Does Tesla turn off by itself

August 6, 2021

By Nuno Cristovao

We have all been accustomed to turning cars on and turning them off when we’re done driving. However, with Tesla there is no need to turn off your car in the traditional sense. There is no engine to start or stop.

If you have access to put the car into drive, by having an authenticated phone, a key card or key fob, then power is supplied to the electric motor and you can start driving. If you ask someone who has had a Tesla for a while, you may find that they sometimes get so used to not having to turn a car off that they’ll leave gasoline powered cars running after leaving the vehicle.

Even though Teslas do not need to be turned off, there are HVAC and electric systems that turn on and off, but the car controls these systems automatically. The systems come on if a door is opened or if there is someone in the car.

Under normal operations, all you have to do is put your car into Park and close the door behind you. The car will turn off the screen and HVAC system immediately if there is no one in the car. The rest of the systems will power down after 15 minutes of inactivity.

Force a Tesla to Turn Off

However, if you’d like to turn off all systems to preserve battery life, restart the car or for emergency reasons, you can do so by tapping on the Car icon on the lower-left of the touchscreen, then going to Safety & Security. There you’ll see an option to “Power Off,” which will force all systems to power down. Whenever you'd like the car to turn back on, you can simply open a door or tap the brake pedal. There are also other ways to restart your car.

Be sure to check out our How To section and Tesla Tips for more information about Tesla.

The next Tesla model is already in the works

October 20, 2022

By Kevin Armstrong

Tesla’s new vehicle development team is working on what could be the next big thing. But the next Tesla won’t just be another great-looking, zero-emissions, fast car full of fun extras. That would be too easy. No, the team will make another groundbreaking vehicle and revolutionize its production. The CEO also predicts it will outsell all the other models.

Elon Musk said, “we’re on a 2-for-1 target,” when addressing the next platform for the company. That means engineers are working on a plan to build two vehicles with the same amount of effort it takes to put together one Model 3. Musk told investors during the third quarter earnings call, “we’re twice the output. And we do believe this can be done.”

Tesla's Q3 Earnings Call

The 2-for-1 plan seems all-encompassing, from cutting costs, production times and even the amount of floor space needed in the factories. “I mean, obviously, we’re going to take everything we learned from S, 3, X, Y, Cybertruck and Semi and forward into that platform.”

But the new vehicle remains a mystery, both in design and delivery. Musk said, “we don’t want to talk exact dates, but this is the primary focus of our new vehicle development team, obviously. At this point, we’ve done the engineering for Cybertrucks and Semi. So, it’s obviously what we’re working on, which is the next-generation vehicle.” Keeping that information to himself, Musk did say it would cost as much as the Model 3 and Y platforms.

There’s been a lot of speculation as to what the next Tesla vehicle will be. Musk has said that the company would build a full-size van or a minivan — maybe both. He’s talked about creating a “highly configurable” van as well. However, with the skyrocketing interest in electric vehicles, Tesla may bring back the idea of a less expensive car, referred to as the Model 2. It’s been reported that this vehicle would have a price tag of $25,000 USD.

It's also possible that Tesla's next vehicle will be its Robotaxi, or that Tesla will leverage the platform for multiple vehicles.

But, again, Musk was not giving up specifics but said, “It will be smaller, to be clear. But it will, I think, certainly become, certainly exceed the production of all our other vehicles combined.”

A highly configurable van would be a hot seller for families, delivery services and work vehicles. But, at the same time, the smaller, much less expensive car would also drive up sales. Either way, the team is working on it — so we should learn more soon.

Tesla updates Semi deliveries, batteries and outlook

October 20, 2022

By Kevin Armstrong

Elon Musk is quite a salesperson, but on December 1, 2022, Tesla’s CEO will take on the role of sales and delivery when he hands over the first production in-person to Pepsi. It’s fitting that it will happen at a company that has used slogans like: The Choice of a New Generation, A Generation Ahead and Generation Next.

Tesla will use that day to mark the beginning of a significant ramp-up in the production of the highly anticipated heavy-load haulers. Musk brought investors up to speed on the Semis during the quarter three earnings call.

Tesla's Q3 Earnings Call

Tesla Semi Batteries

It’s been expected that the Semi would use the more advanced 4680 battery, but Musk shot that down, “Okay. The Semi doesn’t use 4680s,” he said when asked about deploying the batteries across the fleet. Instead, he said they are being used in Model Y as they continue to grow the production of the pack.

The company reported that manufacturing of the 4680 cells has tripled in the quarter and continues to snowball. Musk said, “production of 4680 ramp-up is growing exponentially. And yes, it’s going well. We’re just looking at this. It’s going to be a major pack in the future.” He later added, “we still feel confident that 4680 will be the most competitive battery cell in the world.”

It’s assumed the Semi uses the 2170 battery, but that doesn’t change the power and range that the company has been advertising, “very important, no sacrifice to cargo capacity, 500-mile range. Just to be clear, 500 miles with the cargo,” repeated Musk.

Future Production

The CEO also predicted the numbers when they increase production in the coming years. “And we’ll be ramping up Semi production through next year. As I think everyone knows at this point, it takes about a year to ramp up production. So, we expect to see significant — we’re tentatively aiming for 50,000 units in 2024 for Tesla Semi in North America.” He added that Tesla would expand beyond North America.

Since he was talking to investors, he pointed out the value of the Semis, “I don’t want to say the exact prices, but they’re much more than a passenger vehicle. So, with a few thousand heavy trucks of this nature, it would be worth several Model Ys.”

It’s been five years since Musk arrived at a Tesla event in a Semi to introduce the vehicle that will change the trucking industry. So here is a story to refresh your memory: Everything We Know About the Tesla Semi.

Tesla Semi Unveiling