News
Teslaccessories prize infographic shows Tesla Motors tremendous growth
It’s difficult to refer to Tesla Motors as the small Californian startup these days. In a few years, the company has grown exponentially, challenging more industries than the biggest startup success stories in decades. An infographic from EVannex shows us Tesla’s progression in the midst of an automotive industry caught daydreaming, an energy sector happy with business as usual, and other far reaching consequences for many unsuspecting industries.
Where were you when you came on-board?
Matthew Pressman at EVannex asks this simple question, when did you come on-board the Tesla’s meteorite ascension to success? Was it in 2003 when Elon Musk and Martin Eberhard thought how cool a little electric performance car would be, or when the Roadster was publicly displayed in 2007? How about when the battery swapping event was held last year, putting to shame the amount of time it took an Audi sedan to fill its gasoline tank, or is it this week as the company celebrates its 100th Supercharger?
I came on-board when Chelsea Sexton was showing Elon Musk’s Roadster in 2007. However, I missed the opportunity to buy one and bitterly regret it to this day. I’ve always loved performance, but two things she said would forever change my life. She told me she changed the tires on her EV1 every 5,000 miles and that no BMW could keep up with her at a red light. Being an avid Alfa Romeo fan, those words resonated far within. I was intrigued and my suspicions were confirmed the day I drove an AC Propulsion eBox and finally, the crème de la crème, my friend’s Tesla Roadster. I was hooked instantaneously. The electric motor made 100% sense in a car or motorcycle. In fact, I was sad getting back into my beloved Alfa Romeo Spider, feeling the harsh limitations of engines and gearboxes matching.
I’ve written about Tesla ever since, watching its every move, trying to figure out the consequences for many industries caught in bottom line profits and courting Wall Street investors with short sight visions. Since then, Tesla has shown it has the right vision. Musk has surrounded himself with the right people and the company today shows how most company be run, with far reaching vision and not simply bottom line profits as their number one preoccupation.
EVannex, Tesla accessories and the prize
Who is EVannex? EVannex offers a great line of accessories for your Tesla lifestyle. Ranging from elegant center console inserts, to redesigned cupholders, to wheels and more, the company offers great complements to an already great car. The company stands out in many ways, as it offers very nice additions without going overboard into bling-bling land. Often times, tuners and accessory makers cross the fine line between enhancing and completely losing the original feel of the car. EVannex doesn’t. They keep the Tesla Model S’ feel and add a touch of je ne sais quoi.
Evanex, the folks behind this cool infographic are throwing in a contest I invite you to join. Find out more on their Facebook page.
You can tag yourself on the time line, showing when you bought your first Tesla. This will give you a chance to win an EVannex prize pack, either a Driving the Future Sculpture or the Owning Model S Book.
News
Verizon, AT&T and T-Mobile are trying to shut Starlink out before FCC vote
AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile want 290 MHz cut from an FCC satellite plan before Thursday.
AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile are asking the Federal Communications Commission to pull nearly 300 MHz of spectrum out of a proposal that would let satellite companies like SpaceX offer cell service directly to ordinary phones. The request lands one day before the agency votes on it.
The FCC will vote Thursday, October 29, on a notice of proposed rulemaking that would make an additional 482 MHz available for direct to device service, expanding the number of eligible bands from five to 13, according to the FCC fact sheet. It would also scrap the rule requiring a satellite operator to lease spectrum from carriers, replacing it with a certification that the operator has coexistence agreements in place or holds the terrestrial license itself.
That second path matters for SpaceX. As Teslarati reported earlier this month, SpaceX agreed to buy Grain Management’s nationwide 800 MHz portfolio to turn Starlink Mobile into a full US carrier, adding to the spectrum it already bought from EchoStar.
The carriers want two bands removed, 2.5 GHz and 3.45 GHz, which make up 290 MHz of the 482 MHz on the table. Through industry group CTIA, they argued that about 300 million users depend on those bands and that satellite operations in them are not technically feasible. T-Mobile, which calls 2.5 GHz the foundation of its Ultra Capacity 5G network, said in its own filing that satellite interference could wipe out up to 96% of a cell site’s uplink coverage area and cut uplink speeds by 88% to 99%.
Executives from all three carriers met with FCC staff on October 20, and T-Mobile CEO Srini Gopalan met separately with FCC Chairman Brendan Carr. T-Mobile’s role stands out because it is still SpaceX’s US launch partner for Starlink Mobile. The three carriers have also teamed up on their own satellite joint venture to pool spectrum, a move widely seen as a response to Starlink.
SpaceX is asking for the opposite. In an October 23 filing after meetings with FCC staff and commissioners’ offices, the company asked regulators to add the 902 to 928 MHz band to the proposal. “Doing so now saves time later,” SpaceX wrote. The company also asked the FCC to modernize interference rules and align satellite deployment requirements with those for terrestrial cell networks, saying the goal is to let satellite and ground networks work together so Americans stay connected wherever they are.
The carriers have not been shy about how they view SpaceX as a competitor. On Verizon’s third quarter earnings call Monday, its chief executive said Starlink Mobile “just can’t compete with a terrestrial network” and estimated SpaceX would need four to six years and $300 billion to $500 billion to build a full US carrier network.
Thursday’s vote will not settle which bands survive. Adopting the notice opens a public comment period, with final rules to come later in the proceeding. The FCC already considered and rejected 2.5 GHz for satellite coverage once, in 2024. SpaceX also is not the only satellite player watching: the FCC approved Amazon’s $11.6 billion acquisition of Globalstar on October 27, giving its planned direct to device fleet its own mobile satellite spectrum.
News
Tesla Semi catches fire in California: what we know
A Tesla Semi caught fire in Hayward, California, which caused both directions of traffic to shut down for hours before being completely reopened early on Wednesday, the California Highway Patrol said.
The fire occurred just after 5:30 local time in Hayward on Tuesday, as the Semi caught fire in the southbound lanes of I-880 before CHP officials made the decision to shut down both lanes of traffic due to potential risks from hazardous chemical smoke.
There were no injuries reported.
🚨 A Tesla Semi reportedly caught fire, with California Highway Patrol confirming. The Semi was on I-880 SB
An estimated 5,000 to 7,000 semi-truck and large commercial vehicle fires occur on U.S. roadways every year
— TESLARATI (@Teslarati) October 28, 2026
The cause of the fire is currently unknown, as neither Tesla nor the CHP have not determined a cause.
However, some images taken before the Semi was completely destroyed by the fire seem to indicate this might have been an older unit, as it appears to be one of the designs that Tesla shipped as part of its pilot program, before revising it and starting mass production just a month ago.
@Tslachan From on of the videos looks like it’s an old Semi (not the refresh version that recently started production) https://t.co/KzwmR2kXow
— Area Under The Curve 🎗️ (@AreaUnderCurve) October 28, 2026
At the time of publication, CHP had not returned our request for a comment for additional details, including the Semi involved and any potential collaboration on an investigation between the CHP and Tesla. We will update this story when we hear back from them.
The southbound lanes were reopened at 3:30 a.m. on Wednesday, with the northbound lanes opening last night a few hours after the fire began. The CHP did state that the lithium batteries were “incredibly difficult to extinguish,” according to NBC Bay Area.
The truck’s driver said that the Semi caught fire, but he did not have an explanation.
An estimated 5,000 to 7,000 semi-truck and large commercial vehicle fires occur on U.S. roadways every year.
News
Tesla’s ‘Emergency Drive Away’ function gets its first use in the real world
Tesla’s launch of the “Emergency Drive Away” function a few months back offered owners a safe option to evacuate an area if they were in reasonable danger. The function finally got its first use in the real world, but it appears it was by mistake.
A video shared by u/Joshalander in the r/TeslaLounge subreddit recorded the instance from his vehicle and said the incident took place in Austin this past weekend during the city’s F1 Race.
“Was charging around 6 AM this past Sunday in Austin before heading to the F1 race and heard a pop. Looked over and saw the new emergency drive-away feature in action. Genuinely felt bad for the dude when he got out and realized what happened, since he looked exhausted and only seemed to half-read the prompts.”
🚨 Here’s the first look at Tesla’s Emergency Drive Away function in action:
Apparently this driver accidentally enabled it and drove forward; you can see the Supercharger pull with the car.
Tesla said previously this would cost up to $25k if not used properly. https://t.co/B4qQRrsO6B
— TESLARATI (@Teslarati) October 28, 2026
Emergency Drive Away unlatches the Supercharger connector from the vehicle, but still causes damage to both the car and the Supercharger. Tesla has said that it will cost up to $25,000 in repairs to have everything fixed back to normal.
Additionally, the company said that if it were not used in an emergency situation, the driver of the vehicle who activated the Emergency Drive Away feature would be responsible for all repair costs.
Tesla constitutes the following situations as reasonable justifications for activating the feature:
- You face an immediate threat to your life or personal safety.
- You must leave the area immediately.
- Exiting the vehicle is unsafe.
- Unplugging the charge connector would unreasonably delay your departure or expose you to a risk to your personal safety.
After using the feature, Tesla requires the driver to schedule Service so the car can be inspected.
