Tesla renamed the trim levels to “Premium” and “Standard,” it does not seem to be compatible. My Model Y is technically a Premium build, as it is the Long Range All-Wheel-Drive. However, Tesla says it is not compatible with my vehicle.

For $80, you can now utilize your car as a portable charger for small appliances or devices. This is perfect for things like tailgates, concerts, or camping, as you can now plug in devices that you might use. Those string lights for camping? That laptop for the other games that are on at the tailgate?

They’ll both utilize energy from your Tesla’s battery to be powered. This is the first time Tesla has expanded the capability to vehicles outside of the Model Y Performance and Cybertruck. However, this feature has been highly requested by owners for an extended period of time.

Tesla launched the Outlet Adapter in China last year:

Tesla China rolls out Model Y L V2L adapter, and it’s free for early owners

You will need the Mobile Connector to operate the Outlet Adapter: the Outlet Adapter will plug into the main housing of the Mobile Connector, where the appropriate adapter to charge your vehicle will plug in.

It is rated for 120 volts and 20 amps, and has a max power rating of 2.4kW.

You can buy it here from Tesla for $80.

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Tesla Roadster unveiling nears, and it will fly: The Information

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(Credit: Dami Kolz/Twitter)

Tesla is nearing its long-awaited unveiling of the all-electric Tesla Roadster, a new report from The Information claims, as the company has said several times this year that the event would take place “soon.”

Now, it appears there is movement on Tesla’s end regarding when it will happen.

The report says that Tesla will unveil the Roadster as soon as this month with a SpaceX version that will utilize cold-gas thrusters to help the vehicle float for a short period of time. This is something CEO Elon Musk has talked about with the Roadster for years.

Additionally, due to the delays, Tesla explored “a variety of designs” for the Roadster, potentially planning to abandon the design it showed off for the first time in 2017 and adopting an entirely new aesthetic.

According to The Information, Tesla considered utilizing a repurposed Model S Plaid and even wanted to upgrade the look to something like a Lamborghini Countach.

Elon Musk teases Tesla Roadster unveiling once again

We’ve heard all of these things before, including teases about the date and how “soon” the Roadster will finally be ready to be shown off to the world (for the second time). Musk said that the event would occur in April, then May, then Chief Designer Franz von Holzhausen continued to say it would be coming “soon.”

We do expect to see the Roadster by the end of the year, and now with this new report swirling, it appears it could be sooner rather than later.

The wait has been incredibly long, but there is likely a good reason for it. Tesla’s desire to make the Roadster the craziest vehicle on the road was non-negotiable, and it likely took a lot of time and resources to develop and perfect into something that was safe and suitable for a vehicle like this.

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