Episode 530: What Panasonic's Next-Gen Battery Means for Tesla

On this week's episode of Ride The Lightning, the Tesla and EV podcast, Panasonic is working on a next-gen battery cell that could bring serious improvements to Tesla vehicles. But how will Tesla choose to utilize it? Plus, more details are seemingly unearthed about the upcoming more affordable Model Y, Nissan pulls one of its EVs from the US market and more.

What's happening, friends? I'm Ryan McCaffrey, joining you for episode 530 of Ride The Lightning, the weekly Tesla and EV podcast. This one's publishing on September 28th, 2025, but I am recording a bit extra early this week.

It is Thursday evening, as I sit down to record this, and the reason for that is I will be traveling to Los Angeles tomorrow, because on Saturday, I will be at the Los Angeles Comic Con checking off a career bucket list item.

I get to interview one of the co-creators of Grand Theft Auto, which is obviously probably the biggest video game franchise period with the, you can make the case for Call of Duty,

but Call of Duty comes around every year, GTA is far, far, far less often, and when GTA hits, it's always just a, not just a video game moment, but a true pop culture moment.

Anyway, it's the house or brothers, Dan and Sam that started Rockstar and helped build Grand Theft Auto into what it is.

I've never in my 20 now, just about 23 year career had the opportunity to interview either one, and I am getting to sit down with Dan Hauser.

He left Rockstar, started his own company not too long ago, so he's kind of out promoting that, talking about that, he's got a new graphic novel.

So yes, I am excited for that, and that will be on Saturday.

So that's again, I'm recording Thursday night, come out to LA, if you're in LA, come on out to the LA Comic Con, if you're interested in checking out that panel, but if not, it's also being live streamed on IGN.com as well over at my day job.

I guess even making that invitation would only apply to Patreon backers hearing this episode early, because by the time this episode goes out wide on Sunday, the interview will have already happened.

But anyway, I'm leaving Friday afternoon, so I wanted to get the podcast out prior to getting on the plane, just in case anything with my travel were to go sideways.

And as always, when I do record earlier than normal, I'll let you know that if I miss anything, any news on Friday that I would normally have been able to cover and get into the podcast, I will ask you to please accept my apologies, and I will cover it on next week's episode.

Now, speaking of next week's episode, we will get the Q3 production and delivery numbers for episode 531 next week, and at least as far as I'm concerned, these will be some of the most eagerly anticipated quarterly numbers, at least in quite some time, if not ever, in Tesla's history, just given the very unique circumstances around this quarter and the sunsetting of the EV tax credit.

Which speaking of that, the $7,500 federal EV tax credit has gotten, I guess you could call it a sort of stay of execution a little bit.

Tesla's Raj Yaganathan posted on X this week saying, a simple breakdown based on the latest IRS guidelines, and he wrote, if you lease, you must order and take delivery by September 30th for the credit to be factored into your payments.

And then for financing or cash payments, he says, you can order by September 30th and take delivery later. Keep in mind, he says that eligibility is subject to any future changes in IRS guidelines best to order now and take delivery at the earliest possible moment.

So Raj is on Tesla's, his profile says he's kind of on a bunch of teams, but he is a verified Tesla employee so we can take this with some good certainty here.

Now, I acknowledge that I'm not sure how helpful that information will be to anyone at this point since we are very much in the 11th hour, but I wanted to pass it along just in case it might be.

I mean, if it helps literally one person listening to this, then it's worth me taking a moment to mention it here. I guess maybe where it might come into play most is if any of you are taking delivery right here at the end of the quarter from an order you've already placed, just in case something happens and you're not able to take delivery of it by September 30th, it looks like you've got just a little bit of breathing room there.

So maybe that'll that'll help put your mind at ease.

Next up is we get warmed up on as always another busy week of Tesla and EV news. Tesla has reactivated the referral program discounts.

This phase of it will allow for $500 off of a Model 3 or Model Y for anybody that orders one with a referral link or $1000 off of a Model S Model X

or Cybertruck that's ordered with a referral discount. No matter the vehicle, the person doing the referring, in other words, the person's link that you're using, they will get $250 of Tesla credit, either way, whether it's a 3 or Y or an SX or Cybertruck.

And if you are buying and want to, well, first of all, just make sure that you do so with someone's referral link. I encourage you to find a friend, a family member, a coworker, and use theirs.

I would offer mine, but mine says, in fact, I'm going to just make sure right now. Mine says, let's see, yeah, Ryan's referral limit has been reached.

So mine is not available. And if you just, if you just need one, if you don't have anybody in your life, you could always stop by my Patreon page at patreon.com slash Tesla podcast.

And in the community section of my Patreon page, you could ask for somebody's link in there, but wanted to pass that along again, because $800 bucks off or $1000 bucks off on an SX or Cybertruck, that's good money right there. Take the discount if you happen to be planning to order a Tesla anytime soon.

Now next up, maybe just maybe we won't have to wait for the holiday update as I have feared to get full self driving version 14 into our cars.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk posted on X this past week saying, quote, version 14.0 goes into early wide release next week, meaning this week, as you're hearing this, then 14.1 about two weeks later, and finally 14.2.

The car will feel almost like it is a sentient being by 14.2. So hopefully some of you will be included in at least the 14.1 push.

I have to at least assume for the time being until proven otherwise that 14.0 is going to go out to a pretty small circle of Tesla community members, probably that initial group of influencer, FSD beta testers, but 14.1 hopefully will find its way into some of your cars.

Again, let's see, call it about three weeks from now if 14.0 is going to start to get out this week to the first group. So two to three weeks for 14.1 for hopefully some of you and then roughly if I guess if nothing terrible is discovered and needs to be fixed, 14.2 in roughly a month from now for the bulk of us.

Which means beginning of November or so is a, again, don't put any bets on that in Vegas, but hopefully right around the beginning of Halloween or the beginning of November, if all goes well.

Because as always, we just, we want to be cautious when we're getting excited about FSD timelines because we've, we've all seen how this goes. These are very difficult problems that Tesla's trying to solve.

And there's a lot of scrutiny on every version of FSD, especially the better it gets, the more scrutiny there is on it.

And speaking of FSD, I wanted to follow up on last week's discussion about FSD version 14 in this week's Patreon poll, which I will say was posted well before Elon's post on X saying that 14.0 will go out to the initial, initial wide release this week.

Maybe these results have been tilted by that. I'm not sure because when I had looked at the results of this poll a day or two ago, the top two choices were dead even.

And now the yes, it will arrive by the time the holiday update is released has surged way ahead. But the question was, do you think FSD version 14 will arrive in our cars by the time the holiday update is released?

49% of the 286 votes this week, at least as of this recording, said yes, it will arrive by the time the holiday update is released and it's certainly looking more like that will indeed be the case.

35% of you who again voted prior to Elon's post there were a little less optimistic, maybe a little more cautious saying no, it's going to slip into 2026.

8% of you said I'm in a country where FSD still hasn't rolled out yet, so I'd love any version of FSD please.

3% said undecided and 5% chose the just show me the results option. But thank you very much to everybody that took the time to stop by my Patreon page this week and to cast your vote in this week's Patreon poll, which again every Patreon poll is free to anyone.

You do not have to be supporting me in any way on Patreon just swing on by again it's patreon.com slash Tesla podcast the new poll typically goes up on Tuesday evenings, so cruise on by and cast your vote.

Next up this week more appetizers, a lot of little stories to get the podcast going this week before I get to the few bigger ones.

If you bought a 2025 model S or model X this year, meaning in the first several months of the year, not the 2026 model year mini refresh, but still purchased that car this year.

So in other words you bought it recently, but it's not the mini refresh, it's a 2025 model that you bought in 2025.

You now have an option to upgrade to the Lux package that as I've talked about in the podcast Tesla is now force bundling into all of the 2026 S's and X's.

The catch though is in order to have the option to upgrade to that Lux package, you have to have already purchased FSD in order to be eligible.

If that's you, if you did buy FSD, you have the option to pay $2,000 to get the rest of the Lux package, which most notably includes free lifetime super charging for as long as you own that car.

Not transferable to the next owner, et cetera, but just as long as you have it, free lifetime super charging or I suppose free meaning $2,000 and then you get as much super charging as you want.

You will also get free premium connectivity for the duration of your ownership of that vehicle and four years of premium service.

So the windshield protection plan, the tire and wheel protection plan, et cetera.

And so if you're wondering if your car is eligible, you probably know already because you should have already received a message in your Tesla app about it.

And if that's you, you've got until October 19th, so basically a month from the time the message was sent roughly to purchase that upgrade.

I for one would love for Tesla to offer this to Model 3 and Model Wilders.

They'd have to offer the Lux package at all first, which as I've said previously, I of course wouldn't want them to force bundle it, but if they just offered it as an option for 3 and Y buyers, that'd be great.

For me, as you all know, I bought FSD with, well, both car, well, actually technically I didn't order it with the first one I added it later, but I did order it with my new one.

And if I could spend $2,000 more to get free lifetime super charging and free premium connectivity, that for me would be worth it because I plan to keep this car for at least 10 years.

Which means that would save me 1,000 right there on premium connectivity, because it's $100 if you do the annual payment, the annual subscription to premium connectivity.

Which means I would effectively be paying $1,000 for free lifetime super charging, which I would gladly do.

That would be a heck of a deal in my humble opinion.

And really, honestly, if I'm genuinely being honest, if I had that lifetime super charging on the car, it would probably encourage me to drive it more and take it on road trips and just because there would be that mental thing lifted, that mental block lifted of, oh, well, I'd have to pay for it and it's super charging is getting almost as much as gas for road trips.

But if that, if I had just paid 1,000 for that once and then the rest of the decade or more that I keep that car, I don't have to pay anymore for super charging, I would absolutely do it and I would definitely would drive the car more.

Next, this week continuing the appetizer platter, Tesla has begun construction on the first publicly known true V4 super charging station.

This comes via Marco RP on X, his username is Marco RPI1.

And if you've heard that name before, it's because this gentleman is more dialed into super charger developments than literally anyone else in the world outside of Tesla's walls.

I am confident in saying that, if there are any super charger development enthusiasts listening, I don't, please don't take offense but man, because Marco is just, he loves it.

I've cited him on this podcast a number of times before. So anyway, Marco found the permits and the plans for this.

And he posted on X saying, the world's first real in quotes, V4 station is now under construction in Campbell, California.

Now Campbell is in my neck of the woods. Campbell's just outside of San Jose about an hour away from me.

And just to remind you, if you're curious, wait, wait, what was a real, what does that mean again, a real V4 super charger?

It means that the posts and the cabinets powering it are packing the power to pump out 500 kilowatts of peak charge to any vehicles that can go that high, which for now is only the cyber truck in Tesla's lineup.

So as soon as this station is done, I have full faith in the San Francisco Bay Area cyber truck community to go out, visit this station, and hopefully it's open by the end of the year.

Like if construction has started now and to September, like Tesla is probably, you know, they don't, they don't like those projects to linger on. They try to get them done and online and operational pretty quickly.

So hopefully it's online by the end of the year, if not sooner. And that Bay Area cyber truck community, I trust that they will go get us some good videos and some good data on just what the charging curve will look like on the cyber truck.

On these 500 kilowatt posts in a real V4 super charging station. And I've got one last appetizer for you here.

Tesla is planning to open an engineering center in Germany. This comes via actually an email I got. Thank you Lars Schneider from Tesla's engineering team reached out to me, listener of the show.

And Lars directed me, not only did include what I needed to know in his email, but he directed me to his public post on X saying huge news from Tesla.

We're thrilled to announce our new Tesla engineering center in Berlin, Copenhagen, Germany. This state of the art facility will be a powerhouse for innovation.

Accelerating our research and development to push the boundaries of electric vehicles and sustainable energy. The Berlin Copenhagen center will bring together top engineering talent to design cutting edge technologies, create hundreds of local jobs, and strengthen our commitment to a zero emission future.

From advanced battery systems to next gen autonomous driving, this hub will play a key role in shaping the future of mobility.

We're proud to deepen our roots in Germany and contribute to Berlin's vibrant tech ecosystem. Stay tuned for more updates as we power up this exciting new chapter.

Well, Lars let me know that it's 20 minutes from gigaburlin, so it's pretty close. And he wanted me to mention to all of you that, quote, we are actively looking for great people for the team.

And quote, so if that's you, hit up if you're either in Germany or in Europe or you're an American willing and interested to go to Germany to work for Tesla on the engineering team out there, hit up the Tesla careers page, which of course is Tesla.com slash careers if that is of interest.

And boy, I am really glad to see this. I recall Tesla saying years ago now back when gigaburlin was still under construction that there would be a design studio in Berlin that was going to create a car for the European market.

Now that doesn't seem to have materialized at least as of yet as far as I know, but it is good to see Tesla tap into the talented German engineering pool.

There is clearly from all of the great automakers in Germany, there is clearly a vast and deep pool of talent in terms of German engineering out there.

So Lars, congratulations to you and your team. That is going to be a fantastic new facility. And I hope you guys will cook up all kinds of cool, particularly vehicle related projects for us.

Before I get to the headline story this week, I just wanted to mention that I hope all of you who are kindly supporting me on Patreon got to listen to this week's lightning round mini episode. I do those every week on Patreon for those kind folks at the $10 per month support tier or higher.

This week's episode was a longer one. It's like 26 minutes long. It was me updating my rankings for every Tesla wheel design ever. And the reason that I did that is because a whole bunch of new ones have been added to the mix since the last time the first time that I did this ranking.

There were we've got three new model Y wheels to go on the new model Y and to each for SNX and I realized as I was putting my regular podcast notes together and I was just writing this literal section.

I was like, wait, I just realized I left one out and I left out the cyclone wheel from the Model S, which was sort of a smaller version of the original Model S turbine.

And I like the cyclone. So I probably would have ranked it somewhere in the middle of the pack. So next next time I updated I've already put it into my notes to make sure to include the cyclone next time. But anyway, that was a fun thing to rank every just about every Tesla wheel design ever.

There were 25 different wheel designs on the list and I rank them from my least favorite up to my absolute favorite. So if you're on Patreon with me, check that out.

If you're not on Patreon with me yet, maybe this is the week that you decide to do so.

You can go to my Patreon page at patreon.com slash Tesla podcast. You'll see all the different details and perks and bonuses that you get at each support tier there.

You can support me for just five bucks a month and that'll get you an ad free episode every week and early access.

This week extra early access to that or that ad free episode step up to the $10 per month tier. You get the early access the ad free and all 161 and counting of those weekly lightning around episodes as promised it is time for this week's headline story and that is this Panasonic aims to develop groundbreaking EV battery tech in about two years.

Saw this on Reuters who wrote the Japanese company is working on eliminating the anode in batteries during the manufacturing stage to increase energy density through technology it says is likely to provide a quote world leading level of capacity by the end of 2027.

If achieved the improvement would lead to a 25% increase in battery capacity Panasonic said that would boost the driving range of Tesla's most affordable sport utility vehicle the Model Y by almost 90 miles at current battery pack sizes.

Alternatively Panasonic could also use the technology to make lighter and potentially cheaper versions of batteries by keeping the current driving range and shrinking the battery pack size.

A company executive told reporters of the anode free technology ahead of a presentation by showy Chiro Watanabe the chief the technology chief at the group's battery arm Panasonic energy.

This technology is also being pursued by multiple global battery producers Panasonic's proposed design has no anode at the manufacturing stage instead a lithium metal anode is formed in the battery after being charged for the first time.

This would free up room for more active cathode materials nickel cobalt and aluminum to boost capacity without changing the volume.

Panasonic said it also aims to reduce the proportion of nickel which is relatively more expensive.

So super awesome to read about this and not just because it's on paper right this sounds like it's not a one off in a lab they are making steady progress.

Panasonic remember of all companies Panasonic Tesla's partner at gig and Nevada and the makers of Tesla's 2170 cells that are in most of your cars and the 1860 650 cells that are in most of the rest of your cars or cyber truck owners you get the Tesla built and designed 4680s

but Panasonic is making actual progress towards manufacturing of their batteries this way 25% in two years from now.

That would seriously be a massive leap forward now.

Obviously Tesla will probably implement this technology almost immediately as soon as Panasonic has it ready to go since they're so tight with Panasonic.

And they're also one of the biggest battery customers of Panasonic or really of anyone else in the entire world.

So if you're curious by the way just for a little context here that extra 90 miles that Reuters sites via Panasonic the extra 90 miles on the Model Y would bring the Model Y long range either one the long range rear wheel drive or the long range all will drive.

Up to over 400 miles of range.

And so knowing Tesla as well as I think I do after doing this podcast for the last 10 plus years I think Tesla is not going to be particularly interested in selling a 400 mile Model Y.

Instead I think they're going to take the option to that Reuters mentioned they will use fewer cells to achieve basically the same range that Model Y offers now

and be able to sell the car at a lower price and lighten the car it'll probably handle even a little bit better with a little less weight to it.

Now that being said certainly range range will continue to improve incrementally anyway.

But for me again studying Tesla the way I do I just doubt that 400 miles of range will sell enough additional Model Y's per year versus what they would save in money by instead using 25% fewer cells per car

over the course of over 1 million cars per year that they make and just keeping again keeping the range about what it is now.

So that's the way I think Tesla will go with this but they'll have the option where I think the extra range would come in handy from this Panasonic battery advancement that they're working on is in the other cars.

The Model S and the Model X because in the S you could finally achieve 500 miles in a Model S with 19 inch wheels if this break if this breakthrough does add 25% more range.

So you could have a 500 mile range Model S with the same current pack size and the Model X would go well over 400 miles.

Now that segment of the market probably would want and dare I say perhaps even expect this the lucid air sedan has a variant for sale right now that's over 500 miles of range.

And their new SUV the lucid gravity that's comfortably over 400 miles of range already so there the competition in the luxury segment the higher end of the market is already doing this.

And so that's why I think that the Tesla will follow suit on SNX now I'm not sure if we can factor the cyber truck into this because as I just mentioned and as you all know.

Tesla makes its own 4680 cyber cells but you know what's probably finally going to come out right around the end of 2027 that would be the new roadster and for that car.

Tesla could go either way either taking the extra range or saving some weight now I would imagine that they would opt for the weight savings and a smaller pack size while still getting decent range

because I mean remember Tesla originally unveiled that car with the promise of a 200 kilowatt hour 620 mile range battery pack now what if they could instead get let's say 450 plus in a 100 kilowatt hour battery pack.

Given the weight savings over a model S that has the same 100 kilowatt hour pack and make that sports car a lot lighter that you know again so actually sorry I phrased that wrong so in a in something smaller potentially then even a well certainly smaller than 200 kilowatt hours but that that's the trade off basically it's we're looking at big big pack for big big range

but more weight or smaller pack with this tech and still getting pretty good range and getting a lighter car out of it so I think that would probably be the move versus patting out what will already be almost certainly a pretty healthy range number on the roadster.

I will be obviously very eager to see what happens there but to bring it back when it comes to the model why I really do feel like Tesla will opt for fewer cells and thus a lighter car that's more efficient still gets over 300 miles of range as it does now and costs Tesla less to make and thus they can pass some of that savings on to the consumer as well.

That that seems like the way that this is going to go if indeed Panasonic delivers and I'm very confident they will on this so cool stuff from Panasonic I am rooting for them.

I've got a few more news stories for you but first real quick as many of you know ride the lightning recently celebrated its 10th birthday and today's sponsor is celebrating the same milestone.

My friends at climate exchange just launched their 10th annual EV raffle now if that name sounds familiar it's because you guys have helped them raise money for a great cause in each of the past couple years and this year they are doubling your chances to win a fully customized EV.

So if you're looking for a top of the line vehicle I'm talking Model X plaid cyber beast maybe a Rivian R1S quad motor max pack their luxury raffles grand prize is offering you any EV on the market configured how you want that's valued up to 120 thousand dollars.

Or if you're not interested in a luxury car but you still want to go electric they're also hosting a more affordable mini raffle where the prize is an EV up to 45 thousand dollars which can still get you a Model 3 or a Model Y which as we all know are great great cars especially these gen two versions of them so that's two great raffles each giving you the chance to win a great new EV while helping out a great cause.

And because my friends at climate exchange believe that winning a prize should come with no strings attached they pay all the taxes on the EVs that they give away so why buy your ticket now instead of waiting closer the raffle drawing well here's a good reason any tickets in their luxury raffle that are purchased by October 30th will be automatically entered into their early bird drawing a bonus early bird drawing.

For ten thousand dollars cash and you'll even if you win that you're still going to stay in there in the mix for the grand prize of the luxury raffle so enter today at carbon raffle dot org slash RTL or click the link in the episode description that's C-A-R-B-O-N-R-A-F-F-L-E dot O-R-G.

And this week of course my friends at X-Care have also got you covered they have redefined the electric car extended warranty they're not just thinking outside the box with it they've crushed the box and just built a geodesic dome instead much more impressive now seriously they are looking ahead building for the future and thinking about what should an extended warranty look like on an EV.

And that's because they're an innovative organization started by former Tesla employees who are current Tesla owners so they're driving all the same stuff we do they developed X-Care a comprehensive extended warranty designed exclusively for EVs they've also rethought the customer experience process from the ground up because we all get annoyed when customer experiences are not great so they've done a great job and making that a pleasant experience.

So I encourage you to pick up an X-Care plan if you plan to keep your electric vehicle past its manufacturers warranty and it's customizable so if you want to do two more years five more years 10 more years you can do that you want to do 20,000 more miles 50,000 more miles 100,000 more miles you can do that so head on over their website configure the plan that works for you maybe you also want to cover

the high voltage battery and drive unit aka the most expensive components of the car you can do that to your vehicle may qualify for that coverage so check them out X-Care dot com that's X-C-A-R-E dot com and use the code lightning for a $100 discount when you select X-Cares one time payment option that's discount code lightning at X-Care dot com

next up this week our white hat Tesla hacker friend green the only is added again this time shedding some new details on the upcoming model Y B as I've been calling it B for basic the stripped down more affordable version

he of course green he hacks into Tesla firmware and can see all kinds of neat stuff that's that's kind of buried in there via his ex account where he posted quote simplified model Y E41 that's like the code name for it apparently internally simplified model Y E41 that was cited live now appears in the firmware to they will have two audio options

essential and essential with commodity a backup camera would lose a heater no air wave in the console that meaning the the presumably that's the center console for the second row of passengers E41 fascia which he notes that performance will also get a fascia update

and Mike thought there is could this mean no light bar on the front just as we've already learned that there is seemingly not a light bar on the back of the E41 either green notes it will also have a simplified fiberglass headliner so maybe not a metal roof then fiberglass I guess fiberglass is lighter

simplified cabin lighting football only he notes simplified seat controls single access he says but that leads me to wonder is it still powered on that single access or is it access part me or is it manually adjusted no power mirror folding no puddle lamps no glass roof no second row display no TPMS meaning the tire pressure monitor system

which will mean you'll need to manually check your tire pressures at each tire with a PSI tool simplified 18 inch wheels which not a surprise there I figured they would size down the wheels from 19 to 18 that is a very quote unquote easy way to get some range back if you're shrinking the size of the battery pack which I imagine that they must be doing in this car

he says suspension is also a downgrade I think and by the way these are just the new downgrades in addition to the to other already existing bare bones options I imagine like no radio and such as I am looking more into it he adds in another subsequent X post there's going to be rear wheel drive and all wheel drive trims both have special motor configurations

though no idea what the motors would be and that's that's pretty much he says let's see if maybe I can get internal renders next meaning I guess of what it looks like what the design changes look like on the the front and rear so again now we continue to learn Tesla

they're stripping a lot out of the model Y here the I think deal maker or deal breaker after the price of course because price is always king but range I think range is going to be a big factor here if it's too crazy low on the range then people arguably aren't going to want it

but we also learned with the now discontinued long range rear wheel drive cybertruck that even if the range is more than the other variants if you strip too much away people aren't going to want it

so I think Tesla has a really fine line to walk here with cutting enough out of the car to get the price down but not cutting so much to turn off potential buyers

as I've said I am expecting this thing to get announced literally on October 1st although now that I look at the calendar maybe in fact October 2nd since that's a Thursday and Tesla tends to do its design studio updates on Thursdays

in fact yeah now that I say that out loud yes put me down for October 2nd as my prediction I'd previously said October 1st because that's the first day of the 4th quarter it's going to be a big quarter there's no tax credit but they do their design updates the design studio updates on Thursdays

so October 2nd which as I record this is one week from today so we'll see if this thing has been officially announced by the time I record next week's show I guess if it is you can probably expect it to be the headline topic to find out exactly what's in it what's not in it what the range is and how much it costs

so tune in next week to ride the lightning to possibly find out more and you know a thought another thought just occurred to me about this might be 41 in the E 41 internal code name or internal designation

could that 41 be a price target now maybe that's just my delorean past speaking because if you're not familiar and you'd be perfectly forgiving if you're not

the actual model number of the delorean is DMC 12 the car is the 1981 or 82 or 83 delorean DMC 12 that's the car everybody just calls it the delorean of course because there's only one car from that company

but the 12 is because that was the price target $12,000 in 1981 they didn't come anywhere close it was double that it debuted at $25,000 in 1981 but anyway that's why it pops into my head

that oh could the 41 be the price target $41,000 I will say I hope not since as I've said before here recently on the podcast I think this vehicle really needs to get down to like $35,000 in order to move the needle for what it's going to strip out of the car

but that being said I could see 41,000 dollars happening particularly when the cheapest model 3 is 42 and a half thousand dollars I recognize that I'm probably grasping at straws here but I think maybe you could at least acknowledge it's not a completely

ridiculous notion right it is possible that that's what the 41 is indicating again tune in next week we might find out on next week's podcast

I have let's see one two more stories from you one more Tesla story and one other non Tesla other EV story

so on the Tesla front they have just secured a new US patent for breakthrough manufacturing systems that promises to make building cars faster cheaper and more precise the process called true unboxed process 2.0 is expected to play a big role in producing Tesla's dedicated robotaxi the cyber cab

I saw this on drive Tesla Canada who writes traditionally cars are built piece by piece with each panel attached to the one before it using clips bolts and brackets

the problem is that small errors at the start can grow into big alignment issues later on leading to uneven panel gaps or extra rework

Tesla's new method outlined in the patent first reported by ex-user setty underscore park changes the rules by introducing what it calls a global dot-m or datum d-a-t-u-m

in simple terms it's like a master reference point the automotive equivalent of a laser level that ensures everything lines up perfectly

instead of lining up panels with each other every part references this single point that way mistakes don't quote unquote stack up as the car is assembled

the system also uses a new approach to fascinating instead of relying on dozens of clips and screws Tesla is turning to a super strong industrial adhesive

robots apply the adhesive then press the parts into place with extreme accuracy

the adhesive can fill in tiny gaps and even handle the way different materials expand or contract with heat

the result is smoother fits and stronger bonds one challenge with adhesives is that they take time to cure

to keep the line moving Tesla has designed a way to temporarily tack panels into place while the glue sets

this means cars can keep moving down the line instead of sitting still while the glue hardens dramatically speeding up production

according to the patent Tesla's new system could cut the number of fastening parts by 65%

plus simplify operations and reduce costs with the adhesive for each car adding up to only about 25 US dollars worth

less hardware means fewer things to go wrong and automation makes the process less dependent on human labor

well, gluing cars together

so I know that I joked about gigacasting on last week's podcast being like building one to one scale hot wheels or match box toy cars

but adding unboxed 2.0 into the mix really makes building real cars just like assembling toy cars

now I know that we the public haven't actually seen this in action yet

to definitely know that it works and see how well it works but if indeed this works and for me there's no reason to doubt Tesla's manufacturing prowess at this point

this is going to simply be awesome to see so sure they'll start with the cyber cab on this it's a smaller simpler vehicle

but in time why wouldn't they move the Model 3 and especially the Model Y given that it's the high volume money maker for the company over to this process

because it would allow Tesla's margins per car to go way up and or allow them to lower the price of the three and the Y by an impressive

I'll say consumer decision affecting amount of money I don't know how much money but enough to move the needle I think

so my best guess is that we probably will not see the unboxed process on the three or the Y for a while more likely I think it'll be the next versions of those cars

the next refresh the Gen 3 versions if you will those I bet will be designed from scratch with the unboxed process 2.0 in mind which means if that hypothesis is correct

we're probably three to four years away from that but take it to the bank it will happen

and finally this week in other EV news Nissan is pulling its aria electric crossover from the US lineup for the 2026 model year citing import tariffs and a need to reallocate resources as the company restructures its EV strategy

one more tip of the cap to drive Tesla Canada who writes the decision confirmed through a dealer memo obtained by automotive news means the Japanese built SUV will no longer be available to American buyers after the existing inventory sells out

in the letter to detailers Nissan stated quote this decision enables the company to reallocate resources and optimize its EV portfolio as the automotive landscape continues to evolve

whether the aria will return for the 2027 model year remains uncertain hinging on both market conditions and the automakers financial footing

Nissan is shifting its attention to the newly redesigned 2026 leaf which the company claims will be the most affordable EV on the US market with a starting price of $31,485 US

equipped with features with modern features like active thermal battery management the new leaf is positioned as a volume seller at a time when many rivals are chasing higher priced EV segments

well I will say I have seen a decent number of the arias in my area in fact I just had to take my daughter to a dentist appointment

as I had to pick her up from school instead of her taking the bus and I saw probably two or three just on that drive in my neck of the woods they're definitely around

so it seems like there was at least some level of interest in the aria now I wanted to find out how much interest so I went to look up the sales data on the aria

and according to clean technica it did sell just shy of 20,000 units last year in the United States 19,798 which by the way makes the US by far the aria's largest market which to me makes this a shame

and the reason that it's a shame is because that is potentially 20,000 fewer EVs on the road every year or at least let's say this year and then or I guess next year right the 2026 model year next year

20,000 potential fewer EVs though I say potential because as drive Tesla Canada smartly noted Nissan does have the redesigned leaf that's about to launch

it's no longer a little wagon EV wagon thing it is now a small like compact crossover SUV which could raise its sales potential I think just given that it's pivoting to be more of an SUV

and from what I've read of it seen of it so far which I think I've talked about on this podcast the new leaf seems like it might be a pretty good value and I hope it does prove to be that exactly a good value

and maybe that can at least somewhat make up for the aria's absence from the US market

all right that is everything I've got for you and another busy week of Tesla and EV news stick with me though in just a moment after this very short musical interlude

I will have some awesome calls from you guys in the ride the lightning hotline segment of the show coming up next

it's time for the ride the lightning hotline this is your chance to be featured on the podcast all you got to do is call in with a Tesla or EV related question comment or discussion topic

and I will play a number of them on each week's episode to call in if you're wondering well okay how do I do that

there are two easy ways to call in either use your smartphones built-in voice recording software record your question on your phone

please try to keep it to 90 seconds or less so that I can get to as many callers each week as possible then email that file to me at

tesla podcast at gmail dot com or you can take that same 90 second or less question and simply call in and leave a message on the ride the lightning hotline

the hotline is a toll free number that you can call call anytime day or night and the number is one eight eight eight nine eight nine eight seven five two

that number again one triple eight nine eight nine tsl a and if you know someone special out there with an upcoming birthday anniversary graduation or some other special occasion

you can give them a unique gift of recorded voices from friends and family telling them why they're special the recordings can be

podcasted or put on to a keepsake visit life on record dot com to learn more here's Dave from Annapolis this is the

gentleman whose model why got struck by lightning he has one final update for us take it away Dave

Hey Ryan it's a Dave from Annapolis Maryland just giving you the final update on our model why that was this by lightning as you might

recall it just wanted to let you know that you know tesla service gave it a solid go for nearly two months you might recall once they

replaced the first list of failed parts they were like five main computers drive unit and so on and once they got the car to respond as

you can imagine and I totally think this is going to happen other star other parts started to pop up claiming needed to be replaced and items like the accelerator and break units even the rear drive

unit then popped up and tesla started to replace all of that so after two months the insurance company decided to throw in the towel and gave us a very generous offer which is I thought

was much more than the average use model why for a 2021 and we ended up ordering a new model why juniper and I just want to shout out to the

Tesla Silver Spring service team on just having great communication throughout the process and no question it was a very unique learning

experience for all of us Dave I really appreciate you following up with this update for us on the one hand it's a shame that at the end of the

Tesla couldn't or rather I suppose your insurance company chose to stop this experiment before seeing if the car could be completely repaired after of all things

a lightning strike back to the future style but on the other hand I am genuinely so happy for you to hear that not only did your

Tesla service center take good care of you but your insurance company took care of you took good care of you too

I wish that was the norm instead of the exception which is what it feels like but good on your insurance company and in the end

ultimately right in the end your Tesla kept you safe it did its job and now you get to upgrade to a new model why so

seems like we've got a happy ending to this very strange story thank you so much again for calling in to share the conclusion

to one of the wilder Tesla stories that I've ever heard next up we have Jason from Texas responding to Fred's

a FSD slash autopilot speed issue from last week show go ahead Jason

Ryan is Jason from Texas calling in in response to Fred's call last week about his car not keen speed limits the way he sets them

so I have a 2020 Model 3 that does the same thing two thoughts one

the latest software that I got to remember those two versions ago made it so that when it reads the speed limit it sets a max speed and that will reset the speed that your car goes

but even in the apps of that I find that many times when I've got the car set let's say I'm going in a 60 mile per hour zone and with my offset it should be going 64

the car will still go you know 68 or 70 and I have no idea why that is I find myself having to use my scroll wheel to set the max speed many times to control that

anyway just that reply it's annoying but I don't have a solution just a couple more thoughts

thanks Jason I appreciate you sharing your experience good point about the max speed on the more recent versions of FSD

and you're right about using the right scroll wheel to adjust that max speed down if that is so desired or becomes necessary based on what the car chooses

and a friendly reminder to anybody out there I think everybody probably already knows this but just in case while we're talking about adjusting the max speed down with the right scroll wheel

of course this also applies to adjusting it up but if you quickly zip the scroll wheel up or down it will adjust that max speed up or down in five mile per hour increments instead of just if you're doing a kind of regular speed scroll up or down

it adjusts it in one mile per hour increments just wanted to mention that I think everybody knows that already but just in case that's that's useful information to anybody you know

there are always new Tesla owners out there that might not know that so anyway I probably should have noted that by the way

in my initial response to Fred last week in terms of what Jason saying about adjusting the max speed down but Jason I'm very glad that you called in to remind us all about that key option

that's literally at your fingertips so for Fred and for anybody else out there that's been affected by this keep a close eye on your max speed

and adjust it however you deem necessary Jason thank you again for calling in I've got time for just one more caller this week

it's going to be Justin from Oklahoma who's got quite a story of his own

Hey Ryan this is Justin from Oklahoma I have a 2021 Model 3 long range this morning while using FSD I was pulled over by a police officer in a school zone

I use FSD religiously I'm about as close to 100% usage as I think anyone can be in a hardware 3 car I drive through the same school zone every morning on my way to work

and I always slow down using the scroll wheel because FSD disregards the flashing lights and 25 mile per hour sun

this morning I received a call from work and got distracted FSD blazed on through at 40 miles per hour the speed limit is 35 miles per hour when not a school zone

the police officer was extremely nice and only gave me a warning I did not mention that I was driving on FSD

I bring this up because in my experience FSD always disregards school zones and sometimes school buses with flashing lights

school zones in my area of the country are marked with yellow flashing lights either above and below or on each side of a 25 mile per hour speed limit sign

they can be located on the side of the road or sometimes above the road similar to a traffic light

I have always wrote this off as a nuanced problem that one day Tesla would solve but now with supervised FSD working so well and unsupervised just around the corner

I'm starting to wonder if other people are experiencing the same thing

do you see a difference between your hardware 3 and hardware 4 car in how FSD handles school zones

and what is everyone else experiencing when using FSD in a school zone and around school buses with either flashing lights that are yellow or red

appreciate the show and all your hard work thanks

thank you for this thoughtful call Justin and for sharing your story I'm glad you got off with just a warning

and you bring up a critical point for FSD as it continues to mature towards being an unsupervised product

I will say to respond to what you said in your call I honestly can't answer your question about my AI3 versus AI4 cars

as I just don't think I've been through an active school zone in either car in quite some time

however I guarantee that your fellow ride the lightning listeners have so I invite anybody out there to email

or if you want call in about this I would be just curious to hear how FSD on either a hardware 3 car or a hardware 4 car is performing in active school zones

I mean I'd be pretty surprised if at least version 13 on the AI4 cars is still exhibiting this behavior in school zones but again

let's just let's ask the audience to see what they have to say thanks for calling in super appreciated

and that'll wrap it up for this week's ride the lightning hotline if you've got a Tesla or EV question comment or discussion topic

I welcome and invite you to call in with it and you'll have a chance to be featured on an upcoming episode

I gave you the two easy call in methods at the top of this segment so you can refer back to that or also the phone number is listed in the episode description as well

moving along here to what's going on with me and my cars

well I just actually wanted to share a little mini story it's not even that it's basically it's a feature suggestion for Tesla I guess is what this ultimately is

so last weekend I was super charging the spirit of adventure as I typically do since that car lives outside now it's not as convenient or easy to plug it in

and we'd usually just super charge it because it's got free super charging at the end of our weekend driving activities with that car

because usually that's the one we put the dogs in anyway super charging that car last weekend and when I got to the station the car warned me on the screen

that one of the stalls wasn't working many of you have probably noticed this as well the bottom left you'll see it pop up it'll be like

stall 4b is in active or however the heck they phrase it but they'll tell you plug into a different stall

and I ended up that the station was pretty full so the free the only free spot I could get besides the busted one was right next to the broken one so I backed in there

and I plugged in there and after that then my wife and I are sitting in the car watching Netflix for the 20 minutes it's going to take to charge

and during that time I observed a number of people just pull into the broken stall anyway despite the message that everybody gets on their screen

and so my constructive suggestion for Tesla slash feature request here is to play a unique sound maybe like a double chime like just like a bum bum

something that's different from the other sounds that you hear from you know if you haven't plugged your seatbelt in or if you know the parking the Tesla vision you're getting close to something to a wall or another object

just a unique chime that would get you to look at the screen and see that stall out of order message and thus prevent you from pulling into the spot where the charger doesn't work

so it just I say that because it anecdotally seems like a lot of people aren't seeing that message on the screen right now that that pops up without any audio indication

here's my entertainment recommendation for this week it's a film I quite enjoyed I probably made it my entertainment recommendation when it came out in theaters

it's now out on streaming I'm going to recommend it again in case you haven't seen it yet Superman the new James Gunn Superman is now on HBO Max I really enjoyed it I had a really good time I'm looking forward to watching it again

in fact I might have to I'm not to download it for this this quick little L.A. trip that I'm leaving for tomorrow so check out Superman on HBO Max if you have not watched it already

pro tip of the week here's Brian from Pennsylvania it's regarding towing

thanks Ryan kind of the towing pro tip for you range when towing the car actually seems to do a very good job of calculating this

and I discovered this yesterday and I confirmed it today if you have your car in trailer mode towing mode

even counts for a trailer and adjust your range or your what your range will be at your destination

and it will tell you so I have a place I've been going it's about an hour and a half away from my house with a trailer and when I was in trailer mode I will arrive at 9% when I took out a trailer mode it told me 30%

so the car does thing to be doing good job and I do know yesterday it was spot on within a couple percent

everywhere I arrived with my trailer back to you

thanks Brian I will certainly count that as a pro tip even though someone who's towing would almost certainly already be putting into towing mode

I must say I'm pleasantly surprised at how accurate it was for you

now I'm not trying to be mean to the Tesla software team here it's actually the opposite when I say I'm surprised

I'm wondering in amazement how they're calculating the drag and the way to the trailer since one person might be towing a little I don't know 500 pound

kick thing and someone else might have a 3000 pound deluxe camper still it is awesome to see that Tesla is not only factoring this in

but seemingly doing an awesome job of doing so accurately as well

thanks as always Brian and if anybody else out there has a good Tesla or EV pro tip of the week

I would love for you to call in and share it and educate me educate us all let's all grow our collective Tesla and EV knowledge base help each other out

so if you've got a good pro tip of the week send it my way you can call in with it the same way that you send in a regular ride the lightning hotline call

there are two ways to do that and I told you about those a little earlier in the podcast

before I go be sure to stop by and visit some friends of ride the lightning that have cool stuff for you of various shapes and sizes

starting with abstract ocean dot com who has things of all shapes and sizes just so many great aftermarket accessories for your Tesla

or by the way you're Rivian as well they sell some great Rivian stuff a lot of lighting kits for both the inside and outside of the car

different colors or higher brightness you got to just go over there and take a look there's one of their longest

running best sellers are the tempered glass screen protectors custom fit for any of the five Tesla's there's also the cyber truck trim expel kits

to custom fit pre cut just they're very easy to apply and then your your wheel arches your your bed rails just all the non stainless parts

get those protected so that they stay real nice for a long long time all that stuff and more can be found at abstract ocean dot com

pile everything you like into your online shopping card after your cruise around there and you click on whichever vehicle you own

and they'll show you everything they have for that vehicle when you get to check out use the coupon code RTL podcast to get 15% off of your first order

that coupon code again RTL podcast all one word no spaces on that coupon code

if you need or want a front license plate bracket for your Tesla I do recommend the snap plate as well as the newer stronger snap plate plus

you can get yours at every amp dot com slash RTL make sure to use the coupon code RTL as well to get a nice discount on whichever product you choose

the snap plate if you're not familiar is a front license plate bracket that'll snap on and off in seconds but when it's on it's on there good and secure

but if you want to take it off for whatever reason whether you're detailing the vehicle you're going to take it to a cars and coffee

and you don't want the front plate on there then you can get it off without leaving any unsightly hardware behind

so I'm definitely a fan of the snap plate grab that if you either want one or your state legally requires you to have a front plate on your car

again the website every amp dot com slash RTL and use the coupon code RTL for a discount immaculate reflections

my friend Jeff such a talented detailer and a wonderful person as well until he tells me otherwise since we are technically into fall now

but until he tells me otherwise his summer special still running obviously it's going to go away any minute now so if you are in or going to be in the greater San Francisco Bay area

with your Tesla or another car that you love make sure to treat it treat yourself to some detailing work by a professional at immaculate reflections

they are offering $200 off of any paint correction service get that paint finish looking as good as possible

$500 off of any ceramic coating package and 15% off of any paint protection film package so that 15% can add up to a lot if you end up doing the whole car

but even if you just do the front end it's still a nice discount so thank you to Jeff at immaculate reflections for continuing to offer those nice discounts to the ride the lightning audience

the way to take advantage of that is to go to the immaculate reflections reflections website pardon me which is irdetailing dot com

you'll see a contact button there hit that and when you message Jeff at immaculate reflections make sure to mention that you're a ride the lightning listener

and you will get the any applicable discounts that I've just mentioned that depending on what services you have performed on your vehicle so take advantage of that

my patreon page which is found at patreon dot com slash Tesla podcast or click the link in the episode description

patreon is the way that you can best support the podcast if you choose to it's totally voluntary podcast is free always has been always will be

but I do offer as many rewards and perks and bonuses as I can for those of you kind enough to support the podcast on patreon as I was saying earlier

even at the base five dollar per month tier what's five bucks a month that's like is that even a coffee at your favorite coffee place now it might even be might not even be that so

if you can support the podcast the support tier started just five bucks a month and in return you will not only get the satisfaction of supporting me

and what I'm doing here with ride the lightning but as a thank you you will get an ad free episode every week and you'll get early access to that ad free

episode the ten dollar per month tier that's the most popular one that'll get you the early access the ad free and all of those

weekly lightning round bonus mini episodes that I do for patreon so check it out again it's patreon dot com slash Tesla podcast that's P-A-T-R-E-O-N or click the link in the

episode description if you're not already following ride the lightning on your favorite podcast service I recommend you do that because that way

you'll get a push notification on your device every time there's a new episode so that'll help remind you oh yeah time to go listen to the new ride the lightning

just search ride the lightning Tesla on whatever your favorite podcast service is whether that's apple podcast Spotify tune in YouTube podcasts

etc you should see this podcast pop right up click the follow button and you're good to go and from now on you'll get those notifications

when the new episodes come out which with this podcast is every Sunday at 9 a.m. Eastern 6 a.m. Pacific

finally you can follow me on x if you so desire as well as or you know so an and or Instagram I have the same user name on both and that

user name is DMC underscore Ryan you can also email me anytime about any Tesla or EV related thing my email address is

Tesla podcast at gmail dot com last but certainly not least this week let me say hello and thank you to the top tier patreon

backers who among other perks get their name shattered out at the end of each week's podcast I'll start with the maximum

plaid tier big thanks to Jonathan Wales Cameron Clark Daniel grummer Seth Capello Nick and Tony the Galpin family Ryan from New York City

Darren Nichol Cos Barnes Patrick was nesky Gil Cabrera Todd Badger Joe Edgel Kevin Yank the Tesla owners club of

Milwaukee Valley Will Stedman Justin Perez Jeremy Harris Chris Beach Tom Mills Corio Donald Aaron John Cody Joel Sapp Paul Cassarino Chris Osborne KB Adam

LaVoy Jason Chalukas Travis Crenzel Bruce Otterstein Tom Behan Josh Pennington John from Cream Ridge New Jersey Dustin Hart Derek Finley Charles Clement Damon Klein Jeff Brown Jerry Slinger Kenneth Corbett Brian

Taylor Toglio Kim Bay Troy Sievers Nick Jacobi Chip Hooper Matt Chinnander Robert Moran Rob and Christopher Mann

Next up the Roadster in space tier backers the tippy top tier big thanks and hello to Pete White Lyle Austin Steve Radspinner Fernando Cordero

Lawton from Chicago Sean Nightig Neil Weaver Jackson Wallace Rolf and Jennifer Evers Howard Anthony Smith Victoria Ayak Kaveto Tesla Hitchhiker 42 Carol Weston Robert

from near Philly American Home Contractors Doug Kerry Michael Gallo and Tony Figueroa and finally the grandfathered in plaid level supporters

who continue to support the podcast at this otherwise discontinued tier so I continue to thank and say hello to them.

George Cassiopo Logan Willis Peter Shale Eric Randolph Dory and Steve Guberman the Tesla owners club of Taiwan Ron Lee Charlie Gillespie Jeff Anguin Chase Cabanillas the Lydia family Aaron Altchul Jared Brown Jerome Strack Jamie Dalton Mike and Barbara from Louisville

Matt Nixon the Tesla owners club of Wisconsin ish not Elon Musk in quotes Peter and the bear boys of Colorado

and that'll bring us to the end of ride the lightning episode 530 again recorded earlier than usual about 24 hours earlier than usual

so we'll see hopefully I won't miss any big noteworthy news stories that happen on Friday but if I do like I said I'll hit I'll hit you with them talk about them on next week's podcast

but for now that'll wrap it up I am off to Los Angeles I don't think I'm going to be able to make it to the Tesla diner this time

I don't have a car I'm staying downtown which downtown is great but it's not close to the Tesla diner over in Hollywood

and the Uber would be would make it quite an expensive meal so sadly I think no no Tesla diner visit this time hopefully next time I get down there I'll be able to sneak back over the Tesla diner

but in any case I'm looking forward to heading on down there for that quick little work trip and I will be back with you at the regular time of course next week and the show will publish

every Sunday 9 am Eastern 6 am Pacific and so happy electric motoring my friends I will see you back here in one week's time

Elon Musk people don't like Elon Musk the guy found a PayPal and Tesla people like yeah but he's a troll and a bad dad I'm like so was mine he did nothing to fight climate change

also have you been in a Tesla have you been in a Tesla my buddy let me drive a Tesla I laughed out loud at how fast it went

been clinically depressed my entire life on dozens of medications in a Tesla for 13 seconds cured forever

I mean I think a Tesla is the most fun thing you could possibly buy ever that's what it's meant to be our goal is to make it's not exactly a car

it's actually a thing to maximize enjoyment it's maximum fun

Episode 530: What Panasonic's Next-Gen Battery Means for Tesla

About this episode

Tesla Model Y

Ford F-150 Lightning

Tesla Cybertruck

Tesla Model 3

Dodge Charger

Tesla Model S

GMC Cyclone

Tesla Model X

Lucid Air

Lucid Gravity

Tesla Roadster

Rivian R1S

Delorean DMC-12

Tata Motors Aria

Nissan Leaf

Request an Explanation

Want to learn more?

Help improve this episode

More from Ride the Lightning: Tesla and EV Podcast