Lifestyle

2014 – The Year of the Tesla Model S

Published

10 years ago

December 31, 2014

Rob M.

2014 has been a year of amazing experiences one of which is my journey with owning a Tesla Model S.

I entered 2014 researching and thinking about purchasing a hybrid car to replace my aging high mileage Acura MDX but ended up buying a Tesla Model S. I couldn’t convince myself that having two separate power systems in a hybrid actually made sense plus the improvements in MPG was marginal at best. My quest to purchasing a new car turned out to be something much larger than I expected.

After benchmarking cost of ownership of a Tesla versus a new MDX, I was convinced that I could afford the Model S. That was the beginning of a wonderful journey to come.

Tesla Model S Ownership

Like many potential buyers, I was nervous about buying a crazy-expensive car from a high-tech startup that was a new player in the automotive world. While researching everything I could I encountered the Tesla Motors and the Tesla Motors Club forums and found an active and vibrant community of early adopters and potential owners. The Tesla community eased many of my fears and answered a lot of questions which ultimately helped me cope through the painful waiting phase until the day I took delivery of my Model S.

As I went through the process I realized that researching, buying, taking delivery and owning the Model S was going to be quite a different experience and adventure so I decided to document my journey by writing about it.

Tesla Lifestyle Community

I created a starter WordPress site and wrote my first “Hello World” post in March before test driving the Model S. Fast forward nine months and here I am with well over a 100 posts. I started actively engaging on Twitter via @teslaliving and made many friends along the way. I started this adventure as a small fish learning to swim in this great big sea, but 1,500 tweets and more than 1,000 followers later, I’m getting the hang of things and starting to find my niche as a voice within the Tesla community. This I find amazing.

As I continued to learn more about owning the Model S I wrote candidly about both the good and the bad. And despite being a a huge fan of Tesla and the Model S, I believe that constructive feedback helps people improve and get better with time (ie. shuffle anyone?).

By the end of the year I was writing independent product reviews (my leather jacket was seen in a coat hook ad!), writing joint posts and collaborating with other well known voices within the Tesla community such as Nick Howe and the TeslaOwnerBlog.

Engaging with the Tesla community has been an amazing experience. As time went on I realized that there was an even larger community out there, that of Electric Vehicle (EV) owners that are coming together to help educate and change the auto industry as a whole, and it’s been exciting to be a part of that larger community.

Giving Back

I felt a need to help the growing Tesla community beyond my writing.

There wasn’t a good way to keep track of all of the new developments of Tesla Motors so I decided to develop a Tesla monitoring system which emails and tweets as new Superchargers, Tesla Stores, Service Centers, and Model S versions are released. I’m actively working with a number of groups to help integrate these notices into their own initiatives and am excited to be a part of that.

I look forward to the day when Tesla opens up its APIs to third party developers so applications like VisibleTesla and dash apps such as Tesla Apps can take things to the next level.

The Future is Bright

Having just finished my solar installation project, the future is looking bright. Between my new Solar City installation and the new local Auburn, MA Supercharger location my electric bills should drop significantly.

I’m looking forward to measuring and reporting on my experiences with the Model S as I continue down the road of ownership and graduate from being a new owner to an experienced Model S owner especially having notched several Tesla road trips, services, and other experiences under my belt.

Tesla has made mind-blowing improvements to the Model S in 2014 with the announcement of autopilot, all wheel drive rounding and 691hp to an already amazing vehicle. Tesla’s rapid growth of the Supercharger network (over 330 Superchargers worldwide at the time of writing) has been impressive to watch and as a Model S owner and investor I truly believe the company has unlimited growth opportunity ahead.

2014 was an exciting year and certainly the year of the Model S but I’m equally excited about the upcoming year of the Model X.

I wish you all a Happy New Year and thank you for following along in my adventures.

Lifestyle

Tesla owner highlights underrated benefit of FSD Supervised

Published

1 month ago

January 31, 2025

Simon Alvarez

Credit: Tesla

Elon Musk has been pretty open about the idea of FSD being the difference maker for Tesla’s future.

If Tesla succeeds in achieving FSD, it could become the world’s most valuable company. If it doesn’t, then the company would not be able to reach its optimum potential.

FSD Supervised’s safety benefits:

But even if FSD is still not perfect today, FSD Supervised is already making a difference on the roads today.
This was highlighted in Tesla’s Q4 2024 Vehicle Safety Report.
As per Tesla, it recorded one crash for every 5.94 million miles driven in which drivers were using Autopilot technology.
For comparison, the most recent data available from the NHTSA and FHWA (from 2023) showed that there was one automobile crash every 702,000 miles in the United States.

This morning, Tesla FSD proved to be an absolute godsend. I had to take my brother-in-law to the hospital in Sugar Land, TX, which is 40 miles away, at the ungodly hour of 4 AM. Both of us were exhausted, and he was understandably anxious about the surgery.

The convenience of…
— JC Christopher (@JohnChr08117285) January 29, 2025

FSD user’s tale:

As per an FSD user’s post on social media platform X, FSD Supervised was able to help him drive a relative to a medical facility safely even if he was exhausted.
During the trip, the driver only had to monitor FSD Supervised’s performance to make sure the Tesla operated safely.
In a vehicle without FSD, such a trip with an exhausted driver would have been quite dangerous.
“This morning, Tesla FSD proved to be an absolute godsend. I had to take my brother-in-law to the hospital in Sugar Land, TX, which is 40 miles away, at the ungodly hour of 4 AM. Both of us were exhausted, and he was understandably anxious about the surgery.
“The convenience of sending the hospital’s address directly from my iPhone to my Tesla while still inside my house, then just a single button press once inside, and 40 miles later we were precisely in front of the hospital’s admissions area.This experience really underscores just how transformative this technology can be for society,” Tesla owner JC Christopher noted in his post.

Don’t hesitate to contact us with news tips. Just send a message to simon@teslarati.com to give us a heads up.

Lifestyle

Tesla Optimus “stars” in incredible fanmade action short film

Published

2 months ago

January 14, 2025

Simon Alvarez

Credit: @SoKrispyMedia/YouTube

There are few things that prove an enthusiast’s love towards a company more than a dedicated short film. This was highlighted recently when YouTube’s SoKrispyMedia posted a 10-minute action movie starring Optimus, Tesla’s humanoid robot, as well as several of the company’s most iconic products.

The video:

Shot like a Hollywood action flick, the video featured a rather humorous plot involving a group of thieves that mistakenly targeted a Tesla Model 3 driver.
The Model 3 driver then ended up speaking to Tesla for assistance, and some high-octane and high-speed hijinks ensued.
While the short film featured several Tesla products like the Model 3, Superchargers, and the Cybertruck, it is Optimus that truly stole the show.
Optimus served several roles in the short film, from an assistant in a Tesla office to a “robocop” enforcer that helped out the Model 3 driver.

Future Robo-cop @Tesla_Optimus

full video: https://t.co/TXpSRhcP5K pic.twitter.com/YFHZ7siAP7
— SOKRISPYMEDIA (@sokrispymedia) January 12, 2025

Cool inside jokes:

The best Tesla videos are those that show an in-depth knowledge of the company, and SoKrispyMedia definitely had it.
From the opening scenes alone, the video immediately poked fun at TSLA traders, the large number of gray Tesla owners, and the fact that many still do not understand Superchargers.
The video even poked fun at Tesla’s software updates, as well as how some Tesla drivers use Autopilot or other features without reading the fine print in the company’s release notes.
The video ended with a tour de force of references to Elon Musk products, from the Tesla Cybertruck to the Boring Company Not-a-Flamethrower, which was released back in 2018.

Check out SoKrispyMedia’s Tesla action short film in the video below.

Don’t hesitate to contact us with news tips. Just send a message to simon@teslarati.com to give us a heads up.

Lifestyle

Tesla releases Cybertruck metal key card—because why not?

Published

2 months ago

December 31, 2024

Simon Alvarez

Credit: Tesla Shop

Tesla definitely seems to be determined to release the coolest lineup of accessories for its coolest vehicle. As could be seen in an update to the Tesla Shop, the electric vehicle maker has now launched a metal key card for the Cybertruck—because why not?

Cybertruck keys:

The Cybertruck, similar to Tesla’s other vehicles, is shipped with a regular key card.
The vehicle could also be accessed and locked through a phone key.
As per the Cybertruck’s Owner’s Manual, the all-electric pickup truck is capable of supporting a total of 19 keys.

The Cybertruck’s Metal Key Card:

Tesla’s Cybertruck Metal Key Card functions much like the vehicle’s regular key card, but it is finished using premium stainless steel
As per Tesla’s description of the item:
“Convenient, durable, versatile. The Cybertruck Metal Key Card is a premium stainless-steel alternative to our traditional plastic key cards, making it easy to access your Cybertruck without your Phone Key. Ideal for when your phone is unavailable or when sharing your vehicle with a friend or valet.”
The Cybertruck Metal Key Card costs $60.
In comparison, the Cybertruck’s regular key card is sold for $40.
The Cybertruck Metal Key Card comes with the metal key card itself, as well as a bifold key card wallet.

Tesla Cybertruck merch push:

Being the company’s most eye-catching vehicle, it is no surprise that that Tesla has been releasing quite a lot of merchandise inspired by the all-electric pickup truck.
These include a $250 levitating Cybertruck model, as well as a $35 Cybertruck wind-up racer, both of which are out of stock.
Tesla also sells the $35 “CyberMug,” a $40 “CyberStein,” and a $50 “CyberVessel.”
Other Cybertruck-inspired merchandise are the $60 Cyberwhistle Stealth, and the $50 CyberOpener.