Tag Archives: Tesla

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Patton plays games driving Model 3
Journalist Vince Patton demonstrates its possible to play video games while driving his Tesla Model 3.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) it is investigating 580,000 Tesla vehicles sold since 2017 that allow those seated up front to play games on the infotainment touchscreen while the vehicle is in motion.

The investigation stems from a complaint filed with agency earlier this month by Vince Patton, a retired journalist from Portland, Oregon.

The formal safety investigation, which was announced Wednesday, covers 2017-2022 Tesla Model 3, S, X, and Y vehicles. NHTSA opened the investigation “based on reports that Tesla gameplay functionality, which is visible on the front center touchscreen from the driver’s seat, is enabled even when the vehicle is being driven.”

Tesla made the software more dangerous

The 2021 Tesla Model S gets an all-new interior, a yoke-style steering wheel and the updated software being investigated by NHTSA.

The feature, known as “Passenger Play,” increases the risk of a crash. Since December 2020, the feature can be used while driving. Prior to that, it could only be used when the vehicle was in Park. The agency said that it is evaluating aspects of the feature, including how frequently it’s used and when.

NHTSA is concerned about distracted driving, an increasing risk as automakers bring increased online connectivity to infotainment touchscreens. Distracted driving caused 3,142 deaths in 2019, all of them preventable. 

While Passenger Play does have a warning stating the game is meant solely for passengers. Although it asks for confirmation that the player is a passenger and not the driver, there is nothing preventing the driver from playing while driving.

Other Tesla safety issues

Consumer Reports criticized the performance of Tesla’s latest version of Autopilot.

It’s not NHTSA’s only Tesla safety investigation, nor Tesla’s only safety issue.

In August, the agency opened a formal safety investigation of 765,000 Teslas equipped with its Autopilot driver-assistance system after 11 crashes involving parked emergency vehicles killed one person and injured 17. The inquiry covers 2014-2021 Models S, X, Y and 3. 

In October, Tesla had to roll back full self-driving, or FSD, with Musk revealing that the company is “seeing some issues with 10.3, so rolling back to 10.2 temporarily.” 

And in November, Tesla issued a recall for 11,704 vehicles sold in the U.S. since 2017. The recall covers Model S, X, 3 and Y vehicles and came about as a result of an over-the-air firmware update of the automaker’s “Full Self-Driving Beta,” its advanced driver assistance system.

The company identified a software communication error that could cause the forward-collision warning or automatic emergency brake system to falsely activate, possibly leading to a rear-end collision.

Other OEM infotainment issues

2022 Mercedes EQS 580 4Matic black daytime
The new Mercedes-Benz EQS was recalled after it was found that its MBUX system allowed television and internet to be displayed while driving

Other automakers are far more concerned over distracted driving than Tesla. On November 29, Mercedes-Benz recalled 227 vehicles in the U.S. after the company discovered that its MBUX infotainment system allowed television and internet to be displayed while driving.

The recall affected 2021 Mercedes-Benz S580, 2022 EQS450, EQS580, and S500 models. Mercedes-Benz has already corrected the problem, and no deaths or injuries seem to have resulted from the problem.

Musk pays billions to satisfy tax bill

In other Tesla news, Reuters is reporting that Tesla CEO Elon Musk sold 10% of his own company stock, 13.5 million shares, 8.06 million of which were sold to pay taxes. The billionaire said he is paying more than $11 billion in taxes this year. 

Tesla CEO Elon Musk
Tesla CEO Elon Musk slammed California over its tax policy.

“California used to be the land of opportunity and now it is … becoming more so the land of sort of overregulation, overlitigation, overtaxation,” Musk told Reuters, adding his combined federal and state tax rate tops 50 percent.

The tax bill may explain why Musk recently relocated Tesla’s headquarters to Austin, Texas from Palo Alto, California.

But taxes aren’t Musk’s only concern.

The company has submitted all the documentation required to get its factory approved near Berlin, Germany. Approval of Tesla’s newest manufacturing facility has been delayed by environmental concerns and red tape due to Tesla’s decision to add a battery factory to the site. That has delayed the approval process. It remains unclear when the new plant is expected to open.

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Entertaining Or Outright Lunacy? Tesla Model S Blown Up With Dynamite - image 1042487

Entertaining Or Outright Lunacy? Tesla Model S Blown Up With Dynamite - image 1042487

It was Go time and everyone was waiting in anticipation to see how things unfold

The era of YouTube & social media has significantly blurred the distinction between truth and viral videos. This video from the Finnish YouTube channel Pommijätkät, which translates literally to "Bomb Dudes" would have us believe that a dissatisfied Tesla Model S owner contacted them and asked them to blow up his electric car. 

Entertaining Or Outright Lunacy? Tesla Model S Blown Up With Dynamite - image 1042481

Entertaining Or Outright Lunacy? Tesla Model S Blown Up With Dynamite - image 1042481

Meet Tuomas Katainen from the Suomi, up in icy Finland

Meet Tuomas Katainen. In the video, which by the way you can watch with English subtitles, the man says that his 2013 Tesla Model S recently developed a slew of issues, prompting him to have it taken to a Tesla service facility. Four weeks later, after inspecting the vehicle, Tesla notified him that it would require a new battery, which would cost $22500.

Entertaining Or Outright Lunacy? Tesla Model S Blown Up With Dynamite - image 1042479

Entertaining Or Outright Lunacy? Tesla Model S Blown Up With Dynamite - image 1042479


With such a steep quote, Katainen chose not to fix the car and instead decided it would be more fun to blow it up, possibly in the hope that the advertising revenue produced by the film would enable him to buy a new car. Either that or perhaps he was so fed up with the whole thing that he set out to destroy it regardless. To ensure the Tesla’s demise, Katainen fastened close to 70 pounds of dynamite to the Model S’s exterior and placed a mannequin of Elon Musk in the driver’s seat. The vehicle was then parked beneath a small rocky cliff, and the rest is history.

Entertaining Or Outright Lunacy? Tesla Model S Blown Up With Dynamite - image 1042483

Entertaining Or Outright Lunacy? Tesla Model S Blown Up With Dynamite - image 1042483

Or be it a dummy, it was Elon Musk of course. They chose to strap on this dummy onto the passenger seat

The entire explosion was filmed by high-definition cameras recording in slow motion, and although it’s seldom pleasant to witness a car needlessly wrecked like this, it’s intriguing to watch how rapidly the car was almost instantly engulfed in a ball of fire. The explosives used were more than adequate to fully destroy the automobile. The Tesla was completely decimated after this. Was this taking it a bit too far? You be the judge. The video has raked up over 1.3 million views on YouTube so far.

Entertaining Or Outright Lunacy? Tesla Model S Blown Up With Dynamite - image 1042492

Entertaining Or Outright Lunacy? Tesla Model S Blown Up With Dynamite - image 1042492

And before you know it, the entire car was engulfed in flames

Now this Model S in question was obviously an early example and belonged to an era when people still had their doubts about EVs and Tesla’s were notorious for bad build their myriad of build quality issues. But, Tesla has vastly improved the quality of their cars since and has closed the gap to the legacy automakers. What remains to be seen is if they can hold on to that position. But in the end, the brand did succeed in helping sway the entire auto industry towards electrification.

You can watch these guys destroy this 2013 Model S with dynamite in the video below

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Tesla Snubbed By the White House During its EV-Themed Event

General Motors and Ford are certainly trying to make a shift to electrification, but even if you combine the two, they don’t come close to the dent Tesla has made when it comes to electrification. It would only make sense for Tesla to be there, yet – according to Elon Musk himself – Tesla wasn’t even invited.

So, once again, America’s largest full-scale EV producer was snubbed, and what it boils down to is money. How does it boil down to money? Well, Tesla isn’t a part of the UAW which, as you know, makes contributions to politics in one way or another. When asked about Tesla’s absence, press secretary, Jen Psaki, said,

“Today, it's the three largest employers of the United Auto Workers, and the UAW president who will stand with President Biden as he announces his ambitious new target”

When Tesla’s absence was brought up yet again, the response was even more direct:

“Well, these are the three largest employers of the United Auto Workers, so I'll let you draw your own conclusions”

So, in other words, and the way I see it, Tesla wasn’t invited because it wasn’t part of the circle jerk that is the UAW and Biden Administration. Secretary Pete couldn’t even give an honest answer, saying “I’m not sure. What I know is that you are seeing so many leaders in the industry.”

But wait, it gets worse. Bill Ford, the Executive Chair of Ford Motor Company (so, essentially Ford itself) had the new to say that “Ford is leading the electric revolution.”

I don’t think I stand alone when I say that one new EV – the Mach-E, which is built in Mexico, by the way –
and the concept that is the Ford F-150 Lightning does anything in terms of leading when you have companies like Tesla – an American company – that has sold way, way more EVs than Ford. In fact, Audi, BMW, Nissan, and even GM (yes, really GM) has sold more EVs than Ford. Sorry, Ford, but you’re not leading a damn thing.

In the end, Tesla was left out so that company’s like Ford, GM, and Stellantis can pretend to be major leaders in a segment that they barely exist in. The numbers speak for themselves, and as best I can tell, it’s because Tesla doesn’t buy into the political side of things or suck and the tit of the Biden administration every chance it gets. That’s why the Biden Administration snubbed Tesla, and that’s why it’s like pulling teeth to get anyone in the white house to even say the word “Tesla.”

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JL IMAGES/Shutterstock

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Tesla has invested $1.5 billion in Bitcoin and will soon be accepting cryptocurrency as a valid form of payment. Unsurprisingly, the digital token’s valuation surged as news broke, sending it past its all-time high of $44,000 and making a lot of investors incredibly happy.

CEO Elon Musk has boosted various cryptocurrencies in the past by doing little more than saying their name. For example, Dogecoin was co-founded by IBM and Adobe software engineers as the satirical alternative (hence the name) to other forms of digital currency. But it became the eighth-most valuable cryptocurrency after Musk started tweeting about it at the start of February.

While that could have been a trial to see if moving on Bitcoin would have a similar effect, it’s hard to imagine Tesla pouring its finances into the mix could have had any other effect. The automaker issued its annual report on Monday, noting that it had purchased $1.5 billion of the cryptocurrency as part of an earlier initiative to buy up alternative assets like digital coins and gold bullion.

As for how you’ll be paying for your next Tesla, details of the Bitcoin exchange haven’t been worked out as of yet. Its filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission only stipulates that the company hopes “to begin accepting bitcoin as a form of payment for our products in the near future … initially on a limited basis, which we may or may not liquidate upon receipt.”

Musk himself has suggested government-backed currencies are overhyped and that Bitcoin seems a viable alternative. He has also suggested that the digital coin is on the cusp of being endorsed by “conventional finance people.” This has been echoed other crypto investors, though they have plenty to gain by convincing others to buy in. But Tesla’s filing did not fail to exercise some amount of caution and acknowledged that the “long-term adoption [of cryptocurrencies] by investors, consumers and businesses is unpredictable” and open to digital attacks. We imagine that’s just in there for cover, as there are few forms of investing that are risk-free.

[Image: JL IMAGES/Shutterstock]

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Tesla is recalling 135,000 vehicles to fix an ongoing problem with its touchscreens.

With federal safety regulators breathing down its back, Tesla has agreed to recall nearly 135,000 battery-electric vehicles equipped with touchscreens that are prone to unexpectedly failure – which could make it difficult for motorists to operate the vehicles and potentially lead to a crash.

The problem has been widely reported by owners and Tesla has been making free repairs on an ad hoc basis, but that didn’t satisfy the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, which felt that the screens should be replaced before they fail, avoiding the chance that drivers would be left at risk.

Tesla uses its laptop computer-sized displays to operate virtually all vehicle functions and such failures could make it difficult to see what gear a vehicle is operating in, as well as being able to use its backup camera. And because the driver could lose the ability to control the vehicle’s climate control system – including front and rear window defoggers, NHTSA warned the problem “may decrease the driver’s visibility in inclement weather.”

(Tesla told to recall 158,000 vehicles due to touchscreen failures.)

The recall covers two of Tesla’s original product lines, a total of 134,951 Model S sedans and Model X SUVs.

The problem can cause the Model S touchscreen to fail, impacting several of the vehicle’s functions.

The safety agency has been looking into the touchscreen problem since last June – upgrading the probe in November after receiving 12,523 reports related to the problem.

It took the unusual step of requesting a recall in a letter sent to the EV manufacturer on Jan. 13. That followed discussed between Tesla and NHTSA officials, including a presentation that, regulators said, “confirmed that all units will inevitably fail.”

What has become known as the “eMMC failure” issue involves the displays that are ubiquitous in all Tesla vehicles but, in particular, those used by 2012-2018 Model S sedans and 2016-2018 Model X SUVs. They rely on NVIDIA processors and an 8 gigabyte flash memory device known as an eMMC NAND. The memory systems have a limited capacity and lifecycle. Once exceeded, they fail, taking down the Tesla display screen.

When it launched the probe in November, NHTSA announced that, “The data show failure rates over 30% in certain build months and accelerating failure trends after three to four years in service.”

(NHTSA expands probe into Tesla touchscreen issue.)

Early on, Tesla had been charging owners for repairs if their vehicles were out of warranty when the screens failed. The carmaker subsequently began making all repairs for free but, until now, had declined to proactively replace the displays until they did fail – something it knew would happen on all of the affected vehicles eventually.

The “eMMC failure” issue involves the displays in 2012-2018 Model S sedans.

The automaker tried to downplay the risks a failure could cause by stating that, “the driver can perform a shoulder check and use the mirrors. If the screen is not visible to control the climate control and defroster settings, the driver will be able to manually clear the windshield.”

The automaker also advised owners of the affected vehicles that it had released a software update that would maintain at least some critical functions in the event of a touchscreen failure. If the update were installed, “then the rearview backup camera will remain available, the exterior turn signal lighting will remain functional, and the windshield defogging and defrosting controls will automatically default to a preset cabin temperature to ensure windshield visibility,” Tesla said, while warning that vehicles that weren’t updated faced “possible malfunctions.

While Tesla resisted, until now, recalling the vehicles in the U.S., it did take such a step already in China, its second-largest market.

The touchscreen issue raises further concerns among safety advocates about Tesla’s extreme reliance on technology without offering any backup. That approach was underscored last month when the automaker announced that the new, super high-performance version of the Model S, the Plaid+ edition, will adopt a squared-off, yoke-style steering wheel devoid of manual turn signals. According to Tesla, the vehicle will intuit when a driver is about to make a turn. It has also said the vehicle itself will know when it needs to shift into forward or reverse.

(Tesla cleared of sudden unintended acceleration by NHTSA.)

This isn’t the first time the automaker has had a run-in with federal safety regulators. And it has been cited on several occasions for playing at least a partial role in serious, and sometimes fatal, crashes involving its Autopilot system. With the new Biden administration expected to call for increased diligence by NHTSA and other regulators, it could mean closer scrutiny for Tesla as it continues to push the boundaries of technology in its vehicles.


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The production version of the i4 Concept will reach the U.S. next year. It will use a shared platform.

A week before unveiling the all-new iNext battery-electric vehicle, BMW said it will “realign” its strategy and begin developing a unique architecture solely for “electric drives,” rather than sharing the same platform for vehicles using both battery and conventional gas and diesel powertrains.

That’s a complete about face for the Bavarian marque which, in recent years, had hoped to save money and simplify manufacturing by coming up with common architectures that could roll off the same line. But it also marks a return to BMW’s original strategy when electrified models like the all-electric i3 city car and plug-in hybrid i8 sports car used unique platforms.

“The aim is to create an overall optimum with the new architecture,” CEO Oliver Zipse said during BMW’s quarterly earnings presentation on Wednesday.

(BMW preps for i4 launch, confirms plans for all-electric 5-Series and X1.)

Over the past decade, the auto industry has gone back and forth on the appropriate approach to developing electrified vehicles, pure battery-electric models, in particular. Some, like the Ford Focus Electric and the Volkswagen e-Golf, shared common platforms with the gas and diesel versions of those vehicles. Others, such as the original BMW i models, as well as the new Ford Mustang Mach-E and VW ID.3, used unique architectures.

BMW says the production iNext should get nearly 400 miles of range per charge.

Each approach had both pluses and minuses. Shared platforms result in design compromises, often limiting the amount of batteries that could be stored on a vehicle – impacting range, among other things. But development costs can be held down, while increasing the flexibility of a company’s assembly lines.

Unique platforms, most adopting a skateboard-style layout with batteries and motors mounted below the load floor, can handle larger packs, increasing range and lowering a vehicle’s center of gravity. But that means additional development costs and the tooling up of plants dedicated solely to EVs.

With an upcoming wave of new products BMW had aimed for a compromise strategy. They use flexible platforms that can squeeze more batteries under the load floor for models like the all-electric i4 fastback due out next year. But there’s space for a conventional internal combustion engine for products such as the next BMW 4-Series.

Now, , “We will realign our vehicle architecture from the middle of the decade,” said Zipse, adding that, “Our new cluster architecture is geared towards electric drives” exclusively.

BMW’s i3 is one of the automaker’s best-selling electric vehicles. It uses a unique, rather than shared, platform.

“Our new plant in Hungary plays a key role here,” said the CEO, noting that production of “the new BEV-centered architecture will start there.”

(BMW and Mercedes suspend joint autonomous vehicle development program.)

The plan is to make the new strategy a high priority, an all-new product development operation reporting directly to Zipse. But it will be able to reach out to all other areas within the company, from engineering to sales and marketing which “gives us more control and makes us much faster,” he explained.

The shared platform strategy had come under intense scrutiny within BMW, noted German magazine Automobilwoche, Over the summer, Manfred Wochs, the head of the BMW Works Council, had warned that it resulted in “too many compromises” that could set BMW back competitively, especially in key markets like the U.S. and China.

BMW is racing to get a leg up in an emerging market segment that currently is dominated by the upstart Tesla – with an assortment of traditional competitors, as well as start-ups like Lucid, Fisker and Rivian, aiming to gain share.

But Zipse insisted that BMW will be ready when its new EVs hit market around 2025. “We anticipate that the demand for fully electric vehicles will continue to increase significantly from 2025 onwards. Exactly then – keyword timing – we will ignite phase III of our transformation.”

(BMW may go for a plug-in hybrid with upcoming X8 M.)

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Tesla CEO Elon Musk got his massive payday, and is now the third wealthiest man in the world.

The day after Tesla completed its 5-for-1 stock split, the EV maker revealed it plans to sell as much as $5 billion of the newly divided shares to help offset future debt needs.

The California-based EV maker saw its stock take off this year like a SpaceX rocket, passing $2,000 a share just before the split. Not only did the stunning rise in prices make it the world’s most valuable automaker, it made CEO Elon Musk the third-richest man in the world.

Selling stock isn’t uncommon after a split as companies often look to raise money for a variety of reasons, and Tesla has several that $5 billion could handily address. The company had $8.6 billion in cash and cash equivalents at the end of June.

(Tesla CEO Musk hints of big battery breakthrough.)

This is going to be a familiar site for Tesla officials as the company is building two new Gigafactories: one near Berlin, Germany and one near Austin, Texas.

Tesla’s got several irons in the fire right — expensive irons, if you will. The company is in the midst of building a Gigafactory in Berlin, Germany and recently announced it would start construction on its second U.S. Gigafactory on a large site just outside of Austin, Texas.

Additionally, Musk appears to be trying to accelerate the development and production of the Cybertruck as well as the Semi truck as competitors like Nikola, Daimler, Lordstown, General Motors, Rivian, Ford and others are closing the gap in their move to produce electric trucks of all sizes.

According to the company’s official filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, it plans to use proceeds from the offering to strengthen its balance sheet and for general corporate purposes. Tesla’s shares were down 4.76% today to $475.05 in late-day trading.

(EV sales slumped during first half, even Tesla losing ground despite launch of Model Y.)

Craig Irwin, a Roth Capital Partners analyst who has the equivalent of a ‘hold’ rating on the stock, on Tuesday said the capital raise did not come as a surprise.

Tesla’s Cybertruck is slated to begin production next year: another big expense for the EV maker.

“They will need cash for all the facilities they are building, and new growth initiatives,” Irwin told Reuters.

Other analysts were uncertain if Tesla would actually sell $5 billion in stock, perhaps being comfortable with less. David Whiston, an analyst at Morningstar Research, said he wasn’t certain how much the company would raise, suggesting to Reuters that the automaker doesn’t “need the money right now.”

“I can understand them taking advantage of the stock’s incredible run, but they don’t need the money right now,” Whiston said.

(Tesla announced 5-for-1 stock split; shares rise again.)

Tesla in February had announced plans to raise $2 billion in a stock offering. The company’s market capitalization is around $465 billion. The move pushed Musk’s personal net worth past $100 billion.

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