Tesla's Love Letter to Canada Could Have a Deeper Meaning

February 15, 2023

By Kevin Armstrong

Tesla is considering opening a Gigafactory in Canada

Tesla

Tesla's love for Canada is more evident than ever. A recent email to owners showcases the company's commitment to sustainability and its positive impact on Canada's economy and the environment. The email comes at the same time as Canada committed millions to more charging stations and rolled out its first electric vehicle, a Tesla Model Y, to the country's police force.

Remember, Canada is on the shortlist for a new Giga factory, and these are positive signs that North America may be getting another Tesla-producing super plant. Despite Elon Musk being half Canadian and previously suggesting a Canadian location, he will go to the country, province/state, and city that offers the best strategic location, the most tax incentives, and a skilled workforce.

While recent developments have pointed at a new factory in Mexico, Tesla has previously stated they plan to have 10-12 really big factories that will allow them to produce up to 20 million vehicles annually.

Overview of Tesla's recent email to Canadian owners

Interestingly, the wording in the Tesla email says, "a recent economic impact assessment conducted by Enviro Economics quantified Tesla's impact on the Canadian economy. However, EnviroEconomics states that Tesla asked the company to "assess the economic impact of their Canadian operations and spending, as well as the emission reductions and operational fuel savings associated with Tesla vehicles in Canada."

Why would Tesla want that information unless the company is deep in conversations with Canadian officials? This new information may be the next phase to win over public support for a Tesla Gigafactory development.

Analysis of Tesla's Impact on the Canadian Economy

The numbers make a compelling case for Canada to do whatever it can to encourage a Gigafactory in the Great White North. Tesla spending in Canada has grown by 25% year-over-year between 2018 and 2021. The expenditure was widespread, with 51 economic sectors benefiting from Tesla's investment in automotive parts, charging stations, manufacturing, and retail operations.

Tesla's total contribution to Canadian GDP in 2021 was $762 million, and the company contributed to 6,645 full-time jobs in the country, including 3,100 direct jobs due to its operations and spending. The direct employment impact was equivalent to 3% of all jobs in the auto parts manufacturing sector.

Benefits of Tesla's vehicles in Canada

Canada recently introduced new targets for manufacturers' and importers' vehicles. The regulations state that 20 percent of new cars sold in Canada will be zero emission by 2026, at least 60 percent by 2030, and 100 percent by 2035. There are more than 145,000 Teslas in Canada, including a new Model Y, as part of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police force. It's the first electric vehicle in the fleet and part of the Canadian Net-Zero Emissions Accountability Act. Canada also announced a $15 million investment in 2,350 EV chargers.

According to the study, the benefits of Tesla's vehicles in Canada extend beyond the economy. Between 2018 and 2021, Tesla's vehicles helped avoid 583,000 tonnes of CO2e emissions. Additionally, Tesla owners in Canada saved an estimated $113 million in 2021 in transportation fuel, equivalent to $1,259 in savings per vehicle.

Canada's Commitment to Sustainability and the Future of Tesla in the Country

Tesla's recent email highlighting the company's impact on the country could signify deeper discussions with Canadian officials. The numbers make a strong case for Canada to encourage the establishment of a Tesla Gigafactory in the country. Tesla's spending and contributions to the Canadian economy have grown significantly over the past few years, and its vehicles have helped reduce carbon emissions and save millions in transportation fuel.

The recent announcement of Canada's new zero-emission vehicle targets, investment in EV chargers, and the addition of a Tesla Model Y to the police force all point to the country's commitment to sustainability. Tesla sees an exciting future ahead in Canada and is poised to continue advancing its mission of transitioning the world to sustainable energy.

Tesla Says 12V Power Socket Access Will Not Return With Sentry Mode

October 9, 2024

By Karan Singh

Not a Tesla App

It turns out that the big undocumented change in Tesla update 2024.32 that disables the 12V power and USB ports while Sentry Mode is active is not a bug but an intentional change.

A fan contacted Tesla Service to see if the change was intentional and what the reason behind the change was. Surprisingly, they received a response pretty quickly.

No 12V Power Access

Tesla has decided to restrict 12V power access for safety reasons—namely, to “reduce the likelihood of thermal events” when third-party devices are left powered on without users present. Tesla reached out to the fan in question by phone, and they seemed to be sticking to that line.

It seems that Tesla is resolute that it was due to safety reasons and that the change would not be “fixed” or allowed in a future software update – as this was an intentional change for safety reasons.

Other sources have reported that the change was due to potential misuse of the 12V power access, with people wiring 1200w microwaves and kettles or jury-rigging 240v to 120v adapters, which had apparently been the cause of multiple fires in Tesla vehicles within China.

Workarounds

Thankfully, for those who camp or need to keep their sub-trunk fridges powered while still having security in their vehicles, there is a simple, although inconvenient, workaround. You can enable Camp Mode, then manually lock your car (since Camp Mode turns off walk-away door locking) and turn off climate controls from the app.

While Sentry will NOT be active with this workaround, the car's power sockets remain powered. While this workaround is fine to use occasionally, it’ll be tiresome for those who use a fridge regularly.

We’re still hoping Tesla considers bringing the Cybertruck’s Power Control menu to the rest of its vehicles and is somehow able to limit the max draw from these outlets to prevent dangerous situations.

Join Our Tesla Robotaxi Event Prediction Contest

October 9, 2024

By Karan Singh

Tesla

With the Robotaxi event just a day away, we thought it would be a fun idea to run a contest to predict what Tesla will announce tomorrow evening.

We’ve outlined a list of questions below; simply answer them on our forums or social media (X or Threads), and be entered for a chance to win some great prizes.

The individuals who have the most correct answers will win one of five prizes mentioned below. If more than five people get them all right, a random drawing will be held from the pool of winners.

We’ll reach out to the winners either by email or by DM on social media.

The Questions

Will Tesla let attendees experience Robotaxi at the event?
Will Tesla first start the network with human supervision (ridesharing), or with Robotaxis only?
What year will the network start? When will it become fully autonomous? (if announced)
When will Robotaxi production begin? (if announced)
Will it be Robotaxi or Cybercab?
Which of these Robotaxi Concepts will be the closest to the one announced?
Will Robotaxi include:
1. Front-facing camera?
2. Stainless-steel body?
3. Steer-by-Wire or No Steering Wheel? (if announced)
4. Which current Tesla model has the most similar door-opening mechanism?
5. How many seats will the robotaxi have?
Will the robotaxi include AI5/Hardware 5, HW4 or something completely different?
Where will Tesla’s first Rideshare/Robotaxi location be established?
Will customers be able to purchase a Robotaxi?

Requirements

Please use the template below to answer the questions on social media or in our forums. You can post your answer as a comment to our forums, to our X post, or to our Threads post.

Once you do that, repost or quote post your favorite article from us.

1. Yes

2. Ridesharing

3. 2025/2027

4. 2025

5. Cybercab

6. Dominic's

7. Yes, Yes, SBW, No, 2

8. HW5

9. LA

10. Yes

Prizes

Prizes are generously provided by Enhance and Jowua, makers of some of the best Tesla accessories and amazing Tesla community members. Prizes will be mailed out directly by them. Winners will get to choose their prize from the list below. First place will have the first pick and so on. There will be five winners in total.

S3XY Buttons (including a commander and wiring)
S3XY Knob for Model 3/Y
Tesla Gaming Controller - Multi-Device Wireless Controller (Wireless Charging)
Tesla Gaming Controller - Multi-Device Wireless Controller (Wireless Charging)
Tesla Gaming Controller - Multi-Device Wireless Controller (Wireless Charging)

Disclaimer

This is a Tesla event, and Tesla normally likes to hold their cards close to their chest. If an answer is ambiguous, we’ll go with the best choice decided by our staff. We’ll do our best to be fair. This

With all that said, we wish our entrants the best of luck, and we’ll announce the winners at the end of the week.