Lifestyle
Ticket to Ride: The Tesla Model S Limousine
Gino’s Model S on the tarmac waiting for a VIP
Gino Bernardi owns and operates Watts on Wheels, a personal limousine service that picks you up and squires you to your destination in a Model S.
You’re probably envisioning Gino driving up to some Silicon Valley executive’s home and driving her to SFO for a first class flight to close another billion dollar deal. Wrong. Watts on Wheels is in Chicago. Gino holds the unique distinction of being the lone chauffeur in the city of Chicago that drives a Tesla on the job. He’s one out of 9000+ registered livery and taxi drivers listed in the public database. Gino is definitely a pioneer with his EV, but we need to give credit where it’s due. The horse-drawn carriage, still in use today on the streets of Chicago, is the original gasoline free livery.
Watts on Wheels is the sole act of a Tesla enthusiast whose dream is to increase awareness of electric vehicles through building a livery business. I see this type of thought leadership in many Tesla owners. We are not just comfortable with change, we welcome and enjoy it. The green aspects of Tesla are naturally attractive, but there’s a thrill in knowing we are driving the future of personal transportation today.
Gino’s dream is to expand his business to ten or fifteen Teslas someday. To always have a Model S on the road providing transportation to the residents and visitors of Chicago. He has tagged himself an Eco Driver and wants to stimulate more discussion about reducing emissions and remind everyone that Chicago is a leading edge city. We are home to 1871 an entrepreneurial hub for digital start-ups and Built in Chicago, a community that enables inventors, founders, creators and investors to connect online.
I recently sat down with Gino to get more insight into how things are going and a glimpse into the future.
How long have you been a livery driver? How many cars do you have?
I became a livery driver because of Tesla. I received my Chicago license in May 2013, the same month my car arrived. Right now I have one car and I’m the only driver.
What sparked the idea? How does this experience mesh with your existing lifestyle?
I am a big fan of clean, renewable energy, but my intent all along was to build a business. I was working full time as a civil engineer, so at first I was a part time driver while continuing on my engineering career. Driving the Model S as a livery helps me pay for the car and has given me a ton of experience. Just last week I quit my job and am now driving full time.
Since you’re in your car for hours, how do you manage battery life?
I drive the 60 kwh battery pack and didn’t buy the supercharger, so I’m at the base for range. The reason for this is I wanted to start slow and see how it would work out. Spring through fall I had no issues at all with battery life or range. I charge it at home every night to about 85% which takes me through the morning shift. I charge over lunch which keeps me juiced for afternoon and early evening runs. Winter was quite different. This was the worst season in Chicago in 40 years. I would charge the battery to full capacity daily. There were days I wish I had the 85 kwh.
How do people react when you pull up in your Tesla? Do they recognize it?
I drive for Uber Black so if you order me through their app you will know a Tesla is coming. It’s interesting. My Model S is white, so some people get confused when a non black car arrives. When I first got the car last spring I’d say about 95% of my clients had no idea what kind of car it was. Now, almost a year later, that has dropped to probably about 5%. The awareness of the car has grown quickly.
Does any one trip stand out?
It was the end of the day and I was taking some clients to an event at Chicago Stadium. Upon arrival I was informed that I would have to take a passenger to Sugar Grove, then make the drive back to my then home in Highland Park. Total round trip over 100 miles. I didn’t have the range. While they watched the game I went to the Grand Avenue Tesla Service Center. They let me borrow an adapter so I could plug in and charge until pick-up time. It was a tough night and I pulled into my drive with one mile left on the battery.
Obviously a livery vehicle is put through the paces. How has the car held up?
Overall I’d give it high marks. I have had some minor problems. The rear curbside door handle got stuck in the extended position at one point and the door couldn’t be opened. That’s the door my clients use all day long, so it became a problem quickly. Tesla service has been very good. They fixed the problem in one day and I was back on the road. But if I can’t drive I don’t make money. I don’t treat my Model S any differently than any other car I’ve driven. It has normal wear and tear just like any other car.
How many miles are on your Model S? Do you drive livery every day?
I’ve just reached 33,000 miles in eleven months, so that’s a lot of road time. I livery drive five or six days a week, depending on what my clients need. Early on I was in the car up to ten hours a day. Now it’s closer to eight, maybe even a bit below that.
How do people find out about you? Do you have repeat clients?
Most people find out about me through word of mouth. My web site Watts on Wheels shows contact information right up front; phone, text and email. That’s another way I get business. If you do a Google search for Gino Tesla or Watts on Wheels, I index at the very top. I definitely have repeat customers. Chicago is a big city and so rides to and from O’Hare are common. I also have connections to entertainment companies who schedule me to transport their clients to events at United Center, Soldier Field, etc.
Are your rates competitive?
My pricing benchmark is Uber SUV. Usually I match their rates, but lately I’ve been charging a bit more. A Model S is not the usual ride to the airport. It’s definitely a unique experience and clients are frequently over the top satisfied. When I’m in the limo holding area at the airport the other drivers swarm the car with questions and big smiles.
The envy of all chauffeurs in Chicago
As we were wrapping up I asked Gino to share a bit about what’s on the horizon. He feels that there is pent up demand for drivers who would love to switch to a Tesla. The price of the car is obviously a barrier for many wanna be Tesla Chauffeurs, but a growing used Model S market may help. Gino obviously knows the financials by now and claims it is possible to turn profit as a Model S livery driver. The key of course is no gas charges and very low regular maintenance.
With an eye on the future Gino and a colleague are working on a mobile app that would allow people to request a Tesla ride right from their phone. It will be “Uber-like,” allowing a driver to accept the request and complete the monetary transaction all through the app. Ultimately he wants to make it available to Tesla drivers all over the world. Stay tuned for more on this.
The Tesla is built to seamlessly fold into everyday life. It’s not a weekend or show car. It’s the new form of Personal Transportation. When you visit Chicago and need a ride from the airport, give WattsOnWheels a call.
Photo Credits: Gino Bernardi, Tuan Bul.
Lifestyle
Tesla hit by Iranian missile debris in Israel
A Tesla in Israel absorbed a direct hit from missile debris, and the glassroof held.
On March 30, 2026, Lara Shusterman was in Netanya, Israel when Iranian ballistic missiles triggered air raid sirens across the city. While she remained in safety, her 2024 Tesla Model Y did not escape untouched. A heavy piece of missile debris struck the car’s massive glass roof, leaving a deep crater but without shattering. In a Facebook post to the Tesla Israel community the following morning, Shusterman described what happened: “The glass did not shatter into dangerous shards. She stopped the damage and pushed the metal part to the ground.” She closed by thanking Elon Musk and the Tesla team for building what she called “security and a sense of trust even in extreme situations.”
Netanya is a coastal city in central Israel, roughly 18 miles north of Tel Aviv and has been among the areas most frequently struck during Iran’s ongoing missile campaign, following coordinated U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iranian military infrastructure. Falling shrapnel from intercepted missiles is a common occurrence.
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- Tesla Model Y glass roof shattered from a piece of falling Iranian missile debris
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- A piece of Iranian missile debris that struck Lara Shusterman’s Tesla Model Y in Netanya, Israel on March 30, 2026, after being intercepted by Israeli air defenses.
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- Tesla Model Y glass roof shattered from a piece of falling Iranian missile debris
Source: Tesla Israel Facebook Group
The incident is a testament to Tesla’s structural engineering. Tesla’s glass roof is designed to support over four times the vehicle’s own weight. That strength has shown up in real-world accidents too. In 2021, a Model Y in California was struck by a falling tree during a storm, with the glass roof holding firm and the cabin remaining intact. In another widely reported incident, a Tesla Model Y plunged 250 feet off the cliff at Devil’s Slide in California in January 2023, with all four occupants, including two young children, surviving.
Disturbing details about Tesla’s 250-foot cliff drop emerge amid initial investigation
Tesla officially launched sales in Israel in early 2021 and captured over 60 percent of Israel’s EV market in the first year. The brand’s foothold in Israel remains significant. Tens of thousands of Teslas are now on Israeli roads, making incidents like Shusterman’s easy to corroborate. On the same week her Model Y took the hit, the U.S. Space Force awarded SpaceX a $178.5 million contract to launch missile tracking satellites, a separate but fitting reminder of how intertwined the Musk ecosystem has become with the realities of modern conflict.
Elon Musk
NASA sends humans to the Moon for the first time since 1972 – Here’s what’s next
NASA’s Artemis II launched four astronauts toward the Moon on the first crewed lunar mission since 1972.
NASA’s Space Launch System rocket launches carrying the Orion spacecraft with NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, commander; Victor Glover, pilot; Christina Koch, mission specialist; and CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut Jeremy Hansen, mission specialist on NASA’s Artemis II mission, Wednesday, April 1, 2026, from Operations and Support Building II at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. NASA’s Artemis II mission will take Wiseman, Glover, Koch, and Hansen on a 10-day journey around the Moon and back aboard SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft launched at 6:35pm EDT from Launch Complex 39B. (NASA/Bill Ingalls)
NASA launched four astronauts toward the Moon on April 1, 2026, marking the first crewed lunar mission since Apollo 17 in December 1972. The Artemis II mission lifted off from Kennedy Space Center aboard the Space Launch System rocket at 6:35 p.m. EDT, sending commander Reid Wiseman, pilot Victor Glover, mission specialist Christina Koch, and Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen on a 10-day journey around the far side of the Moon and back.
The mission does not include a lunar landing. It is a test flight designed to validate the Orion spacecraft’s life support systems, navigation, and communications in deep space with a crew aboard for the first time. If the crew reaches the planned distance of 252,000 miles from Earth, they will set a new record for the farthest any human has ever traveled, surpassing even the Apollo 13 distance record.
As Teslarati reported, SpaceX holds a central role in what comes next. The Starship Human Landing System is under contract to carry astronauts to the lunar surface for Artemis IV, now targeting 2028, after NASA restructured its mission sequence due to delays in Starship’s orbital refueling demonstration. Before any Moon landing happens, SpaceX must prove it can transfer propellant between two Starships in orbit, something no rocket program has done at this scale.
The last time humans left Earth’s orbit was 53 years ago. Gene Cernan and Harrison Schmitt of Apollo 17 were the final people to walk on the Moon, a record that stands to this day. Elon Musk has long argued that returning is not optional. “It’s been now almost half a century since humans were last on the Moon,” Musk said. “That’s too long, we need to get back there and have a permanent base on the Moon.”
The Artemis program involves 60 countries signed onto the Artemis Accords, and this mission sets several firsts beyond distance. Glover becomes the first person of color to travel beyond low Earth orbit, Koch the first woman, and Hansen the first non-American astronaut to reach the Moon’s vicinity. According to NASA’s live mission updates, the spacecraft’s solar arrays deployed successfully after liftoff and the crew completed a proximity operations demonstration within the first hours of flight.
Artemis II is step one. The Moon landing and the permanent lunar base come later. But after more than five decades, humans are heading back.
Elon Musk
Tesla Optimus Gen 3 is coming to the Tesla Diner with new ambitions
Tesla’s Optimus robot left the Hollywood Diner within months of opening. Now Musk is planning its return with a bigger role and a major Gen 3 upgrade underway.
![Tesla Optimus Gen 3 [Credit: Tesla]](https://www.teslarati.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/tesla-optimus-gen3-diner.jpg)
Tesla’s Optimus robot was one of the most talked-about features when the Tesla Diner opened on Santa Monica Boulevard in Hollywood on July 21, 2025. Dubbed “Poptimus” by Tesla fans, the Gen 2 robot stood upstairs at the retro-futuristic, drive-in theater and Tesla Supercharging station, scooping popcorn into bags and handing them to guests with a wave.
The diner itself had been years in the making. Elon Musk first floated the idea in 2018 with a tweet about building an “old-school drive-in, roller skates & rock restaurant” at a Hollywood Supercharger. What eventually opened was a unique two-story neon-lit space, with 80 EV charging stalls, and Optimus serving as a live demonstration of where Tesla’s ambitions were headed.
If our retro-futuristic diner turns out well, which I think it will, @Tesla will establish these in major cities around the world, as well as at Supercharger sites on long distance routes.
An island of good food, good vibes & entertainment, all while Supercharging! https://t.co/zmbv6GfqKf
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 21, 2025
But Optimus did not stay long, and was gone by December 2025.
Now, the robot is set to return with a more demanding job. Musk has ambitions for Optimus to take on a food runner role in 2026, delivering meals directly to cars at the Supercharger stalls. While the latest Gen 3 Optimus is likely to initially take on its previous popcorn-serving role, it wouldn’t be out of the question for Optimus to see a quick promotion. With improved hand dexterity that features 50 total actuators and 22 degrees of freedom per hand, and significantly more powerful processing through Tesla’s latest AI5 chip that includes Grok-powered voice interaction, Musk described Optimus at the Abundance Summit on March 12, 2026, as “by far the most advanced robot in the world, Nothing’s even close.”
Back to work
See you at Tesla Diner tomorrow pic.twitter.com/H3tTajrUbu
— Tesla Optimus (@Tesla_Optimus) March 30, 2026
That confidence is backed by a major manufacturing shift. At the Q4 2025 earnings call in January, Musk announced Tesla would discontinue the Model S and Model X and convert those Fremont production lines to build Optimus. “It’s time to basically bring the Model S and X programs to an end,” he said, calling for a pivot that reflects where the Tesla’s future lies.
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