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Tesla files for a near 400-mile Model Y in China

Credit: Tesla

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Tesla is looking to bring a near 400-mile Model Y to the Chinese market, a battleground for EV manufacturers since early 2020.

Tesla has filed for a 397-mile capable Model Y “super long-range” variant, which would make it one of the company’s longest-range vehicles in its entire lineup. With the Model S Long Range holding an EPA estimated 405 miles of range according to Tesla’s website, this would make the new prospective Model Y variant the second-best vehicle in the company’s lineup in range ratings.

Permits filed in China for the Model Y were uncovered by The Driven late last week and showed that the newly-registered vehicle would have 640 kilometers, or 397 miles of range, based on China’s NEDC cycle. Although this translates to 351 miles of range using the EPA’s more strict and calculated test processes, the advertised range could reach 400 miles, only adding to the advantages that the Model Y has over its competitors in the region, which haven’t been able to hold a candle to the all-electric crossover in recent memory.

Credit: Tesla

The news of the Model Y variant reaching the Chinese market follows news from earlier this month when Tesla filed to produce five Model Y variants at Giga Shanghai, hinting toward the company’s plan to make the plant an export hub. Tesla has been shipping Model 3 and Model Y builds to Europe starting this year, with the China-built Model 3 first making an appearance in January. Model Ys from Shanghai arrived in Europe as early as mid-August, with deliveries just beginning this week.

Tesla has worked long and hard to introduce more practical battery chemistries that will catalyze higher range ratings and thus bring in more sales. Tesla has utilized lithium-ion and lithium-iron-phosphate, LFP for short, batteries for the Shanghai-built models provided by suppler CATL. Tesla has been partnered with CATL since early 2020, when the Shanghai assembly plant officially began delivering cars to customers.

It was recently revealed that Tesla’s daily production of the Model Y has hit 1,000 units daily at the Shanghai plant, overtaking the Model 3. “After four days of overhaul at Tesla’s Shanghai plant last week, the production capacity of Phase 2 Model Y has reached 1,000 units per day. This daily capacity has exceeded the number of Model 3s (at) 800 units per day. It can be said that the Y-type production has entered high-yield stage. As previously planned by Tesla, the main production of Q3 is for export,” Giga Shanghai drone operator Wu Wa said.

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The Model Y is expected to be Tesla’s most popular vehicle according to company executives like CEO Elon Musk, who believes the all-electric crossover will be the most popular car in the world next year.

Don’t hesitate to contact us with tips! Email us at tips@teslarati.com, or you can email me directly at joey@teslarati.com.

Joey has been a journalist covering electric mobility at TESLARATI since August 2019. In his spare time, Joey is playing golf, watching MMA, or cheering on any of his favorite sports teams, including the Baltimore Ravens and Orioles, Miami Heat, Washington Capitals, and Penn State Nittany Lions. You can get in touch with joey at joey@teslarati.com. He is also on X @KlenderJoey. If you're looking for great Tesla accessories, check out shop.teslarati.com

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Tesla targets gas car owners with this crazy new promotion

Tesla is now offering 2,000 free Supercharging miles to any gas car owner who chooses to trade their car in on a Tesla. The promotion requires a gas or hybrid electric vehicle to be turned in for any of the vehicles in Tesla’s lineup.

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Credit: Tesla

Tesla is targeting gas car owners with a crazy new promotion launched on October 31, its latest move to boost sales amidst the loss of the $7,500 electric vehicle tax credit, which went away on September 30.

Tesla is now offering 2,000 free Supercharging miles to any gas car owner who chooses to trade their car in on a Tesla. The promotion requires a gas or hybrid electric vehicle to be turned in for any of the vehicles in Tesla’s lineup.

If you do that, you get 2,000 free miles of Supercharging, which can be utilized at any of the chargers on the Tesla network within the next two years:

Supercharging is rarely a Tesla owner’s primary source of charging, but for some owners, it is critical to their ownership experience.

While many homeowners or apartment dwellers are able to utilize charging infrastructure they either installed themselves or were provided by their property management company, others are totally reliant on the wide variety of charging options that are available today.

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Tesla’s Supercharging Network has expanded rapidly over the past few years, mostly in preparation for the company to open it to other EV manufacturers, most of which have adopted the company’s North American Charging Standard (NACS) in the United States.

Its latest quarterly earnings Shareholder Deck revealed a 16 percent increase in stations in Q3 compared to the same timeframe in 2024. Meanwhile, connectors have increased by 18 percent in the same timeframe. There are over 73,800 connectors in the Tesla Supercharger Network globally.

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The move could be looked at as a way to incentivize people to switch to electric vehicles, and it is something we have seen Tesla experiment with over the past month.

It has played with leasing terms, and we will likely see more incentive offers, like this Supercharging one or even Full Self-Driving trials for those who choose to make the switch over the next two months.

Tesla routinely offers some tasty deals in Q4 as it aims to round out the year with a strong delivery and production report for investors. Q4 is statistically Tesla’s strongest three-month period in any given year. However, Q3 was Tesla’s strongest performance in terms of vehicle deliveries in company history, as it narrowly missed the elusive 500,000 mark for a quarter.

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Tesla Cybercab sighting highlights big change since 2024 unveiling

Based on an image recently taken of the vehicle, it appears that Tesla has made the Cybercab’s cabin easier to get in and out of.

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Credit: @tzmartin/YouTube

A recent sighting of the Tesla Cybercab in the wild has teased a pretty interesting update that has been implemented on the autonomous two-seater. 

Based on an image recently taken of the vehicle, it appears that Tesla has made the Cybercab’s cabin easier to get in and out of. 

Recent Cybercab sightings

As per recent posts on social media, it appears Tesla has started testing the Cybercab on public roads. Images posted by Tesla community members in Palo Alto showed a Cybercab prototype being driven near the company’s engineering headquarters. Interestingly enough, the vehicle was equipped with a steering wheel. 

It’s not just the Cybercab’s steering wheel that caught a lot of attention, however. Based on observations by EV watchers online, it appears that Tesla has also made the Cybercab’s door a bit larger. This should make it easier for passengers to get into and out of the autonomous two-seater. The position of the camera in the B-pillar also appears to have been adjusted slightly. 

All-in on autonomy

While Cybercab prototypes that are seen in the wild today are fitted with a steering wheel, the vehicle will be produced strictly as an autonomous Robotaxi. This was highlighted by Elon Musk during the third-quarter earnings call. Musk also expects about 2 million Cybercabs to be produced every year, making it the company’s highest-volume vehicle. 

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“The single biggest expansion in production will be the Cybercab, which starts production in Q2 next year. That’s really a vehicle that’s optimized for full autonomy. It, in fact, does not have a steering wheel or pedals and is really an enduring optimization on minimizing cost per mile for fully considered cost per mile of operation,” Musk said during the Q3 2025 earnings call. 

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Tesla Robotaxi test units spotted in new region ahead of launch

These validation units are used to gain additional data for Tesla’s internal use, or even potentially for regulatory purposes that the company can share with agencies that will eventually grant a license to operate Robotaxi in the state.

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Credit: @MWraps30584 | X

Tesla Robotaxi test units are being spotted in various new regions ahead of their launch in new states. Tesla is aiming to launch in at least a few new states in the coming months as it is ramping up hiring for the Robotaxi program and aiming to expand its ride-hailing service.

Already active in Austin, Texas, and the California Bay Area, Tesla is looking to expand its Robotaxi operations to new states. It’s had its eyes set on Nevada, Florida, and Arizona, which have seemed to have the most movement of the three prospects over the past month or so.

That trend is continuing.

Earlier this month, we reported on two Robotaxi units spotted testing with LiDAR rigs for ground truth validation in Gilbert, Arizona. Noted Cybertruck owner and enthusiast Greggertruck spotted the two units traveling on a highway.

Tesla Robotaxi testing in Arizona is ramping up quickly

Now, those same two units, or at least they appear to be, were spotted in Scottsdale, which is also a suburb of Phoenix, like Gilbert is, with the same LiDAR rigs:

These validation units are used to gain additional data for Tesla’s internal use, or even potentially for regulatory purposes that the company can share with agencies that will eventually grant a license to operate Robotaxi in the state.

Tesla is not a company that utilizes LiDAR for its everyday self-driving efforts, as it has utilized only cameras for the past several years.

Tesla Vision, as the company calls it, is what CEO Elon Musk feels is needed to achieve a fully autonomous network of vehicles, which will eventually need zero supervision for passenger transportation.

LiDAR is utilized by other companies, like Waymo, but Tesla has maintained that it is not necessary for several years. Musk has called it a “crutch” for achieving the proper self-driving tech, and the company only uses it for an additional bit of data.

Tesla has been operating its Robotaxi service in Austin since late June, and it has expanded its service area in the city to nearly 300 square miles, with its most recent expansion occurring earlier this week.

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