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Tesla pits human vs. computer while cars operate in ‘Shadow Mode’
No one doubts that Elon Musk wants Tesla to be the first car company to offer fully autonomous cars to the public. After last night’s announcement that second generation Autopilot hardware, with 8 cameras and 40x more powerful computer, is now included in every car built at the Fremont factory, the question is not if Tesla will be first to market with self driving cars, but when.
As noted by white hat hacker Jason Hughes, it took a year for Tesla to activate the first version of Autopilot after the hardware was first added to production cars. New Tesla vehicles with self-driving hardware will likely see the same timeline before their vehicles become fully autonomous. But why?
I find it strange that @TeslaMotors is going to ship another #autopilot that doesn't actually work on day 1. Year wait for AP1.0 software…
— Jason Hughes (@wk057) October 20, 2016
Remember, Tesla has gotten some push back on its Autopilot system since Joshua Brown was killed on a Florida highway last May. German regulators recently sent a letter to all Tesla owners warning them that Autopilot is not a self-driving system and they must always pay close attention to their driving. The California DMV has proposed regulations that would prohibit Tesla or any other company from using the words “self driving” or “auto-pilot” in company literature.
Until this point, Tesla has been free to operate Autopilot in beta mode. Regulators have deemed it to be little more than a “super cruise control” feature. But before Tesla can activate a system that purports to offer true Level 5 autonomy, it will need to convince regulators that the system functions as advertised and is safe not only for Tesla owners but for all members of the public. That is going to require data — massive amounts of data.
New Tesla Model S and Model X automobiles will run Autopilot in “shadow mode” and collect driving data that pits a human versus computer. Autopilot vehicles running in shadow mode will not take any driving-assist or self-driving actions. Rather they will only log instances when Autopilot would have taken action and compare those results to the real life actions taken by human drivers. Musk told the press that the ultimate goal is to improve its self-driving algorithms until they are better than human drivers. By having statistical data to back up the safety of its self-driving model, Tesla will have a better chance of proving to regulators that its vision for a Tesla-powered autonomous future will be safer for humanity.
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However, experts in the field of autonomous driving say billions of miles of driving will be needed to verify the validity and safety of self-driving systems. Tesla now has collected approximately 220 million miles worth of data collected from Autopilot-equipped vehicles. As Tesla wirelessly adds millions more miles of driving data collected through previous generation and new ‘Enhanced Autopilot’ enabled vehicles, the company will take a commanding lead over the rest of the automotive and transportation services industry that is just beginning to understand what the future will look like.
For Tesla owners whose cars are manufactured on or after October 19, 2016 — which will include all Model 3 sedans — they will have the satisfaction of knowing their car is capable, as Elon suggests, of driving from Los Angeles to New York City without any input from the driver, then navigating New York traffic, finding a parking spot, and parking itself all without input from a human driver. It couldn’t be a better time to be a Tesla owner, especially if you care about shaping the inevitable future.
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:
🚨 Looks like you can hit the Parts Catalog and enter your VIN and check to see if your Model Y will be able to use the adapter for V2L.https://t.co/QA9zRk7n2k
h/t to @SawyerMerritt for finding this out.
-I am sad but this isn’t a huge loss. https://t.co/AYpI12QVV9 pic.twitter.com/LRFSrtRywo
— TESLARATI (@Teslarati) August 16, 2026
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:
Took delivery in February of 2026. I have the older one, so not going to work for me pic.twitter.com/RcOVq8gvvT
— Russell (@QuietTesla) August 16, 2026
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.
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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?
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.
🚨 Tesla has launched the Outlet Adapter for Model Y Premium in the U.S., enabling V2L capability for all Premium trims (that’s what it appears to be as it is available for purchase with all Premium trims)
It’s available for $80. 2.4kW max power and rated for 120v, 20A pic.twitter.com/lDxlVIk5s8
— TESLARATI (@Teslarati) August 14, 2026
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?
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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 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.
🚨 The Information is reporting this morning that Tesla is ready to unveil the “flying” Roadster as soon as this month
It’s almost here, folks. pic.twitter.com/IdL4atsucQ
— TESLARATI (@Teslarati) August 14, 2026
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.
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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.
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.
Tesla V2L adapter for Model Y stirs up a new complaint among owners
Tesla launches V2L Outlet Adapter for Premium Model Y in the U.S.
