Tesla owner Lily Fetterer shared her story of how she began racing her Model 3. It was a chilly September Sunday morning in San Francisco when I met with Lily to explore the city in her silver Tesla Model 3. Lily, a member of the Tesla Owners Club of East Bay, had kindly offered to give me a tour of the city, including a few places to look out over the bay.
The morning fog showed up to join us for most of the day, and as I climbed hills and mountains, well, they seemed like mountains to me, I got to know Lily. One of the first things I noticed about her Model 3 was that it had TeslaCorsa 24 emblazoned on both the driver’s and passenger’s side doors.
TeslaCorsa, sponsored by Unplugged Performance, was founded to encourage Tesla owners to experience the limits of their cars in a professionally managed race track environment. Lily is a race car driver who shared her story with me.
I asked her how she got into racing and how long she’d been racing. Lily and her family are fans of Tesla and already owned a Model X.
“The plan was to get the Model 3 as soon as it came out, and that’s exactly what we did. The 2018 model 3 RWD long range is the car that I race in.”
“I tried to find new hobbies to pursue that would be safe given Covid restrictions. I love driving fast in my Tesla, so I was ecstatic when I found TeslaCorsa while browsing the web.”
“I joined for the 10th TeslaCorsa event at Laguna Seca. They told me that if I could do that course in two minutes, I might have some talent that would be worth pursuing. I got two minutes and four seconds, which was close enough. I’ve been racing ever since.”
Lily told me it was a bit intimidating as a middle-aged woman who races in an EV.
“I am often the only female racing. At my first Tesla Corsa event, another female was also trying it out for the first time with her boyfriend. At other events, racers have had their parents participate too. I love how it’s an experience that people want to share with others. Racing is something that many can enjoy, not just hard-core racers.”
Lily pointed out that a big reason for her success is the great support she gets from other racers.
“Tom Mak, one of the best TeslaCorsa racers, has been my mentor throughout the process. He’s always showing me videos, giving me feedback, riding with me, and encouraging me to be better.” Steven Case has also driven with me and driven my car, so I can understand how to push my car to its limits”
Around the same time Lily began racing, she got involved with the Tesla Owners Club of East Bay.
“I absolutely love the club. I think they do so many wonderful activities,” she told me. Lily noted that there are a lot of great Tesla clubs in the area but what she likes most about the East Bay club is that they have a lot of family-friendly events.
“We did a cruise to the top of Mount Diablo recently. They have a lot of fundraisers as well. I think that’s the thing I love the most. They give back to the community. It’s not just about getting people together and having fun, but it’s about giving back. At almost every event, there’s a donation aspect.”
“The Tesla Owners Club of East Bay frunk or treat event is coming, and I hope to win that competition. Halloween is my favorite holiday, and I love The Nightmare Before Christmas. I’m a huge addict, so my house and my frunk will be decked out with that theme. The frunk or treat will be at Ehrenberg cellars in Livermore so the kids will have candy, and the parents will have wine. “
“There’s also an upcoming TOEB event on November 18th where club members will help us change our cabin air filters, and in exchange for the help, we bring a bag of groceries to donate for less fortunate people. “
I asked Lily to share her advice for any women and girls who may want to get into racing.
“Don’t be afraid to give it a try. It’s different than driving on a freeway because you have tight turns, corners, and walls. Not all tracks are the same, so you can work your way up to trying more difficult tracks later. Racing is exhilarating, and if you like skiing or any speed activity, you’ll probably enjoy it too. I think that when people give it a try, they’ll find themselves hooked.”
Disclosure: Johnna is a $TSLA shareholder and believes in Tesla’s mission.
Your feedback is essential. If you have any comments or concerns or see a typo, you can email me at johnna@teslarati.com. You can also reach me on Twitter at @JohnnaCrider1.
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Tesla Diner to transition to full-service restaurant as Chef heads for new venture
“I am leaving the Tesla Diner project to focus on the opening of Mish, my long-desired Jewish deli. Projects like Mish and the Tesla Diner require a sharpness of focus and attention, and my focus and attention is now squarely on Mish.”
Tesla Diner, the all-in-one Supercharging and dining experience located in Los Angeles, will transition to a full-service restaurant in January, staff said, as Chef Eric Greenspan said he would take on a new project.
A report from the Los Angeles Times says Greenspan confirmed through a text that he would leave the Diner and focus on the opening of his new Jewish deli, Mish.
Greenspan confirmed to the paper:
“I am leaving the Tesla Diner project to focus on the opening of Mish, my long-desired Jewish deli. Projects like Mish and the Tesla Diner require a sharpness of focus and attention, and my focus and attention is now squarely on Mish.”
Greenspan took on the job at the Tesla Diner and curated the menu back in March, focusing on locally-sourced ingredients and items that would play on various company products, like Cybertruck-shaped boxes that hold burgers.
Tesla Cybertruck leftovers are the main course at the Supercharger Diner
The Tesla Diner has operated as somewhat of a self-serve establishment, where Tesla owners can order directly from their vehicles through the center touchscreen. It was not exclusive to Tesla owners. Guests could also enter and order at a counter, and pick up their food, before sitting at a booth or table.
However, the report indicates Tesla is planning to push it toward a sit-down restaurant, full of waiters, waitresses, and servers, all of which will come to a table after you are seated, take your order, and serve your food.
It will be more of a full-featured restaurant experience moving forward, which is an interesting move from the company, but it also sounds as if it could be testing for an expansion.
We know that Tesla is already considering expanding locations, as it will be heading to new areas of the country. CEO Elon Musk has said that Tesla will be considering locations in Palo Alto near the company’s Engineering HQ, and in Austin, where its HQ and Gigafactory Texas are located.
Musk said that the Diner has been very successful in its first few months of operation.
News
Tesla adds new surprising fee to Robotaxi program
“Additional cleaning was required for the vehicle after your trip. A fee has been added to your final cost to cover this service. Please contact us if you have any questions.”
Tesla has added a new and somewhat surprising fee to the Robotaxi program. It’s only surprising because it was never there before.
Tesla shocked everyone when it launched its Robotaxi platform and offered riders the opportunity to tip, only to tell them they do not accept tips. It was one of the company’s attempts at being humorous as it rolled out its driverless platform to people in Austin.
As it has expanded to new cities and been opened to more people, as it was yesterday to iOS users, Tesla has had to tweak some of the minor details of the Robotaxi and ride-hailing platforms it operates.
First Look at Tesla’s Robotaxi App: features, design, and more
With more riders, more vehicles, and more operational jurisdictions, the company has to adjust as things become busier.
Now, it is adjusting the platform by adding “Cleaning Fees” to the Robotaxi platform, but it seems it is only charged if the vehicle requires some additional attention after your ride.
The app will communicate with the rider with the following message (via Not a Tesla App):
“Additional cleaning was required for the vehicle after your trip. A fee has been added to your final cost to cover this service. Please contact us if you have any questions.”
The cost of the cleaning will likely depend on how severe the mess is. If you spill a soda, it will likely cost less than if you lose your lunch in the back of the car because you had a few too many drinks.
This is an expected change, and it seems to be one that is needed, especially considering Tesla is operating a small-scale ride-hailing service at the current time. As it expands to more states and cities and eventually is available everywhere, there will be more situations that will arise.
The messes in vehicles are not a new situation, especially in a rideshare setting. It will be interesting to see if Tesla will enable other fees, like ones for riders who request a ride and do not show up for it.
News
Tesla Model Y sold out in China for 2025
Customers who wish to get their cars by the end of the year would likely need to get an inventory unit.
It appears that the Model Y has been sold out for 2025 in China. This seems to be true for the four variants of the vehicle that are currently offered in the country.
Tesla China’s order page update
A look at Tesla China’s order page for the Model Y shows a message informing customers that those who wish to guarantee delivery by the end of the year should purchase an inventory unit. This was despite the Model Y RWD and Model Y L showing an estimated delivery timeline of 4-8 weeks, and the Model Y Long Range RWD and Model Y Long Range AWD showing 4-13 weeks.
As per industry watchers, these updates on the Model Y’s order page suggest that Tesla China’s sales capacity for the remainder of 2025 has been sold out. The fact that estimated delivery timeframes for the Model Y Long Range RWD and AWD extend up to 13 weeks also bodes well for demand for the vehicle, especially given strong rivals like the Xiaomi YU7, which undercuts the Model Y in price.
Tesla China’s upcoming big updates
What is quite interesting is that Tesla China is still competing in the country with one hand partly tied behind its back. So far, Tesla has only been able to secure partial approval for its flagship self-driving software, FSD, in China. This has resulted in V14 not being rolled out to the country yet. Despite this, Tesla China’s “Autopilot automatic assisted driving on urban roads,” as the system is called locally, has earned positive reviews from users.
As per Elon Musk during the 2025 Annual Shareholder Meeting, however, Tesla is expecting to secure full approval for FSD in China in early 2026. “We have partial approval in China, and we hopefully will have full approval in China around February or March or so. That’s what they’ve told us,” Musk said.
Tesla Diner to transition to full-service restaurant as Chef heads for new venture
Tesla adds new surprising fee to Robotaxi program
