Tesla’s Fremont factory is the company’s major manufacturing site in Fremont, California. It’s also referenced here as the location where a camouflaged Model Y prototype was spotted driving on a test track, which is a common way automakers validate new variants before broader rollout.
Camouflaged prototypes use coverings or altered bodywork to hide design details while still allowing engineers to test the vehicle. Automakers often do this to reduce leaks and to protect design changes during development.
“Wheelbase” is the length between the front and rear wheels. An “extended wheelbase” version is longer, which often gives more room inside and can make the ride feel different.
Interstate 280 is a major highway in the San Francisco Bay Area. The episode mentions it as a testing route where a camouflaged prototype was spotted near Palo Alto, implying real-world road validation beyond the factory test track.
Giga Texas is Tesla’s big factory in Texas. The host is saying it’s likely involved in building the Model Y for the U.S., based on what was seen outside the plant.
The Tesla Model Y is an electric SUV/crossover. In this segment, they’re saying Tesla is likely preparing it for sale in the U.S., based on factory sightings and timing.
Term
wrapped model yl body
A “wrapped” car body usually means it’s covered up while it’s being tested or prepared. It can be to protect it and also to keep details from being seen in photos or videos.
“Validating” here means making sure the car is fully ready to be built and sold. The host is saying Tesla is likely running checks so the Model Y can be produced for U.S. customers.
A “production launch” means the point when the car actually starts being built in volume for customers. The host is connecting the sightings to when Tesla would begin making the Model Y in the U.S.
The Tesla Model X is Tesla’s bigger electric SUV. The host is basically saying that with the Model X no longer being sold, the Model Y becomes the more likely next option for people in the U.S.
This just means some paint colors are only available on certain versions of the same car. Tesla may do it to make some trims feel more special than others.
Frost Blue is a named paint color for a Tesla. They’re using it as an example of how Tesla may offer certain colors only on specific versions of the car.
The Ford F-150 Lightning is an electric version of the F-150 pickup truck. It’s built for people who want a truck for work or hauling, but without gasoline. The podcast is mentioning it as part of a quick discussion segment about the Lightning.
The Tesla Cybertruck is Tesla’s distinctive electric pickup known for its angular, stainless-steel body and futuristic design. Here, the host highlights a first-time rental experience and pairing it with Tesla’s FSD supervised driving.
“FSD supervised” means the car is doing the driving help, but a person still has to watch closely and be ready to take over. It’s not the same as the car driving completely on its own.
ADAS is technology that helps the car drive more safely by using cameras and sensors. It can assist with things like staying in the lane or controlling speed, and in this case it’s about getting approval for Tesla’s system in a European country.
Type certification is government approval that says a vehicle design (or system) meets safety and regulatory rules. It’s used here so Estonia can approve Tesla’s system without repeating all the testing from scratch.
This is a rule that lets countries accept each other’s safety approvals. Instead of re-testing the same technology, a country can move faster by relying on another country’s certification work.
An over-the-air update is like updating your phone, but for your car—wirelessly. Tesla can push new software to the car so features can improve over time.
“FSD version 14 light” refers to a specific Tesla autonomy software release (a lighter or more limited variant) within the FSD software line. The host says Tesla has indicated it will go global after it rolls out in the US, with timing discussed as end-of-quarter.
This refers to the computer inside the Tesla that runs the self-driving features. Tesla has used different generations of this computer, and the capabilities can vary by generation.
This is another version of the computer Tesla uses for its self-driving features. The podcast is saying the software update schedule may depend on which one your car has.
They’re using “domino effect” to mean one approval can lead to other approvals happening soon after. It’s about how regulations roll out across countries.
That phrase means the car did the driving for the whole trip by itself, from start to finish, without the driver having to take control. It’s a big milestone because it includes lots of different road situations.
“Version 14.3.3” is the specific Tesla FSD software build used for the described drive. Mentioning the exact version matters because autonomy performance can change between software releases.
The Chevrolet Nova is a car model name that’s best known from earlier decades. In this podcast, it’s mentioned in a context that sounds more like a reference than a discussion of a specific modern Nova. The focus is actually on Tesla’s driving software and the trip details.
A disengagement is when the car’s automated driving mode stops and the driver has to take over. They’re saying it never had to do that during the whole trip.
An intervention is when something forces the driver to step in or the automation has to be interrupted. They’re saying the driver didn’t have to take over at all during the trip.
Parking maneuvers are the slow, careful driving actions like pulling into a spot or lining up to park. They’re saying the system did those too without the driver taking over.
This means the car also handled charging at Tesla’s fast-charging stations during the trip. They’re saying the autonomy worked even with real-world charging breaks.
“Autonomously” here means the car did it by itself, without the driver manually guiding it. They’re describing the car correcting its route and getting to the charger.
“Version 14.2” is a particular update of Tesla’s FSD software. They’re using that update number to track how many miles someone has driven with that specific software.
FSD beta is Tesla’s early version of software meant to help the car drive itself. The host is saying that in the first public testing days, it could make scary mistakes in tricky situations.
“Safety score” is Tesla’s internal metric used to decide who gets access to FSD beta. The host mentions an early threshold (“55 and a half”), implying that higher scores correlated with safer driving behavior as judged by Tesla’s data collection.
The host is talking about their 2018 Tesla Model 3. They’re using it to show how early self-driving software could make a dangerous wrong turn on a one-way exit.
“Unsupervised” means the car is driving itself without a person watching closely or taking over. The host is treating it as a big step because it allows the service to expand.
“Metro” here sounds like a robo-taxi service that runs in a specific area of Austin. The podcast says it’s not everywhere yet and that there are only a few vehicles operating. The focus is on how autonomous rides are being tested in real conditions.
Safety monitors are extra systems that constantly watch the car’s driving system to make sure it’s behaving safely. If something looks wrong, they can trigger a fallback or prevent the car from operating in a risky way.
Robo taxis are self-driving cars that you can call like a rideshare, but without a human driver. The segment is describing how they plan to expand when the cars can safely run on their own.
Level 4 means the car can do the driving by itself in certain situations, without you needing to constantly watch and take over. It’s not “unlimited everywhere,” but it’s a big step up from systems that still require the driver to be ready.
Self-certification is a regulatory process where the manufacturer submits documentation asserting that its system meets required criteria, rather than relying solely on an independent approval test. In the transcript, the host argues that even if the DMV “accepts” it, skepticism is reasonable because the manufacturer’s claim still needs to be validated by real-world performance and safety evidence.
The Texas DMV is the government office that handles rules for vehicles in Texas. Here, it’s mentioned because it accepted Tesla’s paperwork for a self-driving system level.
Senate Bill 2807 is a Texas law that sets the rules for companies to operate self-driving vehicles for pay. The host says it requires permission from the Texas DMV before companies can run robo-taxis or freight services.
SAE level four is an industry label for how capable a self-driving system is. Here, it’s being used to describe Texas rules for commercial “robotaxi” and freight operations.
“Cybercabs” is Tesla’s idea for a self-driving taxi. The host is saying that if Tesla has to wait for rules in each state, it could slow how many of these taxis can hit the road.
It means there are government rules and approvals a company has to get before it can operate something like self-driving cars. Those rules can be different depending on where you live.
A robo-taxi program is basically a ride-hailing service using self-driving cars. The company has to get the cars working safely and also get permission to run the service.
The Tesla Model Y Performance is a high-performance version of Tesla’s Model Y crossover, tuned for quicker acceleration and sharper driving feel than the standard trims. It’s one of the more enthusiast-oriented options in the Model Y lineup.
The Cadillac Lyriq is an electric SUV from Cadillac. It’s designed to feel like a luxury vehicle while running on batteries instead of gasoline. The podcast mentions it as one of several EVs that could be seen on the road.
A Tesla Wall Connector is a charger you install at home. It helps you charge your EV faster and more conveniently than plugging into a regular outlet.
Term
$7,500 ev tax credit
The $7,500 EV tax credit is a government discount for buying certain electric cars. If it’s no longer available, the car can cost more than it would have with the credit.
An extended warranty is extra protection after the normal warranty ends. It can help cover repair costs later, which can make EV ownership feel less risky.
Ownership cost means what it really costs to keep and run the car over time. For EVs, that includes things like charging and likely repair/coverage costs.
It means the car is doing the driving by itself for the whole trip. A human isn’t steering the car the way you would in a normal car, though the service can have limits or support behind the scenes.
They’re describing doors that open in a way that makes getting in and out easier, like stepping into an elevator. It’s meant to be more accessible than typical car doors.
Embedded braille means there are raised letters inside the vehicle that you can feel with your fingers. It helps riders read information without needing to see a screen.
It means the vehicle’s screens and menus can be used by software that reads the information out loud. So riders who can’t easily see the display can still get what they need.
San Francisco is one of the first cities where Waymo plans to offer free rides in its new self-driving vehicle. It’s known for being a testing ground for new tech.
Phoenix is one of the cities where Waymo is starting its early rider rollout for the new self-driving vehicle. They’re using a few cities to gather feedback.
Los Angeles is one of the first cities where Waymo plans to let select riders try the new self-driving vehicle. It’s a tough, real-world place to test.
Waymo is the self-driving-vehicle brand associated with Alphabet’s autonomous driving efforts. In this segment, the host discusses Waymo’s robotaxi operations and its vehicle rollout plans, including what cars it uses and how that relates to passenger experience.
The Peterson Auto Museum is a car museum where you can see vehicles up close. The host is saying they saw a Waymo car there and that’s why they’re talking about it.
If a self-driving car removes the steering wheel and pedals, it’s basically saying the car is meant to drive itself. That can free up space and make the cabin feel more like a passenger vehicle than a driver’s car.
The Jaguar E-Pace is a small luxury SUV made by Jaguar. Here, the host is saying Waymo has been using it for rides and wondering whether the new Waymo vehicles will feel even smoother for passengers.
The Hyundai Ioniq 5 is an all-electric SUV/crossover. In this segment, the host says Waymo wants to add Ioniq 5s to its self-driving fleet as a replacement vehicle.
Concept
advanced design studio
An advanced design studio is a special workspace where a car company designs and tests new ideas. It’s where engineers and designers collaborate to build concepts faster.
The GMC Hummer EV is a fully electric truck/SUV-style vehicle. It’s meant to be powerful and capable, including for rough terrain, but it uses batteries instead of gasoline. The podcast mentions concept reveals to explain how the electric Hummer was introduced and what it was aiming to be.
Flex Fab is GM’s way of making parts in smaller batches more quickly. Instead of using special heavy stamping tools, it’s meant to let them build different designs faster—kind of like 3D printing, but for metal.
The Ford Flex is a larger family vehicle that’s shaped like a crossover and is known for having a roomy interior. It was built to be adaptable in how it’s made, which is what the podcast is referring to with “flex fab.” In simple terms, it’s a practical vehicle designed to carry people and cargo.
Laser welded seams are metal joints made by using a laser to fuse the parts together. It’s a precise welding method used to make strong, clean connections.
Beadlock wheels are off-road wheels that clamp the tire to the rim more securely. That helps you run lower tire pressure for grip on dirt and rocks without the tire coming loose.
Multimatic shocks are the vehicle’s suspension dampers made by Multimatic. They help the car stay controlled over bumps by controlling how fast the suspension moves.
Removable fender flares are parts around the wheel that can be taken off. Off-roaders use them to fit different tires and help keep dirt and rocks from being thrown around.
The Hummer EV SUV is an electric SUV version of the Hummer EV. It’s built to handle rough terrain while still being usable for normal driving. The podcast is mentioning it in the context of affordability compared with other versions.
“EV headwinds” means the problems that make it harder for people to buy electric cars. Here, the host says the biggest issue is that EVs are still too expensive for many buyers.
Toyota is the company changing its EV plans in this story. They’re stopping a production version of a Lexus electric sedan that was expected to start in 2027.
Solid-state batteries are a newer type of EV battery that uses a solid material instead of a liquid inside the battery. The goal is that they can charge faster, last longer, and help the car go farther.
Solid-state batteries are a new battery design for EVs. The idea is they can outperform today’s lithium-ion batteries by charging faster, lasting longer, and helping the car go farther.
Most EVs today use lithium-ion batteries. The host is contrasting these current batteries with solid-state batteries, which are supposed to be better in key ways.
It’s the difference between a battery that works great in a lab and a battery that actually shows up in cars people can purchase. Real-world testing matters because batteries have to last and perform under everyday driving and charging conditions.
They’re talking about how far the car could go on one charge—about 1,000 kilometers or 620 miles. Range is a key number for EV buyers because it affects how often you need to stop and recharge.
BYD is a major Chinese car company. The speaker thinks BYD might be the first to bring solid state batteries to real cars because China is pushing EVs hard.
Full Self-Driving is Tesla’s software that helps the car drive more on its own. It’s designed to do more than simple cruise control, but it still depends on the specific feature and conditions.
Grok is an AI tool the caller used to help plan and adjust a multi-stop trip. They’re using it to control the navigation stops without having to touch the screen as much.
The DeLorean DMC-12 is a sports car with a very unusual look, including stainless-steel panels and doors that open upward. It’s memorable enough that people often recognize it even if they don’t know much about cars. The podcast is basically asking listeners to take a picture if they see one.
A semi truck is a large commercial truck with a trailer. Because it’s heavy and can kick up rocks, the speaker wants the car’s system to react differently than it would for a normal pickup.
Follow distance is how much space the car keeps between itself and the vehicle in front. For automated driving systems, the follow distance strongly affects both safety margins and how likely debris from trucks (like rocks) will reach your car.
“Van life” is a lifestyle where people live on the road in a vehicle, often converting it into a mobile home. Here, the host frames the Tesla Model X as more than just transportation—something the owner uses as a place to live.
Standard mode is a setting inside Tesla’s driving-assist system. It changes how the car behaves—like how it matches speed and how smoothly it drives on highways.
“Regen” is how an EV slows down when you take your foot off the gas. Instead of wasting all that speed as heat, the car turns the motor into a generator to recharge the battery a bit.
The Tesla Model S is an all-electric sedan. Here, the key point is how its “regen” braking works on slippery roads—whether it still slows the car when traction is poor.
Braking profile is basically how the car decides to slow down. On many EVs, it affects how strong the slowing feels when you take your foot off the accelerator.
On an EV with one-pedal driving, you can slow the car just by easing off the accelerator. The car uses its electric motor to slow down and recharge the battery at the same time.
RPM Tesla sells aftermarket add-ons for Tesla cars. Here they’re talking about things like carbon-fiber upgrades and other accessories you can install yourself or have installed.
Infinity Shield is a device that helps stop a garage door from closing if something is in the way. It’s meant to protect your car when you accidentally hit the close button.
This means the sensor uses many light beams instead of just one. If something blocks the beams, the garage door should stop or reverse instead of closing on your car.
Snap Plate is a product for mounting a front license plate. They’re saying there’s an older version and a newer stronger one, and it’s designed to look clean and mount securely.
It’s the part that holds your front license plate on the car. Some places require a front plate, and how it’s mounted can affect how easy it is to remove later.
It’s special sticky tape made for cars. The host is saying that if something is attached with tape, taking it off later can be a pain and may leave marks.
Paint correction is the process of removing or reducing surface defects in a car’s clear coat—commonly swirls, scratches, and oxidation—using polishing steps. It’s described as laborious and delicate because it requires careful technique to avoid thinning the clear coat too much.
Paint protection film is a clear sheet that you apply to protect the paint. It helps prevent rock chips and small damage, especially on the front of the car.
Ceramic coating is a protective layer put on top of your car’s paint. It makes the paint easier to keep clean and can reduce how often you need to wax.
UV rays are the sun’s invisible light that can slowly damage paint. The host is saying the coating helps protect against that sun damage.
LIVE
On this week's episode of Ride the Lightning,
the Tesla and EV podcast,
plenty of happenings with Tesla's FSD around the world
as well as Waymo's next generation vehicle rollout
dominate a week of autonomous driving news.
Plus more evidence of the Model YL's imminent arrival
in the United States and more.
What's happening friends, I'm Ryan McCaffrey joining you from Los Angeles, sunny LA this
week. I am down here for a day job conference. It's the big video game used to be a proper
convention at the LA Convention Center. In recent years it's sort of turned into a series
of smaller events but still super fun. Lots of video game news, lots of fun stuff this
week. So I'm down here recording from a hotel room this week as I do at least once or twice
a year some way somehow whether it's down here for this event or something else but
in any case I wanted to let you know that I am recording early this week on Sunday, excuse me,
Sunday on Thursday evening because the week and the schedule is only going to get busier from
here for me and so I figured you know what I've got a quiet moment here on Thursday. I've got lots
of material ready to go to talk about for this week's podcast. Let me go ahead and do it so I
will only extend to you my preliminary apology if anything big happens on Friday that I happen to
miss from recording Thursday night but as always I will pick it up and talk about it on next week's
podcast. Also before I get really rolling this week I threw out an evergreen poll topic this week
so every week I put up a new question on patreon.com slash Tesla podcast I call it the Patreon poll
because that's where it lives but you don't have to be supporting me on Patreon the poll is always
open to everybody you just stop on by the web page and cast your vote and so this week you know
it's the beginning of June here as I'm recording this June 4th the official start of summer is right
around the corner but the unofficial and I'm told the meteorological meteorological wait
I mean yeah I mean I had that right the the summer basically is getting going so
I wanted to do a nice easy fun light-hearted poll question this week and it was this how often
do you wash your car in the summer thank you to the nearly 300 of you that voted and I noted in
the poll question text anything counts whether that means you wash it yourself which is what I do
you take it to an automatic car wash which is what lots of people do you have a detailer come
and clean it etc whatever the case I was just curious how often you clean your car when the
weather is warmer and the results were pretty across the board here neck and neck were two choices so
23% of you voted less than once a month while 22% of you said once per week so kind of at the
extremes there 13% of you said twice a month 18% of you said every few weeks meanwhile 13% of you
said once per month and then what 6% of you said lol wash it I let nature take its course man
and then 3% of you said you wash it more than once per week shout out to those of you in that 3%
washing it more than once per week that's pretty great but yeah just across the board results
I was just sort of curious where everybody landed on that but there you go thank you to everybody
that kindly took the time to vote in this week's patreon poll you can look for the new question
this week typically I post it on Tuesday evenings so swing on by patreon.com slash tesla podcast
to cast your vote all right as we get started this week if you need more evidence that the model
yl is in fact coming to the united states market well here's some more anecdotal evidence which
just adds to the pile to collectively make it more of a pretty sure thing this one is courtesy
of drive tesla canada and it is this according to a drone flyover of the fremont factory last week
by servants life on youtube a camouflaged model yl was seen driving around the test track at tesla's
fremont facility while the footage is obviously from a distance it is the same camouflage tesla's
used on other test vehicles and giving the proportions of the vehicle it makes sense that
it would be the extended wheelbase version of the model y the fremont siding follows several
other recent appearances tied to the model yl in the us earlier this year another camouflaged
prototype was seen testing on interstate 280 near palo alto an area that tesla frequently uses for
development drives side note it's because that area is right near their engineering hq getting
back to the drive tesla canada right up here they say around the same time drone footage from giga
texas appeared to show a wrapped model yl body sitting outside the factory which i had told you
about recently on this podcast when it happened all these sightings suggest tesla is actively
validating the vehicle in the us potentially across both fremont and texas ahead of a production
launch well i certainly concur with drive tesla canada there i mean it's possible it might only
be built at one of the two factories i think it probably depends on maybe the demand that they
anticipate or even perhaps where in the country like geographically that they anticipate a lot of
will get built at both facilities particularly because we've been hearing that coming out of giga
shanghai that the demand for the model yl is quite strong so if that translates over to the us market
which i expect it will then we can probably expect both factories here in the united states
to be producing that variant now you may recall that when i first talked about this early in the
year my source had specifically said september would be when the model yl would be launching in
the us and honestly where there's smoke there's fire at this point i have seen i mean i guess i
was already kind of in this boat but this week's latest sighting only adds to it i have certainly
seen enough to be more than convinced that it's not a matter of if the yl is coming to the united
states but rather when with the model x now officially gone i think at this at this stage
anytime makes sense to introduce the model yl here and i think it could happen the announcement
could happen anytime i mean maybe it'll be before september but it is almost certainly like i would
bet a lot of money that it's gonna happen so if you're in the market for an ev this year and you
have maybe at least two kids or one with another on the way you should probably at least factor the
model yl into your planning and your purchasing decision hopefully just as a totally subjective
post script here i hope that tesla brings the model yl exclusive cosmic silver
paint color over here as well even if if you listen to my uh recent lightning round episode
i think it was last weeks where i did the tesla paint color power rankings for 2026 i'm not personally
a huge fan of the cosmic silver based on the photos and videos that i've seen but if tesla
does bring that over as a model yl exclusive color when the car comes to the united states
it would help elevate the l above the other model y trims and make it stand out a little bit and
feel a little bit more exclusive a little bit more luxurious which is what the l in model yl
stands for and heck there is precedent for it now because tesla is as of recently already doing
trim specific paint colors with of course the model y performance and model free performance
getting frost blue whereas the vanilla model wise do not get the frost blue and while i'm on the
subject of tesla vehicles being available in some markets and not others this is a real stretch of
a segue here but work with me i hope those of you who are supporting me over on patreon enjoyed
this week's lightning round mini episode which was a face-to-face conversation with uk listener
ian who visited the united states rented a cyber truck and fs did his way around the western u s
before circling his way back to san francisco on his way back to la to fly home and when he came
to san francisco he kindly reached out to me and we got together for a pint and a really nice
conversation part of which we recorded for you over on patreon test you know it's ian talking
about his experience experiencing the cyber truck for the first time and experiencing fsd supervised
for the first time so we had a really really fun chat i hope those of you over on patreon will
take a listen to that and enjoy it and if you're not already supporting me over on patreon i hope
that you will consider doing so i do this podcast every single week i've got 10 years of receipts
to prove it and my hope is that if you've been listening for a while you enjoy the podcast that
at some point and maybe today's the day you'll decide you know what yes ryan i am happy to join
you on patreon you can do that starting at just five bucks a month and for five bucks a month you
will get an ad-free episode and you'll get early access to that ad-free episode if you jump up to
that most popular tier that's the ten dollar per month tier you'll get the early access ad-free
episodes every week and you'll get access to all 190 something of those weekly lightning round
mini episodes if a monthly payment thing monthly pledge isn't your thing you'd rather just pledge
once for an entire year of support patreon does also offer that and i have a 10 discount set up
for anyone kind enough to do the annual pledge just as my way to say thank you for a year of
support so again you can find all of that information over on my patreon page at patreon.com
slash tesla podcast all right let's get rolling with the news there really isn't a standout
headline story this week at least in my humble opinion instead there is a theme that ties all
of the news stories together and it just it's just sheer coincidence it happened to be a week full
of tesla fsd stories with a little wemo autonomy mixed in there as well so i'll tell you all about
this stuff that's happening in the world of autonomous driving this first one is about tesla's fsd
and it has taken yet another significant step forward in europe saw this one on tesla roddy who
wrote on may 29th estonia became the third european union country to approve the advanced driver
assistance technology following approvals in the netherlands and lithuania estonia's transport
administration granted the approval by recognizing the type certification issued by the dutch vehicle
authority rdw this mutual recognition mechanism enabled by e u regulations allows other member
states to fast track deployment without repeating extensive local testing the estonian authority
noted that tesla's fsd had undergone rigorous evaluation on european roads for approximately
18 months before the initial dutch approval in april of 2026 tesla owners in estonia can expect
an over-the-air software update in the coming weeks bringing the latest fsd capabilities to
compatible vehicles well congratulations are certainly in order to any tesla owners that
may be listening in estonia if you've got an ai4 car i guess uh well we have heard thankfully tesla
has made it clear that fsd version 14 light will go global uh once it's you know after it's rolled
out here in the us which by the way you know it's early june as i'm recording this june fourth
we were told end of june that was the most recent timeline we were given for fsd light
which is the end of the quarter and maybe there's some extra incentive there for tesla to actually
get it shipped get it out to cars by the end of the quarter perhaps they're able to recognize some
extra bit of of fsd revenue i'm not sure or it might just be the goal the date that they picked
like hey let's get this out by the end of the quarter but regardless june 30th which is the
last day of the quarter obviously is as of the release of this episode just over three weeks
away so hopefully that means version 14 for everyone whether you're on hardware three or ai4
will be with us in about a month and then hopefully the rest of the world gets v14 light
shortly after the us does but in the meantime for right now estonia uh with you if you've got
an ai4 car you've got yourself fsd supervise coming very soon i'm curious do i have any
listeners in estonia or for that matter the netherlands or lithuania these three territories
that have fsd supervisor at least have it approved as of now that's neither here nor there but
regardless hopefully the rest of the eu starts lighting up with approvals in rapid succession
after these three in other words my hope is that there's something of a domino effect
as you you heard from the story there on the back of that rdw approval the approval and the
certification which the tesla roddy story had mentioned there but this is excellent news regardless
and while we stay on the subject of autonomous driving teslas fsd has officially completed
its first fully autonomous coast-to-coast drive across canada this time i saw this on
fittingly enough drive tesla canada who wrote after nearly five straight days on the road
david moss devin olson and spencer scott arrived this past friday morning at teslas halifax
showroom successfully completing a 3760 mile journey from horseshoe bay in vancouver british
columbia to halifax nova scotia using teslas fsd version 14.3.3 software according to the team
the entire drive was completed without a single disengagement or intervention including all highway
driving city streets parking maneuvers and supercharger stops quote we are proud to announce
that we have successfully completed the world's first canada coast-to-coast fully autonomous
drive the team wrote after arriving in halifax the drive was also the longest coast-to-coast drive
completed by fsd so far the first ever was completed by moss across the us earlier this year
when when he quote-unquote drove i like that good use of quotes on the word drove there
from los angeles to south carolina covering over 2732 miles a successful fsd cannonball run
from new york to la covered more than 3000 miles the drive wasn't without its challenges during
the five days across canada the team encountered construction zones poor weather wildlife on
roadways traffic and long stretches of remote highways through the rockies prairies and northern
ontario one of the most tense moments came earlier in the trip when the vehicle approached a
construction flagger in ontario according to spencer scott everyone inside the car believed
the intervention-free streak might end as they waited to see how fsd would respond instead the
software successfully navigated the situation without requiring driver input the team also
described another unusual moment involving a navigation issue near a supercharger stop where
the vehicle briefly circled a parking lot before correcting itself and successfully reaching the
charging stall autonomously according to ulson those situations demonstrated how far tesla
software has progressed in handling unpredictable real-world driving conditions quote canada
threw just about everything it had at us along the way construction animals on the road poor
weather bad drivers etc and we still managed to pull it off he wrote this is a major milestone
in autonomy and will hopefully help prove to people where we actually are today with regard
to self-driving cars well let me extend my huge congratulations to david to devon and to spencer
and by the way david moss specifically that gentleman must have the most amount of time spent
in a driver's seat of a vehicle without manipulating the controls of anyone possibly ever maybe i don't
know like he's he's gotta have more miles under his belt with fsd than even anybody at tesla
thanks to the two cross country trips that he has done although side note after i had jotted this
thought down by sheer coincidence i saw a post from our tesla tipster friend soyer merit later
that quoted keith weisner or whizner i'm not quite sure how to pronounce keith if you're
listening i apologize keith has 73 210 miles on fsd since version 14.2 when of course the the
tracking in our car started out of a possible 73 510 so that's all but 300 of his 73 210
mile 73 510 miles have been using fsd so dang that is a lot of not driving driving but back to
the larger point even though you might think well this is mostly just freeway highway miles it's not
that difficult for the software to do you're not wrong per se but i would also politely disagree
as there are just plenty of little edge cases just trying to get to superchargers in retail
shopping centers in parking garages when the supercharger is not on the ground floor etc so
to go that far all the way across canada without needing to intervene at all that's pretty incredible
and i also don't want to lose sight of the bigger deal within that not needing to intervene not just
at all but for any safety reasons and the reason that i mentioned that is because reading this
story reminded me that i am old enough to recall the earliest days of the public fsd beta program
when i first got in in that first wave of safety score people which was what 55 and a half
years ago something like that and back then fsd beta would often how shall i put this politely
try to kill you and not literally of course but it did unpredictably bad things back in the earliest
days i still remember the first night that i got the beta in my car my 2018 model 3 and i took the
car out and i turned it on at some point and it tried to go the wrong way down a one way off ramp
of a main road not a highway not a freeway but it was like a main drag it was a boulevard so it was
it was kind of like a baby freeway i guess you'd say and it had like it tried to go down the exit
the wrong way so thankfully it was at night there were no cars coming up at the other direction
and i also i intervened very quickly like as soon as it started to go down that way
i just hit the brake and then maneuvered the car out of there but again that was five years ago
look where we are today in five years since and just think about where we'll be in five more years
like it's pretty cool to think about when you kind of break it down that way and you take
that perspective on it you know a little bit of a longer longer view on it so again congratulations
to those three intrepid road trippers who took on this challenge here's another quick bit of
fsd good news the handful of fully driverless tesla robo taxis in austin have now expanded
in their service area beyond the very small geofenced area that they've been operating in
thus far tesla confirmed this with a post on its official robo taxi account on x saying quote
unsupervised robo taxi now in the entire austin metro area end quote now yes it is still just a
handful of vehicles but this is the next small and careful step the next step after this would
certainly very obviously be more and more of the safety monitors coming out of the model y
robo taxis in austin before eventually all of the austin robo taxis are driverless probably at
which point maybe this can happen sooner but maybe once all of the safety monitors are out
maybe that's when the cybercabs will start hitting the streets in austin now i totally get if
skeptics and doubters would look at this and say well gosh tesla's progress here has been super
slow it's been nowhere near what elan said and that's true you know elan's timelines have been
wrong every time including recently like it's not an old thing it's also still a recent thing
so i would certainly acknowledge that fair criticism but at the same point tesla has to go
this slow because going too slow doesn't cause tesla any damage meaning in terms of the reputation
in terms of what they're trying to do here but if they were to go too quickly they've
could very much endanger what they're trying to do you know you could get regulators getting
involved if they try to skip steps and go too quickly like it's it makes sense for them to
proceed really really slowly and carefully on this even if it means that they have to absorb the
the slings and arrows of of critics right i totally get that and you know it doesn't matter to me
i i don't you know i'm not i don't work at tesla i'm just reporting and covering this stuff but
yeah it's it's certainly a fair criticism that it's been pretty slow rolling so far and it's
gonna continue to be but again another meaningful step forward here and in a very related bit of
news on this same topic long time listener long time tesla community person james stevensson
was the first person to spot and post that the texas dmv has accepted tesla's self certification
for level four autonomous driving now you might also be skeptical of this on account of it being a
self certification and again i would say that's fair because it's like me
saying that well i'm self-certifying myself as the king of all podcasts and well guess what me
saying it doesn't make it true and it just it isn't true no matter who says it but the thing is
self-certification in this application is the process that's set up in texas it is incumbent upon
the auto manufacturers to self-certify and then they have to adhere to the standards of the level
four self-certification so if things go south if there are problems it is on the manufacturer there
and more crucially in this what this really means in a real way rather than again tesla just
saying yes it's level four it means that tesla assumes the liability in the event of an accident
and that is a crucial sort of um under the hood behind the scenes piece of this that like if you
jump in a robotaxi and there's an accident you might think well wait a second is that is that
on me and my insurance but like i'm not driving and no if level four self-certification again
in texas so far indicates that tesla itself will assume the liability in the event of an accident
so that is a significant uh barometer that's or at least excuse me a significant milestone that's
been met now furthermore tesla and other companies can self-certify their vehicles and their tech
as long as they and this is the information that came from the the texas dmv website
they operate in compliance with texas traffic laws they maintain proper registration title
and insurance they use compliant automated driving systems and they record on-board activity
and handle system failures and glitches safely so that's those are the the um the conditions here
meanwhile as tesla roddy reports tesla was granted authorization by the state of texas to
on may 28th senate bill 2807 passed by the texas legislature took effect after being passed
back on september 1st of 2025 the bill establishes a statewide regulatory framework requiring
authorization from the texas dmv for companies to operate automated vehicles commercially
on texas roads this covers driverless or sae level four plus operations for passenger transport
meaning robo taxi or freight so in summation here this seems to be good news for tesla in texas
but with regard to the bigger picture and cyber cab production i do wonder about the other 49
states because and i'm not trying to make a joke it's if tesla needs to wait for regulatory hurdles
before they can start putting cybercabs on the streets in all states well that is naturally
going to limit cyber cab production i can't imagine that tesla is just going to be continually
producing cybercabs and stack stacking them up in the outbound lots at giga texas and just
sit around and not do anything not making any money now tesla obviously knows all this and
they knew all of it going into this whole thing but if you're a tesla shareholder not that stocks
are my strong suit at all and shouldn't listen to me for any stock related advice or anything but
if you're a tesla shareholder i have to imagine that that might be a bit concerning to you meaning
the regulatory hurdles that need to be met here and if you're tesla themselves and tesla is building
that super fast unboxing manufacturing strategy do you just have to wait to fully spin that up
as you get more you need more regulatory approval in more states i mean the cyber cab is obviously
unlike any tesla vehicle or really you could honestly say the cyber cab is unlike any vehicle
ever in the history of cars because it doesn't have a steering wheel or pedals so even tesla
might not know exactly how all of this is going to unfold but still it seems like a great next
step forward at the very least for the robo taxi program in texas before i get to the other
ev news this week a couple of cool things to mention the 12th annual chesed chicago raffle is
here i've been talking about this the last couple weeks i am thrilled i really am genuinely happy
to help raise some money for what is a great cause once again as i've been mentioning you guys have
really come out and showed out and supported this the past couple years so let's use the awesome
positive strong power of the tesla community the ev community the ride the lightning community
to help them out once again here in 2026 now as a reminder the real fun part of this raffle
it gives you the chance to win any ev of your choice so maybe that's a model y performance
maybe it's a model three performance maybe it's a lucid air maybe it's the catalac lyric
maybe it's the rivian r2 yes you can get an r2 if you win this raffle or if you prefer
you can take $50,000 cash as the grand prize here the best part is no matter what
you are helping families in need with your raffle ticket purchase here go to cceraffle.com
and use promo code RTL for $25 off of two tickets or $500 off of 15 tickets plus
this is a fun little option that's new for this year you can supercharge your entry for
$10 per ticket totally optionally and what happens with that is if you win that adds a tesla wall
connector including installation to the car that you choose or the cash and remember
that all the cars have tesla nacs ports on them now so tesla wall connector would be a great add on
no matter which car you choose if you win the raffle and you know it's really true that with the
$7,500 ev tax credit gone now this raffle is an even more awesome way to get your hands on the ev of
your dreams you know you just you buy a raffle ticket or two or three or four however many you
want to get you win and you've gotten yourself the an awesome ev for a whole lot less than what it
cost to go buy one at a tesla store or you know rivian or lucid or whoever so chesed chicago as
a reminder offers over 80 programs and services that provide vital assistance to more than 6000
individuals per year with a focus on battling hunger preventing eviction and homelessness
and providing needy families with basics such as clothing and furniture the drawing is on july
13th get your tickets now before they're gone because they are limited and they have ended the
raffle early in previous years because they sold out and that's partially thanks to you guys so
get those tickets now go to cc raffle.com and don't forget that promo code RTL for $25 off of two
tickets or $500 off of 15 tickets or you can click the link in the episode description to take you
right to their website also accelerate auto and their x care extended warranty option
for any ev not just teslas although this company was founded by former tesla employees who are
tesla owners themselves but their offer here for x care extends to all evs because you know one
thing that i've always appreciated about ev owners is that i think it's fair to say you're all
thinkers right you're you you're somebody that considers what you're gonna do before you do it
and before buying an ev for instance your research charging and battery technology and the software
the range what road trips are like and also ownership cost you plan ahead and that's exactly
why so many tesla and rivian owners take a look at x care before they ever need it not because
something is wrong but because preparation is part of smart ownership so whether you're driving a
model y a cyber truck a model three an r1 t and r1 s or something else entirely x care was built
specifically for ev owners who plan to enjoy their vehicles for years to come the best ownership
decisions are usually made before they're necessary to learn more you can talk to a human being by
calling 866 584 1363 and if you end up purchasing an extended warranty policy for your car make sure
to mention the promo code lightning for $100 off your policy purchase or you can do all of that on
the website as well at x care dot com that's x c a r e and that phone number again 866 584
1363 promo code lightning for $100 off your policy purchase in other ev news this week
wamos new vehicle has started rolling out in a few test markets i saw this on wamos own blog
where they wrote we're welcoming our first riders to experience the ohai in the coming weeks
we've spent years creating a journey that feels less like a car and more like its namesake an oasis
on wheels while our employees have been enjoying fully autonomous trips in the ohai for months
we're excited to welcome our first public riders along for the ride to enjoy this next generation
experience when riders open the elevator like doors they are welcomed into a cabin that feels
remarkably expansive with a low step and completely flat floor making it easier to get in and out the
space opens up like a living room on wheels three large led screens offer a ride that is yours to
customize from temperature to tunes this is just the beginning we look forward to introducing more
rider features to the ohai experience over time to help you make each ride your own built on years
of collaboration with input from our riders and community partners the ohai integrates accessibility
directly into the vehicle's dna we've prioritized subtle touches that are there when you need them
from embedded braille and screen reader compatibility to a seat integrated handle for extra support
when entering or exiting these features ensure the vehicle is as accessible as it is convenient
we're getting ready to scale our footprint nationally initially select riders in san francisco
phoenix and los angeles will have the option to take free rides in the ohai as we collect
valuable feedback on this novel experience we'll gradually welcome more riders over the coming
months as well as expand to new cities including denver los vegas and san diego before opening
our doors even wider to everyone later this year well i can tell you by being a san francisco
resident i've been seeing the ohais running around the city for a while now first with wemo
employees behind the wheel and more recently i've noticed that they've been running empty cars around
nobody no drivers and no passengers now the ohai if you're curious i would just you could look it up
on google image if you're if you're like wait what is this new wemo what does it look like
just google image search it real quick and you'll see and spelled by the way it's oj ai it's named
m s e a dash m so it's not just the word seam s e a m platform and it's definitely very mini van
like and while yes i've seen them running around the streets of san francisco i actually had the
chance to see one up close the last time i was at the peterson auto museum coincidentally here in
display at the peterson i'm curious so i'm what i'm really curious of is while we're on the subject
of autonomous driving this week is wemo going to eventually be able to delete the steering wheel
and pedals from these cars because if they do it effectively opens up an extra seat for an
an extra passenger so i would imagine that yes that eventually the pedals and wheel will get
delete steering wheel will get deleted from these these cars now for the record i'll say as somebody
who has had wemo in the place he lives for a long time why am i talking about myself in the third
person i'm going to stop doing that anyway uh for the record i like the jaguar eyepace that
wemo uses now just fine like as a rear seat passenger it's perfectly comfortable but hopefully
these ohais are even smoother of a ride than than the eyepace i mean of course wemo they kind of had
their hand forced i presume although i imagine they would have looked to do something like this
anyway but wemo can't get any more eyepaces because jaguar stopped building them two years ago i had
to look it up i knew it had gone out of production i just didn't remember when it was back in 2024
and that certainly whether it's a want or a need i mean it immediately becomes a need if the eyepace
is unavailable and so that's that explains why wemo needs to move on and find something else
interestingly enough though it's not just the ohai that wemo is going to be rolling out they are
also going to be integrating hunday Ioniq fives into their fleet as well which to me that seems
more like a one-to-one replacement for the eyepace so we will soon see a whole lot of
driverless purple ohais and golden cybercaps on the roads in major cities around the us and
hopefully before too long around the world again this is one of those things where if you stop and
think about it like the future is it is happening right in front of our eyes you know it's pretty
cool to think about like oh yeah these you're gonna have these purple ohais with no no drivers and these
little golden cybercaps all running around nobody in the car no drivers at least and that's that is
the future like it's it is arriving right now and that's pretty cool next up in other eb news this
week gm officially opened their new advanced design pasadena studio here in southern california where
i happen to be right now and they revealed the gmc hummer x concept in both truck pickup truck
and suv form saw this on gm's press site they said general motors officially opened its new
advanced design studio in pasadena and marked the occasion with the reveal of the gmc hummer x1
concepts highly reconfigurable and uh midsize evs in both truck and suv form hummer x concept is
designed to be configurable completely and continuously made possible by flexible manufacturing
technology flex fab in all caps enables fast small batch on demand production similar to 3d printing
but for metal no specialized stamping tools multiple designs from the same machines flex fab
unlocked a new hummer aesthetic a clean flat top silhouette with what is this even a word
radii used radii used r-a-d-i-u-s-e-d google docs is not flagging it as misspelled so i guess i'm
learning a new word here with a flat top silhouette with radii used edges i'm probably mispronouncing
it laser welded seams and visible precision bolts honest functional and unmistakably hummer
the cockpit is equally adaptable with stackable displays that let drivers tailor their digital
experience whether they're rock crawling trail running or cruising the highway hummer x redefines
what a midsize ev can do off road a low center of gravity extreme on-demand acceleration 35 to 37
inch good year tires beadlock wheels multimatic shocks removable fender flares and serious
underbody protection give it the the capability to take adventures to places most vehicles simply
cannot go well i do appreciate that ev that ev the gm is continuing down the ev path particularly
it sadly must be noted as other automakers in the us market pullback and while i recognize that this
is a concept that might not necessarily go into production i do need to question the market for
this you know so far whether it's the cybertruck the hummer ev the f150 lightning the rivian r1t
the chevy silverado or its sibling the gmc seara ev etc the fact is the electric pickup truck market
just hasn't been there yet and while i do think that there's probably a larger market for a smaller
and presumably cheaper hummer ev is it a significant enough one to justify bringing this concept to
production my gut says no but i'm also no expert i mean because what the ev market i'm i'm gonna
confidently say is in dire need of more of is more affordable cars again this hummer x would
probably be cheaper than the existing six figure hummer ev but you get where i'm going here
and more affordability there are ev headwinds right now we all know that but affordability
continues to be the the biggest one of those head headwinds the strongest i should say of those
headwinds and so we especially need more affordable ev suvs since that's of course what
the market really wants the most of but sure sedans too now to gm's credit i don't want to
get just negative on gm here to gm's credit they do already have the equinox ev which starts at
35 grand that is great and hey i'm all for the hummer being reborn as a as a multi model
fully fledged electric brand within gm but i guess what i'm saying here is i'm just not
quite fully sold on this hummer x concept because i'm just not sure what need it meets
in the grand scheme of things but hey let's see if gm actually builds it and then
hopefully gm will answer my question with a definitive yeah see there is an addressable
market for this so we shall see what happens there all right the final news story i have for
you this week is a one that i don't enjoy doing because it's another of these what feel like at
weekly mentions of cancelled evs this one though is particularly noteworthy at least in my humble
opinion it comes via drive tesla canada and it's this toyota is changing course on one of its
upcoming ev projects that was expected to debut the company's long-promised solid state battery
technology drive tesla canada writes according to the japan times toyota has decided to end
development of a production version of the lexus lf zc a next generation electric sedan
that had been scheduled to enter production in 2027 instead the japanese automaker will shift more
attention and resources towards suvs and hybrid vehicles mirroring the decisions of several other
automakers the lf zc was first revealed as a concept at the japan mobility show in 2023
and was positioned as a showcase for toyota's future ev technology the sleek luxury sedan
was expected to debut several major advancements including all solid state battery technology
ultrafast charging and a targeted driving range of approximately 1000 kilometers or 621 miles
on a single charge although the lf zc itself may never reach production toyota says development
on solids uh excuse me development of next gen ev technologies will continue that includes
ongoing work on solid state batteries which many automakers see as the next major breakthrough for
evs due to their potential for faster charging longer range and improved durability compared
to current lithium ion battery packs well because this is toyota specifically a company
that i think you'd agree has always been extremely hesitant to build evs they do have them yes but
i think it's fair to say they are pretty hesitant historically to actually put evs into production
and that's certainly probably on account of that being a big threat to their hybrid synergy drive
gravy train that they've been on for many years now but because this is toyota specifically
i have to question are they doing this because of market conditions or because the solid state
battery isn't ready for prime time or perhaps it could be both now even though my gut reaction to
this is to be cynical because of toyota's history or lack thereof in the ev space i'll be honest
with you i'm more i'm just disappointed more than anything else because here's the thing like let's
get real about this for a second like set i'm gonna set my feelings about toyota and and its
electrification efforts aside and say in all with all sincerity that if toyota could have been the
first company to actually bring a solid state battery powered car to market and if that car had
a 1000 kilometer slash 621 mile range miles of range pardon me which by the way is exactly what
tesla promised in the still unreleased next gen roadster all the way back in 2017 then it not
only would have been an incredible technical achievement and a momentous milestone for the
ev movement overall but if toyota had done that it would have immediately put them right back in
the mix as one of the ev power players in the entire car industry that's how i feel about it now i
know that speaking personally again my opinion on them with regard to electrification uh it if they
pulled this off as they said they were tracking towards doing next year my opinion on toyota
with regard to evs would have changed overnight i would have absolutely flipped and and gone very
rah rah toyota with regard to evs if they'd done this but unfortunately for now nobody not toyota
tesla nobody has been able to bring a solid state battery to market we keep hearing promises about
it and we keep hearing about amazing lab results which i'm not trying to discount the hard work
of people in those labs but the fact of the matter is there are still as of yet no real world cars
that you can buy and drive that use solid state battery technology so the question now is since
it's not going to be toyota seemingly who's going to be first will it be the next gen roadster after
all how funny would that be after all these years if the roadster the new roadster finally comes out
in say 2028 in about two years from now and it's got a solid state battery in it that gives it a
thousand kilometer slash 620 mile range that and they beat everybody else to the solid state battery
finish line that that would be quite hilarious if nothing else or and perhaps more likely that
this would be the one i would bet on will a chinese automaker such as byd beat the rest of the world
to the punch that seems to be the way things are trending because china has just wholeheartedly
embraced the ev movement and electrification of their car industry and so we'll see what happens but
uh for now nobody's done it but i would be thrilled for anybody whether it's tesla whether it's
byd whether it's toyota i'd be thrilled for anybody to get solid state batteries to market
and let's see that breakthrough in a car that you can buy and drive and prove me wrong i'd love to
see it all right that is everything in another busy week of tesla and other ev news stick with me
though your ride the lightning hotline calls are queued up and ready to go right after this
this is bill daniels the voice of night industries 2000 or kit you're listening to ride the lightning
the tesla unofficial podcast happy electric motoring it's time to hear from all of you
in the ride the lightning hotline if you'd like to call in and ask a question maybe you've got a
comment or discussion topic whatever it might be there are two easy ways to submit a phone call
for possible inclusion on an upcoming episode you can either use your smartphone's built-in
voice recording software and then just record the question i kindly ask that you keep it to 90
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at my podcast email address which is tesla podcast at gmail.com or you can take that same
90 second or less call and call in and leave a message on the ride the lightning hotline
it's a toll-free number you can dial at any time the number is 1-888-989-8752 that number again
1-888-989-TSLA and if you know someone special 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 onto a keepsake
visit life on record dot com to learn more first up this week here's robert from near
philly with an idea that i can get really on board with go ahead robert hey ryan this is
robert from near philly and i basically have a suggestion for tesla in case they're listening
really should add another one and they should work with william daniels i mean that's just obvious
especially based on your bumper they've built kit it's obvious robert it's always a pleasure
to hear from you thank you so much for calling in and i think you are correct this is so good
that it's obvious because yes you can basically use grok like michael night
use kit now in robert's email i'll point out for everybody else when robert sent his voice message
to me he noted the potential legal ramifications of this involving nbc universal who owns night
rider and thus owns kit and i think the answer the or i should say the workaround to that's
pretty simple that tesla or i guess really xa i just doesn't mention kit since it's a trademark
name just having william daniels doing the voice that alone would be enough for every look we'd
all know exactly what was going on right everybody would get it and it would be totally awesome so
to tesla and xa i if you're listening let's make this happen this is awesome cheers robert
thank you so much for calling in next let's go down to australia and hear more grok stuff
from brian in adelaide hi ryan it's brian here from adelaide in south australia
longtime listener and uh 2019 model 3 p minus owner and more recently 2026 model 3 long range
rear wheel drive owner both fantastic cars and particularly loving
full self-driving on the 2026 car something i've been long
wishing for is the ability to specify waypoints that are non-stop when navigating
i tried this again recently using grok and grok was able to do all of a multi-stop
navigation so with four stops and uh also was able to edit the stops afterwards
whilst i was driving so that i didn't have to do any of the edits touching the screen
that was all good but then although grok confirmed to me that my next stop was stop b
in fact it had a different thing on screen so it went on to stop c instead of going to stop b
so there's still a bit of fine tuning to be done but i'd highly recommend
anybody who has access to grok to use that and particularly to use it with a sign in
don't use it in um in guest mode thanks for all you do ryan's fantastic bye
thank you for this brian uh this is definitely a fun thing to try particularly if for instance
you have friends or family in town and you want to show them the sites that is a really really
useful way to utilize that oh and by the way since you're in adelaide i i have to mention this
if you happen to see a delorean around town maybe if if you can take a picture of it
send it my way because it might be mine my old delorean has lived in adelaide for well
since i sold it so it's been there for a while so if you see a really really nice delorean because
i know i know the the new owner has has kept it up well uh i hand i handed him a pretty perfect
delorean and to his credit he's taken great care of it so if you see a delorean might be mine
i'd love a photo because i just that would that would make my day if that ever happens to
to cross your path anyway brian thank you so much take care i've just got time for one more call
this week it comes from matt in virginia go ahead matt hey ryan this is matt from virginia i just
have a quick uh fsd uh recommendation that if the if anybody's listening on the fsd team please
look into this i appreciate fsd so much i use it all the time one of the 98 percent of the
trips i i use fsd all my mileage um but one thing on the highways is that fsd follows i believe
far too closely to large trucks like senbis cement trucks all kinds uh and and you know
spits up gravel and rocks and she either chips my paint or i recently got a scratch
cracked out with gil um so yeah i i would really like if they could uh make it so the fsd just
falls back whenever it notices the truck so i can see it on my screen that it knows the
difference between a semi truck and a pickup truck uh so yeah if it could like increase the
follow distance on highways to large trucks that would be amazing because i end up having
a disengage all the time because of it all right thanks ryan bye matt i could not agree more with
you here we know that fsd can recognize what category of a car a vehicle is we see it every
day right it can determine if it's a pickup truck an suv a bus a car a bicycle a motorcycle
etc now granted it doesn't always get the four-wheeled vehicles exactly correct but that
could just be in the rendering choice rather than the root fsd system but i digress so i am happy
to cosine your suggestion here because you're absolutely correct it is better for your paint
and for your windshield if you keep further back from dump trucks and the like there's a reason
that those things have keep back 200 feet stickers on them in a lot of cases so let's speak this one
into existence hopefully if the tesla team hears this and takes note thank you so much matt i
appreciate your call i appreciate everybody that kindly took the time to call in this week uh if
you did not get your call played i will get to more of them on next week's podcast but if you'd
like to call in please do i welcome and invite you to give me a call you can do that using one of
the two easy call-in methods that i gave you at the top of this segment so refer back to that
as for what's going on with me and my cars i wanted to mention kind of a this this actually
doesn't involve me or my cars but i wanted to mention something here that maybe you guys can
can help or or just consider consider taking a look at this you might remember last fall when i had
karson the model x owner in florida who's been happily living out of his car for many years
i had him on the podcast now not to confuse karson with santi who also lives out of his
model x and santi is driving the length of the americas i had him on more recently but again
karson from florida last from last fall karson unfortunately his model x was in a pretty significant
accident due to a deer running into the road karson's foot's broken so i hope he's recovering okay
and his car his model x did its job but it's in pretty rough shape if you would like to take
a look at his gofundme page that the community set up to try and help him out seeing as that his
model x isn't just his car it's his home you can take a look at gofundme.com slash f slash tesla
van life so take a look at that if you want to see if you can help karson out on a much much
much happier note i happen to see i actually it's funny i forgot that i bought tickets for this
because it was so long ago but knowing that i was coming down to la for this big annual
day job work thing i got tickets to a tuesday night showing this past week of back to the future of
musical which came to the san francisco bay area specifically it's down in san jose so my wife
and i took a ride down and i will be honest with all of you that i have not watched back to the
future since i sold my delorean and this is this may just sound pathetic and stupid to some of you
and that's fine but i kind of like i couldn't do it like i could i just kind of the thought of it
made me sad to see you know this the movie inspired me to love the car to get and then i got the car
and then you know don't cry for me or anything like that i'm not i'm not looking for pity but
i hadn't watched the movie and like i guess now it's like 12 years or something like that however
long it's been since i sold my delorean and but i'd heard really good things about this musical
version of it so i got the tickets and we went it was a packed house on a tuesday night which was
so great to see that this movie still matters to so many people and i have to say the musical was
fantastic i mean i'm not a musical guy uh i don't have any expertise there so maybe my opinion
you shouldn't yeah i don't maybe my opinions meaningless but just for my part i really enjoyed
the musical it's not a shot-for-shot note-for-note retelling of the movie just with some songs
thrown in there are a few little tweaks to the story which i suspect were for
different reasons in in different cases i'm not i don't want to get into any spoilers here
but what was cool was as i was looking at the program the original writers of Back to the Future
bob gale and robert zemeckis they wrote this they they did the adaptation of this as a musical
themselves so it wasn't just like some other person that came in and convinced universal
pictures to to let let that person adapt back to the future like no it was gale and zemeckis
that did this so it's as authentic as it gets uh it's probably the closest thing to Back to the
Future 4 that we're ever going to get to which is a good thing at this the it would never be good
it could never possibly live up just leave the trilogy as is but anyway uh the point here is
the musical's excellent it is a traveling show so it's on the road right now it's obviously in
the san francisco area right now if it comes to your town i can't recommend it enough it was a
really really good time it was funny it was fun it was sweet you know and and you know it's a i mean
it's a classic film and the musical version is is really really enjoyable as well so check that out
if it comes to your town i had my wife and i both were we left just delighted it was fantastic
and then back on the i guess i will talk about my car here for a second back on the tesla front
for a moment has uh so i got version 14.3.3 in my car this week i've done a few drives with it
including all the way down to san jose to uh to see Back to the Future the musical and i've noticed
one significant difference that i do not like and i'm wondering if any of you have experienced
this as well so i typically use fsd in standard mode has anyone else noticed standard mode going
noticeably and annoyingly slower than it used to on this new version on the freeway so the old
versions used to comfortably cruise at typically 72 miles an hour in a 65 zone which is what all of our
freeways are but ever since i installed 14.3.3 it's been puttering along at like 66 to 68 i've been
goosing it along with the accelerator pedal it's total first world thing obviously but it's annoying
it definitely feels like a regression to me like i don't want to have to put it into hurry the the
previous standard was pretty good you know 72 and it's that's about what i do what i would do anyway
in a 65 so just curious if that's been the case for anybody else out there anyway here's an
entertainment recommendation for you for this week i mean i guess i already just spent a few
minutes giving you one but not everybody can go see Back to the Future the musical but something
that's more widely available that i'm happy to recommend is season two of the tv show Tucci in
Italy it's on Disney plus slash Hulu slash Nat Geo and this is Stanley Tucci who goes to
different areas in Italy and talks to you know people that live there and and it's all about
the food of that region of Italy and Italy is number one on my bucket list of places that
i would like to go someday and so i've found this show very very entertaining the first season was
great the previous incarnation of this show which was called something else was awesome and so anyway
season two Tucci in Italy on Disney plus Hulu Nat Geo if that is of interest to you
time for your tesla pro tip of the week it comes from kevin in new york go ahead kevin
hey ryan thanks again for having me and for everything that you do i just wanted to follow
up i know there's been a little bit of back and forth about the regen in the winter time on teslas
and your last caller at least that i just heard today had said that they have like anti-slip
built into them or to tell the traction and not kick the regen in i don't know if that's
something with newer cars but i've had a 2017 model s a 2019 model x currently in a 2021 model y
and they definitely will kick in regen even when it's slippery because it's been a major
kind of brain retrain for myself living in new york typically as soon as you start to lose traction
you just let off on the accelerator that way you're not um you know kind of powering through
the slide and then you you don't want to hit the brakes and when i let off an accelerator and well
all of my teslas have ever had so far i definitely is like hitting the brakes and has put me into a
slide for you know a few times so um you're not trying to create a big debate and going back
forth too much but being a safety issue i just wanted to uh mention that it may be model year
specific or something and maybe the newer ones built that in because of the older ones that do
this but yeah i've uh three for three now of my teslas all definitely kick regen in when it's slippery
and it certainly takes some adjusting if you are used to driving in the snow in a uh a nice vehicle
so yeah thanks again for having me and and again thank you for everything you do kevin thank you
so much for calling in with this i know we're kind of into the summer now as i was saying at the very
top of the podcast and this is more of a winter thing but it is an important safety issue so
if anyone does have the answer to this as kevin asked whether or not there was a change on newer
teslas kind of like how my 2018 has different braking profiles than my 2024 does or more
specifically my 2024 doesn't have any choice in braking profile it's one pedal driving only
whereas there are options on the 2018 i think that would be good information to share with
everybody so thank you so much for calling in kevin 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 so that i can share it
with everybody and we can all learn and be even more knowledgeable ev owners so you can send in
a pro tip of the week the same way that you send in a regular ride the lightning hotline call
which i gave you the instructions for just a little while ago i am just about wrapped up with
this week's episode of ride the lightning but before i go i want to mention a few affiliates who
hopefully be useful to you at some point starting with abstract ocean dot com they've got so many
great aftermarket accessories for all the teslas as well as the rivians a lot of lighting kits for
both the interior and exterior of the car a lot of really i would call them smart and tasteful
customization bits for the interior i'm talking about things like for the older cars the uh the
center console like a nice little wrap for that because the original if you have an original one
like a 2018 2019 model three the the fingerprinting is uh is is it's a piano black finish and it's
it fingerprints very easily so stuff like that just a lot of really thoughtful and smart accessories
for all again all the teslas and the rivians as well the nice thing here is that the fine folks
at abstract ocean continue to offer the 15 discount off your first order and that is with
the coupon code RTL podcast all one word no spaces head to abstract ocean dot com click
whichever vehicle you own at the top of the page that'll show you all of the accessories that they
have available for your car pile everything you like into your online shopping cart and then
use that coupon code RTL podcast at checkout for that awesome 15 discount from abstract ocean dot
com rpm tesla meanwhile they make so many great body mods are a lot of carbon fiber stuff they are
trusted by over 200 000 tesla owners since 2013 offering over 1400 in-house designed and manufactured
accessories compatible with every tesla and every tesla model and year pardon me buying tesla
accessories from them online is easy and risk-free rpm's low return rate and free return shipping
and no restocking fees speak for themselves and for self installation which is probably what you're
going to be doing if you order from them rpm offers over 600 step by step real time do it yourself
videos but if you happen to live in southern california where i happen to be right now though
i don't have my tesla with me you can visit their showroom for professional installation
visit rpm tesla dot com to upgrade your tesla today the infinity shield this is an awesome
piece of engineering that you buy once and you never need again it is a garage door sensor that
attaches to your existing setup there are no special tools needed it's compatible with basically
every garage door opener system and it creates a 25 beam array not not like most garage door
openers where there's one sensor beam a couple inches off the ground this one creates a bank
vault protection like 25 beam array horizontal beams diagonal beams the point of this product is
that if your car your rear hatch or if anything is ever obstructing the opening of your garage door
and you or somebody accidentally hits garage you know the close the garage door button button
and that garage door comes down on your car or part of it or what have you you obviously don't
want that to happen and the infinity shield will prevent that from ever happening with its massive
awesome array again do it yourself installation no special tools required it works with every
garage door opening setup to get yours with a $25 discount go to infinity dash shield dot com
and use the promo code RTL at checkout for a $25 discount how about the snap plate they've got the
regular snap plate and the newer stronger snap plate plus this is the front license plate bracket
that i recommend for your tesla or other EV because it's a nice clean minimalist design
that'll go on safely and securely but just as importantly it will come off safely and securely
without leaving any damage behind on your car if you ever want to remove it you can get yours at
everyamp.com slash RTL and there is a discount if you use the coupon code RTL as well these are
great products if you need or legally have to have a front license plate bracket i do not recommend
using the tesla front mounting brackets because it sticks to the car with automotive tape which
means if you ever want to get it off you're going to have a bad time get yourself a snap plate or
this newer stronger snap plate plus both are made from recycled made in the usa plastics with
stainless steel reinforcements again get yours at everyamp.com slash RTL coupon code RTL for a
discount immaculate reflections if you're in or going to be in the greater san francisco bay area
with your tesla or other EV or other car that you love make an appointment ahead of time to get it
over to immaculate reflections maybe to have the paint finish refreshed via paint correction
which is a laborious delicate process but your paint finish will look amazing when immaculate
reflections gets done with it maybe you want to do paint protection film on the front end of the car
or even all of the car or somewhere in between to keep those rocks and other little things from
damaging your paint maybe you want to get the car ceramic coated so the next three to five to
more like seven years you won't have to worry about waxing the car because the ceramic coating
is keeping that surface and that paint protected from the sun and its UV rays whatever you want to
do get it done at immaculate reflections if you're in or going to be in the greater san francisco
bay area go to irdetailing.com you'll see a contact button in either the center of the home page
or the upper left corner click either one and when you reach out to Jeff the owner there
mention that you're a ride the lightning listener and he will extend the ride the
lightning listener discount to you for any services that you end up having performed I
guarantee and I do not say this lightly I guarantee that you will leave happier than when
you got there when you pick up your car when it's done you're going to be thrilled with the results
I've had Jeff do both of my cars and I am just I love the results it's just the cars are beautiful
he does phenomenal artisan craftsmanship it is just phenomenal detail work and lastly here my
patreon I mentioned it earlier let me mention it one more time if you would be so kind as to
allow me to do that patreon.com slash tesla podcast that is the way to support this podcast if you
like what you hear weekend and week out and you'd like to support me and my family and our canine
friends the the the ride the lightning crew both the the one you hear me and the behind the scenes
ride the lightning crew which are of course my wife definitely supporting me even taking the
time every single week to do this and of course my my interns my four-legged interns daisy the
boxer and lily the silly labrador they don't really add anything to the podcast except I guess the
occasional background noise so maybe they add a little bit of little personality a little uh
little extra flavor to to what you what you hear weekend and week out on ride the lightning
but in any case you can support me on patreon by visiting my patreon page found at patreon.com
slash tesla podcast or just click the link in the episode description if that's easier
the support tiers start at just five bucks a month and for that five bucks a month you will get
an ad free episode and you'll get early access to that ad free episode the most popular tier is
the ten dollar per month tier that's the next one up where you get the ad free early access and
you get access to the entire catalog past present and future of the nearly 200
lightning round mini episodes that are up there so again check it out patreon.com
slash tesla podcast if you're not already following this podcast on your favorite podcast
service it's easy to do just search ride the lightning tesla you should see this podcast
pop right up click the follow button it's totally free and that way anytime there's a new episode
you will get a push notification on your device reminding you that there is a new episode of
ride the lightning to listen to of course i release episodes every sunday at 9 a.m eastern
6 a.m pacific if you'd like to follow me on social media i'm on both x and instagram my username
on both is dmc underscore ryan and my email address if you'd like to email me for any tesla
or ev related thing my email is tesla podcast at gmail.com and before i go i just want to shout
out the top tier patreon backers these folks are incredibly generous supporting me at the top tiers
of the patreon they get a monthly zoom hangout which is actually going to be happening this
coming weekend normally i try to do those the first saturday of the month but i'm obviously in
los angeles and i am working at my day job so we're going to kick that to saturday june 13th
the invites have actually already gone out for that there's also a post on patreon and i sent
out calendar invites as well so i hope that the plaid maximum plaid and roadster in space tier
backers will be able to join in for that i should note that i do also give a one-time courtesy
thank you invitation to whatever the next patreon zoom hangout is whatever the next month's hangout
is for anybody that makes a new pledge or upgrades an existing pledge so looking forward to the
conversation with everybody this coming weekend uh thank you so much to the maximum plaid backers
jonathan wales cameron clark daniel grummer seth capello the galpin family ryan from new
york city darren nickle cos barns patrick wasneski todd badger joe edgel kevin yank the tesla owners
club of sandwalking valley willsteadman jeremy harris christ beach tom mills choreo donnell
erin joel sap paul casarino chris osbourne kb adam lavoix jason chelukas travis krenzel
bruce otterstein tom behan josh pennington john from cream ridge new jersey dustin hart
derrick finley charles clement daemon kline jeff brown jerry slinger kenneth corbett
brian bertoglio kim bae troy severs chip hooper matt shenander robert moran
rav christopher man michael williams eric harbert scott shepherd and tom tharp next up the max
excuse me the roadster in space tier backers big thanks goes to pete white lile austin
steve radspinner fernando cordero laughton from chicago shawn nightig neal weaver jackson wallis
rolf and jennifer evers howard anthony smith victoria aya coveto tesla hitchhiker 42 carol
weston robert from near philly american home contractors dug carry michael gallo and tony
figaroa and finally the grandfathered in plaid level supporters big thanks to george cassiopo
logan willis peter chalet eric randolph dory and steve guberman the tesla owners club of taiwan
ron lee charlie gillespie jeff angwin chase cabaneas the lydia family erin alchool jared brown
jamie dalton mike and barber from louisville matt nixon the tesla owners club of wisconsin
ish not elon muskin quotes peter and the bear boys of colorado well that'll wrap it up from here
in downtown los angeles i shall return to you next week of course with episode 567 from home
base in san francisco but in the meantime happy electric motoring my friends and i'll see you
back here next week
elon musk people don't like elon musk the guy found a paypal and tesla and people are like
yeah but he's a troll and a bad dad i'm like so is 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 his 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
About this episode
Autonomy and rollout updates take center stage, starting with “plenty of happenings with Tesla's FSD around the world” and then zooming in on Model YL sightings that suggest a U.S. production push. Tesla’s FSD progress is tied to regulatory milestones like Estonia’s approval and a claimed Canada coast-to-coast drive. Waymo’s “ohai” experience expands accessibility-focused rider access. The show also covers Austin robo-taxi expansion, Texas Level 4 self-certification, and a solid-state battery reality check.
Plenty of happenings with Tesla's FSD around the world as well as Waymo's next-generation vehicle rollout dominate a week of autonomous-driving news. Plus: more evidence of the Model YL's imminent arrival in the United States, and more!
If you enjoy the podcast and would like to support my efforts, please check out my Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/teslapodcast and consider a monthly or (10% discounted!) annual pledge. Every little bit helps, and you can support for just $5 per month. And there are stacking bonuses in it for you at each pledge level, like early access to each episode at the $5 tier and the weekly Lightning Round bonus mini-episode (AND the early access!) at the $10 tier! And NO ADS at every Patreon tier!
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Also, don't forget to leave a message on the Ride the Lightning hotline anytime with a question, comment, or discussion topic for next week's show! The toll-free number to call is 1-888-989-8752.
INTERESTED IN A FLEXIBLE EXTENDED WARRANTY FOR YOUR TESLA? Be a part of the future of transportation with XCare, the first extended warranty designed & built exclusively for EV owners, by EV owners. Use the code Lightning to get $100 off their "One-time Payment" option! Go to www.xcelerateauto.com/xcare to find the extended warranty policy that's right for you and your Tesla.
P.S. Get 15% off your first order of awesome aftermarket Tesla accessories at AbstractOcean.com by using the code RTLpodcast at checkout. Grab the SnapPlate front license plate bracket for any Tesla at https://everyamp.com/RTL/ (don't forget the coupon code RTL too!). Enhance your car with cool carbon-fiber upgrades from RPMTesla.com. And make your garage door foolproof with the Infinity Shield – get yours at https://www.infinity-shield.com and use the promo code RTL at checkout for a $25 discount.
