It used to be that tech giants took to press conferences and press releases to make big announcements. Then a few years ago it became stylish to issue breaking news on corporate blogs and Facebook pages. Now strategy and product launches are being crammed into less than 140 characters on the social network Twitter.
That's where Tesla chief Elon Musk headed to give the world insight about some monumental change coming to the electric vehicle innovator:
"Tesla press conf at 9am on Thurs. About to end range anxiety ... via OTA software update. Affects entire Model S fleet," states the tweet Musk sent out early Sunday. There's nothing on the company blog, or on its press page or on its Model S website.
For those who may not be familiar with car terminology as Musk, 'range anxiety' is the bane of the electric car. It's the scenario where the car's electric power source, the battery, is running dangerously low. It often happens as drivers aren't attuned to tracking mileage while running on electric.
Most electric cars can go about 100 miles per charge and while Tesla's batteries are heftier when it comes to holding a charge with a 265 miles per charge if the driver splurged on the top battery pack, many Tesla drivers find themselves scouting for a charger at an unexpected moment.
One report muses that Musk and company may have found a way of boosting range by tweaking performance while a car is traveling or possibly giving drivers an earlier head's up that the electric charge is getting near the red zone.
The one tip he gives is the 'OTA,' a hint that indicates some sort of 'over the air' software update for all Tesla vehicles.
That's led one report to note it could mean a rollout of "torque sleep" which is an energy-saving approach.
The news comes as the industry is still talking about Tesla S and its new capabilities, which include a speed acceleration feature.
One of the biggest hurdles electric cars face in the U.S. is the scarcity of charging stations, though Tesla has deployed a network of 'Superchargers' between cities.
Maybe Tesla has come up with an alert notification that not only gives drivers a bit more notice on low charge but also a system to help drivers get to the nearest electric charging option, whether it's one of its supercharger stations or some public charge facility nearby.
