This Phony Tesla Birthday Prank Was So Persuasive It Triggered Genuine Outrage | Carscoops

      An online prank sparked a discussion among Tesla customers about the ethics of features that are gated behind paywalls.

      On July 8, 2025, Stephen Rivers reported that a Tesla owner decided to prank other owners by sharing a fake birthday email.

      In the email, "Tesla" claimed it would provide the owner with an additional horsepower boost for thirty days.

      Commenters expressed their frustrations regarding features that are inaccessible due to paywalls.

      Tesla enthusiasts often become enthusiastic when new features, trials, or beta programs are introduced. This enthusiasm likely contributed to the fact that very few people recognized a post on Reddit as a hoax by an overly enthusiastic owner. The post talked about a birthday reward email allegedly from Tesla offering a 30-day horsepower increase, and before many realized it was a joke, they took the opportunity to criticize the American electric vehicle manufacturer and others for their paywall-restricted features.

      Posted in the Reddit Tesla Model 3 forum, the main feature of the prank was an image. It seemed to be an email from Tesla that read, "Happy Birthday! We are thrilled to present you with an exclusive birthday gift: +50 Extra Horsepower." It further stated, "Your Tesla has been enhanced with an additional 50 horsepower, valid for the next 30 days."

      Initially, the email appeared credible. The formatting looked authentic, the grammar was correct, and it seemed to originate from [email protected]. This was sufficient to mislead several users. The top comments were filled with individuals assuming its authenticity. Some inquired about future programs that could stem from this idea, others joked about changing their birthday in the Tesla app, while more expressed their enthusiasm.

      Conversely, some fans felt disheartened and irritated. Several voiced their opinions, with comments such as, “…is it just me that thinks this is utterly absurd? If I own the hardware, why should I pay to use it? That’s like purchasing a computer with 16GB of RAM but only accessing 12GB, and then receiving an email to 'unlock' the additional 4GB for a month."

      "Just… ridiculous. Either sell me the car without the extra horsepower (meaning without the hardware that supports it)… or allow me to use all the horsepower it can generate. This is just… terrible,” one user expressed. After another remarked how impressive it was to be able to download extra horsepower, a different commenter replied, “You mean mildly infuriating since it’s locked behind a paywall.”

      A Common Practice

      While the birthday email was fictional, Tesla does sell similar offerings. As of now, buyers can activate features that their existing hardware can already support, such as increased range or speed.

      Importantly, Tesla isn’t the only company to utilize this model. Numerous brands provide analogous ‘subscription services’ for additional power and adaptive suspension. Unless consumers come together to denounce this practice, it’s unlikely to change.