News
Tesla adds Model 3 Cabin Air Filter to online shop
Tesla has added Cabin Air Filters for the Model 3 sedan to the company’s online shop. The filters are currently up for purchase individually, although the vehicle requires two filters to filter the air within the cabin properly.
Available for $17 on the company’s online shop, the filters are the first available Tesla manufactured cabin filters available for the Model 3. The company currently sells High-efficiency particulate air, or HEPA, grade filters for the Model S and Model X, but Model 3 filters were never available through the Tesla.com shop until now.
The filters Tesla has released for the Model 3 are not HEPA grade, but they can protect those in the vehicle from outside sources of pollution. The description of the Model 3 Filter suggests it can “prevent pollen, industrial fallout, road dust, and other particles from entering the cabin through the vents.”
- Tesla’s Air Filter for the Model 3. (Credit: Tesla.com)
- Tesla’s Air Filter for the Model 3. (Credit: Tesla.com)
- Tesla’s Air Filter for the Model 3. (Credit: Tesla.com)
Previously, Tesla Model 3 owners who required a cabin filter replacement were to purchase it from third-party distributors like Amazon or eBay. Some even opted for a much more expensive HEPA option from notable Tesla enthusiast Rich Rebuilds’ website, evtuning.com.
While the Model 3 does not have Tesla’s Bioweapon Defense Mode feature, it does not mean the car cannot protect owners from polluted air outside the vehicle. One Model 3 owner with a standard air filter, the vehicle’s “recycle air” setting turned on, and the fan set to speed 5 reported an improvement in-cabin air quality from 135 μg/m3 to 5 μg/m3 within nine minutes during California’s intense wildfires in 2018. Not bad for a vehicle with a filter that Elon Musk described as “good.”
Tesla has also described step-by-step instructions on how owners can remove old filters and replace them with newly purchased ones. Tesla states each owner should replace the filters every two years to keep the air inside the cabin as clean as possible.
Owners on the r/TeslaModel3 subreddit have speculated as to why the electric car maker has decided to sell the filters individually, even though the Model 3 requires two filters to filter cabin air properly. One user stated this could end up being more convenient for owners if the vehicle has a damaged filter for any reason; the owner will only have to purchase the number of filters they need.
To keep air quality to a maximum within the cabin, Tesla recommends that Model 3 owners “set manual recirculating air and turn up the blower speed.”
Tesla owners will now have the original equipment manufacturer air filter available to them because of the carmaker’s decision to release an in-house cabin filtration system. The filter can be purchased on Tesla’s shop website here.
News
Tesla looks to upgrade Matrix Headlights with new features
According to the update, Tesla will work on improving the headlights when coming into contact with highly reflective objects, including road signs, traffic signs, and street lights. Additionally, pixel-level dimming will happen in two stages, whereas it currently performs with just one, meaning on or off.
Tesla is looking to upgrade its Matrix Headlights, a unique and high-tech feature that is available on several of its vehicles. The headlights aim to maximize visibility for Tesla drivers while being considerate of oncoming traffic.
The Matrix Headlights Tesla offers utilize dimming of individual light pixels to ensure that visibility stays high for those behind the wheel, while also being considerate of other cars by decreasing the brightness in areas where other cars are traveling.
Here’s what they look like in action:
- Credit: u/ObjectiveScratch | Reddit
- Credit: u/ObjectiveScratch | Reddit
As you can see, the Matrix headlight system intentionally dims the area where oncoming cars would be impacted by high beams. This keeps visibility at a maximum for everyone on the road, including those who could be hit with bright lights in their eyes.
There are still a handful of complaints from owners, however, but Tesla appears to be looking to resolve these with the coming updates in a Software Version that is currently labeled 2026.2.xxx. The coding was spotted by X user BERKANT:
🚨 Tesla is quietly upgrading Matrix headlights.
Software https://t.co/pXEklQiXSq reveals a hidden feature:
matrix_two_stage_reflection_dip
This is a major step beyond current adaptive high beams.
What it means:
• The car detects highly reflective objects
Road signs,… pic.twitter.com/m5UpQJFA2n— BERKANT (@Tesla_NL_TR) February 24, 2026
According to the update, Tesla will work on improving the headlights when coming into contact with highly reflective objects, including road signs, traffic signs, and street lights. Additionally, pixel-level dimming will happen in two stages, whereas it currently performs with just one, meaning on or off.
Finally, the new system will prevent the high beams from glaring back at the driver. The system is made to dim when it recognizes oncoming cars, but not necessarily objects that could produce glaring issues back at the driver.
Tesla’s revolutionary Matrix headlights are coming to the U.S.
This upgrade is software-focused, so there will not need to be any physical changes or upgrades made to Tesla vehicles that utilize the Matrix headlights currently.
Elon Musk
xAI’s Grok approved for Pentagon classified systems: report
Under the agreement, Grok can be deployed in systems handling classified intelligence analysis, weapons development, and battlefield operations.
Elon Musk’s xAI has signed an agreement with the United States Department of Defense (DoD) to allow Grok to be used in classified military systems.
Previously, Anthropic’s Claude had been the only AI system approved for the most sensitive military work, but a dispute over usage safeguards has reportedly prompted the Pentagon to broaden its options, as noted in a report from Axios.
Under the agreement, Grok can be deployed in systems handling classified intelligence analysis, weapons development, and battlefield operations.
The publication reported that xAI agreed to the Pentagon’s requirement that its technology be usable for “all lawful purposes,” a standard Anthropic has reportedly resisted due to alleged ethical restrictions tied to mass surveillance and autonomous weapons use.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is scheduled to meet with Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei in what sources expect to be a tense meeting, with the publication hinting that the Pentagon could designate Anthropic a “supply chain risk” if the company does not lift its safeguards.
Axios stated that replacing Claude fully might be technically challenging even if xAI or other alternative AI systems take its place. That being said, other AI systems are already in use by the DoD.
Grok already operates in the Pentagon’s unclassified systems alongside Google’s Gemini and OpenAI’s ChatGPT. Google is reportedly close to an agreement that will result in Gemini being used for classified use, while OpenAI’s progress toward classified deployment is described as slower but still feasible.
The publication noted that the Pentagon continues talks with several AI companies as it prepares for potential changes in classified AI sourcing.
Elon Musk
Elon Musk denies Starlink’s price cuts are due to Amazon Kuiper
“This has nothing to do with Kuiper, we’re just trying to make Starlink more affordable to a broader audience,” Musk wrote in a post on X.
Elon Musk has pushed back on claims that Starlink’s recent price reductions are tied to Amazon’s Kuiper project.
In a post on X, Musk responded directly to a report suggesting that Starlink was cutting prices and offering free hardware to partners ahead of a planned IPO and increased competition from Kuiper.
“This has nothing to do with Kuiper, we’re just trying to make Starlink more affordable to a broader audience,” Musk wrote in a post on X. “The lower the cost, the more Starlink can be used by people who don’t have much money, especially in the developing world.”
The speculation originated from a post summarizing a report from The Information, which ran with the headline “SpaceX’s Starlink Makes Land Grab as Amazon Threat Looms.” The report stated that SpaceX is aggressively cutting prices and giving free hardware to distribution partners, which was interpreted as a reaction to Amazon’s Kuiper’s upcoming rollout and possible IPO.
In a way, Musk’s comments could be quite accurate considering Starlink’s current scale. The constellation currently has more than 9,700 satellites in operation today, making it by far the largest satellite broadband network in operation. It has also managed to grow its user base to 10 million active customers across more than 150 countries worldwide.
Amazon’s Kuiper, by comparison, has launched approximately 211 satellites to date, as per data from SatelliteMap.Space, some of which were launched by SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket. Starlink surpassed that number in early January 2020, during the early buildout of its first-generation network.
Lower pricing also aligns with Starlink’s broader expansion strategy. SpaceX continues to deploy satellites at a rapid pace using Falcon 9, and future launches aboard Starship are expected to significantly accelerate the constellation’s growth. A larger network improves capacity and global coverage, which can support a broader customer base.
In that context, price reductions can be viewed as a way to match expanding supply with growing demand. Musk’s companies have historically used aggressive pricing strategies to drive adoption at scale, particularly when vertical integration allows costs to decline over time.




