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Tesla owners can soon request service from their mobile app, says Elon Musk
Shortly before Elon Musk revealed the long-awaited specifications and pricing for the Tesla Model 3 Dual Motor AWD version, Tesla’s CEO noted that owners would soon be able to request service through their smartphones. Musk further added that the use of the mobile-based service would require no paperwork on the part of the electric cars’ owners.
While the updated mobile repair system would cost the company more, the higher cost of the upcoming smartphone-based service will result in better “owner happiness,” making the system “worth doing.” Musk further added that Tesla owners who hear rattles or squeaks in their vehicles would be able to use their smartphones as a means for the company to pinpoint the source of the sounds. Such a process, according to Musk, would be accomplished through acoustic signature and triangulation.
We’re working on allowing you to use your phone in car when you hear a rattle/squeak & pinpoint origin by acoustic signature & triangulation
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 21, 2018
As could be seen in Tesla’s support page, roadside assistance services are offered to Tesla owners as a means to “minimize inconvenience” when vehicles become inoperable. Roadside assistance is available for Tesla owners during the first four years or the 50,000 miles covered by the New Vehicle Warranty for the Model S, Model X, and Model 3. Roadside assistance is also provided under the Battery and Drive Unit Limited Warranty.
Some areas of the United States include assistance for flat tires as well. As we noted in a previous report, Tesla’s Mobile Tire Service program was launched by the electric car maker to respond to owners who end up with a flat tire. A Tesla owner who tried out the service noted that the mobile service team responded to a request within 20 minutes. The entire repair service, from flat to back-again-on-the-freeway, was completed in one hour.
Elon Musk’s tweetstorm on Saturday came as he was releasing information about the Model 3’s dual-motor AWD and Performance versions. Musk dropped several new pieces of information during his Twitter session, from the electric cars’ use of a hybrid AC induction and partial, permanent magnet electric motors and the vehicles’ white interior. Musk also provided the price and performance figures of the dual-motor AWD Performance Model 3.
Tesla has been consistent in its efforts to improve owners’ service experience. Over the past year alone, Tesla has launched several programs aimed at making repairs easier and more manageable for the company’s consumer base. During Tesla’s Q1 2017 earnings update, Elon Musk stated that the top-tier P100D variants of the Model S and Model X will be used as loaners for owners whose vehicles are in for maintenance and repairs. According to Musk, Tesla’s goal is to make a “kind of thing where (owners will) hope service takes a long time because (they) have the absolute top-of-the-line (vehicle) as a service loaner.”
Prior to the start of the Model 3’s mass production last July, Tesla also opted to add 350 more service vans to help service its ever-growing fleet. On December, Tesla launched a service that allows owners to book a service appointment online without needing to call or email the company.
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Tesla Model Y and Model 3 named safest vehicles tested by ANCAP in 2025
According to ANCAP in a press release, the Tesla Model Y achieved the highest overall weighted score of any vehicle assessed in 2025.
The Tesla Model Y recorded the highest overall safety score of any vehicle tested by ANCAP in 2025. The Tesla Model 3 also delivered strong results, reinforcing the automaker’s safety leadership in Australia and New Zealand.
According to ANCAP in a press release, the Tesla Model Y achieved the highest overall weighted score of any vehicle assessed in 2025. ANCAP’s 2025 tests evaluated vehicles across four key pillars: Adult Occupant Protection, Child Occupant Protection, Vulnerable Road User Protection, and Safety Assist technologies.
The Model Y posted consistently strong results in all four categories, distinguishing itself through a system-based safety approach that combines structural crash protection with advanced driver-assistance features such as autonomous emergency braking, lane support, and driver monitoring.

This marked the second time the Model Y has topped ANCAP’s annual safety rankings. The Model Y’s previous version was also ANCAP’s top performer in 2022.
The Tesla Model 3 also delivered a strong performance in ANCAP’s 2025 tests, contributing to Tesla’s broader safety presence across segments. Similar to the Model Y, the Model 3 also earned impressive scores across the ANCAP’s four pillars. This made the vehicle the top performer in the Medium Car category.
ANCAP Chief Executive Officer Carla Hoorweg stated that the results highlight a growing industry shift toward integrated safety design, with improvements in technologies such as autonomous emergency braking and lane support translating into meaningful real-world protection.
“ANCAP’s testing continues to reinforce a clear message: the safest vehicles are those designed with safety as a system, not a checklist. The top performers this year delivered consistent results across physical crash protection, crash avoidance and vulnerable road user safety, rather than relying on strength in a single area.
“We are also seeing increasing alignment between ANCAP’s test requirements and the safety technologies that genuinely matter on Australian and New Zealand roads. Improvements in autonomous emergency braking, lane support, and driver monitoring systems are translating into more robust protection,” Hoorweg said.
News
Tesla Sweden uses Megapack battery to bypass unions’ Supercharger blockade
Just before Christmas, Tesla went live with a new charging station in Arlandastad, outside Stockholm, by powering it with a Tesla Megapack battery.
Tesla Sweden has successfully launched a new Supercharger station despite an ongoing blockade by Swedish unions, using on-site Megapack batteries instead of traditional grid connections. The workaround has allowed the Supercharger to operate without direct access to Sweden’s electricity network, which has been effectively frozen by labor action.
Tesla has experienced notable challenges connecting its new charging stations to Sweden’s power grid due to industrial action led by Seko, a major Swedish trade union, which has blocked all new electrical connections for new Superchargers. On paper, this made the opening of new Supercharger sites almost impossible.
Despite the blockade, Tesla has continued to bring stations online. In Malmö and Södertälje, new Supercharger locations opened after grid operators E.ON and Telge Nät activated the sites. The operators later stated that the connections had been made in error.
More recently, however, Tesla adopted a different strategy altogether. Just before Christmas, Tesla went live with a new charging station in Arlandastad, outside Stockholm, by powering it with a Tesla Megapack battery, as noted in a Dagens Arbete (DA) report.
Because the Supercharger station does not rely on a permanent grid connection, Tesla was able to bypass the blocked application process, as noted by Swedish car journalist and YouTuber Peter Esse. He noted that the Arlandastad Supercharger is likely dependent on nearby companies to recharge the batteries, likely through private arrangements.
Eight new charging stalls have been launched in the Arlandastad site so far, which is a fraction of the originally planned 40 chargers for the location. Still, the fact that Tesla Sweden was able to work around the unions’ efforts once more is impressive, especially since Superchargers are used even by non-Tesla EVs.
Esse noted that Tesla’s Megapack workaround is not as easily replicated in other locations. Arlandastad is unique because neighboring operators already have access to grid power, making it possible for Tesla to source electricity indirectly. Still, Esse noted that the unions’ blockades have not affected sales as much.
“Many want Tesla to lose sales due to the union blockades. But you have to remember that sales are falling from 2024, when Tesla sold a record number of cars in Sweden. That year, the unions also had blockades against Tesla. So for Tesla as a charging operator, it is devastating. But for Tesla as a car company, it does not matter in terms of sales volumes. People charge their cars where there is an opportunity, usually at home,” Esse noted.
Elon Musk
Elon Musk’s X goes down as users report major outage Friday morning
Error messages and stalled loading screens quickly spread across the service, while outage trackers recorded a sharp spike in user reports.
Elon Musk’s X experienced an outage Friday morning, leaving large numbers of users unable to access the social media platform.
Error messages and stalled loading screens quickly spread across the service, while outage trackers recorded a sharp spike in user reports.
Downdetector reports
Users attempting to open X were met with messages such as “Something went wrong. Try reloading,” often followed by an endless spinning icon that prevented access, according to a report from Variety. Downdetector data showed that reports of problems surged rapidly throughout the morning.
As of 10:52 a.m. ET, more than 100,000 users had reported issues with X. The data indicated that 56% of complaints were tied to the mobile app, while 33% were related to the website and roughly 10% cited server connection problems. The disruption appeared to begin around 10:10 a.m. ET, briefly eased around 10:35 a.m., and then returned minutes later.

Previous disruptions
Friday’s outage was not an isolated incident. X has experienced multiple high-profile service interruptions over the past two years. In November, tens of thousands of users reported widespread errors, including “Internal server error / Error code 500” messages. Cloudflare-related error messages were also reported.
In March 2025, the platform endured several brief outages spanning roughly 45 minutes, with more than 21,000 reports in the U.S. and 10,800 in the U.K., according to Downdetector. Earlier disruptions included an outage in August 2024 and impairments to key platform features in July 2023.