From using children as props to fitting car keys into one hand, Tesla owners are a passionate bunch
Tesla owners are acting up.
A man, a Michigan resident named Brandon Dalaly, implanted his Tesla key in his hand, CNN reported. Another man, Tad Park, a San Francisco-based entrepreneur, drove his Tesla into a kid to prove his automatic braking system worked.
It's no secret that fans of Elon Musk's electric car company are passionate. In 2019, Mashable wrote that the company inspires "devoted stans". Tesla also topped Consumer Reports' car satisfaction survey in 2022, and it wasn't the first time.
A Tesla owner (he owns Models 3, Y and S) told Entrepreneur that he loves his cars so much for several reasons.
Driving a Tesla versus another type of car is “the difference between a Model T and a horse and buggy,” said Greg Tramontin, president and CEO of GoAuto Insurance.
"It's a whole [different] level of driving and technology," he said, noting that he watches Netflix while charging his cars and rarely has to take them for maintenance or repairs.
But others take this passion to the extreme. This week, a Tesla owner showed CNN how he embedded a chip that unlocks his Tesla in his hand so he can never lose his keys.
"I'm a big tech nerd," Dalaly told the outlet. He also said he hopes to put his credit card in his hand - and already has another chip that unlocks the door to his house.
Then there is the case of a man driving a Tesla (slowly) into a child. Or, as Guardian columnist Arwa Mahdawi put it, "Why are Tesla fanatics putting their kids in the way of moving cars?"
The answer is that there is an ongoing online debate about whether Tesla's "Full Self-Driving" technology actually shuts down if a child is in front. (FSD is still in beta mode and has a slew of testers. It's also, colloquially speaking, more of an assisted driving. The name is a bit of a misnomer.)
The controversy started when a tester posted a video he said showed Tesla's FSD system didn't stop at childish lures.
Tesla later changed its website to say it's intended to reduce the risk of a collision, not stop one altogether. Electrek, an outlet specializing in transport, said it discovered during an investigation that the FSD was not activated during the test.
Tesla fans saw it as a challenge. One shareholder, Volt Equity CEO Tad Park, posted a video of his Tesla approaching a child at 8mph. The car stopped, according to CNBC.
“We made sure that the car recognized the child. Even if the system completely failed, I was ready to take over at any time. I had an idea of when I was going to have to brake if the car didn't slow down enough," he told the outlet.
YouTube removed the video last week, the outlet noted.
Tramontin said he would never consider putting his Tesla key in his hand. ("It's crazy," he said.) But he loves the way he drives.
"This is the best thought out vehicle I have ever seen. Elon Musk and his engineers have done a tremendous job," he said.
Tesla owners are acting up.
A man, a Michigan resident named Brandon Dalaly, implanted his Tesla key in his hand, CNN reported. Another man, Tad Park, a San Francisco-based entrepreneur, drove his Tesla into a kid to prove his automatic braking system worked.
It's no secret that fans of Elon Musk's electric car company are passionate. In 2019, Mashable wrote that the company inspires "devoted stans". Tesla also topped Consumer Reports' car satisfaction survey in 2022, and it wasn't the first time.
A Tesla owner (he owns Models 3, Y and S) told Entrepreneur that he loves his cars so much for several reasons.
Driving a Tesla versus another type of car is “the difference between a Model T and a horse and buggy,” said Greg Tramontin, president and CEO of GoAuto Insurance.
"It's a whole [different] level of driving and technology," he said, noting that he watches Netflix while charging his cars and rarely has to take them for maintenance or repairs.
But others take this passion to the extreme. This week, a Tesla owner showed CNN how he embedded a chip that unlocks his Tesla in his hand so he can never lose his keys.
"I'm a big tech nerd," Dalaly told the outlet. He also said he hopes to put his credit card in his hand - and already has another chip that unlocks the door to his house.
Then there is the case of a man driving a Tesla (slowly) into a child. Or, as Guardian columnist Arwa Mahdawi put it, "Why are Tesla fanatics putting their kids in the way of moving cars?"
The answer is that there is an ongoing online debate about whether Tesla's "Full Self-Driving" technology actually shuts down if a child is in front. (FSD is still in beta mode and has a slew of testers. It's also, colloquially speaking, more of an assisted driving. The name is a bit of a misnomer.)
The controversy started when a tester posted a video he said showed Tesla's FSD system didn't stop at childish lures.
Tesla later changed its website to say it's intended to reduce the risk of a collision, not stop one altogether. Electrek, an outlet specializing in transport, said it discovered during an investigation that the FSD was not activated during the test.
Tesla fans saw it as a challenge. One shareholder, Volt Equity CEO Tad Park, posted a video of his Tesla approaching a child at 8mph. The car stopped, according to CNBC.
“We made sure that the car recognized the child. Even if the system completely failed, I was ready to take over at any time. I had an idea of when I was going to have to brake if the car didn't slow down enough," he told the outlet.
YouTube removed the video last week, the outlet noted.
Tramontin said he would never consider putting his Tesla key in his hand. ("It's crazy," he said.) But he loves the way he drives.
"This is the best thought out vehicle I have ever seen. Elon Musk and his engineers have done a tremendous job," he said.
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