You can name your Tesla by navigating to the vehicle's Software menu
Not a Tesla App
In the realm of electric vehicles, Tesla has always stood apart, not just for its cutting-edge technology and exquisite design but also the personalization it offers owners. One of the most endearing ways Tesla has allowed owners to embrace their vehicles is by allowing them to name them.
Your Tesla can bear a name that resonates with your personality and style. This guide will walk you through the process of naming your Tesla, reveal some hidden Easter Eggs, and offer a cornucopia of popular and creative names to inspire you.
How to Change the Name of Your Tesla
Whether you're cruising in a Model Y, Model 3, X, or S, the process of naming your Tesla remains the same. To assign a name to your Tesla, you can either be in your vehicle or use the Tesla app on your phone.
Change the Name in the Car
Tap the Car icon on the bottom left and proceed to the 'Software' section.
This space holds all vital information about your Tesla, from the hardware it's equipped with to any subscriptions you may have, such as Premium Connectivity or Full Self-Driving, and the current software version your vehicle runs on.
Locate the image of your car; you'll find your exact model name on the left and a spot for your car's name on the right, highlighted in blue. If your car is yet unnamed, you'll see the default text, 'Name your vehicle.' Tap on this, and a screen to rename your car will appear. Voila! Your Tesla is ready for its new identity.
Change the Name in the App
If you prefer to update your vehicle's name using the Tesla app, you can simply tap your vehicle's name at the top of the app. A prompt will pop up, asking you to rename your Tesla.
Unlock Easter Eggs By Setting Your Car's Name
Now, here's an interesting twist. Tesla has hidden a few Easter eggs related to the car's name. As a tribute to Monty Python, name your car “Patsy", "Rabbit of Caerbannog", "Mr. Creosote", "Biggus Dickus," or "Unladen Swallow" and watch the magic unfold. Fans of Douglas Adams' science fiction comedy, 'The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy,' aren't left out either. Tesla has something special waiting for you too!
Popular and Creative Tesla Names
Around the globe, Tesla owners have been bestowing upon their vehicles names that are as unique as they are. Drawing from pop culture, puns, personal tastes, and even color themes, here are some popular choices, along with a few creative ideas:
Tributes to Greats: Elon or Musk, no explanation needed, Nikola the inventor, not the truck, Edison, Jarvis (Iron Man's AI assistant), Eevee (the Pokémon), Vader (Star Wars fans, unite!).
Electricity Inspired Names
Sparky, Wattson, Bolt, Ohm Sweet Ohm, Volta.
Color Inspired Names
Snowy for white Teslas, Raven for black ones, Cherry for red, Sapphire for blue, and Quicksilver for silver.
My Precious, Dream Rider, Freedom Machine, Serenity, Joyride.
The possibilities are truly endless. Let your imagination soar, and bestow upon your Tesla a name that mirrors your personality and style. Whether you're a movie buff, a science enthusiast, a lover of humor, or someone who appreciates the finer things in life, there's an ideal name for your Tesla. Let it reflect what you love, and let it speak volumes about who you are as you cruise down the streets in your one-of-a-kind, personally-named Tesla.
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So, with Halloween all squared away, the next big holiday coming up is Christmas. Each year, Tesla releases a big Holiday update packed with features. Last year’s update included some awesome features, including alternate routes, the Vision upgrade for Park Assist, Speed Cameras and Traffic Light icons, and the Automatic Blind Spot indicator, among others.
We already know that update 2024.44 - the Holiday Update Branch - is coming with Blind Spot Monitoring while Parked, Supercharger Improvements, and more. But, we’ve got a ton of good ideas that we hope will make the list, so put down your pumpkin spice, and grab your egg nog. It’s the holidays, and it’ll be Cybertruck’s first Christmas, so let’s celebrate!
Apple Watch App
First up—the Apple Watch app. This has been a highly requested feature over the past couple of years, and it looks like Tesla is listening. Tesla has apparently already begun development to support the Apple Watch in app update 4.38, so we’re expecting this to arrive as part of the big Holiday update. We’d love to see an equivalent app for Android-based watches, too.
Phone Left on Charger Alert
It’s easy to forget your phone inside of the vehicle, especially if it’s on the phone dock. A simple app alert that a phone has been left in the vehicle would be really useful. Tesla could potentially even tell the difference between a driver’s phone and a passenger’s phone, depending on the vehicle’s profile being used or which doors were open and closed.
Either way, just receiving an app notification if a phone is left in the car would be really useful, especially since your phone is your car key.
Live Activities
Not a Tesla App
iOS introduced support for Live Activities with iOS 16.1 in October 2022. Live Activities are auto-updating, persistent notifications that can provide real-time information about a certain task. Live Activities are used to provide real-time information about your Uber arrival or the status of a flight. In Tesla’s case, they can be used for instances where up-to-date information may be important, such as when Supercharging or when Sentry Mode is active.
Arrival State of Charge
A popular request among Tesla owners is the ability to set a desired battery charge percentage upon arriving at a destination. This past year, Tesla has added several features to the app’s Trip Planner, including waypoints. Although the app lets you choose a starting charge percentage, it does not let you pick the state of charge at your destination.
If you’re traveling somewhere without a nearby charger, this becomes an issue. It’d be nice if the Tesla app let users pick their desired state of charge at arrival, and the route planner would automatically recommend charging stops and durations to reach that target.
Not a Tesla App
Light Show Support
Tesla Lightshows are great, but they could be made even better with Tesla app support. At the very least, it’d be great to be able to start/schedule or stop a light show from the app.
To really make light shows shine, Tesla could add the ability to create a light show directly from the app. Right now creating a light show involves using the open-source app xLights on a computer, so a simplified version of it running in the app would make it accessible to a lot more users.
Perform a synchronized light show with multiple Tesla vehicles…and a new song 🎶
Similar to an in-vehicle preconditioning button for 3rd party chargers, the Tesla App should also have a button to precondition the battery. This will make it easy for users, especially those who don’t have home charging – to get their vehicles ready for DC Fast Charging before departing.
Garage Door Controls
Tesla owners with HomeLink can control their garage doors directly from the vehicle. However, the Tesla app currently only allows users to open the first programmed garage door and doesn’t give the user access to any of the other programmed doors. Adding the option to choose which garage door to open via the HomeLink button would be a valuable addition—especially useful when paired with Actually Smart Summon.
Drive Stats
While Tesla already records and displays charging sessions in the app’s Charge Stats section, it’d be really helpful if Tesla also added the ability to record drives. That way, you could easily track how much your vehicle was driven on a particular day, week, or over the course of the year.
If you have any other suggestions, let us know in our forums. Who knows, some Tesla product managers may even be listening.
Tesla has added payment plan options to its shop items for the first time. They’ve partnered with Klarna, a deferred payment provider, to spread the cost of items across multiple payments. For now, this appears to be limited to the Tesla Shop in the United States—no support for other regions quite yet.
Payment Options
Klarna’s primary payment option allows buyers to get 0% APR for 6 weeks, with 4 payments. The payment schedule is essentially one payment every two weeks for whichever product you buy - enabling you to buy now, and pay later with 0% financing.
For example, the payment schedule for the $420 Wall Connector is evenly divided into four portions. Of course, you’d also have to pay for shipping and taxes, both of which will be included in your first payment.
Payment 1
Payment 2
Payment 3
Payment 4
Amount
$105
$105
$105
$105
Payment Due
Day of Purchase
Week 2
Week 4
Week 6
For some of Tesla’s more expensive Shop options - like the Cybertent, this could be a fantastic means for some owners to pick up something more expensive without having to worry about interest charges on their credit card.
Klarna also offers some other payment schedules, which do have interest. While these are far more expensive and are more like credit cards, they still provide buyers a means to buy now and pay over time. These are all open loans as well, so you can pay them down at a faster rate, thereby reducing the overall interest.
Payment Schedule
Payment Rate
Interest Rate
6 Weeks
Biweekly
0%
6 Months
Monthly
7.99% to 33.99%
12 Months
Monthly
7.99% to 33.99%
FSD Payment Options?
We’d love to see an equivalent payment option available for Tesla’s FSD purchase, which is currently $8,000, even if it's bought after the vehicle purchase. The high upfront cost is likely one reason why Tesla’s FSD subscription is so popular.
It’s likely that purchasing FSD is much more popular at the time of vehicle purchase, as owners can roll the cost of FSD into their financing rather than paying the full $8,000 later on.
IPO Filing
Interestingly enough, along with today’s news that Klarna is working with Tesla, Klarna has also filed for an IPO in the United States. It is one of the first financial tech (FinTech) companies to file for an IPO in 2025 and, interestingly, one of the first European companies to conduct an IPO in the United States.
For those who trade in the financial sector, this will be one to watch—Klarna was valued at around $46 billion in 2021 and is now valued at approximately $15 billion. Partnering with a large and well-known brand like Tesla could uplift Klarna, but that’s all financial speculation.