Lifestyle
Tesla Model 3 performance duels Dodge Viper GTS in multiple rolling races
A Tesla Model 3 Performance recently challenged one of America’s most iconic muscle cars, a 2001 Dodge Viper GTS with a fully-built engine. The Dodge Viper holds an esteemed and notorious place among muscle cars, mainly due to its reputation as a racecar for the streets.
Tesla Model 3 owner and car enthusiast DamienG Videos! of YouTube previously tested his 1997 Viper against his all-electric sedan from Silicon Valley. In his previous test, which could be accessed here, the Model 3 proved dominant, walking all over his Viper during multiple rolling races. So impressed was the auto enthusiast (and so strong was the reaction from the Viper community) that he issued an invitation to other Vipers that may be interested in racing his electric car.
It did not take long before a Viper owner took up the offer. This time around, the vehicle was a yellow 2001 Dodge Viper GTS with a fully-built motor. The muscle car has not been tested on a dyno, but the owner of the car noted that the vehicle had at least 500+ whp. This makes the muscle car very impressive, considering that a stock version of the 2001 Dodge Viper GTS features a bold 450 horsepower V-10 engine, which allowed it to hit 60 mph in just 4 seconds flat.
The vehicle’s racecar DNA is also evident in its credentials, as shown by the car’s race-modified siblings: three consecutive European FIA GT-2 championships, two consecutive class championships at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the inaugural American Le Mans championship, as well as a historic overall championship at the 2000 24 Hours of Daytona. The vehicle, which performed very well both on and off track, was well-received by the US auto community, though it also got a reputation for being a dangerous car to drive.
In a way, the Dodge Viper could be considered the very antithesis of the Tesla Model 3 Performance. While the Viper is loud, the Model 3 is stealthy. While the Dodge has a penchant for being a deadly machine in the hands of inexperienced drivers, the Tesla proudly stands as one of the safest vehicles on the road. While these two vehicles do have their differences, the Viper and Model 3 Performance also have similarities. After all, they are both insanely fast cars.
The Model 3 Performance is equipped with dual motors that produce a combined 450 hp and 471 lb-ft of torque. This allows the vehicle to accelerate from 0-60 mph in just 3.2 seconds. The electric car is also equipped with a dedicated Track Mode feature, making it the only vehicle in Tesla’s lineup that is made to be driven in a closed circuit.
Similar to the first test involving a 1997 Dodge Viper, the Model 3 owner opted to do a series of rolling races. This levels the playing field for the Viper somewhat as both cars are already moving at a steady pace before the race even begins. As the Model 3 Performance and the 2001 Dodge Viper GTS went head to head in multiple rolling races, it became evident that the results would be quite similar as before. The Model 3 dominated the Viper GTS, and it was only until both vehicles started at 60 mph that the Detroit-made muscle car was able to overtake the Silicon Valley-made electric car.
The Tesla Model 3 Performance, while essentially being a computer on wheels, has the makings and spirit of a classic American muscle car. It has a lot of torque, it accelerates impressively, and its handling is top-notch. This combination of strengths, together with its capability to get improved through over-the-air updates, has allowed the electric sedan to outrun vehicles like the Dodge Demon and the Ferrari 458 on the 1/8-mile.
Watch the Tesla Model 3 Performance duel a Dodge Viper GTS in the video below.
Elon Musk
NASA’s first human outpost on the Moon starts now – SpaceX on deck
NASA named the rovers, landers, and vendors that will build America’s first Moon Base.
NASA has laid out its most detailed Moon Base plan to date, describing a permanent outpost near the Moon’s south pole that the agency intends to build over the coming decade as a direct stepping stone to Mars. “The Moon Base will be America’s and humanity’s first outpost on another celestial world,” NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said, adding that every mission crewed and uncrewed “will be a learning opportunity as we return to the lunar surface, build the infrastructure to stay, and master the skills required to live and operate in one of the most demanding and dangerous environments imaginable.”
The plan is structured in three phases involving both uncrewed and crewed missions to deliver equipment, vehicles, and infrastructure to the surface, with the first three moon base missions targeted to launch before the end of 2026.
Moon Base I, targeting fall 2026, will use Blue Origin’s Blue Moon Mark 1 lander to deliver scientific instruments to the Shackleton Connecting Ridge, the same region where Artemis astronauts will land. Moon Base II will send Astrobotic’s Griffin lander carrying more than 1,100 pounds of cargo including Astrolab’s FLIP rover to begin developing mobility systems on the surface. Moon Base III will carry the Lunar Vertex science mission on Intuitive Machines’ Nova-C Trinity lander to study lunar swirls near the south pole, with ESA and Korean science payloads aboard.
On the rover side, NASA awarded Astrolab $219 million and Lunar Outpost $220 million to build the first phase of Lunar Terrain Vehicles, with both rovers targeted for deployment to the lunar surface by 2028. Astrolab’s crewed rover weighs roughly 2,000 pounds and can reach over 6 mph. Lunar Outpost’s Pegasus rover can operate autonomously or via remote control at over 9 mph. Blue Origin separately received $188 million with an option worth $280.4 million to deliver cargo landers for rover transport.
NASA also confirmed that MoonFall, a mission deploying four survey drones to scout Artemis landing sites, has selected Firefly Aerospace to build the transport spacecraft, with a 2028 launch target.
SpaceX sits at the center of that commercial layer. SpaceX holds the NASA Human Landing System contract for the Starship-derived lander that will put astronauts on the surface under Artemis IV, currently targeting 2028. Before that can happen, SpaceX must demonstrate in-orbit propellant transfer at scale, a process requiring multiple Starship tanker launches to fuel a single mission. Water ice at the lunar south pole is central to the base’s long-term viability, as it can be converted into drinking water, breathable oxygen, and rocket fuel, directly reducing dependence on Earth resupply. That resource loop becomes far more practical if Starship can land and be refueled on or near the Moon itself.
Elon Musk has publicly stated that Starship V3, which recently completed its first flight, should be capable enough for initial Mars missions. The Moon Base plan announced Tuesday is the infrastructure layer that connects everything between those two ambitions, and SpaceX is the only American company currently contracted to build the rocket that gets humans to either destination.
Elon Musk
Tesla ditches India after years of broken promises
Tesla has ditched its plans to build a factory in India after years of failed negotiations.
Tesla’s long-running effort to establish a manufacturing presence in India is officially over. India’s Minister of Heavy Industries H.D. Kumaraswamy confirmed on May 19, 2026 that Tesla has informed authorities it will not proceed with a manufacturing facility in the country.
Tesla first signaled serious interest in India around 2021, when it began hiring local staff and lobbying the Indian government for lower import tariffs. The ask was straightforward: reduce duties enough for Tesla to test the market with imported vehicles before committing capital to a local factory. India’s position was equally firm, with an ask of Tesla to commit to manufacturing first, then receive tariff relief. Neither side moved, and the talks quietly collapsed.
Tesla to open first India experience center in Mumbai on July 15
India had offered a policy that would reduce import duties from 110% down to 15% on EVs priced above $35,000, provided companies committed at least $500 million toward local manufacturing investment within three years. Tesla declined to participate. The tariff standoff was only part of the problem. Analysts pointed to significant gaps in India’s local supply chain, inadequate industrial infrastructure, and a mismatch between Tesla’s premium pricing and the purchasing power of India’s automotive market as additional factors that made the investment difficult to justify.
First signs of an unraveling relationship came in April 2024, when Musk abruptly cancelled a planned trip to India where he was set to meet Prime Minister Modi and announce Tesla’s market entry. By July 2024, Fortune reported that Tesla executives had stopped contacting Indian government officials entirely. The government at that point understood Tesla had capital constraints and no plans to invest.
The more fundamental issue is that Tesla’s existing factories are currently operating at approximately 60% capacity, making a commitment to building new manufacturing capacity in a new market difficult to defend to investors. Tesla will continue selling imported Model Y vehicles through its existing showrooms in Mumbai, Delhi, Gurugram, and Bengaluru, but local production is no longer part of the plan.
Elon Musk
Trump’s invite for Elon just reshuffled Tesla’s big Signature Delivery Event
Tesla rescheduled its final Model S farewell to May 20 after Musk joined Trump in China.
Tesla has rescheduled its Model S and Model X Signature Edition delivery event to Wednesday, May 20, 2026, after abruptly calling off the original May 12 celebration. The event will take place at Tesla’s factory at 45500 Fremont Boulevard in Fremont, California, the same location where the Model S first rolled off the line in 2012. Invitees received a follow-up email asking them to reconfirm attendance and download a new QR code ticket, with Tesla noting that all travel and accommodation expenses remain the buyer’s responsibility.
The reason behind the original cancellation came into focus the same day it was announced. President Trump invited Elon Musk, Apple’s Tim Cook, BlackRock’s Larry Fink, Boeing’s Kelly Ortberg, and executives from Goldman Sachs, Blackstone, Citigroup, and Meta to join his trip to China this week for a summit with President Xi Jinping. The agenda covers trade, artificial intelligence, export controls, Taiwan, and the Iran war, following weeks of escalating friction between Washington and Beijing over AI technology, sanctions, and rare earth exports. Trump wrote on Truth Social, “I am very much looking forward to my trip to China, an amazing Country, with a Leader, President Xi, respected by all.”
Tesla launches 200mph Model S “Gold” Signature in invite-only purchase
The vehicles at the center of all this are the last Model S and Model X units Tesla will ever build. Priced at $159,420 each, the 250 Model S and 100 Model X Signature Edition units come finished in Garnet Red with a one-year no-resale agreement, giving Tesla right of first refusal if the owner decides to sell. As Teslarati reported, the Model S defined Tesla’s early identity as a serious luxury automaker, and the Fremont factory line that built it is now being converted to manufacture Optimus humanoid robots.
Musk’s inclusion in the China delegation drew attention given his very public relationship with Trump, and the invitation signals the two have moved past and past grievances. Trump originally brought Musk on to lead the Department of Government Efficiency following his inauguration, and despite a sharp public dispute in mid-2025, the two have appeared together repeatedly in recent months. A seat on the China trip, the most diplomatically consequential visit of Trump’s current term, puts Musk back at the table on U.S. economic policy at a moment when Tesla’s China revenue remains one of the company’s most important financial pillars.
Tesla’s dedicated Optimus factory construction officially underway at Giga Texas
Tesla teases going Plaid Mode with the Model 3
