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Tesla VP Public Policy Rohan Patel departs company after 8-year stint

Credit: Andrea Conway/X

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Tesla Vice President for Public Policy and Business Development Rohan Patel has announced that he is leaving the electric vehicle maker. Patel announced his departure from Tesla in a post on his personal account in social media platform X.

Patel’s post included words of appreciation for both the Tesla team and the company’s customers. Patel also highlighted that Tesla’s Policy and Business Development team is one of the best in the industry. Following his departure, the former Tesla executive noted that he would be spending more time with family and ticking off some items off his bucket list

The past 8 years at Tesla have been filled with every emotion – but the feeling I have today is utmost gratitude.  

To our unbelievable customers and fans – I’m inspired by your passion and impact on Tesla and the mission. 

To Elon Musk, for giving me the chance and empowering me to lead big initiatives at the company.  

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To the broader Tesla team – the never-say-die attitude and scrappiness is what makes the place special. 

To the best policy/bizdev team in the business, I’m in awe of all that you’ve accomplished. I’m biased, but no group of people has won as many critical policy fights in the push for sustainable energy and transport and against well funded vested interests. You all are my lifelong friends and I’ll always have your back.

My immigrant parents worked their asses off and as a result I’m the luckiest dude. Lucky to have been a part of Barack Obama’s campaign/administration, and truly honored to have worked at Tesla to positively changing multiple industries.  

My plans are to be a recess monitor for my 2nd grade daughter, practice my violin, go to a bunch of bucket list sporting events and take my very patient wife on some long intended travel.  

Excited for the future!

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While Patel has been working mostly behind the social media curtain for most of his tenure at the electric vehicle maker, he became very well-loved by the Tesla community over the past few months. This was partly due to his posts on X, which provided a level-headed take on the company’s ongoing activities and challenges. Tesla owners also appreciated the fact that he would regularly interact with customers with small social media followings, essentially giving them a voice. 

Elon Musk, for his part, seems to appreciate Patel’s contribution to Tesla, as the CEO thanked the former executive in a post on X. “Thanks for everything you’ve done for Tesla. Much appreciated,” Musk wrote

Don’t hesitate to contact us with news tips. Just send a message to simon@teslarati.com to give us a heads up.

Simon is an experienced automotive reporter with a passion for electric cars and clean energy. Fascinated by the world envisioned by Elon Musk, he hopes to make it to Mars (at least as a tourist) someday. For stories or tips--or even to just say a simple hello--send a message to his email, simon@teslarati.com or his handle on X, @ResidentSponge.

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Tesla Superchargers get massive nod in new study showing reliability

It showed Tesla Superchargers had the highest score on the 1,000-point scale with 709. They also had the highest reliability, as respondents reported they only had failed charging visits at Tesla Superchargers four percent of the time.

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tesla supercharger
Credit: Tesla

Tesla Superchargers got a massive nod in a new study that showed reliability across EV charging suppliers as electric car ownership in the United States continues to grow.

J.D. Power’s 2025 U.S. Electric Vehicle Experience Public Charging Study aims to find the most (and least) reliable charging suppliers for EV owners.

While charging has become much more popular over the past few years, thanks to the increase in sales of electric vehicles, they are still not quite as plentiful as gas pumps for combustion engine cars.

Tesla is rolling out a new ‘Supercharger queue’ in an effort to end one issue

For this fact alone, it is imperative that EV charging companies offer a fast and reliable product that will enable confidence and peace of mind for car owners. There are quite a few companies out there, but Tesla has the most expansive charging network, not only in the U.S., but globally.

It also has the most reliable chargers, a fact that was reiterated in this year’s J.D. Power study, which was released today.

It showed Tesla Superchargers had the highest score on the 1,000-point scale with 709. They also had the highest reliability, as respondents reported they only had failed charging visits at Tesla Superchargers four percent of the time. This beat out Electrify America at six percent, Red E at 10 percent, and EVgo and 12 percent.

These companies were the only ones to report failed charging visits below the average.

Tesla’s 709 score on the 1,000-point scale was a 22-point drop from last year, but the study said that most of the complaints came from non-Tesla owners.

Many non-Tesla EVs now have access to the company’s Supercharging Network, and the complaints came from those drivers as they stated the process and payment were not as streamlined for them.

Brent Gruber, Executive Director of the EV practice at J.D. Power, said:

“Tesla has facilitated an experience for its owners by creating an optimal technical environment that makes the charging process very easy to use and complete payments. That process isn’t quite as streamlined for non-Tesla owners.”

This likely came from the increased per-kilowatt-hour rate that non-Tesla owners are required to pay for having access to the company’s massive charging network.

For Tesla owners, reliability is not much of a concern. Apart from vandalism, it is pretty rare that a Supercharger stall is out of service, but, of course, it happens.

The important thing to note is that this study continues to show Tesla’s focus on keeping its charging network up and running, especially now that non-Tesla owners are able to utilize them.

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Investor's Corner

Deutsche Bank boosts Tesla (TSLA) stake by 20.8% to over $2.6 billion

The German banking giant now owns 10,076,461 Tesla shares.

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Credit: Tesla China

Deutsche Bank AG has significantly increased its position in Tesla (NASDAQ: TSLA), boosting its stake by 20.8% in the first quarter. 

The German banking giant now owns 10,076,461 Tesla shares, an additional 1,733,531 shares compared to the previous quarter, valued at roughly $2.61 billion. 

A top holding

As noted in a report from MarketBeat, Tesla now represents about 1% of Deutsche Bank’s overall investment portfolio, making it the firm’s 13th-largest holding. This also means that Deutsche Bank now owns 0.31% of the electric vehicle maker, at least as of its most recent SEC filing.

Tesla shares are typically volatile, and they are still being traded actively, with an average trading volume of 104.7 million. As of writing, Tesla has a market capitalization of around $1.11 trillion, making it the biggest automaker in the world by far.

Institutional investors

Deutsche Bank is not the only firm that has been increasing its stake in TSLA. Charles Schwab Investment Management raised its Tesla holdings by 4.9% in Q1, resulting in the firm now controlling over 18.17 million shares worth $4.71 billion. Evolution Wealth Advisors also increased its Tesla stake by 85.7% to over 13,000 shares.

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Overall, institutional support for Tesla remains robust, with 66.2% of the company’s stock held by hedge funds and other large investors.

TSLA stock has been seeing some momentum as of late, amidst reports that the electric vehicle maker is making progress in several of its key initiatives. Tesla’s Robotaxi business in Austin and the Bay Area is expanding well, and Elon Musk recently announced that FSD V14 should be released soon to consumers. Tesla China is also expected to launch the Model Y L, a six-seat extended wheelbase version of its best-selling car, before the end of the third quarter.

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Tesla flexes its most impressive and longest Full Self-Driving demo yet

Tesla is flexing a lengthy Full Self-Driving demo from San Francisco to Los Angeles.

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tesla full self-driving demo from san francisco to los angeles
Credit: Tesla

Tesla its most impressive and longest demo of the Full Self-Driving suite, showing a zero-intervention trek from the San Francisco Bay Area to Los Angeles. The drive required no interventions from the vehicle operator, the video showed.

It also included a quick Supercharging stop about two-thirds of the way in.

Tesla has been extremely confident in the performance of the FSD suite since releasing it years ago. However, with improvements in data comprehension and storage with its neural nets, as well as a more refined Hardware system, FSD has made significant strides over the last year.

I took a Tesla Model Y weekend-long Demo Drive – Here’s what I learned

Tesla’s prowess with driving tech has established the company as one of the industry leaders.

In a new video released on Tuesday, Tesla showed a drive of roughly 360 miles from San Francisco to Los Angeles, a trek of about six-and-a-half hours, with zero interventions using Full Self-Driving:

Full Self-Driving is not fully autonomous, but it does operate under what Tesla calls “Supervised” conditions. This means that the driver does not have to have their hands on the wheel, nor do they have to control the accelerator or brake.

Instead, Tesla’s internal cabin-facing camera tracks eye movement to ensure the driver is ready to take over at any time and is paying attention.

The version of FSD used in this example is likely the version that the public has access to; the only differentiating factor would be the Hardware version, as older vehicles do not have HW4.

With Tesla’s Robotaxi suite in Austin operating since late June, the company stated that those vehicles are using a version that is not yet available to the public. It does not require anyone to be in the driver’s seat, which is how the vehicles are able to operate without anyone in the driver’s seat.

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