Tesla to Mars - The Podcast

Kees rijdt inmiddels bijna 4000 FSD-kilometer in Nederland en wordt op zijn schouder getikt door het Autopilot-team zelf. In deze aflevering vertelt hij wat er sindsdien is gebeurd: de Reuters-foto die de hele wereld over ging, de Belgische kranten, het Tesla EMEA-evenement in Amsterdam en wat de gasten van dat team hem letterlijk in zijn gezicht zeiden. Demian en Florian nemen dat als startpunt v...

Kees is terug in de studio — en hij was de eerste niet-Tesla-medewerker in Europa die FSD gepushed kreeg. In deze aflevering vertelt Kees wat er die vrijdagavond precies gebeurde, waarom hij met twee glazen wijn op toch meteen die eerste livestream deed, en wat hij de afgelopen dagen heeft geleerd van bijna duizend kilometer FSD in Nederland. Demian en Florian nemen dat als startpunt voor een bred...

Demian en Florian namen allebei deel aan een Tesla FSD-testrit in Nederland — Demian in Eindhoven, Florian met zijn vrouw en een vriend door het centrum van Amsterdam. In deze aflevering vergelijken ze wat ze zagen, voelden en dachten. Van de Spiegelgracht tot de Leidsestraat, van een fietsende Amsterdammer die schreeuwt naar een robot, tot een supervisor die hands down kiest voor duizenden FSD-au...

They’re back after a break — and the comeback starts with a real-world “Musk economy” moment: Demian’s Starlink dish dies after a power outage, and a Grok-powered support bot replaces the entire kit in seconds, delivered the next day. That single experience becomes the lens for the episode: what happens when AI doesn’t just answer, but acts? From Tesla’s near-autonomous service workflows to the ri...

Tesla kicks off 2026 with a subtle but profound change: its mission shifts from “sustainable abundance” to “amazing abundance.” In this episode, Demian and Florian unpack what that change really means — not as branding, but as a framework for how Tesla, Elon Musk, and the broader ecosystem are thinking about the future. They explore how AI, robotics, and autonomy don’t just reduce costs, but funda...

Europe feels stuck in a loop: welfare strain, bureaucracy, and a growing sense that the system is becoming unsustainable. The conversation kicks into “peak chaos week” after the EU’s fine on X and what the crew see as speech being regulated based on what institutions “don’t like.”  From there, they zoom out into geopolitics and incentives: why alignment between the EU and US is fraying, what that...

The crew sit down in peak FSD-chaos week: Tesla calls on owners to message their road authorities, RDW gets flooded, and suddenly there’s an official path on the table — Article 39 with a February target. What looks like “FSD is coming to Europe” turns out to be much more messy, political and philosophical than headlines suggest. They unpack why RDW matters so much, how a temporary exemption could...

A deep dive that bridges 5,000 years of engineering with the frontier of AI and robotics. From Demian’s on-site exploration of Egypt’s pyramids to Tesla’s chip strategy, CyberCab rollout and Optimus economics, this episode tracks how civilizations rise on manufacturing breakthroughs — and why we’re entering the next one. The crew zoom out from the shareholder meeting headlines to the real story: s...

A wide-angle lens on Tesla’s Q3 earnings, but the real signals are buried in the long game: how vertical integration across AI, energy, hardware, and software sets the stage for exponential leverage. The crew break down Tesla’s stacking flywheels—FSD v14, Optimus, Energy, X—and how they converge into a unified platform play. From Megapack cash flows and robotaxi economics to Elon’s Everything App...

A deep dive into Optimus and FSD v14: how a unified real-world AI, vertical integration, and actuator/manufacturing advances could turn factory pilots into the first true bot economy. The crew map near-term use-cases (production cells, logistics, last-mile), weigh “prototype vs. scale,” and outline Q4 catalysts—from v14 capability jumps and a potential Optimus v3 tease to SpaceX cadence and Boring...

Demian, Florian & Kees trade books, compare notes on community and owners clubs, and then dive deep on why the November shareholder meeting really matters—Elon’s compensation/voting rights, Master Plan Part 4’s operational milestones, and how Robotaxi economics interplay with FSD subscriptions. Big-picture strategy, but also the nuts and bolts of getting to serious EBITDA. In this episode Comm...

No guest this week—just Demian, Florian & Kees kicking off a “new season,” trading gifts (including an 80s throwback tee) and building a shared reading list to sharpen mental models before a very big Q4 for Tesla. 📚⚙️ In this episode 📚 Reading & Mental Models Why a common “base library” matters (from Stellar Economy to Exponential Organizations), plus Buffett/Munger-style mental models,...

We’ve got a special guest for Episode 50 — Roel Smelt joins Demian & Florian for one of our most philosophical deep dives yet. From meditation retreats to building mobile-first startups, Roel brings a unique perspective on technology, business, and humanity — and how it all ties into Elon Musk’s mission. Could surrendering to AI actually make us more human? And what does Elon’s vision of prese...

What a week. Kees is still MIA (likely still sulking about FSD not being allowed in Europe), but Florian and Demien dive headfirst into one of Tesla’s most telling weeks of the year. From Master Plan Part 4 to a mega compensation plan, from golden Optimus bots to a diner doing $2.5M/month — it’s all happening, and it’s happening fast. Why is Elon betting big on Megablocks? Is Tesla Energy the next...

Kees is back from the U.S. and has just completed a full-blown FSD marathon. In this episode, he breaks down his 7-week road trip across America using Tesla’s Full Self-Driving software — from Cybertruck to Model Y, from Michigan to San Francisco. How good is FSD *really* in the wild? And why is V13 such a leap over V12? We also dive into Tesla’s Master Plan Part 4, the future of robotrucking as a...

Tesla just dropped their Q2 earnings and the numbers are rough — but is it a short-term dip or the setup for something bigger? In this episode, Kees, Demian & Kenny break it all down: from margin pressure and underperforming Cybertrucks to a massive Robotaxi and Optimus expansion plan. In episode 47 we cover: 📉 Earnings Breakdown Revenue and profit drop significantly Cybertruck & Model S/...

We’re back with the full crew and diving straight into the latest from Austin’s Robotaxi rollout, Tesla’s Grok integration, and Elon’s mysterious promise of the most epic demo ever. From geo-expansion strategy to XAI satellites, this episode is packed. In episode 46 we discuss: 🚖 Tesla’s rapid Robotaxi geo-expansion in Austin (and why it beats Waymo) 🗺️ Mapping, Geofencing & why it’s still ne...

While Kees and Florian are off the grid, Demian and Kenny break down Tesla’s latest moves, the rise of the Robotaxi fleet, and Elon’s unexpected political ambitions. A guest-free but insight-loaded conversation you don’t want to miss. In this episode we cover: 🚗 Why the refreshed Model Y might be Tesla’s real “affordable” EV ⚡ Cost of Goods Sold & what it tells us about Tesla’s next-gen stra...

Tesla’s RoboTaxi fleet is no longer a future fantasy — they’re on the streets of Austin, and we’ve got boots on the ground. While the rest of the crew is back in Europe, Kees takes us deep into the heart of the Robotaxi test zone. From Cybertrucks and stealth parking lots to conversations with Uber drivers and Tesla insiders — this episode is a live-action Tesla thriller. In this episode we cover:...

This week on Tesla to Mars: Are Elon and Trump really at war—or is this just political theater? We dive into the “big, beautiful bill”, Mars ambitions, and the shadow chess game between EU, UNECE, and Tesla’s FSD revolution. In Episode 43, Demian, Florian & Kees unpack what’s really going on behind the headlines—from deleted tweets to backdoor strategy. As Tesla makes major moves in Austin and...

In this  episode of Tesla to Mars, Kees, Florian, and Demian take you on a wild ride through the latest in Tesla and SpaceX news — from surprising European sales spikes to the jaw-dropping scale of SpaceX’s Mars colonization timeline and the Kardashev scale. 🔋 Tesla Talk: 🚗 Tesla’s surprising 213% year-over-year growth in Norway despite recent downtrends. 🇪🇺 What does this mean for the European...

We’ve hit 40 episodes and now it’s time to turn up the voltage. In Episode 41 of Tesla to Mars, we go full throttle into Tesla’s biggest strategic levers yet: autonomous fleets, AI supremacy, and Elon’s Mars-first mindset. This isn’t just about cars—it’s about rewriting the rules of transport, ownership, and planetary ambition. From robo-taxis gearing up to roll out, to AI systems that could steer...

In this episode, we dive deep into the future of Tesla, AI, energy, and the emerging age of abundance. With our usual co-hosts away, Demian & Kenny bring a thought-provoking, guest-free discussion loaded with big insights on Elon Musk’s next compensation package, Tesla's robotics strategy, global energy infrastructure, and the societal implications of AI-driven humanoid robots. We touch on: Wh...

In this post-earnings episode, the Tesla to Mars crew dives deep into Tesla's Q1 2025 results and the broader implications of their strategy. From a "worst quarter in years" to still generating nearly a billion in cash—how is ‪@tesla‬   maintaining discipline under pressure? We unpack why the earnings call was framed as a “company update,” debate whether Elon’s leadership style is damaging the bra...

Welcome to Episode 34 of Tesla to Mars! This is the first in our Robotaxi Countdown Series, where we dive deep into Tesla's upcoming autonomous future with special guest Cern Basher. We explore the economics of Tesla’s Robotaxi network, the role of fleet operators, the dawn of abundance, and how humanoid robots fit into the picture. Expect practical insights, mind-expanding theories, and a hint of...