Lifestyle

My First Tesla Ride: 126mph Riding Shotgun on a Racetrack

Published

10 years ago

December 25, 2014

I’ve been a long time Tesla enthusiast. Over the past few years I must have spent several hundred hours watching YouTube videos and reading forum threads to learn as much as possible about the Roadster, Model S, Superchargers, and all things Tesla. When the opportunity to ride in Teslarati #48 at Willow Springs International Raceway arose I couldn’t pass it up.

Upon arrival at Willow Springs the first thing I noticed was the noise from dozens of cars racing around the track. Of course, I wasn’t there to burn gasoline and make noise, but rather to meet up with Tesla Racer and his #48 Tesla Model S. It was easy to spot this one of a kind Tesla with its vinyl racing stripes and numbers. This unique look definitely helps turn heads even more than the beautiful contours of the aluminum body already do.

After checking out a crash helmet from the shop we headed out to the track where we would be leading some new drivers around the track at “boring” speed. When it was our turn to hit the track we accelerated out gradually and picked up speed to about 80 mph. Everything was “boring” up until the first corner when I realized that we were going to take the left turn without slowing from our initial speed. Everything that followed was far from a “boring” ride.

With Tesla Racer as my skillful chauffeur we blazed through corners at speeds that threw my body left and right with great force. The heavy helmet on my head made it a strain to keep my head from hitting the door or flopping into the middle of the car.

We would accelerate out of every corner at the maximum 320,000 Watts and brake into every following corner with such force that it felt as if I was standing in the footwell.

This “boring” ride continued for 10 laps of the circuit with speeds of up to 122 miles per hour. All the more amazing is the fact that this was a standard, non-performance Model S and that the car didn’t even reach the point of “power limiting” where the maximum amount of current to the motor is limited to reduce heat buildup in the motor. This felt more like a go-cart ride than anything else I’ve experienced.

After a few hours of charging we went out for a second, full speed run of the track. This experience was similar to the last with the key difference that we weren’t slowed by waiting for the inexperienced drivers we were leading to catch up. Once again, the lateral acceleration was astonishing and we topped 126 mph on the straight. The car did “power limit” this time which dropped the maximum power to something more like a sporty V6.

After experiencing electric propulsion for the first time I can say without a doubt that electric cars are the future of the automobile. I have personally committed that my next car will be a battery electric vehicle. While the Tesla Model 3 is currently an unknown product, if it approaches the specs that have been made public I firmly believe that it will be a knockout success. The electric car and clean power generation will be defining technologies of the 21st century.

Submitted by T.Miller

Lifestyle

Elon Musk seemingly confirms Cybertruck gift to 13-year-old cancer fighter

Diagnosed in 2018 with a rare form of brain and spine cancer with no cure, the teen has undergone 13 surgeries by the time he was 12.

Published

1 week ago

March 6, 2025

Simon Alvarez

Credit: Tesla

Elon Musk has seemingly confirmed that he will be sending a Tesla Cybertruck to 13-year-old Devarjaye “DJ” Daniel, a 13-year-old Houston boy fighting brain cancer. The teen was recognized as an honorary Secret Service member by U.S. President Donald Trump during his address to Congress on Tuesday.

A Chance Meeting

The Tesla CEO’s Cybertruck pledge was mentioned during DJ’s short interview with CNN’s Kaitlan Collins. When Collins asked the 13-year-old what he told the Tesla CEO, DJ answered that he asked for a Cybertruck.

“I said, ‘can you do me a big favor, when you get back to Houston can you send us a Cybertruck down there?’” the cancer fighter stated.

Daniel noted that Musk responded positively to his request, which was highlighted by Collins in a post on X. Musk responded to the post with a heart emoji, suggesting that he really will be sending a Cybertruck to the 13-year-old cancer fighter.

❤️— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) March 6, 2025

Teen’s Cancer Battle Inspires

Diagnosed in 2018 with a rare form of brain and spine cancer with no cure, Daniel has undergone 13 surgeries by the time he was 12. During his speech, Trump highlighted the 13-year-old’s long battle with his disease.

“Joining us in the gallery tonight is a young man who truly loves our police. The doctors gave him five months at most to live. That was more than six years ago. Since that time, DJ and his dad have been on a quest to make his dream come true,” Trump stated.

Daniels officially received an honorary badge from U.S. Secret Service Director Sean Curran, to much applause during the event.

Surprisingly Partisan

While Daniels’ story has been inspiring, Trump’s focus on the 13-year-old cancer fighter has received its own fair share of criticism. MSNBC host Nicolle Wallace, while referencing Daniels’ love for law enforcement, noted that she is hoping the 13-year-old never has to defend the U.S. capitol against Trump supporters. “If he does, I hope he isn’t one of the six who loses his life to suicide,” Wallace stated.

Anti-Musk and Trump accounts on X have also thrown jokes at the cancer fighter’s honorary badge, with some dubbing the 13-year-old as a “DEI hire” that should be looked into by DOGE.

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.