Community

The Tesla community is a mix of Tesla owners and fans from all around the world. In our experience, it is a caring and friendly community and we love being part of it. In this page, we highlight Tesla community members and share community driven events and initiatives that catch our attention as well as some in which we participated ourselves.

If you'd like to get more involved in the Tesla community, a good way of getting started is joining your local Tesla Owners Club.

Pictures of Tesla Community

Tesla Community: teslabros-team-pic

Blog posts related to Community

Behind the scenes: Jeda

April 3, 2020

We asked 100 Tesla owners some questions including what was their favorite aftermarket accessory, and the most popular accessories mentioned were Jeda’s Wireless Charging Pad and Hub. It can't be a coincidence! Learn more about Jeda and their creative product thinking strategies.

Behind the scenes: TesBros

March 24, 2020

Ji and JP are the ‘bros’ who started TesBros together back in January of 2019. How do they come up with new product ideas? How does their normal product development cycle looks like? And most importantly, why TesBros?

What are the best places to read about Tesla online

November 14, 2019

When I got my Model S, I had no idea where to go to read about Tesla’s updates or about all the things Tesla I still didn’t know I didn’t know. If you’re like me and don't have enough with Tesla's blog, keep reading. I’m sharing with you my top 5 places where to read about Tesla online.

Earth Day EV Ride & Drive in Palo Alto

April 15, 2019

Last Saturday our family spent a really nice morning attending the Earth Day EV Ride & Drive in Palo Alto. I heard about it through the Tesla Owners Silicon Valley group and decided to volunteer some of my time to share with people the wonders of having an electric vehicle.

Videos about Community

Past Tesletter articles

[Video] Model Y - Tesla's Ventilator

Tesla Engineering has published an update on the Tesla ventilator to help hospitals taking care of patients with COVID-19. Amazing to see the Model 3 center display touchscreen, infotainment computer, and vehicle controllers, powering a ventilator. By utilizing car parts Tesla is aiming to not take away from medical supplies. Way to go, Tesla!

From issue #106

2020 Chasing Sunsets Calendar

Megan - we featured a few of her pictures a few issues ago - is releasing a stunning Tesla Model 3 calendar on Kickstarter. If you like Teslas in pretty pictures this one is probably for you!

Read more: Kickstarter

From issue #81

4,800+ mile family road trip from DC to San Francisco

Great post about a long road trip by this family. A total of 4800+ miles driven and $350 spent on charging. They did the trip over 43 days, with 8 days of actual driving. Thank you for sharing!

From issue #234

97 year old in a Tesla

Not new, but I recently ran into this video because the person on the video (the grandfather of the author) passed away a few weeks ago (he was 100 years old!).

From issue #59

A quick tip: rename one of the trips to 'since last rotation'

Smart and easy tip, just rename one of the trips on your Tesla Trip Counter (Controls > Trips) to “since last tire rotation” and, that way, you will have an easy way of remembering when was the last time that you rotated/replaced your tires.

From issue #242

A real-world range simulator using physics

A Reddit user, MotorMatchup, has created this great range simulator, totally worth taking a look at!

From issue #199

AliExpress Turbine Hub Caps for Model 3

According to the author, the quality seems pretty good. The price for the USA is $188, not bad at all, and they look good in the picture.

From issue #229

Automatically open your trunk when you get close to it

If you own an iPhone and an Apple Watch, you can now use Stats App for Tesla to enable a watch face complication and automatically open the trunk or frunk when you approach your car. This will be especially useful when you head to the car with your hands full after groceries. Cool addition!

From issue #285

Awesome garage decor

This Twitter user definitely has great skill and their garage looks amazing.

From issue #205

Best Audio Settings in the Model 3?

A bunch of owners shared their preferred audio settings on this Reddit thread.

From issue #222

CANserver Development

Madmolecule from Tesla Owners online was able to, by tapping into the CAN Bus of their Model 3, display some information in the small screens that he fitted in the vent opening. Really impressive stuff!

From issue #149

Celebrating Tesletter's issue #100

Woohoo! We made it to Tesletter’s issue #100 🎉 It seems like it was yesterday, but it’s been almost two years! It’s been a great journey and one thing that is clear to us is that Tesla not only makes incredible cars but also has the power of bringing together amazing human beings which, together, form a terrific community. The Tesla community is huge and we’re humbled to be part of it 🙏

To celebrate our issue #100, we wanted to pay a little tribute to the community by featuring some stories of its members. Zoom in for a closer look at it ;-)

Read more: Tesletter

From issue #100

Check out this Tarantino-inspired 'Death Proof' Tesla Model 3

Lots of Tesla owners try to make their vehicle unique, Jaimee Newberry has customized her Model 3 to resemble the iconic car from Death Proof.

BTW, if you have a creative child you probably want to check out Jaimme’s project https://picturethisclothing.com/

Read more: Evannex

From issue #73

Connect your Tesla and earn $DIMO rewards in just a couple of easy steps💰

[Sponsored] Access a ton of features surrounding your Tesla’s data, and earn rewards for connecting for free. DIMO does a fantastic job at visualizing car data for several cars in one app for all your cars, not just Teslas! Take advantage of DIMO’s unique resale value tracking to keep a pulse on your car’s value in real-time, right in the app. Learn how to earn $DIMO rewards with your Tesla in just 5 minutes

From issue #263

Correcting the Internet

Four hour charging times, ‘special’ doors that won’t open in tight spaces, and other myths about Tesla cars… explained by Tesla owners. 😎 🤓

From issue #123

DIMO: The Best Digital Companion for your Tesla

DIMO is a secure connected vehicle app specifically for Tesla owners, built by top engineers and designers. It allows you to collect, store, and visualize the data from your vehicle for free - nothing is shared without your permission and they’re working with an active community of developers to build the best apps and services on top of it. They’re building the world’s biggest connected car club - allowing users to pool their data and access better mobility apps, services, and ownership in the network as a whole through the $DIMO token. Join the revolution and connect your vehicle to DIMO!

From issue #217

DIY Protection with Feynlab

[Sponsored] Feynlab’s DIY products follow a regimen: Preparation, Protection, and Maintenance. First Prepare the paint by washing it with Pure Wash, followed by Panel Prep to remove any residual oil or contaminants. Then Protect your Tesla using Ceramic Lite - the easiest coating to apply. Then Maintain the coating with Pure Wash, and if you want that extra touch of protection, follow it up with Ceramic Spray Sealant every couple of months.

From issue #238

Does my vehicle have HW4

Our friends at Teslascope have developed an easy and safe method for determining whether your car has HW4. The main limitation is that the car needs to be linked to your account, which typically doesn’t happen until the day of your delivery, but this is certainly more convenient than trying to figure it out during delivery. Teslascope doesn’t store any of your data while checking this; all data is cleared as soon as you close your browser. If you are awaiting delivery of a new Model Y and are curious about whether it will come with HW4, I recommend trying this page as soon as the vehicle appears in your account.

From issue #274

Double programmed Tesla light show

Love seeing these two Teslas doing a choreography together 😊

From issue #197

Droplock Rear Seat Lock for Model 3

We featured this project a long long time ago, in issue #42 3+ years ago. With these small 3-D printed locks, you can present thieves from pulling down your back seats and reaching on your trunk. 15% of proceeds will go to Razom for Ukraine, thank you Tesbros for bringing these back!

From issue #207

Elon Musk and the early days of Tesla: interview part 1

Our friends from TOSV together with Ryan from The Kilowatts and Eli from My Tesla Adventure had the amazing opportunity of sitting down with Elon for four hours and set the record straight in the early days of Tesla. This is part 1 of the interview.

From issue #219

Elon Musk: A Kid's Book About Inventions

This is what happens when a children’s book author gets a Tesla, you end up with a children’s book about Elon. The illustrations are too cute, we are definitely getting this for our daughters! 💕

From issue #141

Elon Musk: Interview Part 3

Third and final segment of the interview that John, Kelvin, Ryan, and Eli did with Elon. In this one, Elon confirms that the production prototype of the Cybertruck is now closed, talks about FSD, and much more (some Tesla, some not).

From issue #222

Energy graph by elevation

Cool UI prototype of what how an energy graph by elevation could look like. To be clear, the current calculation already takes into account elevation, this is just changing the Y axis to plot the graph based on the elevation, instead of just the percentage of battery left.

From issue #228

Fiber cables installed on a Model Y Performance

I really like the appearance at night. Perhaps I should consider doing the same to my Model Y. The accessory is priced at just $37 and the owner mentioned that the installation wasn’t too difficult, although he had to disassemble some panels to complete it.

From issue #252

Find Tesla inventory cars

Lasse Edvardsen shared with us the site that he created about a year ago that make easier finding Tesla Inventory cars. In his own words “I have a lot of inventory that other inventory sites don’t have. This is especially true for the UK, USA, and Norway.”. Good job Lasse!

See list

From issue #19

First look at Model Y Quicksilver

This Youtuber just stumbled on a Model Y from Gigaberlin with the new (not even out yet) Quicksilver color. Take a look at the video for a full review. The paint and the quality look amazing!

From issue #242

FSD Beta 10.69.3 - First Drive & Impressions

First look into 10.69.3. Maybe it is just my impression after watching this video, but it seems that the car slows closer to the stop and is not way ahead of it, as it did in the previous version. I recommend taking a look at 7:07 to see FSD handling an interesting and confusing situation.

From issue #241

FSD Beta 11.4.4 progress tracker

Twitter user edgecase411 has been maintaining a progress tracker for the various FSD Beta versions. Generally, we can observe numerous improvements across the last four versions. However, in a few areas, FSD Beta still receives rather low scores, such as avoiding driving in blind spots, executing U-turns, and behaving appropriately at yield signs.

From issue #274

FSD Beta request

Really good request from this Redditor. The car could use the navigation voice to let the driver know what is about to do, eg: " Creeping for visibility" “proceeding through turn” “stopping at a stop sign”. Elon, can you add this?

From issue #214

FSD Beta v10.69.2.3 - Unprotected Left Turns

Another video by Chuck, this one with Dr. Know it All. It is amazing how far FSD Beta has come in this specific type of turn. Great work as always, Chuck.

From issue #239

FSDBeta 11.3.1 - Single Stack First Drive

Another great video dropped by @Chazman, this time on the the single stack released with the latest software update. Bigger projected path, deacceleration reflected in the visuals, and overall, quite a few improvements without regressions. For those of you not familiar with the single stack, it refers to the fact that Tesla is now applying everything it has learned in city driving to its Navigation on Autopilot highway feature. Check it out.

From issue #257

German Youtubers build giant tracks on their Tesla

The group of German Youtubers just modified their Model 3 and built giant tracks on it, making it a Model T(ank). The production of this video is excellent and worth watching.

From issue #216

Get notified when the Tesla you want is available

Stéphane, a long-time reader of this newsletter, created a website that allows users to filter through all the available inventory on tesla.com. The standout feature is the ability to set up notifications for when a specific Tesla model becomes available, ensuring you don’t miss out. Do us a favor and check it out!

From issue #279

Giga Texas structural battery pack cover

Munro got their hands on a Made in Texas Model Y and started tearing it down to analyze the changes involved in the structural battery pack. A lot of simplification in these packs compared to before.

From issue #224

Giveaway Alert: Win a 'DeskWedge'

For those of you with the ability to work remotely- and t’s a lot of us right now- can you imagine working from anywhere your Tesla can drive you? This week we’re partnering with ‘ScentWedge’ to present you their latest creation: ‘DeskWedge’, a wooden work surface that is designed for Tesla Model 3 and Model Y and fits perfectly in the center console. Get inspired by watching this video.

Want to win a ‘DeskWedge’? Head to Twitter, RT, and follow to participate! Winners will be announced next Wednesday.

From issue #125

Giveaway Alert: Win a 'Tesla Parking Only' wooden sign

RT and follow @tesletter on Twitter for a chance to win a ‘Tesla Parking Only’ wooden sign to decorate your garage. A fun car deserves fun accessories. We’re giving away 2 signs to 2 lucky WINNERS. Good luck!

From issue #128

Giveaway Alert: Win a copy of 'Elon Musk: A Kid's Book About Inventions'

We’re giving away 3 copies of ‘Elon Musk: A Kid’s Book About Inventions’ a very nice children’s book created by a fellow Tesla owner. Head to Twitter and check out the pinned tweet to learn more about how to participate. We’ll be announcing the winners on Wednesday, Dec. 23rd. Good luck!

From issue #142

Giveaway Alert: Win a lighted T for your Tesla

This week we’re partnering with Evannex to give away a lighted T for your Tesla (you choose the model). Check out pinned tweet to participate. Good luck!

From issue #150

Giveaway Alert: Win a set of mud flaps (2 winners)

Like to drive your Tesla in the snow or in the mud? Or just to protect your baby from road debris? Participate in this week’s giveaway to win a set of mud flaps by Evannex. Check out pinned tweet to enter.

From issue #164

Giveaway Alert: Win a SnapPlate for your Tesla

This week we are partnering with our friends at EveryAmp to give away a SnapPlate front license plate mount for your Tesla (all models available). RT and follow @tesletter on Twitter to participate. The winner will be announced next Wednesday 7/20. Good luck!

From issue #224

Giveaway Alert: Win a Tesla Community Mosaic Puzzle 🧩

The prize of this giveaway is something that quite a few of you have asked for: a puzzle of the Tesla Community Mosaic Poster. Specifically, a 1014 piece puzzle 😱 Check out pinned tweet to participate!

P.S. You can purchase the poster here (we’ll be donating the profits to theTesla Owners of Silicon Valley and Tesla Owners East Bay Clubs). The puzzle is not available to purchase (yet), stay tuned!

From issue #107

Giveaway Alert: Win the original Tesla community poster 📷

This week we’re giving away a print of the original Tesla community poster that we put together to celebrate Tesletter’s issue #100. This has never been available and we only have two copies of it!

Check out pinned tweet to participate!

From issue #115

Grammy award-winning producer Diplo makes beats in his Tesla

The artist Diplo recently shared on Twitter he makes music with TRAX in his Tesla and claimed “you don’t need an expensive studio to make great music… just an expensive car”. True! And Tesla is not just any expensive car, it’s designed for it to offer the most fun that you can have in a car 😎

From issue #149

Great job fellow Tesla owners👏👏👏

As part of what is now a tradition, a lot of fellow owners used their free time to go to a Tesla delivery center and talk to folks waiting to pick up their Teslas on the last day of the year. As an example of these owners’ dedication, TeslaRaj spent six hours on New Year’s Eve giving orientations to new owners until he lost his voice and had to go home. Good job folks ❤️

P.S. Thank you to all who shared the ‘New owner orientation guide PDF’ we put together.

From issue #92

Happy Cyber Rodeo

Many Tesla owners and supporters are today in Austin to celebrate the new Giga Austin with a big party. Everyone, have fun and tweet lots of pictures and videos!

From issue #210

Help us with some 💚 messages?

It’s the end of the quarter, and @tesla service centers are crazy busy. This Saturday we’ll be delivering donuts in San Jose as part of @teslaownersSV. We want to collect positive thoughts from the community, print them, and deliver altogether. We’re sure the Tesla employees will really appreciate this! Help us with some 💚 messages? Shoot us an email!

From issue #65

Holiday gift ideas for Tesla owners

One more year, we’ve gone through our favorite list of gadgets, apparel items, and all sorts of fun items, and have put together this holiday gift guide for Tesla owners and enthusiasts. Some of the brands that we love are also offering discounts during the holidays, check them below. I hope you like our ideas for the Tesla lover in your life!

From issue #142

How much could you make by hosting your car on Turo?

Our friends from The Kilowatts have put together a deep dive with the most common questions as well as some of their revenue numbers after renting their cars for 350 trips on Turo. This is a must-watch if you are considering renting on Turo or wondering how it works.

From issue #174

How these Teslas made $45,000 in 2021

The Kilowatts purchased these two Model 3s exactly a year ago, and they have rented them for $45k. Take a look at the video to know more about how the different trims and capabilities rent for on Turo.

From issue #200

How to use Tesla car wash mode

Chuck Cook doesn’t only make videos of tricky unprotected left turns, he also uses his YouTube channel to educate people about Tesla and Tesla features. In this video, Chuck describes how to use Car Wash Mode. In this mode, your car disables auto wipers, walk-away door locking, parking sensor chimes, puts the car in neutral, and a few more things.

From issue #278

Human side of Tesla Autopilot

Professor Lex Fridman -we published one of his surveys a while ago- just released his paper on driver functional vigilance during Tesla Autopilot.

Read paper

From issue #54

Imagining Tesla's blind spot camera

Greentheonly imagines what the Tesla blind spot camera ‘should be’. What do you think?

From issue #196

In Memoriam: Erin Carroll

We’re sorry to report the loss of Erin Carroll this past June. Erin was a member of TOSV, a former Tesla employee and was very active in the Women of Tesla group in Gigafactory One. Outside of Tesla-related events, Erin was also very active in the Berkeley Dragon Boat racing team (DragonMax).

We join her family in mourning Erin’s passing.

From issue #234

Interested in a Model X? My friend's might be what you were looking for

My good friend Jose, the first subscriber to Tesletter and the person whose referral code I used for our Model S in 2017, is looking to transfer the lease of his December 2022 Model X seven-seater. This is a great opportunity, as it offers around 21 months of driving the Model X without any down payment, taxes, or fees, at a monthly rate of $1,594. For comparison, leasing a new one with the same configuration for 24 months would cost approximately $1,912 per month. The car is in pretty good condition, and Jose is a fantastic person. Check out the pictures!

From issue #307

Interested in subscribing to Tidal? See how to save some $$

Our friend, Dan Burkland, kindly shared a helpful tip on Twitter. If you choose to subscribe to Tidal through Best Buy and opt for their annual plan, you will be able to enjoy savings of $39.89 on the HiFi Tier and an even larger savings of $119.89 on the HiFi Plus Tier. For more information and instructions, be sure to check out the Twitter thread.

From issue #252

Join hundreds of EV enthusiast in EVs and Tea in Miami

Next February 8th, Evannex, MyEV, and InsideEVs are organizing what is going to be the biggest EV event on the East Coast. Some of the guests include Trevor Page from Tesla Owners Online, Rafael Santoni (aka Teslatino), and Michael Bodner (aka Teslatunity). You can’t miss it!

Read more: EVs & Tea event page

From issue #95

Join your local Tesla Owner club

Local Tesla Owner Clubs are great resources for folks as well as for helping Tesla- at least in some locations- with deliveries. Local clubs usually do meetups, help with events like Earth Day, and in general help accelerating the world’s transition to sustainable energy. I personally know the folks who run three of the clubs in my area (Silicon Valley, San Francisco, and East Bay) and the one in South Florida, and I can say they are all amazing human beings who use their personal time (and money) to help other Tesla owners. If you don’t know about your local Tesla Owner Club yet, I recommend a search here. And if there isn’t one in your area, maybe you can be the one starting it!

Read more: Tesla

From issue #95

June 15th price increases

Changes are:

  • Model 3 LR - $2k increase, now $58k
  • Model Y LR - $3k increase, now $66k
  • Model Y Performance - $2k increase, now $70k
  • Model X - $6k increase, now $121k
  • Model S - $5k increase, now $105k
From issue #221

Last chance: Win a Tesla Model Y Performance and $10k

Visit charitystars.com/tesletter, enter the sweepstakes now, and get 1,000 free entries with promo code TESLETTER. Donations will support the Jamie Kimble Foundations for Courage’s mission to end intimate partner violence.

From issue #193

Lego Tesla Center

Lego Ideas is a website where users can submit ideas for Lego sets. If an idea receives 10,000 supporters, it stands a chance of being produced as an official Lego product. The original designer receives 1% of the royalties from the sale of the set. An awesome set of a Tesla Center was proposed by a Tesla owner, and it can be supported on the website. Consider giving it your support!

From issue #259

Library of Custom Tesla Lock Sounds

The Redditor Matt-SW has created a library of custom Tesla Lock Sounds, currently featuring 51 sounds. He even has a form for requesting new ones if you want him to create a specific sound for you. Do you currently have a favorite one? Let us know!

From issue #301

Life with Model 3

Tesla has created this page as a way of showing future owners how much fun current owners have with their cars. Here’s a couple of cool videos:

From issue #82

Like Tesletter? Support our newsletter 🙏

We recently celebrated Tesletter’s 3 year anniversary and it seems as it was only yesterday when we decided to start with it! It’s been a great ride and we couldn’t be happier to be part of the Tesla community and contributing with our selection of curated content every week. If you like what we do and would like to support our project, go check out our Patreon page. Thank you for reading every week <3

From issue #159

Look at this beauty!

People take amazing pictures of their cars but Megan Gale’s are next level, look at her amazing pics!

From issue #65

Model 3 Owners Club is organizing test drives for potential new buyers

The Model 3 Owners Club is facilitating test drives/rides for potential new buyers with existing owners on their forum. When the referral program went away a few weeks ago a lot of people thought that it was the end of Tesla owners helping each other, they couldn’t have been more wrong! If you are a Model 3 Owner and want to help, add yourself to the map in the link below.

Thank you Model 3 Owners community and thanks Trev!

See more: Model 3 Owners Club Forum

From issue #49

Model Y towing a 20 ft, 4,300 lbs Airstream

At 65mph on the interstate, they averaged about 600 Wh/mile and about 650 Wh/mile at 70mph. At those consumption rates, a full charge will only last for125 miles. Notice: the 4,300 lbs is more than what Tesla says you can town with a Y.

From issue #216

Modified Cybertruck on the snow

A couple of weeks ago, we shared a picture of a Cybertruck on snow tracks. This week, we were lucky enough to see a sneak peek video of what the owner calls the CyberTrax. It looks like a beast effortlessly navigating through the snow.

From issue #306

MoreTesla, tracking feature requests for Tesla

Fred, a fellow member of the Tesla Silicon Valley group, has created this fantastic site to keep track of the feature requests for Tesla. Putting it up on his words “There are of course already several Tesla forums out there, but none seem to be able to keep folks on track. When the occasional feature request thread is started, 3-4 messages in the thread has usually derailed. So I set out explicitly to not create yet another forum. By limiting comments to one pretty issue and tearing them as optional explanations or clarifications, I’ve had good success keeping folks on message, i.e. kind of the opposite of YouTube comments :)”

Good job Fred!

Read more: MoreTesla

From issue #51

My Tesla Garage

Some folks have really dope garages, after posting a nice picture on Reddit, I got this video from TeslaQuadCities:

From issue #93

New iOS 16 Shortcuts have been updated to use personal hotspot on/off

Great trip by this Redditor, if you are one of those who rely on the personal hotspot instead of paying for Premium Data Connectivity, with the shortcuts in iOS 16 you can enable/disable the hotspot when your phone gets in or out of driving mode.

From issue #234

New web app answers your Tesla questions using car manual

Check out this super handy web app developed by the creator of Stats App for Tesla. It answers all your Tesla-related questions using the car manual in a clear and concise manner. Now, you can get all the details you need without sifting through the entire manual. A real time-saver, wouldn’t you agree?​

From issue #268

Paying off my 2023 Tesla Model 3 using Uber

This Redditor is driving for Uber 12-15 hours per week and made $415.85 in his first week of driving. What do you think?

From issue #275

Protect your car with Feynlab Ceramic Coating

Made in the US, their products are available in 25+ countries, and they currently support over 150 installers in the US. Check them out (and request a free consultation).

From issue #214

Prototype: Stop leaving your blinkers on

The folks from delete published another great UI prototype, this time trying to solve drivers leaving their blinkers on by accident.

From issue #207

Real-life charging: 83 miles with 5 min of charging in a Model 3 Performance

This test was conducted at a v3 Supercharger and resulted in the car’s battery level increasing from 4% to 27% in just 5 minutes. With the increased battery capacity, the owner was able to travel 83 miles in real-world conditions, which is quite impressive.

From issue #252

Redesigned instrument panel UI

Reddit user u/jentheunicorns proposed a nice looking redesign for the instrument panel that includes flexible viewing modes. Personally, I think it looks much more consistent and I love the idea of the different sizes.

From issue #145

Repeater glare and how to fix it

Good to see the issue explained and a fix, although I’m not brave enough to try this out 😓.

From issue #201

Ride The Lightning episode #200

Ryan McCaffrey has been recording his podcast (Ride The Lightning) for about 4 years. For his episode #200 he was able to pull an interview with Elon Musk himself. I highly recommend you to listen to the podcast, Ryan does a fantastic job at moving the interview along while letting Elon have thoughful answers. You can tell by the interview that Ryan’s full time job includes interviewing people and he is really good at it.

Listen to the podcast: Ride The Lightning

From issue #62

Running the heat for at least an hour solves the problem of air conditioning smelling bad for many people

I haven’t personally verified this, but if you have the problem of a smelly smell coming out of your HVAC and you don’t want to keep replacing your filters, seems that running the heat at the highest setting for a few hours eliminates the odor. If you try, let us know the results.

From issue #224

Sentry Mode's headlights pulse

With the recent 2023.2 update, Sentry now emits a gradual pulse of the headlights instead of fully blinding anyone who passes in front of the car. A Reddit user uploaded a video of the improved experience, which is much better than before. However, I still hope that in the future, I will be able to disable the activation of the headlights when Sentry is on and someone walks in front of my car.

From issue #252

Slack community for Tesla Owners

Check it out to chat with other tesla owners and don’t forget to join your your city’s channel

Slack channel

From issue #26

Some feature requests to improve winter ownership

Here is a cool list of improvements for Teslas in cold weather, would you like to see other stuff in there?

From issue #154

Starman Docking with the International Space Station 📹

We really enjoyed this short video and want more (Eli gives us more!). Luckily for us (and for you after you watch the video), this is the Episode 2 of The Adventures of Starman: Big Oil Strikes Back! and the comic is available here.

Watch video: YouTube

From issue #115

Step by Step Guide on How to Fix Minor Scratches on your Tesla for under $20

Our friend Ji, from Tesbros, just released a great guide on how to fix minor scratches in your Tesla (or any other vehicle) for as low as $20. Thanks for the tips, Ji!

From issue #152

Submit your pictures for our community mosaic poster by March 31st

Thank you to everyone who is sharing pics of their cars with us for the community mosaic poster. Quick update on that:

  • We’re going to be collecting images to be included in the mosaic until 3/31
  • The poster should be available to purchase online on 4/2

If you already submitted a picture or were in the first mosaic, no need to resend :)

Submit your pictures

From issue #103

Support Tesletter on Patreon

As you may or may not know, Tesletter is a small family business run by Ignacio (@plunchete) and Vanessa (@deepbane). We love putting together this letter every week and if you like it too and feel like supporting us, you can do that through our Patreon page. We’re beyond grateful for our subscribers and we are humbled that people read this newsletter, just thank you! 🙏

From issue #141

Support Tesletter on Patreon

As you may or may not know, Tesletter is a small family business run by Ignacio (@plunchete) and Vanessa (@deepbane). We’re getting close to 200 newsletters sent and couldn’t be happier about what the journey of putting together this newsletter has brought to us.

If you like what we do and feel like supporting us, you can do that through our Patreon page. We’re beyond grateful for our subscribers and we are humbled that people read this newsletter, thank you! 🙏

From issue #196

Support Tesletter, become our Patron

Tesletter is free but if you like what we do, please consider supporting our efforts becoming our Patron. There is a lot of effort that goes into creating Tesletter, becoming one of Tesletter’s Patrons is a small gesture that certainly helps us. As a plus, you’ll also get access to our mobile app.

From issue #108

Taking care of our Superchargers - Way to go TOSJV!

From the San Joaquin Valley club leadership: “Members of the area have agreed to donate their time to the disposal. Going forward all cans will have the club website QR code. That can be used to join our club or email us if a can is full.” Please support your local Tesla Owner Clubs 🙏 You can find a list of clubs (and contact information) here.

From issue #128

Tesla AI Day, Optimus, Dojo with James Douma

If the three-and-a-half presentation wasn’t enough, here is another hour-and-a-half-long video of Dave Lee and James Douma analyzing the stuff presented during AI day. Jame’s insights are always great, thank you for the video.

From issue #237

Tesla Autonomy Day

Tesla spent almost four hours on Monday presenting to investors the current state of FSD. Luckily for the rest of us, the event was livestreamed.

Tesla covered their hardware, the famous HW3 designed in-house; their software, including an intro to NNs by Andreij Karpathy; and their future plans for a robo-taxi fleet. Honestly, the presentation was deeply technical and it didn’t seemed addressed to investors that much. If you are the type of person who likes learning about the nerdy details I encourage you to watch the entire presentation, it’s really worthy.

From issue #56

Tesla car price history

Fantastic spreadsheet tracking the price change of all the different Tesla products, cars, software, and energy, in the USA. Thank you to whoever maintains this spreadsheet, great work!

From issue #198

Tesla community members helping with the fight against COVID-19

There are people everywhere trying to do everything they can to fight Covid-19 and the Tesla community is no exception. We wanted to highlight a few Tesla community members (who we happen to know personally or well) who are making exceptional contributions to help support Covid-19 patients and hospitals taking care of them 👏

From issue #106

Tesla Diner, Drive-in renders

This Twitter user created some impressive renders based on the filed permits. What do you think? He included a bunch of easter eggs as well.

From issue #220

Tesla Full Self-Driving Beta 10.69.3 in San Francisco

Great night drive video by Whole Mars Catalog, with good narration. The car definitely seems much more calm and smooth.

From issue #241

Tesla LEGO Cybertruck

Trevor, from Tesla Owners Online, updated his designed of the Tesla LEGO Cybertruck to be a bit longer. Read the post for a Bricklink Want List that you can use to get all the parts you need as well as some cool pictures, and a PDF with the instructions. Thank you Trevor!

From issue #147

Tesla Light Show repository

Are you creating your own light show? Do you want to find others to download to your car? A repository of all the light shows from the community. Anyone can contribute!

From issue #196

Tesla Model S Plaid sets quarter-mile record: 8.83 seconds at 161mph

To achieve the 8.83 seconds, the owner did “some serious weight reduction while keeping full stock exterior appearance, door handles, and windows/power windows.”

From issue #220

Tesla Model S Plaid Teardown

Here is the playlist with the full teardown. 4 videos of Sandy Munro’s teardown of the Model S 🍿

From issue #201

Tesla multi-car synchronized custom Light Show sequence

Simply an awesome video of 5 cars with a totally synchronized light show 🕺💃

From issue #200

Tesla now allows you to vote every 3 months on Supercharger locations

As we mentioned last week, Tesla has implemented a new system where they select new stations based on popular vote. According to “Not a Tesla App,” Tesla will be counting votes every three months to decide the best locations for the new Superchargers, in addition to the strategic locations that they choose to open.

From issue #249

Tesla owner hits 1 million miles (1.609 million km) in his 2013 Model S

Impressive mileage! The owner is in his fourth rear motor and fourth battery pack, still impressive tho.

From issue #221

Tesla Owners California Takeover

Attend the largest Tesla event in North America on August 6, 2022, in San Luis Obispo, California. This event will feature a panel of the most influential YouTubers in the Tesla space, educational sessions, customized Teslas with original roadsters along with activities for kids. A must attend to hang out with other community members from all over North America.

From issue #213

Tesla Owners California Takeover @ August 6

The largest event for Tesla owners, organized by most (all?) owner clubs in California, is back in 2022 at the Madinna Inn in San Luis Obispo. Judging from the pictures of the event in 2021, attendees had a bast, and this year Elon even mentioned that he and the Cybertruck might do an appearance. Early bird tickets are now available for $30.

From issue #205

Tesla Parade Guinness World Record Attempt

Calling all Tesla owners in the Southeast of the US: Participate in the longest Tesla parade, be part of a new Guinness World record, and help raise awareness to fight human trafficking. Save the date: December 12, 2020.

From issue #130

Tesla Shareholders Meeting 2019

As you know, we don’t write about Tesla stock but this week we attended the Shareholders Meeting and wrote about it since they shared a bunch of information about Tesla’s current plans and future roadmap. Also, we were able to see the Model Y, the new Roadster, the Semi, and the first production Model S in person and OMG they are 🔥🔥🔥 We took a few pictures too!

Read our write up and see more pics!

From issue #63

Tesla Takeover 2022

Several Tesla owners clubs in California put together the largest Tesla owners even in North America earlier this month. Here is a great video of the event, showing known faces. The event had over 2,300 attendees and 50 exhibitors.

From issue #229

Tesla Takeover 2023

Tesla Owners Silicon Valley, along with other clubs, is hosting the biggest Tesla meetup of the year at the Madonna Inn in San Luis Obispo, CA on July 29th and 30th. This is the third year for the event, which features Maye Musk as a confirmed speaker and promises to be a celebration of all things Tesla. Early bird tickets cost $55 for both days for attendees aged 18+.

From issue #261

Tesla Takeover 2023

Tesla enthusiasts should mark their calendars for Tesla Takeover 2023, a two-day community event on July 29-30 showcasing all things Tesla including car displays, tech talks, test drives, and a keynote by Maye Musk. Highlights include acceleration and driving tests, contests for best custom Teslas, exhibits of rare EVs, activities for the kids, food, and live music.

The ultimate Tesla owners event will take place from 10 am-4 pm at the Fields at Madonna Inn in San Luis Obispo, California. Don’t miss out!

From issue #275

Tesla to host Autonomy Investor Day

“Tesla will host investors on the morning of April 19th at our headquarters in Palo Alto to provide a deep dive into our self-driving technology and road map.” Tesla, if you are listening, we are investors and would love to attend! You can send us our invite to [email protected]

Read more: Tesla

From issue #53

Tesla updates Model 3 taillights in North America to add amber turn signals

In one of the latest additions to North American Model 3s, Tesla just updated the tail light design for the Model 3 Performance and it now comes with amber turn signals. As a European, I can say that amber turn signals make it much easier to see than red ones, also one less piece to switch between geos for Tesla.

From issue #242

Tesla voice commands list updated

It had been a while since this app had been updated. We get it, life happens! But it’s updated now and it’s got to 170 voice commands, wow!

From issue #135

TeslaRideFinder.com is looking for volunteer Tesla owners

TeslaRideFinder.com is a brand-new, enthusiast supported website designed to allow anyone interested in a Tesla to arrange a test ride from a nearby volunteer owner. There is no charge to either owners or buyers to use this site.

As we all know, almost everyone who ever rides in a Tesla wants to own one for themselves. Tesla only has showrooms in about half of all US states and even in states which do have a showroom, large segments of the population live a considerable distance away from that showroom. TeslaRideFinder.com tries to alleviate this problem by signing up volunteer owners who share the desire to convert the world to sustainable transportation and who would be willing to occasionally go for a test ride and spend a brief amount of time answering questions about Teslas and electric vehicles in general.

Of course, when the new Tesla buyer purchases a Tesla using your referral code, you earn 1,000 free Supercharger miles under the Tesla referral program currently in effect.

For a limited time, Tesla Ride Finder is also offering a $50 bonus to all volunteer owners whose test rides result in the purchase of new Teslas.

Read more: TeslaRideFinder

From issue #94

Tesletter's issue #100 mosaic poster is happening. Submit your pictures!

After a few of you gave us the idea on Twitter, we’ve decided to make it happen. We’re going to extend the mosaic with more pictures (submit yours here!) and make the poster available for purchasing online soon.

This poster represents the Tesla community, that is why we’re planning on donating the profits to our local Tesla Owners clubs @teslaownersSV and @TeslaOwnersEBay.

More on where to purchase the poster soon!

Submit your pictures here

From issue #101

The Adventures of Starman: Inspiring children and adults to dream about a better future (Sponsor)

If you’re a fan of SpaceX and Tesla and you don’t know The Adventures of Starman, what are you waiting for? Created by Eli Burton, his illustrations and pictures are out of this world- like, really! You can follow Starman’s travels and causes on Twitter and Instagram @reallifestarman. If you’re lucky enough, you may even be able to meet him in real life!

By purchasing these comics you will be supporting a small business that it’s all about inspiring children and adults to dream about a better future. Check out their online store with comics, t-shirts, posters, and more!

If you would like to sponsor Tesletter, please let me know!

From issue #109

The Best Companion App For Your Tesla

DIMO is a simple, beautiful app that allows you to collect and store all the data from your Tesla for free. They’re building an ecosystem of services to help you save money and get the most out of your car, and early adopters can earn rewards just for contributing data. Sign up today - it takes less than 1 minute to get started!

From issue #222

The Tesla community mosaic poster is here

5 issues and 400 pictures later, our Tesla community mosaic poster is here. The poster is available to purchase online starting today. Profits will be donated to @teslaownersSV and @TeslaOwnersEBay.

Thank you to everyone who has participated submitting their pictures (I hope we haven’t missed anyone in the credits list, but if we have, please let us know!).

If you would like to sponsor Tesletter, please letme know by replying to this email!

From issue #105

Their Tesla kept this family from freezing last night

A lot is said about EVs and catastrophes, in particular, uninformed people like to make fun of what would happen to an EV when the power goes out. Well, this family in Texas (infant included) was able to warm themselves up in their Tesla when their power- and main way of heating their home- went out for six hours. The temperature outside was in the single (Fahrenheit) digits 🥶

From issue #151

They won a Tesla Model Y through the referral program!

We’ve heard about a couple of winners of the Model Y via the referral program before, but this time our friend @Tesla_Raj has interviewed a couple who won and received a free Model Y, cool!

From issue #126

Tired of tripping over the cable

I love seeing people’s clever charging setups, thank you for sharing!

From issue #203

TOO Podcast Episode 105

Sandy Munro joins the folks from the Tesla Owners Online podcast for an episode. He talks about his background and Tesla.

From issue #172

TOSV founder talks about the latest FSD update

Our good friend John from Tesla Owners Silicon Valley was featured in an article talking about the club and the latest FSD Beta update. John has been one of the few people who have publicly been testing the FSD Beta and has put a bunch of videos out there to show the rest of us what the beta is capable of.

From issue #151

TWraps, DIY PPF wraps for your Tesla

Have I said before that I love how many entrepreneurs are there in the Tesla Community? Our really good friend, and also the first Tesla referral that we ever had, recently replaced his Model 3 P with a refreshed Model S Long Range. After not finding great options to protect his new car, he decided to start his own business selling DIY PPF and vinyl kits for the new Model S and is now extending the products to the rest of the cars. Take a look and support one of us!

Get 15% off TWraps with the code TESLETTER

From issue #184

UI concept with gestures

Do you remember the v11 UI prototype that we shared last week? The same author has created this prototype adding gestures to the screen. Too bad that the car screen has support for gestures (I think!), although maybe they could use the camera for them.

From issue #201

Unlock your car with your Apple Watch as you approach it

I believe this should be a feature of the official app, but until then, if you use Stats App or were thinking about doing so, they have just added this feature. It works via Bluetooth, so you don’t need the internet, tap on anything, or launch the app.

From issue #259

Updating all cars at the same time

Anyone else is thinking of the movie I, Robot?

From issue #150

Use your Apple Watch as a key to the car

Stats App for Tesla allows you to use your Apple Watch as a key for your Tesla. It operates via Bluetooth, so no internet or phone connection is required for it to function. The Stats App offers a 7-day trial and I highly recommend giving it a try if you own an iPhone. In my opinion, the app is well worth subscribing to.

From issue #250

Used Tesla checklist: what to look for before buying

Great list, video, and PDF checklist from our friends at Tesbros for those of you (or your friends) looking into purchasing a used Tesla. Go take a look!

From issue #235

Using your Galaxy Watch 4 (Non-LTE) as an NFC Key for your Tesla

This Reddit user was able to configure his Galaxy Watch 4 to work as a key card and unlock the car. He shared detailed instructions here.

From issue #206

V11 UI concept

A Tesla fan and designer published a concept design for the V11 quick actions bar. One of the cool things about it is that you can add any settings to it. I know that Elon said that almost all input is an error, but I like the ability to set up my shortcuts the way I want 😊

From issue #199

Video recap from the EVs and Tea event

If you weren’t able to make it to the EVs and Tea event last month- the largest EV event on the east coast- check out this recap and video published by Evannex. Lots of electric vehicles, lots of familiar faces, and lots of fun.

From issue #102

We attended the Earth Day EV Ride & Drive in Palo Alto

Last Saturday our family spent a really nice morning attending the Earth Day EV Ride & Drivin Palo Alto. I heard about it through the Tesla Owners Silicon Valley group and decided to volunteer some of my time to share with people the wonders of having an electric vehicle. Meanwhile, our girls had fun in the park, dancing, playing, and learning new things about how to better take care of our planet.

Read more: Tesletter

From issue #55

What if Teslas knew about the weather?

Third prototype from ‘deleet’, really cool stuff! Would you use something like this?

From issue #202

Whoever did this, thank you for being awesome

Nice gesture at a busy Supercharger. Thank you u/infinite-dark for sharing.

Read more: Reddit

From issue #100

Why AWD Teslas are superior in the winter?

AWD Teslas have an edge in winter not just due to better traction but also for their faster battery preconditioning for Supercharging. Dual-motor configurations in models like the Model 3 and Model Y enable more efficient battery heating, as they can generate more heat than single-motor versions. This leads to quicker battery warm-up, thus faster Supercharging in cold conditions – a clear advantage over RWD variants.

From issue #306

Win a Tesla Model S Plaid

Visit charitystars.com/tesletter, enter the sweepstakes now, and get 250 free entries with promo code TESLETTER. Donations will support One Tree Planted, a charity whose mission is to help the environment by planting trees.

From issue #208

World record for the largest Tesla light show: 687 Teslas

Cool to see the show, really impressive having so many Teslas in one place performing the same light show and perfectly synchronized. Nice job!

From issue #292

You can get a piece of the famous Truckla and help #BlackLivesMatter 📷

Simone (@SimoneGiertz) is auctioning spare parts of her Truckla and will be donating all the proceeds to @Blklivesmatter and various bail funds. This community is awesome and this is just another proof of it 🖤

From issue #114

Your chance to help delivery happiness this Christmas (for SV Tesla Owners)

There is an opportunity to help out with Q4/year end delivery push at the SF Van Ness location. The Tesla Owners of Silicon Valley have been invited by Tesla to help. All you have to do is:

  1. Sign up to be a member at https://www.teslasiliconvalley.com (you have to be in the club to volunteer)
  2. Grab a slot on this sign-up sheet once you’re signed up

If you are not in the Bay Area and want to help just contact your local Tesla store and see how you can help in the last big push of the year!

From issue #38