

News
Volkswagen CEO Diess future in jeopardy, no terms met with Supervisory Board
Volkswagen Auto Group CEO Herbert Diess and a Supervisory Board were unable to meet terms that would solidify Diess’ future at the automaker, reports from Germany indicate.
Diess has been on the hot seat at Volkswagen for several months following his vocalization of plans to cut 30,000 or more jobs from the German company’s employment population. Diess warned Volkswagen during an internal meeting that failure to accelerate the company’s transition to electric vehicles could cost some jobs, especially as the automaker continues to lag behind industry leader Tesla.
Herbert Diess (Credit: Volkswagen AG)
Diess and the Supervisory Board, which is comprised of prominent members of Volkswagen and other brands, as well as representatives from large shareholder groups, were unable to come to terms that would extend Diess’ term as VW AG CEO. Handelsblatt writes (paywalled):
“After intensive discussions, the leading supervisory board members from the Porsche and Piëch families, the state of Lower Saxony and the employee representatives were unable to agree on a compromise on the future of the 63-year-old.”
Volkswagen is arguably the world’s most committed and established automaker to the electric vehicle movement. Volkswagen is one of the only well-known, global, mass-market automotive brands to embrace the EV transition with such fervor, and this may have something to do with the tension between Diess and the board. Diess has primarily been the main reason for the accelerated transition, which has solidified Volkswagen as one of the more popular EV brands that came from ICE production. Diess is set on keeping up with Tesla by any means necessary, and losing time and falling further behind Elon Musk’s company is something Diess has warned VW executives about. Speaking of time, “It is precious,” Diess said in the Supervisory Board meeting, according to sources.
Stephan Weil, a member of the Supervisory Board and leader of the Social Democratic Party in Lower Saxony, gave Diess words of approval during his presentation. However, he is not totally on board with Diess’ strategy, calling it “styleless.” Head of the Works Council, Daniela Cavallo, supported Weil’s analysis of Diess’ job performance.
The Board’s discontent with Diess seems to lie on “a lack of strategy of how he wants to develop the Group,” the report from Handelsblatt continues. Unfortunately, Diess’ emphasis on EVs has led to widespread support from other electric car companies, including Tesla, whose CEO Musk has accumulated the respect of Diess in an evident friendship. It appears Diess may not continue at VW if the Supervisory Board meeting has anything to do with it.
Volkswagen recently reported EV delivery totals in Q3 2021 that doubled the same period in 2020, led by the ID.4 all-electric crossover.
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News
Tesla makes big change to encourage Full Self-Driving purchases
Tesla Full Self-Driving was recently proven to be about ten times safer than a human driver in terms of accident frequency.

Tesla has made a big change to its Online Design Studio, hoping to encourage car buyers to purchase Full Self-Driving with their vehicles.
Now, when you look at ordering a car on Tesla’s website, the portion of the page that formerly showed a render of Full Self-Driving capabilities has been replaced by a compilation of the suite’s performance in a variety of challenging scenarios.
It’s a great way to show off FSD’s impressive ability to work through road conditions that can even stump human drivers.
🚨 Tesla is now showing a Full Self-Driving demo on its Design Studio to help encourage people to buy the suite for their new cars pic.twitter.com/RwhqbSStzs
— TESLARATI (@Teslarati) August 24, 2025
The move is much better than what the page previously illustrated. Now, people can see the true capabilities of the FSD suite and what it could do to change their perspective on how vehicles can be. Instead of a vessel of transportation, FSD turns cars into a semi-autonomous mode of travel.
Tesla Full Self-Driving is statistically very safe, logging about ten times the number of miles between accidents as human drivers, based on recent data the company released.
Tesla Q2 2025 vehicle safety report proves FSD makes driving almost 10X safer
It is available for purchase in two different ways: an outright purchase for $8,000 or in a monthly subscription for $99. This enables the software to essentially do a vast majority of the legwork of driving. Drivers must keep their eyes on the road and be prepared to take over if an intervention is needed.
However, FSD has been proven to be a very accurate and safe way to travel. Tesla recently released a video of a drive from the Bay Area to Los Angeles, a nearly seven-hour trip, under FSD without a single intervention ever needed:
Tesla flexes its most impressive and longest Full Self-Driving demo yet
From a personal perspective, Tesla Full Self-Driving is a great way to travel because it truly takes a lot of the stress out of driving. In the past, I’ve used it during weekend Demo Drives to navigate around my town to see if it could handle some of the tougher traffic in my area. It became such an amazing and convenient alternative that when I went back to my car, I truly missed the advantage of having it.
I took a Tesla Model Y weekend-long Demo Drive – Here’s what I learned
However, I am picking up my Tesla Model Y this coming weekend and will enjoy it for the free three months before subscribing to the monthly program.
News
Tesla offers new feature to save battery and reduce phantom drain
While in Low Power Mode, your vehicle continues to use energy for standby functions, screen activity, and Tesla app interactions. In cold weather, available energy may drop more quickly.”

Tesla is offering a new feature to help owners save battery and reduce phantom drain, an issue that some have complained of with their cars.
While Teslas are some of the most efficient EVs on the market, they utilize energy and battery life when they’re parked to keep certain features, like Sentry Mode, Summon Standby, and others, active in preparation for potential events that occur.
Keeping these features ready to perform utilizes energy, and if your car is parked at an airport where it could be sitting stagnant for a few days, the battery percentage could start to dwindle pretty significantly.
Because of this, Tesla is rolling out a new feature called “Low Power Mode,” which will automatically disable a handful of settings to combat battery dwindling and phantom battery drain.
Tesla writes in the release notes for the feature:
“When Low Power Mode is enabled, your vehicle will conserve energy by automatically disabling the following features:
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- Sentry Mode
- Summon Standby
- Outlets
- Keep Accessory Power On
- Keep Climate On and Camp Mode
- Scheduled Preconditioning
- Cabin Overheat Protection
While charging with Low Power Mode enabled:
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- Sentry Mode and accessory power will remain available
- Keep Climate On and Camp Mode are only available when Supercharging
While in Low Power Mode, your vehicle continues to use energy for standby functions, screen activity, and Tesla app interactions. In cold weather, available energy may drop more quickly.”
Trying the new “low power mode” while I travel – you can enable it in vehicle controls menu->charging->low power mode or through the mobile app quick actions.
I use hands free frunk function, so I replaced the frunk quick action and enabled low power mode. 196 miles 8/23 1:30pm pic.twitter.com/E0zzXtwHmr
— Wes (@wmorrill3) August 23, 2025
This feature seemed to be a reaction to a past issue that an owner had as their Cybertruck continued to utilize energy even though the pickup was parked at an airport and the owner was in Japan. The Cybertruck had utilized a lot of energy to keep standby functions active, which left the owner in an interesting spot when they returned.
CEO Elon Musk stepped in, and it seems this feature might have been a reaction to that situation. This is an ideal thing to use if you’re looking to conserve your battery’s state of charge.
News
Tesla is bringing back something it took from the Model 3…for a price
“Modify your Model 3 by replacing the turn signal buttons on your steering wheel with turn signal stalks. This modification is included in the purchase price and is installed by a Tesla Service Center.”

Tesla is bringing back the Model 3’s turn signal stalk in China after removing the part with the refresh of the all-electric sedan early last year.
However, it is going to cost you.
In 2024, Tesla launched the Model 3 “Highland,” a refreshed version of the vehicle that included several large-scale changes. One of the most noticeable was the lack of a turn signal stalk, something the company chose to remove and instead implement turn signal buttons on the steering wheel.
The buttons were met with mixed reviews, as some drivers complained that it was too difficult to get used to them. Others had no problem with the change, noting that it was slightly more convenient for them or that they enjoyed the minimalistic look.
Now, Tesla is offering Model 3 owners in China the opportunity to replace the stalk for a price of ¥ 2,499, or about $350:
“Modify your Model 3 by replacing the turn signal buttons on your steering wheel with turn signal stalks. This modification is included in the purchase price and is installed by a Tesla Service Center.”
Tesla notes on its website that the service is available for Model 3 vehicles without stalks manufactured after February 7, 2025. Any car without a stalk that was manufactured before that date will have the service available to them in the future.
Installation can be performed at a Service Center or by the owner. However, Tesla notes that it is not responsible for any damages resulting from self-installation and recommends that the part be put in by an employee.
The cockpit of the Tesla lineup has been under intense scrutiny by the company in recent years. After a few changes to things like the stalk, steering wheel shape, and others, Tesla has usually given drivers the chance to have things reverted back to their preferences if they want.
They did this for the Model S and Model X a few years ago after implementing the yoke steering wheel.
Tesla Steering Wheel Retrofits have started, and it’s easy to get rid of your yoke
The stalk was not supposed to be removed from the Model 3 and Model Y, but Tesla chose to do so with the refresh last year.
It seems the minimalization of the cockpit, overall, is a move that prepares drivers for autonomy, as eventually, Teslas will be void of pedals, steering wheels, and any other apparatus that are used to control the car.
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