Does an authentic video show a Tesla car charging from a diesel generator that it is towing as it drives? No, that's not true: The video was made by an artificial intelligence tool, according to a test by an AI detector tool. Obvious discrepancies from reality, such as the lack of an actual tow bar attaching the trailer to the car, also confirm that the video is not real.
The claim appeared in a video (archived here) posted on the Machines In Action YouTube channel on October 23, 2025, under the title "Tesla Secret Hidden Upgrade! ". The video caption read:
Tesla charging "UPGRADE" Genius or madness? 😂🔋💨 #tesla #generatordiesel #cleanenergy #viral
Click below to watch the video on YouTube:
The 10-second video features the perspective of a camera in the front-right seat of another car following to the left of the white Tesla driving down a road. Dark black smoke is streaming from a narrow pipe on the front of a yellow box that is purportedly a diesel engine. Two orange cables attached to the left-rear tail light of the Tesla lead back to under the trailer.
(Image source: Lead Stories screenshot of YouTube)
The cables could not be charging the Tesla for two reasons. First, the charging port for the car is not at that location. Second, a Tesla cannot be charged while it is being driven.
(Image source: Lead Stories screenshot of YouTube)
Another reality-defying feature of this video is the absence of a tow bar connecting the trailer to the car. The trailer appears to be moving in sync with the Tesla without being pulled.
(Image source: Lead Stories screenshot of YouTube)
Finally, Lead Stories loaded the video into the Hive AI detection tool, which indicated it was 93.2 percent likely the video contained AI-generated or deepfake content.
(Image source: Hive AI detection tool results)
