Taking delivery of a new Tesla is often described as a unique experience. It’s quite different from a traditional dealership model, where you can spend hours negotiating prices and loan rates.
While this efficiency appeals to many, it can sometimes be intimidating for first-time Tesla buyers, especially if they’re unfamiliar with how a Tesla works. Tesla often works to identify first-time customers in advance to offer in-person or online tutorials; however, this approach doesn’t always work well. Sometimes, the process can fall short, leaving people feeling overwhelmed.
The following tale of a delivery experience has a rough start, but Tesla has promised to improve the delivery experience. Let’s take a look at what happened and what Tesla plans to do.
Rough Start
Over on X, @jonbbc’s mother had some issues with her new Model Y Refresh delivery. It was a frustrating experience when she arrived early as a first-time Tesla owner at the Grand Rapids delivery center in Michigan.
According to the post, she received a less-than-warm welcome from the staff. She had asked for assistance with her first-ever Tesla, but staff at the site were unhelpful, suggesting she conduct her vehicle inspection alone and then return to sign the paperwork when ready.
This turned what should have been an exciting day into an overwhelming experience, leaving her feeling anxious and isolated. Eventually, a Tesla technician stepped in to help and acknowledged her disappointment, and worked with her to straighten things out. However, as it was rightly pointed out, staff should be more accommodating, especially when a first-time owner explicitly asks for help and identifies themselves as new to electric vehicles.
My mom was really nervous to accept delivery of her new Tesla Model Y today in Grand Rapids, Michigan. When she arrived 15 minutes early, none of the staff gave her a warm welcome. They wouldn’t even go out to the car with her. She was really disappointed & she became even more… pic.twitter.com/qlEfWQqr1W
The good news is that the story didn’t end there. Tesla employees reached back out to @jonbbc on X with apologies. More significantly, they also stated that Tesla plans to make changes to its mobile and web interfaces within the next two to three weeks, specifically aimed at improving the delivery experience for first-time EV and Tesla owners.
Tesla’s current process, as mentioned, aims for efficiency, and uses the Tesla app for documentation and processes. Tesla also has systems in place to support newcomers, but these systems appear to have failed in this specific case.
Clearly the pre-delivery offers of tutorials didn’t work, as some customers just need a more human touch to the entire experience. On top of that, the on-site staff failed to offer support even when asked explicitly, making the entire experience rather disappointing. While we know this isn’t the experience at every location - some locations even make delivery a rather exciting event with bows, placards, and group tutorials - it is still an issue that Tesla will have to address, given their corporate ownership of each location.
What Will Change?
The key takeaway here is that the inherent nature of the Tesla model does work - but not for every single customer, and not for every single delivery location. While Tesla didn’t say exactly what will change, they will likely focus on bridging this gap.
This will likely include clearer step-by-step guidance within the app and on the website for new owners, as well as easier ways to request dedicated staff assistance during the delivery window - hopefully before finalizing the acceptance procedure.
We’d also love to see Tesla improve pre-delivery communications, with more prominent and frequent offers of tutorials to first-time customers.
Even if Tesla just had a viewing area that walked people through some of the newer or most popular Tesla features, this could be a big improvement for some buyers. It would also give others something to watch while they want to be attended.
It’s good to see Tesla’s staff reach out to @jonbbc to address the issue, but this was done behind closed doors - which really doesn’t help Tesla broadcast its commitment to improving its services. Tesla’s lack of a PR team really makes matters such as this frustrating as the message to other customers isn’t always clear.
Hopefully these planned changes will lead to a smoother and less intimidating experience for first-time buyers across all locations.
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In a new video posted to X, Tesla is showing the progress of its first Lithium Iron Phosphate (LFP) cell manufacturing factory in North America. The facility, located in Sparks, Nevada, will be used to produce LFP battery cells for Megapacks and Powerwall.
However, the implications of this new factory extend beyond Tesla Energy. By on-shoring the production of these cost-effective batteries, Tesla is not only securing its energy supply chain but also opening the door to potentially reintroducing LFP-based vehicles in North America.
Nearing completion of our first LFP cell manufacturing factory in North America pic.twitter.com/OLNRWajz4l
The immediate beneficiary of the new Nevada LFP facility is Tesla’s Energy division. LFP chemistry is ideal for stationary storage products like Megapack and Powerwall. It offers a very long life cycle, is extremely thermally stable and safe, and is significantly cheaper to produce than nickel-based batteries, partly because it contains no cobalt.
Until now, Tesla has relied on suppliers like CATL in China for these cells. A dedicated, domestic supply will enable Tesla to dramatically ramp up Megapack production to meet North America’s increasing demand for grid-scale energy. On the other hand, Megafactory Shanghai continues to utilize CATL’s LFP batteries and will support the rest of the world.
Tesla first revealed that they were planning to onshore LFP production in North America at the Q1 2025 Earnings Call, which will help them avoid costs, innovate in new technology, and insulate themselves from geopolitical supply chain risks.
A Potential Return for LFP Vehicles?
Another exciting application for Tesla is what this new factory means for Tesla’s budget-oriented lineup. For years, Tesla has been constrained in its ability to offer LFP-based vehicles in North America. While LFP packs are used in other markets for specific standard-range RWD vehicles, tariffs on important Chinese cells made it difficult to import these cells for use in North America.
With a domestic supply of LFP cells produced in Nevada, this tariff-related barrier will be mostly eliminated, pending the sourcing of lithium from a North American site. This is likely to lead to the reintroduction of LFP-based vehicles to the North American market, possibly in late 2026 or 2027.
An American-made LFP pack could lead to a more affordable base Model 3 or Model Y, or potentially help Tesla cut costs on the next-generation Affordable Model even further. This helps to give customers a lower-cost entry point without sacrificing a lot of range, and with the added benefit of being able to regularly charge to 100%.
Mega Nevada
With Mega Nevada now progressing well, Tesla is in an excellent position to continue iterating on its vertical integration and scaling Megapack and Powerwall—two of Tesla’s fastest-growing businesses—further. There are tons of benefits for consumers in the future as Tesla continues down this path, with more affordable Powerwalls for the home, cheaper electricity prices thanks to grid-forming Megapacks, and cheaper LFP vehicles.
The next major upgrade for Tesla’s in-car experience is pretty much already here - just hiding beneath the surface, awaiting the flick of a switch. According to new details uncovered by Tesla hacker Greentheonly, a fully functional version of the Grok conversational AI assistant is already present in recent firmware builds, just waiting for Tesla to activate it.
The feature, which is currently behind a server-side switch, could be enabled at any time by Tesla for vehicles running update 2025.20 and newer. The findings provide a better picture of what we already learned from Green’s breakdown on Grok last month.
Grok’s Requirements
@greentheonly on X
According to what Green determined from the latest software builds, the foundation for Grok was laid with update 2025.14, with more abilities and functionality added in 2025.20 to flesh it out. He also determined exactly which vehicles will be receiving Grok.
In terms of hardware, any vehicle with a Ryzen-based infotainment computer will receive Grok. This means that vehicles with the older Intel Atom processor will not be supported, at least initially. The underlying Autopilot hardware is not a factor, as Grok’s processing is not done in-vehicle.
Grok will also require premium connectivity or a Wi-Fi connection for the vehicle. At this point, we’re not sure whether Grok in your Tesla will also require you to sign up for SuperGrok, X Premium, or X Premium+, but Tesla is requiring you to sign into your Grok account. It’s just not clear whether the free version of Grok will work, or if you’ll need the premium version.
Grok User Experience
@greentheonly on X
Green also revealed the user interface for Grok for the first time. You’ll find many of the same features from the Grok app, but surprisingly, it looks like it’ll have a dark UI, even if you’re using light mode in your vehicle.
It appears that there will be a Grok app, likely for settings. However, Grok will largely operate in a modal, similar to voice commands, which are displayed near the bottom left corner of the screen.
There’s an on-screen microphone button, as well as drop-down menus for the voice and type of assistant you’d like to use.
Similar to the Grok app currently on mobile devices, you’ll be able to select from a set of voices and then define their personality. The available voices for now are the standard Ara (Upbeat Female), Rex (Calm Male), and Gork (Lazy Male).
There’s also a settings button, which, when expanded, allows you to enable or disable NSFW mode (including swearing and adult topics), as well as a Kids Mode, which will tone Grok down to be suitable for when kids are in the car.
@greentheonly on X
How Grok Will Work (Button / Wake Word)
Users will be able to activate Grok by pressing a button, likely the same one that activates voice commands today. Grok will then remain enabled for the duration of your conversation, allowing you to go back and forth, asking and answering questions. To end your conversation, you’ll press the mic button again.
While it doesn’t appear to use a wake word yet, Green says that some code refers to a wake word, so it’s possible that this could be an option Tesla plans to activate in the future.
Replacing Voice Commands
The most significant implication of Grok’s future integration is in its potential to fully replace the existing and relatively rigid voice command system. Green notes that internally, this feature is part of the car assist module, and that eventually, the plan is for Grok to take over car control functions.
Unlike the current system, which requires specific phrases, a true conversational AI like Grok can understand natural language. This will enable more intuitive requests, completely changing how drivers interact with their car.
Language Support
@Greentheonly/X
Grok will also launch with multi-language support, similar to its current abilities in the Grok app. Green says that it already appears to have support for English and Chinese and one or two other languages.
Release Date
Grok appears ready to go from a vehicle standpoint, but Green wasn’t able to actually test it out. While development appears to be nearly complete in the vehicle, Tesla and xAI may still be working on some server-side changes to better integrate with the vehicle. If they plan for Grok to replace voice commands on day one, then it’ll need to be trained and be able to execute a variety of vehicle commands.
It’s possible Tesla is actively testing Grok or adding server-side changes to replace voice commands. However, it looks like vehicle development is nearly complete and Grok could launch as soon as the next major Tesla update, which is expected to be update 2025.24.
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