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  • What the Model Y L’s glass roof actually blocks.

    What the Model Y L’s glass roof actually blocks.

    The Model Y L’s glass roof runs the full length of the cabin over both rows of seats, and Tesla’s own documentation says it blocks the large majority of harmful UV exposure — but it isn’t a substitute for shade on a hot day.

    What Tesla actually says about UV protection

    Tesla’s owner’s manuals state that the roof, windshield, and windows are “excellent at protecting you from UV (ultraviolet) rays,” with the glass scoring less than 2 on the UV Index scale — the same language Tesla uses across the Model Y, Model 3, and Cybertruck manuals. That’s a real, measurable claim about UV, which is the radiation linked to sunburn and long-term skin damage, and it applies whether you’re sitting under the glass roof or behind the windshield.

    What it doesn’t promise

    UV protection isn’t the same as heat control. Tesla’s manuals don’t publish a specific infrared or heat-rejection percentage for the glass roof, and a large glass panel over both rows means more direct sunlight reaching the cabin than a car with a solid roof, especially when the car sits parked in the sun. If you park outside often in hot weather, the practical fix most owners land on is a sunshade for the parked car and using the climate system’s scheduled or remote pre-cooling before you get in, rather than relying on the glass alone to keep the cabin cool.

    Seeing it in the car

    Tesla posted this look at the Model Y L’s glass roof on July 29, 2026:

    It’s a short promotional clip meant to show the size and feel of the roof from inside the cabin, not an independent test of heat or UV performance — for the actual protection claims, Tesla’s owner’s manual above is the source to check.

    Photo by Daniil Ustinov.

  • Tesla just started large-scale cathode production in Texas.

    Tesla just started large-scale cathode production in Texas.

    Tesla is now running large-scale cathode production at Gigafactory Texas — the raw-material processing step that feeds directly into battery cells — making it one of the first plants of its kind operating at scale in North America.

    What actually opened

    The Austin American-Statesman reported that Tesla is now operating a cathode facility at Gigafactory Texas, processing the materials used to build battery cells rather than importing finished cathode material from overseas suppliers, which is how most automakers still source it. Tesla flagged the start of full-scale cathode production on its Q4 2025 earnings call on January 28, 2026. The facility is part of a roughly $776 million expansion of the Austin campus that Tesla filed plans for, and Teslarati reports the buildout includes a dedicated cathode plant alongside other new production space.

    Why cathode material matters

    Cathode is one of the most expensive and supply-constrained parts of an EV battery, and most of it is currently processed in China. Bringing that step in-house and onshore gives Tesla more control over cost and supply for its own cells, and reduces exposure to the kind of trade and tariff disruption that’s hit battery-material supply chains in recent years. It doesn’t change anything about the car you drive today, but over time it’s the kind of manufacturing move that affects battery cost and availability for future Tesla models.

    Tesla posted this look inside the facility on August 21, 2026:

    The video is Tesla’s own promotional look at the plant, not an independent inspection — for the production numbers and investment figures, the Statesman and Teslarati reporting above is the more complete record.

    Photo by Heru Dharma.

  • Can you take your Tesla through a car wash?

    Can you take your Tesla through a car wash?

    Yes — but which kind of car wash you choose, and whether you turn on the right setting first, decides whether you end up with a clean car or a damaged one.

    Touchless only, and only with Car Wash Mode on

    Tesla’s own owner’s manuals are direct about this: use touchless automatic car washes only — the kind that clean with high-pressure water and soap and have no brushes or cloth strips that physically touch the car. Brush-style washes can scratch the paint and, on a Tesla specifically, can damage exterior sensors, cameras, and door handles that sit flush with the body.

    Before you pull in, open Controls on the touchscreen and turn on Car Wash Mode. It closes all the windows, locks the charge port door, and turns off the windshield wipers, Sentry Mode, walk-away door locking, and the parking sensor chimes — all things that could otherwise trigger mid-wash and either damage the car or get in the equipment’s way. If you’re going through an automatic tunnel wash where the car needs to roll along a conveyor, Car Wash Mode also has an Enable Free Roll option that puts the car in Neutral for the length of the wash so it doesn’t try to auto-park or apply the brake when no one’s in the driver’s seat.

    What to check before you go

    Make sure the wipers are fully off and resting flat — a wash that catches a wiper mid-motion can bend or snap the arm. The manual also warns against touching anything on the screen that could pop open a door, trunk, or frunk while you’re inside the wash tunnel. Skipping Car Wash Mode isn’t just risky, it’s costly: Tesla states that damage caused by a car wash isn’t covered under warranty, so the few seconds it takes to turn the mode on before you pull in is cheap insurance.

    Hand washing and home washing

    A hand wash at home or a full-service hand wash bay doesn’t need Car Wash Mode in the same way, since there’s no equipment brushing against the car and no conveyor to worry about, though it’s still worth locking the charge port and being mindful of any exposed sensors. If you’d rather not deal with any of this, a touchless wash with Car Wash Mode enabled remains the simplest way to keep a Tesla clean without a service visit.

    Photo by El Jundi.

  • The federal tax credit for business Tesla purchases is gone too.

    The federal tax credit for business Tesla purchases is gone too.

    If you run a business and were counting on a federal tax credit to offset a Tesla purchase, that credit is gone — and it disappeared on the same date as the better-known consumer credit.

    What ended, and when

    Section 45W, the federal Qualified Commercial Clean Vehicle Credit, offset up to $7,500 for a business vehicle under 14,000 pounds (more for heavier vehicles) when a company bought or leased an EV. Under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, that credit was terminated for vehicles acquired after September 30, 2025, the same cutoff date that ended the consumer Section 30D credit. “Acquired” has a specific legal meaning here: the IRS says a vehicle counts as acquired if you had a binding written purchase contract and made a payment — even a nominal down payment or a trade-in — on or before that date, regardless of when you actually took delivery.

    That means a business that signed a contract and put money down before September 30, 2025 can still claim the credit when the vehicle is placed in service, even now. A business ordering a Tesla today cannot.

    Who this actually affected

    The commercial credit wasn’t just for fleets. Sole proprietors, LLCs, and other businesses buying a vehicle for business use could often qualify more easily than individual consumers did under the old 30D rules, because 45W didn’t carry the same income caps or the requirement that final assembly happen in North America. That made it a common path for self-employed people and small business owners to get a credit on a Tesla even when they wouldn’t have qualified as an individual buyer.

    With both the consumer and commercial federal credits gone, that path no longer exists for new purchases. The IRS’s current instructions for Form 8936, the form used to claim clean vehicle credits, reflect the same acquisition cutoff.

    What’s still available

    The federal credits are gone, but ordinary business-expense rules haven’t changed — a vehicle used for business can still typically be depreciated, and states run their own incentive programs independent of the federal ones. If your business is still shopping, check your state’s program directly, since eligibility and dollar amounts vary widely and change often. This isn’t tax advice; a business’s specific situation is worth running by an accountant before you assume how a purchase will be treated.

    Photo by RDNE Stock project.

  • What actually happens if your Tesla runs out of charge.

    What actually happens if your Tesla runs out of charge.

    Running your Tesla’s battery all the way to empty is rare — the car warns you well before it happens — but if it does, here’s what actually happens and how to get moving again.

    What the car does at 0%

    According to Tesla’s owner’s manual section on running out of range, the touchscreen and instrument panel start warning you as your charge gets low, with a final warning before the vehicle limits speed and eventually shuts down. If the high-voltage battery fully depletes while you’re driving, the car loses drive power and coasts to a stop; power steering and brake assist can be affected during that final coast, so you’ll notice the wheel and pedal feel heavier as you slow down. Once it’s stopped, the car can’t restart on its own — you’ll need outside help to move or charge it.

    Getting help

    Pull as far off the road as you safely can and contact Tesla Roadside Assistance, available 24/7 through the Tesla app or by phone. Roadside Assistance can talk you through options, but Tesla is explicit that this service isn’t free in every case — towing costs generally aren’t covered unless the issue is a Tesla defect, so running out of charge is typically a bill you pay yourself, not a warranty item.

    Two ways to get moving again: a mobile charging van (available in some cities, growing but not everywhere) can bring enough charge to drive to a Supercharger, or a tow truck can take the car to the nearest charger. Tesla’s manual is specific that a Tesla should be moved on a flatbed whenever possible; if a flatbed genuinely isn’t available, the car can be moved on wheel lifts or dollies with all four wheels off the ground, but only for a maximum of 35 miles and at low speed. Standard tow-behind (two wheels on the ground) isn’t supported and can damage the drivetrain. Before winching the car onto a truck, the tow operator needs to put it in Tow Mode from the touchscreen, which unlocks the parking brake and allows the wheels to roll freely.

    How to avoid it in the first place

    The car’s own trip planner and range estimate build in a buffer, so the main way owners end up at 0% is ignoring low-battery warnings or skipping a planned charging stop. On a road trip, treat the in-car navigation’s suggested charging stops as the plan, not a suggestion — and if you’re driving somewhere with sparse charging, budget more buffer than the estimate gives you, especially in cold weather when range drops faster than the dashboard number initially suggests.

    Photo by Reinhard Bruckner.

  • NHTSA opens an investigation into Tesla’s Cybercab safety certification.

    NHTSA opens an investigation into Tesla’s Cybercab safety certification.

    The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has opened an Audit Query into how Tesla certified its two-seat Cybercab as meeting federal vehicle safety standards. NHTSA opened the query, numbered AQ26002, on September 3, 2026 — the same day Tesla began limited commercial Cybercab rides in Austin, Texas, through its Robotaxi app.

    What NHTSA is looking at

    In the United States, automakers self-certify that a new vehicle meets Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS) before selling it; regulators can review that certification afterward. Electrek reports that NHTSA’s query covers roughly 1,000 Cybercabs and will examine “the process and technical data on which Tesla relied when certifying the Cybercab,” including the extent to which Tesla concluded that certain FMVSS rules don’t apply to the vehicle. The agency said the inquiry was prompted by public information about the vehicle.

    The Cybercab doesn’t have a steering wheel, pedals, or side mirrors — equipment that most existing safety standards assume every car has. Tesla’s certification approach was to declare a number of those human-control-specific standards inapplicable to a vehicle with no human controls at all. NHTSA’s audit is meant to check the technical basis for that call, not to say Tesla got it wrong.

    What this means if you’re riding in one

    An Audit Query is a fact-finding step, not a recall or a finding of a defect. The Detroit News notes the review sits alongside NHTSA’s existing, separate scrutiny of Tesla’s Full Self-Driving software across millions of vehicles — a reminder that regulatory reviews of Tesla’s autonomous systems are already an active, ongoing process, not something new triggered only by Cybercab.

    For now, Cybercab rides continue in Austin at the small scale Tesla launched with on September 3. If you’re considering hailing one, there’s no new restriction on riding today — the audit is about verifying Tesla’s paperwork and engineering rationale, a process that can take months. It’s worth checking Tesla’s own Cybercab page before your first ride, since Tesla, not NHTSA, controls where and when the service actually operates.

    Photo by Leonardo Gonzalez.

  • Can swapping your Tesla’s wheels actually add range?

    Can swapping your Tesla’s wheels actually add range?

    Yes — within limits. Wheel size and design change a Tesla’s rolling resistance and aerodynamic drag, and both measurably affect range, though the gain from swapping wheels alone is modest, not dramatic.

    What independent testing shows

    Testing by Car and Driver found aero wheel covers improved efficiency by an average of 3.4%, translating to roughly 7 to 10 additional miles of range, with the biggest gains showing up at highway speed once aerodynamic drag becomes the dominant factor. Wheel size cuts the other way: on a rear-wheel-drive Model 3, going from the base wheel to the optional 19-inch wheel drops EPA-rated range from 272 miles to 248 miles — a reminder that bigger wheels generally mean less range, not more, mostly from added rolling resistance and weight.

    Why a smaller wheel swap can still move the needle

    Moving to a smaller, narrower, or more aerodynamically shaped wheel works in the opposite direction from an oversized wheel upgrade — less rolling resistance and a smoother wheel face for air to pass over. The effect is real but modest: single-digit percentage gains in controlled tests, more at sustained highway speeds than around town, and it depends heavily on the specific wheel, tire, and conditions.

    Ryan Shaw posted a video on September 2, 2026 showing a Model 3 gaining range after a wheel swap on his own car:

    Shaw’s video shows one car, one swap, and one set of conditions — a useful real-world data point, not a guarantee of the same result on every Model 3. If you’re chasing range from a wheel change, the published testing above is the more reliable baseline for what to expect.

    Photo by Brett Sayles.

  • Do you need wheel spacers for your Tesla?

    Do you need wheel spacers for your Tesla?

    Wheel spacers are thin discs that mount between your wheel and the hub, pushing the wheel farther out. Most Tesla owners who buy them are chasing one of two things: room for wider aftermarket wheels and tires, or a flush, less recessed look. Neither is something a stock Model 3 or Model Y actually needs — but if you’ve already swapped wheels and something’s rubbing, a spacer is often the fix.

    What actually fits without one

    Tesla’s Model 3 and Model Y both use a 5×114.3mm bolt pattern with a 64.1mm center bore, and factory lug nuts torque to 129 lb-ft (175 N·m). If you’re running wheels designed for your specific Tesla trim, with the offset Tesla or the wheel maker specifies, you don’t need a spacer — the wheel already sits correctly on the hub. Spacers become relevant when you move to a wheel with a different offset than stock and the tire ends up too close to the fender or the brake caliper.

    Hub-centric matters more than the size you pick

    The spec that matters most isn’t thickness, it’s whether the spacer is hub-centric or lug-centric. A hub-centric spacer has a machined lip that sits inside your Tesla’s hub bore, so the hub — not just the lug nuts — carries and centers the wheel’s weight, the same way the wheel sits directly on the hub without a spacer. A lug-centric spacer skips that lip and relies on the lug nuts alone to hold the wheel centered, which is more prone to vibration if anything isn’t torqued exactly right. For a daily-driven Tesla, hub-centric is the safer default.

    What to check before you buy

    Match the spacer to Tesla’s bolt pattern and center bore exactly, and confirm the stud or bolt length that comes with it is long enough for full thread engagement — a spacer that leaves lug nuts barely gripping the threads is a real failure point, not a cosmetic one. Re-torque the wheels to spec after the first 50–100 miles, the same way you would after any wheel service, since spacers can seat slightly as they’re driven on. If you’re not comfortable doing that yourself, have a shop install and torque them rather than skipping the step.

    If your factory or aftermarket wheels already fit without rubbing and you’re not chasing a specific look, there’s nothing to gain from adding spacers — they add a failure point for a problem you don’t have. If you’ve already run into clearance issues after a wheel swap, a properly matched hub-centric spacer, installed and torqued correctly, is the normal fix.

    Photo by Erik Mclean.

  • Is the Model 3 Performance worth $7,500 more than Long Range?

    Is the Model 3 Performance worth $7,500 more than Long Range?

    Tesla renamed the Model 3 Long Range trim to Premium AWD for the 2026 model year, so if you are cross-shopping today, that is the trim sitting one step below Performance. The badge changed, but the question buyers actually ask has not: how much more does Performance cost, and what do you get for it?

    Premium AWD starts at $47,490. Performance starts at $54,990. That puts the gap at $7,500 before options, taxes, or destination and order fees, which Tesla adds separately at checkout.

    The most obvious trade is range for acceleration. Premium AWD is rated at 346 miles of EPA range and reaches 60 mph in 4.2 seconds. Performance drops to 309 miles of range but cuts that to 2.9 seconds, with a top speed of 163 mph versus roughly 125 mph for Premium AWD. You give up about 37 miles of range in exchange for a noticeably quicker car.

    Performance also brings hardware Premium AWD does not get, according to published spec sheets: larger front brake discs (355 mm versus 320 mm), electronically adjustable continuously variable dampers instead of the standard suspension tune, and 20-inch wheels in place of the 18- or 19-inch wheels on lower trims. Performance also unlocks Track Mode V3, a software mode that manages motor torque and stability control for repeated hard driving on a closed course.

    None of that changes how the car behaves in daily commuting, parking lots, or highway cruising, where both trims feel quick off the line by gas-car standards. The bigger brakes and adjustable suspension matter most if you actually drive aggressively on backroads or take the car to a track day. On a normal commute, the adaptive suspension mostly shows up as a firmer ride rather than a feature you will use.

    Performance makes sense if you want the quickest Model 3 for its own sake, plan to autocross or track the car, or want the larger brakes as a margin for repeated hard stops. If your priority is maximum range, a slightly softer ride, or keeping the extra $7,500, Premium AWD (Long Range) gives you the same daily-driving experience — quick, quiet, all-wheel drive — without paying for capability you may never use.

    Photo by I’m Zion.

  • What Tesla’s Adaptive Headlights actually do

    What Tesla’s Adaptive Headlights actually do

    Adaptive Headlights is a software feature that works with Tesla’s matrix LED headlight hardware. Instead of a single high-beam bulb that either lights up the whole road or has to be switched off when another car approaches, a matrix headlight is made of many individually controlled LED segments. The system can selectively brighten or dim those individual segments in response to oncoming and leading traffic, dimming just the part of the beam that would land on another vehicle while keeping full high-beam brightness on the rest of the road. In practice, that means you can leave high beams on more of the time without manually flicking them off every time a car approaches.

    The same hardware also handles a second, separate job: it steers the beam left, right, up, and down to follow curves in the road, so the light points toward where you’re actually steering rather than straight ahead.

    This only works if your car has the matrix headlight hardware in the first place, and not every Tesla does. Matrix headlights began appearing on Model 3 and Model Y in early 2022, though supply issues meant some late-2022 and early-2023 builds still shipped with older projector-style headlights instead. Refreshed Model S trims have shipped with matrix headlights as standard, Model X started getting them in June 2023, and the 2024 Model 3 "Highland" refresh supports the feature. Cybertruck does not have matrix headlights at all — Tesla says the hardware doesn’t fit the space above its bumper.

    Having the hardware doesn’t automatically mean the adaptive high-beam function is turned on where you drive. The feature reached Europe and other markets first, and in North America it has rolled out car by car rather than all at once: the refreshed Model Y was the first Tesla to ship with adaptive high beams enabled in the U.S. and Canada, with deliveries underway in March 2025, while other eligible models were still waiting on activation as of that report. Check your car’s headlight settings, or a delivery/service advisor, rather than assuming the feature is live simply because your VIN has the right hardware.

    Separately, in August 2026 Tesla recalled roughly 20,349 Model 3 (2017–2023) and Model Y (2020–2023) vehicles because certain low-beam headlamp assemblies, built by supplier Marelli from June 2023 onward, emitted excess brightness in the upper corners of the low-beam pattern, exceeding federal limits. That recall is about a manufacturing defect in low-beam output, not the Adaptive Headlights software feature described here — it applies to standard low beams, and the affected vehicles are not necessarily the same ones running adaptive high beams. The two issues are unrelated.

    Adaptive Headlights changes how your high beams behave; it does not change how your low beams are aimed or built, and Tesla’s own sourcing does not claim the feature prevents collisions — only that it dims specific segments so oncoming drivers see less glare while you keep more of the road lit.

    Photo by Emre Mavi.