Tesla Model S Plaid outfitted for police use in latest UP.FIT release

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Tesla’s electric vehicles (EVs) have been rolling out as police cruisers over the past few years, though the company’s Model S Plaid has only recently received its first buildout for such a use case.

During day one of SEMA on Tuesday, Tesla mod kit manufacturer Unplugged Performance unveiled its latest police cruiser buildout for the Model S Plaid, which is considered the world’s quickest accelerating production car. While Unplugged Performance’s UP.FIT division has already deployed other police vehicle builds for Tesla’s Model Y, Model 3, and Cybertruck, this is the first we’ve seen of a Model S Plaid outfitted by the company.

RELATED: Tesla says its standard tech can save police departments $4,000

According to Tesla, the Model S Plaid has a 0 to 60 mph acceleration of just 1.99 seconds, a top speed of 200 mph, and a range of 359 miles. Many have also set world records with the Model S Plaid in the 0 to 60 and quarter-mile acceleration runs, including one driver who clinched an impressive 8.56-second quarter-mile time in July.

Unplugged Performance has deployed several Model Y and Model 3 units outfitted for service on U.S. police forces over the last few years, though this is the first time the company has built a specific police cruiser kit for the Model S Plaid. Earlier this year, the company also unveiled its design for a copped-out Cybertruck, and it has already deployed the Cybertruck to multiple U.S. police departments.

Along with offering modifications for police and other government fleet vehicles, Unplugged Performance has also become well-known for its racing arm. In particular, many are familiar with the manufacturer’s work on racer Randy Pobst’s Model S Plaid, dubbed “Dark Helmet,” which has been used in the Pike’s Peak International Hill Climb for multiple years now.

Anaheim PD launches pilot for Tesla Model Y LR police cruisers

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Tesla Model S Plaid outfitted for police use in latest UP.FIT release





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Tesla Phone rumors clarified by CEO Elon Musk

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The rumors of a potential Tesla Phone have been clarified by company CEO Elon Musk, who appeared on the Joe Rogan Experience Podcast on Monday.

Of the many rumors circulating about Tesla, what it will develop and what it could potential dip its toe into next, a phone is among the most popular.

It is no wonder, either. If you were to search “Tesla Phone” on YouTube, you will get a variety of videos that state Musk has personally guaranteed a phone:

To be frank, I get a lot of questions about a phone from older Tesla fans who read Teslarati. I am always baffled to receive questions about it because it was never truly discussed on any level by Musk or Tesla as a whole.

However, it does not mean the rumors do not exist. However, on an episode of Joe Rogan Experience from Monday, Musk definitively ended the rumors.

Musk said:

“Tesla is in a better position to create a new phone, that’s not Android or iPhone than maybe any company in the world. But, it’s not something we want to do, unless we have to or something.”

Rogan asked for an instance that would require Tesla to make a phone:

“If Apple and Google/Android started doing really bad things, like censorship of apps or being like gatekeepers, in a bad way, then I guess we’d make a phone.”

It seems more or less of a cryptic message, but it seems pretty clear that Tesla and Musk do not see the need for innovation in terms of personal communication devices.

Tesla, as an automaker, revolutionized how cars operate. Identifying a need for change in terms of the way cars were powered and even how they look are basic premises of what Tesla stands for in terms of cars.

Tesla unveils the Robovan at ‘We, Robot’ event

With energy, Tesla has created new solutions for residential and commercial battery storage systems.

Other Musk projects, like SpaceX and Neuralink, aimed to break boundaries in space travel and health. X is a social media platform that is far from typical. There is a common theme with Musk projects, and it aims to fix something that is broken.

Apple, Samsung, and other manufacturers largely take care of smartphones. They are easy to operate, and people, generally, are happy with the type of phone they have. There is no true need for innovation in smartphones. They are not broken like other things that Musk’s companies have aimed to solve.

So, no, don’t expect a Tesla phone to hit the market anytime soon.

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Tesla Phone rumors clarified by CEO Elon Musk





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Tesla’s LA Diner and Supercharger gets its first full drive-in screen

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Tesla has been hard at work on its Southern California diner, Supercharger, and drive-in movie theater location over the past year or so, and a recent update shows that the site has finally gotten its first full movie screen.

In a video update shared by drone observer and YouTube channel 247Tesla over the weekend, you can see the frame for the screen on the Northern side of the lot now covered with a 45-foot LED display, as the site begins to take shape on the drive-in side of things. The site is eventually expected to feature clips from the best movies in history, according to Elon Musk’s original musings about the project back in 2018.

Credit: 247Tesla | YouTube

Credit: 247Tesla | YouTube

The screens, one of which still needs the final LED display, will run from 7:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m., while the diner and charging stations will be open 24 hours a day, according 247Tesla. The screens will also reportedly be visible from both the diner building and the Supercharging stations.

In addition to the first LED screen being installed, the site is getting more conduit work, while the main door to the diner building has been fully completed following the initial placement of the glass panels around two weeks ago.

Check out the latest updates from the Tesla Diner below, as captured by 247Tesla.

Tesla put up the frame for the first screen on the Northern side of the lot (the one that now features an LED display) back in March, following up with the second frame in July due to a power line blocking the whole Western side of the parking area.

Located at 7001 Santa Monica Blvd., the site was originally approved for as many as 32 charging posts, and as can be seen now, at least some of them going in are Tesla’s next-gen V4 Superchargers. It’s also expected to feature a 1950s-style diner with waiters on roller skates, rock and roll, and the multi-level seating that’s now taking shape.

Tesla first broke ground on the Tesla Diner site last September, with the first structures for the restaurant building going up in November. Along with the construction progress the company has made, the company has also started hiring for the Tesla Diner, so we may even see the unique charging project operational by the end of the year.

See the Tesla Diner’s construction progress in January:

Tesla’s progress on Supercharger with diner, drive-in seen in aerial footage

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Tesla’s LA Diner and Supercharger gets its first full drive-in screen





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