All of Tesla's Current Promotions: Free Paint for Model 3P, 1.99% Financing, Free Seat Layout Options on Model X

By Karan Singh
Not a Tesla App

Tesla has several promotions running right now in the United States and a couple globally – so we’re here to help you by compiling a list of what’s available, and for how long.

Keep in mind that most promotions on this list are currently only available in the United States – not Canada, Europe, or China. We’re hoping Tesla pushes more promotions out to other markets in future quarters, but it doesn’t look like we’ll see anything else this financial quarter for other markets.

These offers are also not valid for customers purchasing a Foundation-series Cybertruck. We’d expect this to change once Tesla stops offering the Foundation Series next year.

3 Months of Free Supercharging (Global)

This specific promotion pops up often and is available globally. Tesla will offer buyers 3 months of free Supercharging – unlimited Supercharging during those 3 months. That’s quite a deal, especially for those who want to road-trip with their brand-new Tesla!

Teslas are absolutely fantastic to road trip with, and with Supercharger availability and up-time, you’ll almost never be at a loss when trying to find a place to charge. Plus, your vehicle navigation automatically suggests and calculates in for Supercharging stops.

Of note, in the United States specifically, this offer isn’t available to those who choose to do financing. Globally, this offer is for a certain number of free Supercharging kilometers rather than unlimited for three months. In Canada for example, Tesla is offering 5,000 – 10,000 free KM of Supercharging, rather than 3 months. These credits are valid for one year from the date of purchase.

Time period: To qualify for this offer, you must take delivery by August 15th, 2024.

Free FSD Transfer (Global)

As part of a promise made by Elon Musk during the Shareholder Meeting this year, Tesla is offering a free FSD transfer for customers who have purchased FSD (FSD price history) in one of their vehicles and wish to transfer it to a new Tesla.

You’ll move your FSD license from one vehicle to another during the purchase process – and you aren’t required to trade in your older Tesla. The vehicle will simply lose access to FSD, but you can always subscribe to FSD on that vehicle at any point.

For those who have Hardware 2.5 or Hardware 3 vehicles – this could be an excellent opportunity to jump into a Hardware 4 vehicle ahead of the upcoming Hardware Divergence.

Time period: To take advantage of this promo you must take delivery by September 30th, 2024.

1.99% Model Y Financing (U.S. Only)

Tesla is offering – for customers who meet the credit check requirements – 1.99% financing on any variant of the Model Y, presuming you take delivery before September 30th. This is an excellent deal, considering that average financing rates in the US are currently sitting around 5-6%. That’s a huge difference for people interested in upgrading their current vehicle or purchasing another vehicle, as it’ll drastically drop the monthly financing rate. This is probably one of Tesla’s best promotions in terms of a deal for customers, and we’d love to see similar deals rolled out globally!

Time period: The promotional rate is valid for financing terms between 36 to 72 months, and orders need to be placed before August 31, 2024. You must take delivery of your new Tesla by September 30th, 2024

Free Paint for Model 3 Performance & Free Seat Layouts for Model X

This is one of the most unique promotions – and one we haven’t seen Tesla offer before. If you purchase FSD in the United States on a Model 3 Performance or a Model X Long Range AWD, you’ll get certain options for free.

For the Model 3 Performance, with the purchase of FSD, you can add any color option for free, which is up to a $2,000 value.

For the Model X, you’ll be able to select the six-seat or seven-seat interior config instead of the standard five-seats for free. This is a savings of $6,500 or $3,500 respectively.

If you were already thinking about getting the Model X six-seat layout, this essentially brings down the cost of FSD to $1,500.

Since FSD doesn’t count toward the total price of the car regarding the federal rebate, it also means that the Model 3 Performance (with any color) and Model X LR (with 6 or 7 seats) are now also eligible for the $7,500 US Federal EV Rebate.

Overall, an excellent deal – you get FSD, a paint option of your choice for the Model 3, and – if you’re buying the Model X LR – you can grab the six-seat config, which is the best seating option in our opinion.

Time period: Tesla hasn’t provided a timeline for this promo, but it could change at any time.

A Look at the Tesla Cybertruck’s Crumple Zones [VIDEO]

By Karan Singh
Not a Tesla App

Tesla’s Cybertruck has officially earned a 5-Star Safety Rating from the NHTSA—an impressive achievement given the vehicle’s design. The achievement demonstrates Tesla’s engineering prowess. As one engineer points out, it wasn’t an easy feat.

Interestingly, the NHTSA only recently disclosed the results, despite the crash tests being completed a while ago. According to Lars Moravy, Tesla’s VP of Vehicle Engineering, the team had been aware of the 5-star rating for quite some time. While the reason for the delay remains unclear, now that the results are public, Tesla’s engineers can finally share how they achieved the rating.

Crumple Zones

Wes Morril, the Cybertruck’s Lead Engineer, wrote about the crash test video on X recently, addressing the claims that the Cybertruck doesn’t have a crumple zone. He also posted a side-by-side video (below) of the engineering analysis and the crash test itself.

Engineered Crash Safety

There’s a lot of engineering precision at play when a Cybertruck is involved in a crash. Unlike traditional crash structures that rely on crash cans and collapse points, the Cybertruck’s front gigacasting is designed to absorb and redirect impact forces in a highly controlled manner.

It all starts with the bumper beam, which crushes within the first few milliseconds of a high-speed impact. At the same time, the vehicle’s sensors rapidly analyze the crash dynamics and determine the optimal deployment of safety restraints, including airbags and seat belt pre-tensioners. These split-second actions are crucial in keeping occupants safe.

As the crash progresses, the vehicle’s structure deforms in a carefully engineered sequence. The drive unit cradle bends, directing the solid drive unit downward and out of the way, allowing the gigacasting to begin absorbing impact forces.

The casting crushes cell by cell, methodically dissipating energy in a controlled manner. This gradual deceleration reduces the g-forces transferred to occupants, making the crash much less severe. As the gigacast begins crushing, the safety restraints are deployed.

As Wes points out in his post - you can see how accurate the virtual analysis and modeling were. The video shows the simulated crash side by side with the real-life crash test and they’re almost identical. All that virtual testing helps provide feedback into the loop to design a better and safer system - one that is uniquely different than any other vehicle on the road.

Tesla Eliminates Front Casting on New Model Y; Improves Rear Casting

By Not a Tesla App Staff
Not a Tesla App

Tesla has pioneered the use of single-piece castings for the front and rear sections of their vehicles, thanks to its innovative Gigapress process. Many automakers are now following suit, as this approach allows the crash structure to be integrated directly into the casting.

This makes the castings not only safer but also easier to manufacture in a single step, reducing costs and improving repairability. For example, replacing the entire rear frame of a Cybertruck is estimated to cost under $10,000 USD, with most of the expense coming from labor, according to estimates shared on X after high-speed rear collisions.

These insights come from Sandy Munro’s interview (posted below) with Lars Moravy, Tesla’s VP of Vehicle Engineering, highlighting how these advancements contribute to the improvements in Tesla’s latest vehicles, including the New Model Y.

However, with the new Model Y, Tesla has decided to go a different route and eliminated the front gigacast.

No Front Casting

Tesla’s factories aren’t equipped to produce both front and rear castings for the Model Y. Only Giga Texas and Giga Berlin used structural battery packs, but these were quickly phased out due to the underwhelming performance of the first-generation 4680 battery.

Tesla has gone back to building a common body across the globe, increasing part interchangeability and reducing supply chain complexity across the four factories that produce the Model Y. They’ve instead improved and reduced the number of unique parts up front to help simplify assembly and repair.

There is still potential for Tesla to switch back to using a front and rear casting - especially with their innovative unboxed assembly method. However, that will also require Tesla to begin using a structural battery pack again, which could potentially happen in the future with new battery technology.

Rear Casting Improvements

The rear casting has been completely redesigned, shedding 7 kg (15.4 lbs) and cutting machining time in half. Originally weighing around 67 kg (147 lbs), the new casting is now approximately 60 kg (132 lbs).

This 15% weight reduction improves both vehicle dynamics and range while also increasing the rear structure’s stiffness, reducing body flex during maneuvers.

Tesla leveraged its in-house fluid dynamics software to optimize the design, resulting in castings that resemble organic structures in some areas and flowing river patterns in others. Additionally, manufacturing efficiency has dramatically improved—the casting process, which originally took 180 seconds per part, has been reduced to just 75 seconds, a nearly 60% time reduction per unit.

New Casting Methods

Tesla’s new casting method incorporates conformal cooling, which cools the die directly within the gigapress. Tesla has been refining the die-casting machines and collaborating with manufacturers to improve the gigapress process.

In 2023, Tesla patented a thermal control unit for the casting process. This system uses real-time temperature analysis and precise mixing of metal streams to optimize casting quality. SETI Park, which covers Tesla’s manufacturing patents on X, offers a great series for those interested in learning more.

The new system allows Tesla to control the flow of cooling liquid, precisely directing water to different parts of the die, cooling them at varying rates. This enables faster material flow and quicker cooling, improving both dimensional stability and the speed of removing the part from the press for the next stage.

With these new process improvements, Tesla now rolls out a new Model Y at Giga Berlin, Giga Texas, and Fremont every 43 seconds—an astounding achievement in auto manufacturing. Meanwhile, Giga Shanghai operates two Model Y lines, delivering a completed vehicle every 35 seconds.

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