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Trip Planning in a Tesla Model S

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A dear friend of my husband’s that we’ll call “Bob” sent a text message on Saturday April 1st. We were at the airport en route home from the Model 3 unveiling and he apparently heard the news about the growing number of reservations.

“Should I reserve a Model 3?”
Yes, Bob. Yes you should. If you have $1,000 to spare and think there is some small chance you may want the car, make a refundable deposit. This goes for anyone, by the way.

In the days to follow, Bob and my husband chatted about the car a bit. Bob just hoped for enough range to get to and from work a couple of times without having to charge and had declared that he would probably just take another car on longer trips. Why? He didn’t feel like having to think and plan for charging stops.

That’s when it hit me. A large portion of the 325,000 Model 3 reservation holders have never owned a long-range EV that can be powered with a fast charging network on long trips. To some of them, the idea of having to chart out your trip ahead of time is unappealing. To me, it’s actually fun. So fun, in fact, that after seeing someone ask about whether Pittsburgh, PA to Fort Myers, FL is doable – I charted this trip for them.

Tesla road trip planning

100% of the credit for the above trip, as well as every trip I’ve taken in my Model S, goes to the website EVtripplanner.com. This website lets you plug in your start and finish points, various other important pieces of information and route through Tesla superchargers. (At the moment, no other long-range EVs are on the market, nor are other nationwide fast chargers included in the price of your car.) The results take into account elevation information and everything you entered to project the time it will take to get to each charge stop and the amount of rated range you will probably use. This information is easily understood and can be used to jot down a little trip plan like the one above. While I was at it, I used google maps to check the location of each stop. That’s where I got the information included in the suggestion of what to do while charging for any of the above charge stops I haven’t personally been to. The whole plan above took me fewer than 20 minutes and that’s with a little extra formatting to make it easy for the new driver I was making it for to read.

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EVTripPlanner routing

Voluntarily charting the above trip out for someone else was a joy. I live in PA and have family in Fort Myers so I wouldn’t mind taking this trip myself, but primarily wanted to showcase how easy the trip could be. On my longest trip, I did Savannah, GA to Philadelphia, PA without an overnight stop. It was long but doable with two drivers. My favorite part of taking trips on the SC network is the forced stopping that encourages stretching your legs, keeping hydrated (not feeling guilty about the restroom breaks since you’re charging anyway) and switching drivers at each stop. Fatigue isn’t a problem when you have the ability to split the driving responsibility. Mostly everyone who has ever road tripped in a Tesla knows it’s great but back to the ease of planning.

Planning ahead, as shown above, is advisable but Tesla’s built-in navigation also trip plans on the go. In March of 2015, it was announced that a software update would effectively end range anxiety. This enhanced trip planning and range assurance considers real-time information and gives you guidance on getting to where you need to be. It will warn you if you’re in danger of running out, and will advise you to charge to avoid it. Of course, if you just get into the car and head in a direction that is not covered by Superchargers, your trip will end up a lot less convenient. That is why I like to go to EVtripplanner.com from time to time and find various potential trips I can make easily from my home in Philadelphia. I record them on a spreadsheet file, one tab per trip idea, and keep them in mind next time I’m ready for a vacation. It’s also a great idea to revisit it regularly, since new Supercharger locations pop up all the time.

This thread over on the Tesla forum gives excellent tips and reviews of various Supercharging locations and is a valuable resource that helped me to avoid some real confusion when I had to take a ticket to get into the paid parking garage at the Savannah airport, for example.

In the next few years, many more Tesla drivers will learn the joys of EV road tripping and understand that planning ahead is no sweat at all.

Where would you like to road trip in your future Model 3? Leave me a comment!

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Tesla brings perhaps the coolest interior feature to cars in latest update

Tesla adds on to the “fun” aspect of its vehicles.

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Credit: Tesla

Tesla has brought perhaps the coolest interior feature to its cars in a new update that is rolling out to vehicles now.

The feature will require a newer vehicle that has interior ambient lighting, which is present on the new Model S, Model X, Model 3 “Highland,” and Model Y “Juniper.” The Cybertruck also has ambient lighting strips throughout.

Tesla Model Y’s ambient lighting design changes revealed in leaked video

With the Version 2025.26+ Software Update, Tesla is rolling out a new “Sync Accent Lights w/ Music” feature, which is available on the Tesla Toybox:

To enable the feature, you’ll access the Toybox, choose “Light Sync,” and then choose “Sync Accent Lights w/ Music.”

Although it does not improve the performance of the vehicle, it is yet another example of Tesla making one of the coolest cars out there. This is truly a cool add-on that can be used to impress your friends and family.

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xAI, Musk Foundation helps schools near Memphis supercomputer site

Reports of xAI and the Musk Foundation’s work were recently posted by local news media.

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(Credit: xAI)

Elon Musk’s artificial intelligence startup xAI and the Musk Foundation have been supporting Memphis-Shelby County Schools with HVAC repairs and facility upgrades, while also funding youth programs for students in the area. 

Reports of xAI and the Musk Foundation’s work were recently posted by local news media.

xAI’s school visits lead to facility repairs

Representatives from xAI visited John P. Freeman Optional School, Fairley High School, and Westwood High School, all of which are located near its Colossus supercomputer site, to assess HVAC systems, plumbing, gym facilities, and athletic fields. The visits resulted in a list of priority repairs, some of which were completed in April and May.

In addition to the repairs, xAI also shared a number of initiatives that are planned for students in the area, as stated in a Commercial Appeal report.

“xAI is working on providing STEM workshops for local students, donating equipment to technical training programs, and supporting job fairs to boost employment opportunities. These initiatives reflect xAl’s commitment to fostering education and economic growth in Memphis,” xAI noted in a statement.

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Musk Foundation donation

Apart from xAI, the Musk Foundation also donated $350,000 to the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Memphis, enabling the reopening of two club sites located at Booker T. Washington High School and Westwood High School. Both locations had closed earlier this year due to lapses in funding. As per xAI, the Musk Foundation’s donation allows clubs to reopen for almost 1,000 students. 

The donation will fund staffing, supplies, and transportation, among others. “Kids are the future of humanity,” Elon Musk said in a statement, adding that students need “every chance to shoot for the stars.”

“We’re honored to support the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Memphis in reopening these sites, giving kids in underserved communities the tools to build brighter futures,” Musk said.

The gift was praised by local officials, including Boys & Girls Clubs board chair Michael Garriga, who stated that the “commitment will ensure the youth of our community have the opportunities they need to develop their skills and talents to become successful students and future citizens.”

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EV fans urge Tesla to acquire Unplugged Performance for edge in fleet and security industry

Unplugged Performance has built a name for itself by producing performance upgrades for Tesla vehicles.

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Credit: Unplugged Performance

A growing number of Tesla enthusiasts and longtime community voices are calling on the electric vehicle maker to acquire Unplugged Performance, a California-based aftermarket company best known for tuning Tesla vehicles and developing specialized government fleet solutions under its UP.FIT division.

The idea was once considered a niche proposal among EV fans, but it is now gaining serious attention not just as a performance play but as a strategic move to deepen Tesla’s roots in the fleet and security industry. 

A strategic fit

Unplugged Performance has built a name for itself by producing performance upgrades for Tesla vehicles, from track-optimized components to visual and aerodynamic upgrades. But in recent years, its UP.FIT division has pivoted toward a more functional future by outfitting Tesla vehicles like Model Ys for police, military, and government use.

That work has sparked growing calls for closer collaboration with Tesla, especially as the EV maker increasingly leans into autonomy, AI, and fleet services as core components of its next chapter.

“I posted this four years ago, but I think it’s more true now than ever,” wrote Whole Mars Catalog, a well-known Tesla investor and FSD Beta tester, on X. “Tesla should buy Unplugged. But not just as a Performance division. What they are doing with UP.FIT unlocks large government and commercial fleet purchases that can improve utilization.”

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Tesla fans such as shareholder Sawyer Merritt echoed the sentiment, calling Unplugged a “great fit within Tesla.” adding, “They are literally located directly next to Tesla’s design studio in Hawthorne.”

Enabling the next wave

Supporters of the idea noted that integrating Unplugged into Tesla’s corporate structure could help accelerate the adoption of autonomous technologies in government sectors. With UP.FIT patrol cars already in use across some U.S. police departments, Tesla fans envisioned a future where self-driving Teslas could potentially revolutionize law enforcement, search-and-rescue, and public service logistics.

“Just imagine how autonomous patrol cars could transform policing and bring us into a safer future,” the veteran FSD tester wrote.

The benefits could also extend to Tesla’s existing consumer base. “They also have some incredible products in the works that I think will appeal to many ordinary Tesla drivers — not just those looking for performance or mods. Stuff that’s so good it should have come straight from the design studio next door,” Whole Mars Catalog noted.

Unplugged Performance, founded in 2013, shares not just a product vision with Tesla, but also geography. Its Hawthorne headquarters sits directly adjacent to Tesla’s design studio, and the two companies have maintained a close working relationship over the years. The aftermarket firm has long positioned itself as a “mission-aligned” partner to Tesla.

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In response to the recent calls for acquisition, Unplugged Performance acknowledged the support from the community. “Our very existence is to support the Tesla mission with @UpfitTesla and @UnpluggedTesla,” Unplugged CEO Ben Schaffer posted on X. “We love working with Tesla and are grateful for the community’s support since 2013!”

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