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News
Tesla top 5 week in review: Model X wins AAA award, Model 3 Supercharger apocalypse, Gigafactory, and more
This week on Teslarati, several stories in the news caught our readers’ attention. It was exciting when Tesla CEO Elon Musk announced that they intended to add a semi truck to their product line, but no one thought that Wall Street would respond so immediately by downgrading major truck manufacturers’ stock. The Tesla Model X was named the overall best choice in the 2017 AAA Green Car Guide, with the Tesla Model S winning best large car award. The new Tesla San Antonio Service Center now has solar roof panels, images of which were captured by a drone. There was a bit of concern from current Tesla owners this week over discussions of Tesla Supercharger availability when the Model 3 arrives. And a cleaning solvent spill luckily caused minimal injuries at the Tesla Gigafactory in Nevada. Here are those stories and more from this week on Teslarati.
News of Tesla Semi leads analyst to downgrade major truck stocks
Quickly after Elon Musk tweeted that Tesla would add an electric semi truck to its catalog, a key Wall Street analyst downgraded the value of engine and truck manufacturers, Cummins and Paccar. The analyst, Alex Potter from the firm Piper Jaffray, drew his conclusions from current overvaluation but also “because we think TSLA’s impending arrival could pressure valuations.” The risk of disruption from Tesla’s electric vehicles, with their ability to supplant existing products, could defy the preeminence of diesel engines, especially if Tesla’s electric drivetrains are proven viable in the first commercial vehicle segments.
Tesla Model X ranked #1 in 2017 AAA Green Car Guide, Model S takes #5 spot
The Automobile Association of America’s (AAA) 2017 Green Car Guide was released this week. Sixty-five cars were tested across green categories of full-battery electrics, hybrids, alternative fuel-powered cars, and even some fuel efficient internal combustion cars. Using a wide range of quantitative data collection measures to evaluate the cars, including ride quality, safety, and performance, AAA determined that Tesla’s Model X SUV was the overall best choice. Tesla’s Model S and Model X cars earned acclaim for 3/7 top spots. The Model X, with the 75-kilowatt hour battery pack, won the SUV category. The Tesla Model S, with the 60 kWh pack, won best large car.
Drone shot of the new Tesla San Antonio Service Center reveal solar roof panels
New drone shots revealed solar panels placed on the roof of the new service center in San Antonio, Texas. What better way is there for Tesla to promote confidence in solar than to demonstrate how it’s able to use sustainable energy to service environmentally friendly electric vehicles?
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What will happen to Tesla Supercharger availability when Model 3 arrives?
Tesla forums this week were abuzz with concern that, once the Model 3 begins delivery, there will be an exponentially greater number of owners using the Tesla Supercharger network. Will there be an issue waiting for a Supercharger? Four years ago, Tesla introduced the Supercharger Network, which has been the fastest charging solution to date for long distance travel. Tesla designed its network so that all customers could, ideally, have access to a seamless and convenient charging experience as part of long distance travel. The imminent arrival of the Tesla Model 3 by the end of 2018 will more than double annual production volumes and produce 500,000 Model 3 cars annually. Digging into the data behind the issue can reveal some startling findings behind upcoming Supercharger access with the addition of the Model 3 volume.
Authorities respond to Tesla Gigafactory chemical spill, no serious injuries reported
Tesla’s Gigafactory battery plant in Nevada was the site of an investigation following a chemical spill on Monday. The incident occurred when an unidentified agent in a 55-gallon barrel of what the company called “standard construction cleaning solvent” overturned in an isolated area near a vehicle. According to Storey County emergency operations director Joe Curtis, one person was hospitalized. Nine others reported symptoms such as upset stomachs. The chemical spill did force the evacuation of a portion of the Gigafactory. County officials state that no threat to public health emerged as the result of the spill at the industrial park along Interstate 80 east of Reno. The Gigafactory has increased production of batteries of late as it anticipates the release of its new Model 3.
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.
Featured
Tesla finally got its Nevada Robotaxi Permit but with a few catches hard to miss
Nevada granted Tesla’s robotaxi permit, but capped the fleet at just ten vehicles for now.
Tesla has received its robotaxi permit in Nevada, more than two months after regulators closed the public comment period on the company’s application. News of the approval surfaced Wednesday night when Tesla investor and longtime company watcher Sawyer Merritt posted a copy of the interim order, and the Nevada Transportation Authority’s own carrier registry now lists the permit, AVNC Permit 002 under Docket 26-05015, as active for Tesla Robotaxi, LLC.
Tesla asked Nevada in June for authority to run up to 5,000 vehicles in Clark County within a year, however the permit the NTA issued is initially capping Tesla at ten fully autonomous vehicles and confines them to a defined geofence along the Las Vegas Strip corridor. Any expansion of that operating area, or any increase to the fleet size, requires the NTA’s approval first.
Tesla has received its Autonomous Vehicle Network Company permit in Nevada.
The Nevada Transportation Authority says that operations are limited to a maximum fleet of 10 fully autonomous vehicles and shall be conducted only within the Authority-approved Operational Design… https://t.co/Cxfd6GIfDk pic.twitter.com/iOO6wSZkHF
— Sawyer Merritt (@SawyerMerritt) August 13, 2026
The order also sets rules that look more restrictive than what Tesla runs in Austin. Rides are barred on roads with posted speed limits above 45 miles per hour, pickups are off limits within a quarter mile of Harry Reid International Airport without separate authorization, and every vehicle has to carry visible “Robotaxi” markings while notifying riders before each trip that no one is driving. The order also requires “appropriate human supervision”, language that suggests Nevada isn’t ready to let Tesla offer the rides without a safety monitor that it has run in parts of Austin since January. As with standard protocol with robotaxi services, Tesla must report any accident, system failure, or vehicle that becomes stranded on a Nevada road within five business days.
Tesla is entering a market Nevada already knows well. Zoox, the Amazon owned robotaxi company, has run its own autonomous vehicle permit in the state since last year, building up to roughly 100 vehicles and 350,000 rides along the Strip. That history likely explains why the NTA started Tesla at ten cars rather than the fleet size the company asked for. The agency has a template for scaling a permit up once a company proves out its safety record.
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Tesla’s Nevada application first surfaced in June, when the company filed for the permit alongside plans for a maintenance hub in southwest Las Vegas. The company has said it won’t meaningfully scale its robotaxi fleet anywhere until FSD v15 ships, expected in late 2026 or early 2027, which makes the ten vehicle cap less of a constraint today than it might look on paper. For now, Tesla has the legal right to start Nevada rides. Whether it starts before FSD v15 arrives is a separate question the permit doesn’t answer.
Tesla launches V2L Outlet Adapter for Premium Model Y in the U.S.
Tesla Roadster unveiling nears, and it will fly: The Information
