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Thoughts About the Model X from a Model S Owner
Here’s a little story about my journey to becoming a Model X owner. I started my search for a new car roughly two years ago to replace my aging Acura MDX SUV. Gas prices were at an all time high back then and having a monthly expenditure of $600 for transportation was something I could surely do away with. I did my fair share of research on hybrids in hopes I would eventually choose one as a replacement car, but ultimately dismissed them as an alternative due to the complexities of the powertrain. That was until I ran into Tesla and its Model X. The rest was history.
The Model X Promise
I finally narrowed my search among hybrids and EVs to Tesla’s Model X. The Model S was already available for order at the time and the Model X was still coming soon. I’d driven SUVs for the last 14 years and had an affinity towards them. Needing to survive through the New England winters, while living on a farm with an expanding family, naturally skewed my pursuits for a SUV as it seemed to be the right fit for my lifestyle. Although I had already fallen in love with the Model S, I managed to curb any desires to purchase one and waited patiently on the Model X through much of the second half of 2013 and early 2014.
That was until the Model X delivery estimate began to slip from “early 2014” to “late 2014”, and then again to “second quarter 2015” (it would be postponed yet again later on). I eventually got the hint that the Model X wasn’t going to roll off the production line anytime soon. To make matters worse, my aging SUV was surpassing 200K miles and my kid was becoming of driving age and was to receive the hand-me-down SUV.
Full-size bike stored in the back of a Model S
I really wanted the Model X but inevitably I started to think about whether the Model S could satisfy my criteria for a new car, as follows:
- Must have plenty of room for carrying around luggage, sports gear, bikes, farm stuff, etc.
- Something I could drive all year round and has maximum safety
- Must have enough room for seven people
I left off the need to have a towing package on my must-have list because in my seven years and 200k miles of ownership on the Acura MDX, I never used its built-in towing capabilities once. The MDX had more than ample space for bikes, which I would place inside the car, and roof mounted equipment using the roof rack.
I watched countless Bjorn Nyland videos and ones from Tesla, so much that I was thoroughly convinced that the Model S (real wheel drive was the only option at the time) could be driven in the harshest of winter environments.
My thoughts around owning a seven seater started to dissipate. When my daughter was young, I would haul her and a pack of her friends around in a seven passenger vehicle. But as she grew up and no longer needed rides other than for a few close friends and her boyfriend (sigh), having a vehicle to seat seven became less of a requirement.
And for that reason, I forewent my Model X and ordered the Model S instead during March of 2014. That turned out to be one of the best decisions I’ve ever made in life.
Longing for the Model X
Despite being happily committed to my Model S as a relatively new owner, I still couldn’t stop myself from thinking about the Model X and ultimately ended up putting down a reservation for one once the Design Studio became available. I had convinced myself that a SUV is what I really wanted from the get go. Perhaps I’d trade my Model S in for the X but I still had time to figure that out.
I had also justified placing a deposit on the Model X because my wife’s SUV, a ML 350 diesel, was starting to experience a lot of mechanical and maintenance issues despite being only 20K miles old (we bought it used). I figured that the X would serve as a great replacement vehicle because frankly I was sick of maintaining her SUV.
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Finally, Hello Model X
Nearly two years after I was introduced to the Model X online, I finally witnessed its unveiling, along with the rest of the world, via the Model X online test drive videos. The reactions to it seem generally mixed according to friends that attended the Model X launch event. Don’t get me wrong, the Model X is an amazing and transformative vehicle, but to me I felt that I could not obtain much utility from it over what my Model S is already capable of providing.
Sure I’d love to have all wheel drive, autopilot, and being able to open falcon wing doors in tight parking spaces, but even those features aren’t radically different than newer versions of the Model S, less the falcon wing doors.
Model X panoramic windshield
The Model X panoramic windshield is cool although I’m not sure I’d welcome that much sunlight on me while driving. The ‘bio weapon defense mode‘ seems gimmicky to me and a feature that feels cooler to talk about than it would live out in the real world.
The falcon wing doors are amazing and unique but I can’t help but think that its complexity will lead to long term maintenance problems for Tesla. And after all the challenges faced with creating the rad falcon wing doors, they compounded difficulties by creating auto opening front doors. And what about the active rear spoiler? Why is it deployed in all pictures? Will it ever retract?
What surprised me the most during Elon’s 30 minute presentation on the Model X was the amount of time he spent describing the vehicle’s safety rating and air filtration capabilities. Compare this presentation to an Apple product launch event that’s typically packed with detailed specifications and you’re left feeling a bit underwhelmed. Does anyone know the cargo room for the Model X? How wide is it? How tall? How long? What is the max height of the falcon wing doors? Do all the seats fold flat? A car that costs over $132,000 shouldn’t have details as vague as they are.
We caught glimpses of Firmware 7.0 features on the Model X, but there’s still no official word from Tesla that a new interface will be launched with the Model X.
My Future with the Model X
Electric vehicles are the future and Tesla is clearly leading the way in this new vertical. From the Roadster, to the Model S, and to the Model X, Tesla continues to innovate and redefine what an automobile should be like.
While I still have my Model X reservation, I want to know a lot more about it, touch it and maybe even drive it before I decide on the fate of my reservation. Fortunately, my wife’s SUV started behaving as of late, and I’m also very happy with my Model S. Now is probably not the best time for me to pick up a new Model X, but I can easily see a day when all my cars will be electric powered — and made by Tesla.
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Tesla has revealed plans through permit submissions for a massive Robotaxi charging hub in Austin, Texas.
Tesla plans to build the Supercharger hub in multiple phases, with the second phase potentially introducing wireless induction charging, something the company has been developing for the Robotaxi fleet.
Initially, 48 Tesla Robotaxi-geared Superchargers will be built on a lot just across from the St. Elmo, Texas, Service Center. There are about 80 additional spots that will not be impacted by phase 1 of the construction process.
Filings show that the second phase of the project will turn those 80 additional spots into wireless charging for Robotaxi, but it might be an error. The Key Notes state that item 3 is listed as “V4 Charging Cabinet to Support 80 Wireless Chargers in Phase 2. However, the drawings point to V3 Cabinets that are already tied to Superchargers:
There are roughly 128 total spots in the lot, but it is unclear if they will all be used for charging based on what appears to be some sort of typo in the blueprint.
A new Robotaxi fleet charging hub is coming soon to Austin, Texas!!
Permits have been filed for the installation of 48 (V3) stalls in a vehicle storage lot across the road from Tesla’s St Elmo service center. pic.twitter.com/xwRgSWDqht
— MarcoRP (@MarcoRPi1) August 18, 2026
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This is among the first Robotaxi charging hubs Tesla has started to develop, as it currently has four others planned throughout various areas: one in Phoenix, one in San Antonio, another in Irving, which will serve the Dallas-Fort Worth area, and another in Las Vegas.
These projects are necessary as Tesla expands its Robotaxi program. Now that preparations have started for the public launch of Cybercab, Robotaxi will likely be expanding aggressively, especially over the next two to three years.
Last night, The Information reported that Tesla was planning to launch Cybercab as soon as the end of August. Hours later, Tesla then announced it was launching a competition for fans to potentially ride in Cybercab during its first public rides.
Tesla’s plan to expand its charging infrastructure in the regions where Robotaxi will initially operate is great preparation for the expanding service. There is still a lot to do, including launching the Cybercab on time.
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Tesla got its largest order for the all-electric Class 8 Semi yet, a 500-unit order from Einride AB, a Swedish trucking company.
Einride made the announcement this morning following its second-quarter earnings call. The company said it plans to use 500 Tesla Semi units on its fleet intelligence platform, called Saga AI. The deployments will serve large companies like Amazon and will extend Einride’s electric freight network across logistics routes in California, New Jersey, Texas, Illinois, and Georgia.
🚨 Tesla has received a MASSIVE order from Swedish freight company Einride AB, which placed an order for 500 Tesla Semi trucks
Tesla’s biggest order for the Semi yet! pic.twitter.com/PrtLp5yzvh
— TESLARATI (@Teslarati) August 18, 2026
The deployment is being carried out in several phases over the next two years as Tesla ramps production of the Semi at its dedicated production facility in Sparks, Nevada. Einride will receive its first Semi units in September.
Saga AI
Saga AI is Einride’s dedicated fleet intelligence platform. It enables scaled adoption of electric trucks for freight use and allows shippers to integrate electric capacity without the operational burden or capital risks of managing a fleet. This helps integrate cost-efficient logistics and makes budgeting and forecasting much more accurate.
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Tesla Semi’s Adoption
The Tesla Semi is now gathering large-scale clients past those who have helped the company operate a Pilot Program to gain initial information and feedback from real-world drivers.
Perhaps the biggest and most notable is that of Frito-Lay and PepsiCo., who have worked with Tesla for the past several years to dial in the finer details of the truck, including its efficiency and operation-related components.
Tesla Semi gets strange-but-understandable comparison from Jay Leno
There has been tremendous progress in that time, and it even catalyzed Tesla to make some design changes, which were unveiled earlier this year.
But Einride CEO Roozbeh Charli says his company’s partnership with Tesla will continue to push those things forward:
“This deployment is yet another proof point that we can execute at the scale our customers demand. Working closely with Tesla to bring next-generation Semis into active operations quickly and at scale is a testament to the strength of that partnership, and how quickly this technology is maturing from promise to daily operations.”
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Additionally, Dan Priestley, the Director of the Semi Program at Tesla, said the partnership is ideal due to Einride’s focus on sustainable transport:
“Einride is at the forefront of sustainable freight, and we are thrilled to deepen our relationship with them through this order of 500 Semis. EV heavy trucks provide lower costs per mile from fuel savings, reduced maintenance, and better uptime over diesel trucks. These savings increase further through operational efficiency when deploying EV trucks at scale, and we are excited that Einride recognizes this and look forward to supporting their deployments.”
Elon Musk
India tells Elon Musk’s X to “Follow the Law” in latest censorship update
Elon Musk says X now exposes government censorship, but India’s secrecy laws complicate that promise.
Elon Musk’s promise to make government censorship requests on X “clearly visible” is running into a wall in India, where the law forbids the very disclosure Musk is promising.
On August 15, Musk responded to an update from X’s open-source algorithm team by writing “Any censorship required by governments is now clearly visible.” The claim referred to a change X pushed two days earlier to its public xai-org/x-algorithm repository, which now includes a controversial filter written directly into the code. The filter suppresses posts from 665 accounts flagged by Brazil’s Superior Electoral Court from appearing in the For You feed of any viewer located in Brazil, unless the viewer already follows the account. The election tied to the filter is scheduled for October 4.
India’s government wasn’t as impressed, and responded on Monday that “X will have to follow the law of the land,” in response to Musk’s transparency push covered by the Times of India. The problem is structural rather than political. India issues content blocking orders under Section 69A of its IT Act, and Rule 16 of the accompanying 2009 Blocking Rules requires those orders to stay confidential. Publishing an India equivalent of the Brazil filter, naming specific accounts and citing specific government orders, would itself violate Indian law. Government use of Section 69A has grown from roughly 6,000 orders a year between 2018 and 2023 to about 24,300 in 2025, according to a Tech Times report.
The contrast puts Musk’s transparency pledge in an odd spot. It works largely as advertised in Brazil, where electoral law requires disclosure and X can point to specific account IDs and a specific court order in public code. It cannot work the same way in India, where the law requires the opposite. X users in India will keep seeing content disappear from search and their feeds without any public accounting of why, even as X tells the rest of the world that its censorship compliance is now inspectable.
This isn’t the first time X’s fights with a national government have shaped how the platform operates. Brazil’s Supreme Court ordered X to suspend the accounts of sitting lawmakers and journalists in 2024, a standoff that cost X its Brazilian revenue for months and froze Starlink’s local accounts before the investigation into Musk and X was closed in March with no evidence of wrongdoing found. X also sued California over a state law requiring moderation disclosures, arguing the mandate itself violated the First Amendment.
Whether India’s government pursues anything beyond a public statement remains to be seen. For now, the mismatch between what X can legally publish and what different governments legally allow it to publish is the real story behind Musk’s seven word claim.
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Tesla reveals plans for Robotaxi charging hub in Austin
Tesla Semi gets its largest order yet
