Tesla’s logo is iconic – it’s a T, with the text “T E S L A” below it. However, it hasn’t always looked the same, and it does have a deeper meaning than just T representing the first letter.
So, let’s look at Tesla’s logo.
Meaning of the Tesla Logo
We’ll start with what the Tesla logo represents. As Elon Musk put it, the T is like the cross-section of an electric motor, similar to how SpaceX’s logo is like the trajectory of a rocket.
The outer line on top of the T represents the stator of the electric motor – the stationary component that contains the windings and generates a rotating magnetic field when current is applied to it. The lower section of the logo is one of the poles of the rotor, the moving component that is also wound with wire, forming a magnetic pole.
All together, putting the rotor and stator together is how Tesla’s EVs generate their movement and the basics behind how Nikola Tesla put together the first induction motor. The first induction motor was created in 1887, and Tesla the company is named after Nikola Tesla, the inventor of the electric motor.
Tesla’s fairly minimalist logo also aligns with its minimalist approach to things. No part is the best part, and a minimalist interior is the best interior.
Evolution of the Tesla Logo
Tesla's logo has evolved since its 2009 version
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Tesla’s logo hasn’t always been the same. The original logo, back when the company was known as Tesla Motors, had the Tesla “T” inside of a shield emblem, representing safety. The word “Tesla” was also part of the logo and displayed within the shield.
In 2017, Tesla Motors simplified its name to just Tesla. At the same time, they redesigned their logo. Like the company’s name, the logo was also simplified. The shield was removed and the word Tesla moved to the bottom of the T. In 2017, Tesla also transitioned to using red in its logo, instead of the previous gray/black color combination.
The current Tesla logo we see today is a revision of the logo unveiled in 2017. The curve at the top of the logo is now more pronounced, the indent on the T is larger and the “T” is a little slimmer.
Tesla's old shield logo and font
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Other Great Logos
Although Tesla doesn’t receive a lot of recognition for its creative logo, it’s a simple, creative logo with a deeper meaning that sits right up there with other great logos like those from the Pittsburgh Zoo, Black Cat and Sony VAIO (photo below) and others.
Today, Tesla’s simplistic logo also matches its philosophy of minimalism and simplistic approaches to solving difficult problems, such as solving full self-driving with a vision-only approach.
The creative logos from Pittsburgh Zoo, Sony VAIO and Black Cat.
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Tesla recently launched software update 2025.8.3, which included a bunch of “minor updates.” Nestled away in the release notes are a couple of interesting features - including some major changes to the Energy App.
We’re not quite sure we’d call these minor updates, so let’s take a bit of an exploration of the revitalized Energy App.
The Energy App has received some new categorization features in the Consumption tab. You can once again limit the graph by distance. As part of the 2024 Holiday Update, Tesla redesigned the consumption tab and brought it to the new Model S and Model X for the first time. However, with the redesign, Tesla removed the ability to choose the distance shown in the graph, instead providing a static display of the last 200 miles (300km).
The first part of the improved Energy App is bringing back this distance filter. You can now choose between showing the last 10, 100, or 200 miles (15, 150, or 300 km). This differs from the previous available distances of 5, 15 and 30 miles, but brings back the ability for the driver to choose a distance that may be more applicable to how they’re driving.
We’d love for Tesla to introduce custom distances by pinching and zooming the graph or simply add the ability to choose “This Drive Only” to the list of available distances.
Reset Energy App History
@EV3_Model3 on X
Sadly, the “Instant Range” button that was available in the Energy App before is still not available, but Tesla introduced a new feature that may be even better. You can now clear your driving history so that the graph only reflects your current driving style.
This is a little hidden, but if you tap the little info icon at the top near your average Wh/mi, you’ll now be presented with a dialog that lets you clear your history.
This could be useful if you’ve just come from some hard driving on a track or off-road, where energy consumption could be exaggerated. It could also be useful if you just started towing or a different type of driving that is drastically different from your current driving.
Other Changes
In addition, it looks like future predictions of the Energy app now take into account your driving history and apply that in addition to expected vehicle consumption, weather, altitude, and the multitude of other factors that your Tesla constantly takes into account while calculating your expected range.
While these are smaller improvements to the Energy app, they added some important functionality, as it helps users better understand their vehicle consumption and display data that is more applicable to the current driving style.
This is a great example of Tesla listening to its customers and bringing back features they had previously been removed. Check out the video below by akide on the updated Energy app in update 2025.8.3.
Sandy Munro once again had the opportunity to chat (video below) with Lars Moravy, Tesla’s Vice President of Vehicle Engineering, as well as Franz Von Holzhausen, Tesla’s Chief of Vehicle Design. This time, rather than focusing on the improvements to the refreshed Model Y and all the new engineering behind it, the focus was on Tesla’s autonomous ambitions.
In this case, the Cybercab and Robovan were the key highlights, with a distinct focus on the Cybercab. With that all said, let’s dig into all the fun new stuff. You can check out the entire video at the end of the article.
Cybercab Unboxed Process
The Cybercab will be the first of Tesla’s vehicles to use their new unboxed assembly process, which builds vehicles in parallel sections, and then brings them together all at once for final assembly. Traditionally, vehicles are assembled from the ground up, and sometimes even disassembled for parts of production to take place.
This innovative method involves using a big rear and front casting, brought together by a structural battery pack on the floor. The door rings are hot-stamped and laser-welded to form the side shell of the Cybercab, resulting in a very rigid structure that can also absorb crash impacts due to its unique manufacturing.
Paint-Free Panels
We’ve already talked about the Cybercab’s unique paint-free panels, but we’ve never heard until now exactly how Tesla intends to manufacture them. Tesla will inject colored PU plastic onto the backside of another plastic part (formed from various processes) and then ultrasonically weld that entire piece to an inner part.
That essentially combines multiple parts into one smooth piece that is easy to repair - because all you have to do is remove the entire panel - it just comes off as the interior fasteners are removed. There is no subframe holding it together - instead, the subframe is part of the panel.
The only area of the vehicle that will have any paint will be the hot-stamped door rings - which will be painted to improve corrosion resistance to protect the steel.
Aerodynamics
Aerodynamically, the Cybercab boasts the largest aero-cover-to-wheel ratio of any Tesla vehicle. This updated aero cover improves efficiency, even with the Cybercab’s relatively large tires—chosen to reduce rolling resistance. Interestingly, the impact of unsprung weight on efficiency is minimal compared to the benefits of improved rolling resistance and aerodynamics.
Another key to the aerodynamics is the teardrop shape of the Cybercab itself. With its low profile and smooth shape, it is extremely aerodynamically efficient. While neither Sandy nor Lars delved into drag coefficients, we expect it will likely be more efficient than the Model 3’s already fantastic Cd of 0.219.
Range and Battery Pack
Tesla currently has prototypes undergoing real-world testing at Giga Texas to evaluate range and efficiency. The goal is to ensure the vehicle can operate throughout an entire day in the city before returning to charge.
Tesla is targeting a battery pack under 50kWh, delivering close to 300 miles of real-world range—an impressive efficiency of around 166Wh/mi, even outperforming the Model 3’s lowest at 181Wh/mi.
When Does It Arrive?
So, with all that new knowledge - when does the Cybercab arrive? Well - the prototypes for the June Robotaxi network deployment in Austin are getting prepared now - but Tesla expects to begin production and sales sometime in the first half of 2026.
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