Lifestyle
Trading my way to owning a Tesla Roadster

As EV owners, enthusiasts and soon-to-be-owners prepare to celebrate everything there is to EVs during next week’s National Drive Electric week, I thought I’d take this opportunity to introduce myself and share my story – a story, four years in the making, about a quest to become an EV owner through the kindness of humanity.
So, who the heck am I you ask? If you frequent the TMC forums, you’ll already know who I am. If not, let me introduce myself. My name is Martin Provost and I live in Ottawa Canada. In a nutshell, I’m trying to turn an old crappy camera into a Tesla Roadster by bartering one item at a time. This is why I’m known as tesltradeup on multiple forums and blogs.
Why do I want a Tesla Roadster? Who doesn’t! The Roadster is the car that made me fall in love with EVs. It was the first truly sexy EV that was made. The machine is my dream car, not only for its deceptive acceleration and speed, but for its technology and its low impact on our beautiful planet. A techy and greenie’s dream ride.
As impossible as my quest seems, I’ve been quite successful thus far having made 10 consecutive trades that allowed me to move towards my ultimate goal of owning a Tesla Roadster. My current item up for trade is a $2000+ Pedego Comfort Cruiser e-bike that I got from the CEO of Pedego.
Here is a list of items that I’ve traded thus far:
1 – Minolta SLR Maxxum 400si with carrying bag -TRADED to Anonymous trader!
2 – TalkSwitch 48-NLS CT-TS01 TRADED to “The Computer Doctor” (Eric Bérubé)!
3 – HP Pavillion a1034n TRADED to Maria
4 – Jasmine by Takamine S33 Guitar TRADED to Josh
5 – Squier by Fender Telecaster electric guitar TRADED to Beau’s All Natural Brewing Co.
6 – Super VIP Tour at Beau’s All Natural Brewing Co. TRADED to Shopify (Mark Hayes)
7 – $3000.00 Shopify Gift Certificate TRADED to Nerdbots (Nicholas and Angela Snyder)
8 – Collaborate with Nerdbots to Design 2 Custom Robots TRADED to GoPro
9 – GoPro HD Hero2 3D Package TRADED to Ryan Holmes – HootSuite
10 – HootSuite 10 Seat Enterprise Package for 1 Year TRADED to Pedego
11 – Pedego Comfort Cruiser shipped to anywhere in the U.S. (CURRENT ITEM)
If you, or someone you know, might be interested in trading something for this electric bike; or simply want to
play a part in my fun and amazing journey to becoming a Tesla Roadster owner;
then please reach out to me or comment below with your item to trade. I’d love to hear from you.
Bartering for a Roadster is not the only thing I’m crazy about; I’m also crazy about EVs in case you didn’t know. I’m actually a brand new EV owner having recently traded in my old rusty Protege 5 for a 2014 Smart Electric Drive. I opted for the lease because they had a ridiculous deal going on (100$ a month!!) and the 3 year term was perfect. Why is that perfect? Almost all Tesla fans know that answer and what’s coming out in 3 years – that’s why I got a special vanity plate for the Smart: TESLA2BE. 🙂 But hopefully I can reach my goal of trading up to the Tesla Roadster way before then.

Waiting for the Model 3 – a 3 year lease on a Smart ED is perfect timing. Got the perfect plate that shows my intentions. 🙂
I’ll make sure to update everyone as I progress along with my quest on TESLARATI and on my own blog at teslatradeup.com. Make sure to follow me on Twitter or Facebook to keep up to date.
You can also visit my official Swapsity page following this link: Barter With Me
Thanks for reading and for playing a part in my quest to become a Roadster owner.
Cheers from Canada!
RELATED: Product Review: Full Size Folding Electric Bike in a Tesla Model S

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.

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.
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

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

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