Meet the BASENOR Team
Five people stand behind every product, every fitment guide, and every news story you read on basenor.com. We're a small team — by design. It means the engineer who tested your floor mat is the same person who wrote the buying guide.
Editorial team established: 2019 ·
Headquartered: California, USA ·
Test fleet: Model 3 (Legacy + Highland), Model Y (Legacy + Juniper), Model S, Model X, Cybertruck ·
Last updated: April 2026
Jacob Guo
Founder & Editor-in-Chief
Founder of BASENOR. Industrial designer and Tesla owner who started the brand after spending two years searching for Model 3 accessories that actually fit.
Jacob founded BASENOR in 2019 after taking delivery of his first Model 3 and discovering that most aftermarket accessories were copies of copies — poor fitment, generic materials, no real testing. He set out to build the company he wished existed: one that designs original molds, sources OEM-grade materials, and validates every product on actual Tesla vehicles before shipping. He personally drives every model BASENOR builds for, and writes the foundational fitment guides that other publications now cite. Holds a B.A. in Industrial Design and has been a daily Tesla driver since 2019 (Model 3, then Model Y Juniper).
Areas of expertise
Tesla product designFitment compatibilityAftermarket manufacturingBrand strategy
Writes about: Tesla Fitment Guides, founder editorials, brand stories · At BASENOR since: 2019
Daniel Zhang
Lead Engineer — Product Testing & Fit Validation
Mechanical engineer with 10 years in Tier-1 automotive supply. Daniel runs the BASENOR test lab — every product on the site has gone through his fitment, durability, and material checks before launch.
Daniel leads engineering at BASENOR, including all fitment validation, materials testing, and durability protocols. Before BASENOR he spent seven years at a Tier-1 automotive parts supplier serving German OEMs, and three years on aftermarket development for the Chinese EV market. His test lab maintains physical Model 3 (Legacy + Highland), Model Y (Legacy + Juniper), Model S, Model X, and Cybertruck reference vehicles. Daniel writes our buying guides because he's literally the person who tests what we recommend — and what we deliberately leave off the shelf. Holds a B.Eng. in Mechanical Engineering and is ASTM-trained on plastic and elastomer test methods.
Areas of expertise
Tesla mechanical compatibilityMaterials engineering (TPE, ABS, EVA, leather)Fitment & tolerance testingBuying-guide editorial
Writes about: Buying Guides, fitment articles, materials deep-dives, product tear-downs · At BASENOR since: 2020
Marcus Reed
Lead Editor — Tesla & FSD
Eight years covering Tesla, FSD, and software releases. Marcus leads our news desk and is the byline behind most BASENOR Tesla News headlines.
Marcus runs the BASENOR Tesla News team. Previously a senior contributor to two major EV publications, he's covered every Tesla event since 2017 and has analyzed every major FSD release from v9 through v13. He maintains the editorial calendar for our news blog, sets coverage priorities for Cybertruck/Model 3 Highland/Model Y Juniper launches, and is the primary author for software, Autopilot, and product-update stories. Holds a B.A. in Journalism and is a daily FSD-supervised Tesla driver.
Areas of expertise
Tesla newsFSD / Autopilot analysisSoftware releasesProduct launches
Writes about: Tesla News blog — Software & Features, Self-Driving, model launches · At BASENOR since: 2024
Sarah Chen
Senior Writer — Energy & SpaceX
Energy reporter turned BASENOR senior writer. Sarah covers Tesla Energy, SpaceX, and the AI/Optimus side of Musk's companies.
Sarah joined BASENOR after six years covering renewable energy for tech and policy outlets. She owns the Tesla Energy beat (Powerwall, Megapack, Solar Roof, V2G), the SpaceX beat (Starship, Starlink, Falcon 9 missions), and the AI/Robotics beat (Optimus, Dojo). She's reported live from three SpaceX launches and one Tesla AI Day. Holds a B.S. in Environmental Engineering and a master's certificate in Energy Policy.
Areas of expertise
Tesla Energy (Powerwall, Solar, V2G)SpaceX missionsAI & Robotics (Optimus, Dojo)Renewable energy policy
Writes about: Tesla News blog — SpaceX, Energy & Battery, AI & Robotics · At BASENOR since: 2024
David Hartley
Contributing Writer — Industry & Markets
Twenty-year auto industry analyst. David provides BASENOR's market context — competitor moves, EV financials, and where Tesla fits in the broader EV landscape.
David is a contributing writer with more than two decades covering the global automotive industry, including a long stint as a Forbes contributor on EV markets. At BASENOR he writes the industry-context pieces — quarterly EV market updates, competitor analysis (Rivian, Lucid, BYD, Ford EV), and financial deep-dives that help our readers understand where Tesla sits in the broader market. He's based in London and has covered EU EV policy since 2010. Holds an M.A. in Economics and is a CFA charterholder.
Areas of expertise
EV market analysisCompetitor intelligence (Rivian, Lucid, BYD, Ford)Automotive financialsEU EV policy
Writes about: Tesla News blog — EV Industry, Accessories market, competitive analysis · At BASENOR since: 2025
How we work
01
Hands-on testing before any product ships
Every BASENOR product is fit-tested on real Tesla vehicles in our reference fleet. No exceptions, no "we'll test it after launch." Daniel's lab signs off before manufacturing scales.
02
Buying guides are written by people who tested what they recommend
If we tell you a product is worth your money, it's because Daniel or Jacob has installed it on a real car and lived with it. We also write what to avoid — including our own products if they don't perform.
03
News articles are dated, sourced, and updated when facts change
Every Tesla News article links to primary sources. When Tesla changes something — software, pricing, lineup — we update the relevant articles rather than letting them go stale.
04
Corrections are visible
If we get something wrong, the correction is logged at the top of the article with a date. We'd rather you trust us than catch us papering over a mistake.
