Lifestyle
Tesla’s Biggest Enemy: The Spread of Misinformation from the Misinformed
Automotive enthusiast and former Late-Night funny guy Jay Leno hosted Elon Musk and a series of Tesla vehicles on his show, Jay Leno’s Garage, earlier this week on CNBC. While most of the “well-informed” Tesla fans (including me considering it is my job to know anything and everything going on with this company on a daily basis) found the episode to be disappointing and somewhat outdated, it was certainly a good opportunity for people who know about Tesla, but not the company’s finer points, to expand their opinions on the Cybertruck.
Nothing was more entertaining than listening to Leno and Elon Musk talk about the Cybertruck. Even though a lot of what was being said was stuff I already knew, it was cool to see someone like Leno, who has driven/owned some of the coolest cars to ever exist, nearly awestricken by the features of the all-electric pickup.
Despite a lot of super cool things, the segment was really only about 1/6th of the entire episode, while the rest of the TV time was allotted for excessive commercial breaks and a few other interesting portions of the show itself.
From past experiences, I knew mainstream media outlets would hop all over the story to give a summary of what the episode entailed. I also expected to see a lot of people who don’t follow Tesla closely give their uninformed and incorrect points of view on the truck and the company.
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I don’t mean cosmetic opinions, because those cannot be right or wrong. What irks me and really drives me wild is that in 2020, an entire eight years after the Model S was released and three years after the most affordable Tesla vehicle was unveiled to the public, people still hold this false pretense that Tesla’s cars are for the rich and the wealthy. I’m here to tell you, they are not.
The first thing I did was head to Facebook and look at the comments on CNBC’s article. Boy, was I in for a treat. The comment I really wanted to dial in on for this week’s newsletter had to do with Tesla’s rumored “inability” to offer the automotive market a reliable and affordable electric vehicle. For some reason, this is still not common knowledge, which is extremely surprising to me considering we are literally years past these cars being “new” to people.
The comment simply states: “Ok he got the technology side. Now he needs to work on the economics. These vehicles are not priced for the average person.”
I really don’t know what to say to this, and I tend to just read these kinds of comments and navigate away from them to avoid pointless arguments. Sometimes I want to get involved just to spread the narrative that Teslas are affordable, but other people usually beat me to the punch.
Some replies to the comment talked about pricing points, the most logical saying “The starting price is slated to be only a few thousand more than what most regular size trucks go for.”
For me, it is still striking that people see the cars as “luxury mobiles that only Matt Damon can afford after his biggest motion picture.” This narrative is effectively killing Tesla from growing even more than it already has in the past few years, and to me, it is the arrogance that prevents some people from doing a simple Google search to find out how much these cars cost.
The most affordable truck costs $39,900. The Base Regular Cab Ford F-150 starts at $28,745 and is missing a lot of features that most people expect with a nearly $30,000 vehicle. Even Cars.com states that one of the drawbacks of the F-150 is that Limited trim not luxurious enough, and the price of High-End configurations of the truck are very expensive. Try over $71,000 for the most expansive version of the F-150. Just a reminder that the price of the Tri-Motor Cybertruck is cheaper than that at $69,990.
Here’s my question: Why aren’t people holding this same narrative with gas trucks? Why is it super acceptable to spend $40,000 on a gas truck, but $40,000 on a Cybertruck is key for the misinformed to say that the electric vehicles manufactured by Tesla are “not priced for the average person.”
It goes past the Cybertruck. It goes to the polar opposite of the Cybertruck: The Model 3. There is a $35,000 variant of the Model 3 that is available “off-menu” which is more than affordable for most people. People will spend $40,000 on Honda Type-R and not blink twice, but a $35,000 car that you never have to put gas into is “too expensive.”
So to get to my main point, we as Tesla fans/enthusiasts/owners hold a responsibility to inform the misinformed about the benefits of owning an electric vehicle. We also hold a responsibility to inform those who have misconceptions about the car’s price. It’s not unaffordable, people just want to believe that it is (for whatever reason).
Keep the emails coming! I enjoy talking to all of you!
Lifestyle
Tesla Model S Plaid battles China’s 1500 hp monster Nurburgring monster, with surprising results
There is just something about Tesla’s tuning and refinement that makes raw specs seem not as game-changing.
The Tesla Model S Plaid has been around for some time. Today, it is no longer the world’s quickest four-door electric sedan, nor is it the most powerful. As per a recent video from motoring YouTube channel Carwow, however, it seems like the Model S Plaid is still more than a match for some of its newer and more powerful rivals.
The monster from China
The Xiaomi SU7 Ultra is nothing short of a monster. Just like the Model S Plaid, it features three motors. It also has 1,548 hp and 1,770 Nm of torque. It’s All Wheel Drive and weighs a hefty 2,360 kg. The vehicle, which costs just about the equivalent of £55,000, has been recorded setting an insane 7:04.957 at the Nurburgring, surpassing the previous record held by the Porsche Taycan Turbo GT.
For all intents and purposes, the Model S Plaid looked outgunned in Carwow’s test. The Model S Plaid is no slouch with its three motors that produce 1,020 hp and 1,420 Nm of torque. It’s also a bit lighter at 2,190 kg despite its larger size. However, as the Carwow host pointed out, the Model S Plaid holds a 7:25.231 record in the Nurburgring. Compared to the Xiaomi SU7 Ultra’s record, the Model S Plaid’s lap time is notably slower.
Real-world tests
As could be seen in Carwow’s drag races, however, Tesla’s tech wizardry with the Model S Plaid is still hard to beat. The two vehicles competed in nine races, and the older Model S Plaid actually beat its newer, more powerful counterpart from China several times. At one point in the race, the Xiaomi SU7 Ultra hit its power limit due to its battery’s temperature, but the Model S Plaid was still going strong.
The Model S Plaid was first teased five years ago, in September 2020 during Tesla’s Battery Day. Since then, cars like the Lucid Air Sapphire and the Xiaomi SU7 Ultra have been released, surpassing its specs. But just like the Model Y ended up being the better all-rounder compared to the BYD Sealion 7 and the MG IM6, there is just something about Tesla’s tuning and refinement that makes raw specs seem not as game-changing.
Check out Carwow’s Model S Plaid vs Xiaomi SU7 drag race video below.
Lifestyle
500-mile test proves why Tesla Model Y still humiliates rivals in Europe
On paper, the BYD Sealion 7 and MG IM6 promised standout capabilities against the Model Y.
BYD is seeing a lot of momentum in Europe, so much so that mainstream media has taken every opportunity to argue that the Chinese automaker has beaten Tesla in the region. But while BYD sales this year in Europe are rising and Tesla’s registrations remain challenged, the raw capabilities of vehicles like the Model Y are difficult to deny.
This was highlighted in a 500-mile challenge by What Car? magazine, which showed that the new Tesla Model Y is more efficient, cheaper to run, and more reliable than rivals like the BYD Sealion 7, and even the nearly 400 KW-charging MG IM6.
Range and charging promises
On paper, the BYD Sealion 7 and MG IM6 promised standout capabilities against the Model Y. The Sealion 7 had more estimated range and the IM6 promised significantly faster charging. When faced with real-world conditions, however, it was still the Model Y that proved superior.
During the 500-mile test, the BYD nearly failed to reach a charging stop, arriving with less range than its display projected, as noted in a CarUp report. MG fared better, but its charging speeds never reached its promised nearly-400 kW charging speed. Tesla’s Model Y, by comparison, managed energy calculations precisely and arrived at each stop without issue.
Tesla leads in areas that matter
Charging times from 25% to 80% showed that the MG was the fastest at 17 minutes, while Tesla and BYD were close at 28 and 29 minutes, respectively. Overall efficiency and cost told a different story, however. The Model Y consumed 19.4 kWh per 100 km, compared to 22.2 for MG and 23.9 for BYD. Over the full trip, Tesla’s charging costs totaled just £82 thanks to its supercharger network, far below BYD’s £130 and MG’s £119.
What Car? Magazine’s testers concluded that despite BYD’s rapid sales growth and the MG IM6’s seriously impressive charging speeds, Tesla remains the more compelling real-world choice. The Model Y just offers stability, efficiency, and a proven charging infrastructure through its Supercharging network. And as per the magazine’s hosts, the Model Y is even the cheapest car to own among the three that were tested.
Watch What Car? Magazine’s 500-mile test in the video below.
Lifestyle
Tesla Cybertruck slapped with world’s least intimidating ticket, and it’s pure cringe
One cannot help but cringe and feel second-hand embarrassment at the idea of a person just driving around with a stack of these babies.
A Cybertruck parked at Stanford Shopping Center in California was recently hit with what might be the most try-hard piece of paper ever slipped under a wiper blade: a “fake citation” accusing the driver of supporting a “fascist car.”
The note, shared on X by Tesla staff program manager Ryan Torres, quickly made the rounds on X, where it quickly gained attention as an example of how not to protest.
The world’s least intimidating ticket
According to the citation, the supposed “violation” was “driving a fascist car.” The remedial action? Take the bus, call an Uber, or ride a bike. The note also dubbed Elon Musk a “chainsaw-wielding Nazi billionaire.” Now, protests against Tesla and Elon Musk have become commonplace this year, but one cannot help but cringe and feel second-hand embarrassment at the idea of a person just driving around with a stack of fake anti-Tesla/Musk citations.
Torres pointed out the irony himself in his post on X. Tesla currently employs over 140,000 Americans, and SpaceX has put the U.S. firmly back at the top of space technology. As Torres put it, maybe the person behind the world’s least intimidating ticket should “read a book on innovation before vandalizing” other people’s property.
Peak performative clownery
Not to mention that the fake ticket’s logic collapses under its own weight. EVs like the Cybertruck are literally designed to reduce emissions, not “destroy the economy.” If anything, Tesla has bolstered the United States’ economy by fueling jobs in engineering, manufacturing, and clean energy. It’s not the first time a Tesla has been the target of vandalism or politically charged notes, but this one stands out for sheer cringe value.
Torres summed it up neatly: “Peak clownery.” On that point, at least, the citation earns full marks. In a way, though, perhaps cringe fake tickets are not as bad as the literal firebombs that were being thrown at Tesla stores and cars earlier this year because some critics were gleefully misinformed about Elon Musk.
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