Contestant wins Tesla Model Y on The Price is Right
Not a Tesla App
In January 18th, 2023’s “Geniuses” episode of The Price is Right, they unveiled a Tesla Model Y and a 220v connector as a showcase prize, alongside a virtual game room.
In order for a contestant to win the showcase prize on The Price is Right, they must bid as close to the actual retail price as possible without going over. If their bid is closer to the retail price than the other contestant’s bid, they win.
The contestant, named David, put in a bid of $77,000 for the Model Y and gaming chairs. The price came in at $78,500, so David won!
The Model Y David won is a white Long Range model with 331 miles of range and Enhanced Autopilot, a $6,000 upgrade option.
How does 'The Price is Right' obtain their prizes?
Tesla spends no money on advertising or commercials. This is on purpose and has worked well in Tesla’s favor because they’ve ballooned to becoming one of the most sought-after, respectable, and valuable automotive companies in the world. Tesla’s products speak for themselves… literally.
According to Chris Johnson, a former IRS lawyer, on Quora, The Price is Right doesn’t purchase prizes. Instead, they’re all given to the show by various manufacturers to give away to the contestants. “At the end of the day, giving away these prizes is essentially glorified advertising,” Johnson writes on Quora. “Did you notice how each and every prize is described in intimate detail? The companies giving the prizes to the show hope that the millions of people watching [will] like what they see, and go out and buy the very same items themselves. If a company ends up selling just one of the same items that was featured on the show, they recoup most of what they gave away.”
The Price is Right has been giving away cars and high-expense products for many years. The most expensive prize was, according to CBS, an Audi R8 V8 Spyder Quattro S Tronic.
Not the first or second Tesla on 'The Price is Right'
This Tesla Model Y is the third Tesla that has appeared on the popular game show. On April 22nd, 2010, The Price is Right gave away a first-generation Tesla Roadster. Drew Carey, the show’s host, said that it was worth more than $112,000. Adjusted for inflation, that’s roughly $152,500 today, which is about the price of a spec’d out Plaid Model X.
Carey also mentioned that he has a friend that has a Tesla Roadster, and it drives like a slot car. “It’s fantastic!” he said with a smile.
At the time of that airing, Tesla had just started mass-producing the Roadster. It was based on the chassis for the Lotus Elise and was the first highway-legal serial production all-electric car to use lithium-ion battery cells, according to CleanTechnica.
In May 2019, a contestant won a black Tesla Model 3. Before unveiling the vehicle, Carey asked Gregory, the contestant, if he was going to share his winnings with his friend Michael. “We’re splitting everything,” Gregory responds. “Ah, man, I don’t know,” Carey answers with a laugh.
Watch the full “Geniuses” episode of The Price is Right on CBS.
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Tesla has been working on the 4680 cell since 2023, with its initial deployment of the structural battery pack Model Y. This was quickly pulled from sales due to lackluster charging performance, but the latest generation of the 4680 cells can now achieve charging speeds of up to 500kW, which is a huge improvement.
However, Tesla has invested in a 4680 new cell design that will help drive down costs to make these vehicles more affordable.
Lowest Price Per kWh
Michael Guilfoy, Tesla’s Director of Cell Manufacturing Operations, mentioned on LinkedIn that Tesla has finally achieved a major milestone with the 4680 cell. One of the goals for 4680 was to bring down the cost per kWh to the lowest of all Tesla’s cells - and as of the end of 2024, they’ve done just that.
The Cybercell - the 2nd generation of the 4680 cell- is now Tesla’s lowest cost per kWh cell, meaning that it is the cheapest to produce for Tesla in terms of assembling the parts that go into a vehicle battery pack.
While the Cybertruck is the only Tesla that using the 4680 right now, the 4680 cell is primed to be Tesla’s primary cell going forward due to cost savings, manufacturing optimizations, and usefulness as part of the vehicle structure.
The 4680 cell also offers significant weight savings while also being more rigid, which allows Tesla to build vehicles in a unique fashion that are far safer than others on the road today.
Of course, 4680 isn’t the only cell Tesla is developing - they’ve got a whole host of other things they’re working on. Tesla is developing four new cell types, with some potentially launching in 2026.
Dry Cathode on the Horizon
Guilfoy also mentioned that this isn’t Tesla Energy’s only achievement this year - there’s more upcoming. One of these is the Dry Cathode tech that will help drive that cost down even further.
Dry Cathode manufacturing removes the toxic solvents and furnace baking processes from the battery manufacturing process, saving time and being more environmentally friendly, but it is a new technology. Tesla has been working on this for quite some time - in fact, since the initial introduction of the 1st generation of 4680 cells back in 2023.
We’re quite excited to see what Tesla will do next with the 4680 and their other future cells. Perhaps it is time for the good old 2170 cell to be laid to rest? That’s something we’ll find out in the near future - as the Model S and Model X Plaid rely upon the 2170 to be able to produce the instantaneous power required to make them so fast - but the 4680 cell in the Cyberbeast can do much the same.
With FSD now beginning to roll out to more regions outside the United States and Canada - namely Mexico and China - there’s hope that we’ll see more of a global rollout. That hope also includes Europe, which is stuck behind a relatively thick wall of regulation, preventing Tesla from easily deploying its autonomy software in any nations that follow the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) commerce guidelines on autonomy.
The UNECE sets regulations for the entire European Union - as well as some countries outside of the EU, such as the United Kingdom. However, the body responsible for autonomy meets infrequently, sometimes with months between sessions. The last meeting occurred last month, while the next meeting isn’t taking place again until at least June, and autonomy isn’t even on the agenda for that meeting.
Teasing FSD
However, that doesn’t stop Tesla from showing off what FSD is capable of - even in Europe. In a lighthearted post on X, Tesla Europe showed off FSD Supervised in Europe, with the caption “pending regulatory approval”.
— Tesla Europe & Middle East (@teslaeurope) April 5, 2025
Tesla’s executives, including Elon Musk, have mentioned that FSD is ready for Europe - the biggest constraint is regulatory approval. There is still some hope that Tesla could get around UNECE regulation 157, which governs autonomy with some nation-by-nation deals, but that will take time and regulatory effort to grind through all the red tape.
While it seems FSD and Tesla are ready to launch the moment regulatory approval arrives, the UNECE is set on taking the snail’s pace to this challenge, with comments from participating nations stating:
“While [a driver assistance system] may help reduce collisions, it may also introduce new safety risks.”
For those Europeans who are waiting, petitioning your representatives to work on autonomy is going to be key to getting FSD approved in Europe. Without consumer support, politicians have no reason to focus on something so specific. Meanwhile, they can approve six new and different types of light fixtures in three days.
So - when is FSD coming to Europe? Whenever regulation permits - because at this point, it definitely isn’t a data or training issue - Tesla has clearly gathered the key information it needs to make a product comparable to what’s available in North America. Tesla is confident enough to test and show off in action on X, so we hope that’s enough to at least get some regulators’ attention.
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