It seems like it’s an unwritten rule that when you get a Tesla you must start making YouTube videos about it. I’m obviously a culprit of this when I started making videos about my Model 3 which led to me becoming Tesla’s top referrer and earning two free Roadsters. But I also earned enough money from YouTube ads on my Tesla videos to pay for my Model 3. So I’ve kind of been able to get three free Teslas simply as a result of creating helpful high quality YouTube videos. What’s really cool is now any Tesla owner has a chance to win a car since Tesla is giving away a Model Y monthly and a Roadster quarterly to a random owner with at least one referral. I get a lot of questions about how I make my videos and what equipment I use so this video is for you if you want some guidance or inspiration for making YouTube videos yourself.
Tesla just had their battery day event where they announced some exciting battery technology breakthroughs that will change the future of electric cars. In this video we’ll go over the most important parts of Battery Day so you can know what to expect from Tesla’s upcoming vehicles. Tesla’s mission is accelerate the transition to sustainable energy which is obviously a huge task that requires a lot of batteries. Like a lot of batteries. So Tesla has two goals that their new battery technology hopes to solve: massively scaling battery production and producing more affordable battery cells. Currently electric vehicles are still relatively expensive compared to gasoline vehicles mainly due to the high battery cost. Up to this point Tesla has focused on vertical integration to minimize production costs meaning they aim to build their factories and vehicles themselves from the ground up. And now they’re doing this with batteries with a 5-step plan to cut the cost of batteries in half. Let’s take a look at these five steps. The first step is cell design. Tesla’s current battery design includes a separator tab and a jelly roll, though it sounds delicious it is not to be eaten because it’s actually the wound film of electrodes. The last time Tesla released a new battery was in 2017 with their 2170 cell that started shipping in the Model 3. To move to the next step in battery cell design, Tesla needs bigger cylindrical cells because those actually cost less. This brings us to Tesla’s brand new biggest battery cell ever: the 4680 tabless cell which has no separator tab and brings a huge amount of improvements including: simpler manufacturing, fewer parts, and 5x reduction in electrical path meaning the electricity inside the cell travels a much shorter distance than before. These new 4680 tabless battery cells also have 5 times the amount of energy, adding 16% more range to vehicles, and 6 times the power as if Teslas didn’t already have enough power. It also allows for faster Supercharging times. These benefits are the core to what will move Tesla toward their overall mission: making their vehicles more affordable, making their vehicles travel further, and making their vehicles charge faster. Those are so important for the mass adoption of EVs. Elon said this was extremely difficult for the Tesla engineers to do and why it’s such a big deal. And these new battery cells aren’t just a prototype. Tesla said they’re already ramping the production of these batteries at their new pilot plant in California. Elon said it will probably take about a year to get to 10 GWh annualized rate at the pilot plant, but either way it’s happening right now. The second step in their plan is cell factory and how the batteries are made. The typical wet process is complicated and lengthy where the powders are mixed with water or solvent then they have to go into a dry oven then compressed into final density. The newer “Dry” process is an extremely more simple process which makes the powder directly into film. This sounds great, but Elon definitely made it clear that this is very difficult and they’re still refining the process especially to scale. He basically said it’s working, but not at a high yield yet. They’re on a 4th generation machine for this dry process, and Elon estimates the 6th generation machine should have mass production capability. Who knows when that will be but when that does happen, the biggest benefits of dry battery electrode is a 10x footprint reduction and 10x energy reduction which is a massive improvement. Also with Tesla’s new high speed continuous motion assembly their goal is to make one factory have the same production output as 2-3 factories with a 75% reduction in expenses and 10x smaller footprint. For example, the same amount of space that produced 150 GWh in 2018 now can produce 1TWh which is an exponential increase. Elon said that all other goals aside, Tesla’s biggest grand scheme goal is to be the best at manufacturing which will lead to major scalability. Tesla’s internal battery cell production plan is 100GWh by 2022 and 3TWh by 2030. The third step in their plan is anode materials. Bottom line: Tesla loves Silicon. It’s the most abundant element in earths crust after oxygen, and it stores 9 times more lithium than graphite. However, the bugaboo with Silicon is that it expands. So after many cycles it starts to crumble and in technical terms gets “gooey”. To fix this, Tesla plans to design for expansion and use raw silicon then stabilize the surface through an elastic coating which will increase vehicle range by 20% and lead to cheaper electric vehicles. The fourth step is cathode materials. Cathodes are like bookshelves. A battery needs a stable structure to contain the ions. This structure cannot crumble or get gooey as the ions move back and forth. If there isn’t a stable structure the battery loses cycle life and degrades quickly. Cobalt is very stable, but has its ethical and environmental woes. Tesla believes Nickel will solve this problem. Nickel is the cheapest metal and has the highest energy density, but Nickel needs to be stabilized. Well, Tesla’s high nickel cathode development aims to maximize nickel and remove cobalt which should lead to 15% reduction in cathode cost. But Tesla doesn’t want to be constrained by nickel availability so they’re choosing a diversified cathode approach which will be a combination of iron and nickel depending on the product. Long range vehicles like Cybertruck and Semi will be high nickel. This simplified cathode manufacturing process should lead to major cost reductions. Tesla is also taking advantage of nickel and lithium mining for cathode production in North America for simpler mining and simpler recycling. There is significant untapped lithium in clay. In fact there’s enough lithium in Nevada to convert all the gasoline vehicles in the US to electric. Tesla has discovered a sustainable, environmentally friendly way of getting lithium by using table salt to extract the lithium. They basically remove dirt, extract lithium, then put the dirt back. This new sulfate-free process has a 33% reduction in lithium cost. The last step is cell vehicle integration. Elon said there’s a vehicle architecture that they’ve been working on for a long time and they finally figured it out. It starts with single piece casting for the front and rear, and Tesla achieved this by having the largest casting machine that’s ever been made and it’s currently in operation at the Fremont plant. By creating single piece castings of high pressure die cast aluminum, it leads to a 40% cost savings in the rear underbody and a reduction of 79 parts per car. Tesla also developed their own alloy that has never existed before. These Giga casting innovations also use no heat treating or coatings which is a big deal for reducing complexity and cost. These new castings will be connected to what they’re calling their new Structural Battery, which for the first time ever, is a dual use Tesla battery, meaning it’s used as an energy device and as a structure to the car. These structural batteries improve mass and range. This allows Tesla to pack battery cells more densely with no excess structure. The cells will be glued to the top and bottom sheets which will allow for cell transfers. It also makes for an incredibly stiff structure and lets Tesla move the cells closer to the center of the car which improves safety. The simpler, smaller, integrated battery + body factory of the future leads to 10% mass reduction, 14% range increase opportunity, and 370 fewer parts. And so, at the beginning of Battery Day Tesla said their goal was to half the cost of battery production. Well after all five of these steps, Tesla can achieve a whopping 56% reduction in price per kWh. So if we stack up the benefits of Tesla’s vertical integration we’re looking at a vehicle range increase of 54%, a price per kWh reduction of 56%, and wait for it, a reduction in investment per Gigawatt hour of 69%. Elon had to do it. Now even though Elon says it will take them around 3 years to fully realize these benefits, this still means that long term scaling will be massively increased. What does this mean for Tesla’s future products? It means electric vehicle powertrains could cost less than combustion engines. As you can see from all of this, Tesla really focused on maximizing efficiency and reducing costs and complexity for their entire production process. They also kind of confirmed a fully autonomous $25k Tesla coming in a few years which I’m super excited about. Oh and they also announced a brand new $140,000 Plaid Model S that goes 0-60 in less than 2 seconds and does a 1/4 mile in less than 9 seconds which if true beats the Lucid Air. And it has 520 miles of range. That’s a wrap on Tesla Battery Day. What is the one thing that impressed you the most? Let me know in the comments below.
Tesmanian floor mats are probably the best Tesla floor mats for under $150. They are custom designed to maximize protection of the floors from spills, stains, dirt, snow, and more. They’re made of premium quality odorless material that’s BPA free, non-Toxic, and environmentally friendly. The mats are strong and durable in all weather conditions, and the best part is they’re very easy to clean with just a quick spray down from a hose.
The Model Y and newer Model 3s already have wireless charging, but the Jeda pad provides an upgraded wireless charging experience. It’s fast, has a grippy high-quality surface that’s resistant to scratches, and fits perfectly in the console area to provide vertical and horizontal charging for up to 3 devices. Jeda’s other product is a 6-in-1 USB hub that allows you to use up to six different devices for charging and data purposes. It has three front USB-A ports and two USB-C ports. One of the USB-A ports is located inside a special compartment with a magnetic lid to help hide your Dashcam Sentry Mode storage device which is a lifesaver if someone ever breaks into your Tesla they won’t be able to take the USB drive because they won’t be able to see it.
One of the first things you should get is a center console wrap. Like many Tesla owners, I’m not a fan of the glossy piano black surface of the center console. It’s a dust and fingerprint magnet so a quick and easy fix is to install a center console wrap. They come in many different finishes, but I prefer the plain matte black because it matches the rest of the black interior perfectly. With some patience you can install it in just a few minutes.
The touch screen is the brain of your Tesla so you need to protect it at all costs. This screen protector comes in two different options: a matte finish for reducing glare or crystal clear if you prefer to not alter the way the screen looks. I actually have the crystal clear version on my Model 3, but my buddy David has the matte anti-glare version on his Model Y. Either one you choose, it’s a must have for protection.
As much as I love Tesla’s 15” touch screen I still like to use my phone for certain things like Waze navigation and Spotify because Tesla’s Spotify app is still very lackluster. So in order to safely use my phone while driving I got this magnetic phone holder that mounts to the display using a non-residue adhesive, and it works pretty well. It comes with a slim magnet that sticks to the back of your phone case, and you can mount it vertically or horizontally. I mounted mine vertically, and it allows me to safely use my phone while driving instead of putting it down in the console area. And it does a good job at keeping the phone held securely in place without moving around even when turning and speeding up. It also really comes in handy if you drive Uber or Lyft.
Once you get your Model Y or Model 3 you’ll quickly realize that many of the passengers will be confused on how to open the door from the inside. These simple labels that show an open door icon will save you from having to explain which button to press to every single rider when they are getting out. I think Tesla is rumored to actually put these on their doors at some point, but for now these are a quick & easy fix.
This 303 protectant spray works wonders at giving your dash and glove box surfaces a nice smooth matte finish to help protect them from scratching or scuffing easily. It’s not made to remove scratches, but rather you should spray it on as a preventative measure. However, I did scratch my dash before putting this stuff on, and when I did put it on it helped clear the scratches almost completely.
If your Tesla isn’t extremely dirty I love to use this all-in-one waterless wash and wax kit from AeroCosmetics which comes with its own microfiber towels. This gives the car a very nice shine, and like the name suggests it doesn’t use any water. However, you can choose to use water with it if the car needs more of a deeper clean.
For cleaning the interior I use CarGuys Super Cleaner which is an all-purpose multi-surface cleaning spray that works great on pretty much the entire interior except for glass. But it’s great for cleaning all surfaces of the seats, the inside of the doors, along with the armrest surface and even the console wrap too. It comes with a microfiber cloth so you just spray it on the cloth then wipe down the interior. I keep this in my trunk for quick clean ups as well.
For cleaning the touch screen display David got this All-In-One Screen Cleaner tool that has a soft micro-fiber cleaning surface on all sides, but it also has an integrated spray so you can quickly spray and wipe to clean the screen. This is especially handy during these times of trying to stay as healthy as possible because the cleaning solution inside is anti-bacterial, and is fully compatible with screen protectors.
For the deepest clean I recommend either a 2-bucket car wash kit from Amazon or what I have which is a GreenWorks electric pressure washer. As long as it’s below 1900 PSI it should be safe to use on a car’s paint. I have the 1700 PSI model, but you can also get 1500 PSI. It comes with two different spray heads depending on your needs. I like to use the 40 degree head unless I have a lot of bugs to get off the front bumper then I’ll use the 20 degree head. It comes with its own soap applicator bottle which I fill up with this Karcher biodegradable wash and wax soap, and it does a pretty decent job for a touch-less wash while not harming the environment.
These cool puddle lights that illuminate the ground with the Tesla “T” logo when you open the car door at night. They come with a special wedge tool to assist with removal of factory lighting so anyone should be able to do it themselves.
This rear seat pet cover helps protect the seat and floor from pet damage and stains. It’s foldable and easily fits in any of the storage compartments in the Model Y, and it also fits the Model 3.
The Model Y tow hitch from Tesla can be a little expensive so if you want to save money and do the install yourself, you can get this tow hitch from Teslarati which is only around $320, and it comes with step by step instructions for installing it yourself. They also have one for the Model 3.
Neither the Model Y nor the Model 3 come with a spare tire so if you travel a lot you may want to get this spare tire kit by Modern Spare. It comes with a carrying case and all the tools you need to put the spare tire on if you ever find yourself needing one. They make them for the Model 3 and Model Y.
If you want some high quality air fresheners to keep your Tesla smelling good check out Scent Wedge. They’re made from real wood infused with all natural ingredients and fit perfectly in the vent area and offer some very nice refreshing scents. They recently just came out with a new product called Desk Wedge which is also made of wood and gives you a place to put your laptop or tablet when you’re parked so you can get some work done which comes in handy if you’re Supercharging. It also fits nicely into the center console area for storage.
Last but not least, if you want a nice foldable mattress for your Model 3 or Model Y check out TesMat. I don’t own one of these yet but I plan to get one soon. It’s the only one I’ve found that looks comfortable enough that also folds and fits into the sub trunk area. Definitely handy for camping.
Tesla has been riding a huge wave of success recently. Their stock is soaring, they achieved their fourth straight quarter of profitability for the first time ever, they released the Model Y ahead of schedule, and they are building a Cybertruck factory in Texas. But they have a bit of an interesting $20 million problem lingering over their heads. Or is it actually their secret advantage? Let’s talk about it.
Nearly three years ago in 2017 Tesla announced their next generation fully electric supercar. The 2020 Roadster will be the quickest car in the world – hold on, wait, I said 2020 didn’t I? Well, we are entering the last quarter of 2020 and still no Roadster. This is not new information by any means. Here’s what Elon told Joe Rogan earlier this year. But by far the question I get asked the most by friends and family is: Andy, when are you getting your Roadsters? And it seems like my answer is that my Roadsters are always perpetually two years away no matter what year it is. So first of all, you may be wondering: how am I getting multiple Roadsters (plural)? Well, that brings us into Tesla’s conundrum.
See, Tesla has something that really no other car company has: an internal referral program that provides every Tesla owner with their own unique referral link to share with others, and if someone orders a Tesla using a referral link, both people get 1,000 free Supercharging miles. Cool, right? But the referrer gets an additional perk which is a chance to win a brand new Tesla vehicle. If you didn’t know, I’ve been Tesla’s top referrer since 2018, and through the referral program I have won two upcoming Tesla Roadsters, and the crazy thing is I’m not the only one getting free Roadsters. In fact, Tesla is supposedly giving away over 80 free Roadsters through the referral program. But these aren’t just the plain old base Roadsters – no – these are Founders Series Roadsters that cost $250,000 each, and Tesla said they’re only producing 1,000 of these founders series roadsters. This comes to a total of $20,000,000 worth of vehicles that Tesla is giving away soon. But more interesting is it may be even more than $20,000,000. To see if this is a curse or a genius strategy, let’s take a look at how we got here.
Tesla first launched the referral program in 2015, and since then it has gone through several different iterations. Back in 2018 when I got my Model 3 the program was in Phase 9 and in that phase Tesla was offering some awesome prizes for referrals such as a kid size Model S, priority access to software updates, unique performance wheels, and an invite to a future Tesla event – all of which I received. But Tesla also did something pretty unheard of during phase 9 – they announced “Secret Levels” which could be unlocked after getting 5 referrals. These secret levels offered some even more incredible prizes such as experiences like attending a SpaceX rocket launch which I was lucky enough to do last year. But even as amazing as that was, the most exciting secret level prize was the ability to win discounts on an upcoming Founders Series Roadster. 10 referrals unlocked a 10% discount with the ability to get a 100% discount after hitting 55 referrals. But it gets even crazier. I emailed the Tesla referral program in November 2018 when I hit 55 referrals and in their response they said: “If you earn more than 55 you begin working towards your second Roadster in the same fashion.”
So Tesla was not only giving away discounts for one Roadster but two Roadsters which is a $500,000 value per person. In December 2018 I became the top referrer and not too long after that, the head of the referral program left Tesla, and around that same time Elon announced that they were officially ending the referral program as a cost cutting measure. Here’s where it gets interesting. When phase 9 of the program “ended” on Feb 2nd 2019 there were roughly 80 Roadsters claimed to be won for free. However, those 80 do not include the dozens of people who likely won a 90% or more discount off a Roadster. Or what about the dozens or more people who won anywhere from 50-85% discounts? How many of those people will buy a Founders Series Roadster? Since Tesla is only producing 1,000 of these how many will be sold at the full retail price after honoring all the discounts? Seems like the number of people buying at full price could be relatively small.
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So are these free Roadsters that are worth millions of dollars of unseen revenue a big problem for Tesla? Some people think so. But what if it’s actually their secret advantage? If we look at this from a different perspective we know that giving away a $250,000 Roadster does not mean it’s an actual $250,000 expense for Tesla. Giving away a Roadster essentially has two costs for Tesla: the actual cost of producing the car which should hopefully be much less than $250,000 and the opportunity cost of giving away a car that someone else possibly would have purchased at full price.
I also found something interesting as I was researching for this video. The official Tesla Referral program page states the following about the Roadster discounts: “Discount off the base price will be displayed in the Loot Box. Discounts will expire one year after the Roadster becomes available for order.” The key phrase there is “discount off the BASE price”. It also stated this in the official secret level loot box page back when it was first appearing where it said “the ability to purchase a founders series Roadster at a discount off the BASE price.” The word base keeps showing up. If we visit the Tesla Roadster page you can see it says the base price is $200,000. So does this mean Tesla will only offer discounts up to $200,000 off and possibly require the winners to pay the remaining $50,000 for the founders series? That would at least bring in some money that they missed out on compared to giving it away completely for free. Or do they mean “base price” as in the full $250,000 but not including any add-ons like Full Self Driving, paint color, upgrades, etc. Nobody knows, not even me.
So by now you may think Tesla was crazy for giving away millions of dollars worth of Roadsters for free. But Tesla is smart. They know that most of these free Roadsters are going into the hands of some of the most influential owners including Tesla focused YouTubers like myself or Ben Sullins all the way up to huge YouTubers like Marques Brownlee, and of course other content creators such as bloggers and podcasters. My buddy Ryan from Ride the Lightning podcast and Trevor from Tesla Owners Online are also among the few who have won two Roadsters. Tesla also knows that some of these people who won Roadsters may have violated the program rules so they have the right to say “Sorry John Doe, you posted your referral link in your social media bio so you’re disqualified”. So I’m assuming not all of these 80 Roadsters will actually be given away, especially due to some of the winners also not being able to afford the income taxes required to take delivery of such an expensive car. I think I’ll owe at least $150,000 just in taxes alone to get both of my Roadsters.
Overall, I think the Roadster is Tesla’s marketing ploy and it has been from the beginning. Tesla spends $0 on traditional advertising while other car manufacturers like General Motors spent nearly 3 billion dollars on advertising in the United States alone last year. Tesla is making a bet that their 20 million dollar Roadster giveaways will be a better investment than billions of dollars spent on traditional advertising. They know the Roadsters in the hands of influential content creators will draw a ton of attention to Tesla as a brand and thus increase people’s interest in possibly buying one of the “normal” Tesla vehicles. It’s like having a restaurant with a famous dessert. People come for the dessert, but end up spending the most money on appetizers, entrees, and tips. If you don’t believe me think about why Tesla brought back the referral program last year merely weeks after shutting it down. They published a blog post announcing the rebirth of the program saying: Customer referrals have been a key part of our growth, helping Model 3 become the best-selling electric vehicle in the world. While our previous Referral Program was very successful, it came with significant costs and ending the program last year allowed us to pass those savings along to customers. We’ve since restructured the program to save the company money while also offering exclusive rewards such as a chance to win a Founder’s Series Model Y monthly and a Founder’s series Roadster supercar quarterly, both signed by Elon Musk and Franz von Holzhausen.”
And since bringing the program back, Tesla has added Model Y to the program and increased the incentive for solar referrals. Tesla obviously knows something about the referral program that we don’t. They had the program for years, then they ended it, then they brought it back again and are still giving away free cars. There’s someone at Tesla who has proven to Elon, or maybe it’s Elon himself that knows the referral program is worth it – worth it enough to bring it back from the dead after promising to give away millions of dollars worth of Roadster discounts. Since the program was brought back in 2019 there have been roughly 30,000 more referrals that have taken place according to a website that tracks stats about Tesla referrals. It’s especially important in this day and age for a company to have some sort of unique advantage. I think Tesla’s referral program seems to be one of theirs.
Unfortunately even I, the top referrer in the world, have no information about when the roadsters will be delivered. I’m personally guessing it will be sometime in 2022 because 2021 will be the year of the Cybertruck. What do you think about the Tesla Referral program? Do you think it’s a problem or is it a good idea? Let me know in the comments below.
