Episode 548: Model S and X Discontinued in Earnings Call Shocker
Ride the Lightning: Tesla and EV Podcast
Ryan McCaffrey
4.7 • 1K Ratings
🗓️ 1 February 2026
⏱️ 124 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Tesla's Q4 2025 earnings call opens with news that is somehow both not surprising and shocking all at the same time: the Model S and Model X are being discontinued. It's the end of an era for Tesla as the company looks to redefine itself in the coming decade. I've got so much to say about this, plus more highlights and analysis from the call. Join me!
If you enjoy the podcast and would like to support my efforts, please check out my Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/teslapodcast and consider a monthly or (10% discounted!) annual pledge. Every little bit helps, and you can support for just $5 per month. And there are stacking bonuses in it for you at each pledge level, like early access to each episode at the $5 tier and the weekly Lightning Round bonus mini-episode (AND the early access!) at the $10 tier! And NO ADS at every Patreon tier!
Also, don't forget to leave a message on the Ride the Lightning hotline anytime with a question, comment, or discussion topic for next week's show! The toll-free number to call is 1-888-989-8752.
INTERESTED IN A FLEXIBLE EXTENDED WARRANTY FOR YOUR TESLA? Be a part of the future of transportation with XCare, the first extended warranty designed & built exclusively for EV owners, by EV owners. Use the code Lightning to get $100 off their "One-time Payment" option! Go to www.xcelerateauto.com/xcare to find the extended warranty policy that's right for you and your Tesla.
P.S. Get 15% off your first order of awesome aftermarket Tesla accessories at AbstractOcean.com by using the code RTLpodcast at checkout. Grab the SnapPlate front license plate bracket for any Tesla at https://everyamp.com/RTL/ (don't forget the coupon code RTL too!). And enhance your car with cool carbon-fiber upgrades from RPMTesla.com and use the promo code RTL10+ for 10% off your next purchase.
Transcript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | On this week's episode of Ride the Lightning, the Tesla and EV podcast, Tesla's Q4 earnings |
| 0:06.2 | call opens with news that is somehow both not surprising and shocking, all at the same time. |
| 0:12.7 | The Model S and Model X are being discontinued. |
| 0:16.5 | It's the end of an era for Tesla as the company looks to redefine itself in the coming decade. |
| 0:21.7 | I've got so much to say about this. |
| 0:24.4 | Plus more highlights and analysis from the call. |
| 0:27.4 | Join me. |
| 0:27.9 | I'm Ryan McCaffrey, joining you for episode 548 of Ride the Lightning, the Tesla and EV podcast, publishing on February 1st, 2026. We have already completed one month in the new year. Well, I want to get right to it this week. So I will open with some quick setup. And then we're going to get right into the earnings call, skipping the shareholder |
| 1:11.6 | letter. |
| 1:12.6 | Normally I start there. |
| 1:13.8 | We'll come back to that a little bit later, but we want to get to the call as soon as |
| 1:18.6 | possible this week. |
| 1:19.6 | So first of all, I posted this week's Patreon poll a couple days earlier than usual so that |
| 1:25.9 | I could give folks time to get their votes in |
| 1:28.3 | before the earnings call this past Wednesday. |
| 1:31.7 | The question was, what do you most want to hear Tesla speak about on this week's earnings call? |
| 1:38.9 | And with about 300 votes cast before the earnings call, |
| 1:43.0 | I took a screen grab on Tuesday night, just in case |
| 1:45.5 | anybody decided to vote after the call. It was pretty close. Thirty-three percent of you |
| 1:51.3 | voted that you wanted to hear about FSD slash autopilot policy changes, which certainly |
| 1:57.5 | makes sense in the wake of last week's news, which was not great about autopilot being discontinued. |
| 2:04.1 | 26% of you said you wanted to hear about FSD hardware upgrades for hardware three cars, |
... |
Please login to see the full transcript.
Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Ryan McCaffrey, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.
Generated transcripts are the property of Ryan McCaffrey and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.
Copyright © Tapesearch 2026.