News
Early Insight into Tesla Model 3 Most Popular Configurations
Let’s cut to the chase. 90% of Tesla Model 3 reservations holders are willing to pay extra for Supercharger access. 22% want the standard rear wheel drive configuration and 88% want Autopilot even if it’s an optional upgrade. That is according to early stats compiled by crowd sourced database Model3Tracker.info.
Based on a sample of 1637 entries from Model 3 reservation holders, we’re able to obtain early insight on how Tesla might prioritize production of its mass-market electric vehicle come next year.
Let’s take a deeper look at what Model 3 owners want.
Tesla Model 3 Battery Size
There’s no hiding the fact that most Model 3 owners will want a larger battery. Despite the announcement that the base Model 3 will have a minimum of 215 miles of range per single charge, 75% are willing to upgrade to a larger-sized battery pack. Many will be first-time electric vehicle owners, and presumably willing to pay a little extra for peace of mind in the form of extended driving range.
Drivetrain and Performance
Tesla has confirmed that the Model 3 will have a standard rear wheel drive configuration, but it appears that most reservation holders will opt for the D: dual motors and all wheel drive. 78% want a Model 3 <insert battery size>D.
A little over a third of the entrants will want the option to do more spirited driving with a performance version of the Model 3, while 15% of that will want some form of Ludicrous.
Model 3 Roof Option
Apparently everyone is in love with the Model 3 all glass roof and rightfully so. 72% of reservation holders polled would pay extra to have an all glass panoramic roof seen on the Model 3 prototypes at the reveal event.
Though Tesla CEO Elon Musk indicated that the Model 3 would have the ability to tow, only 15% would be interested in upgrading the vehicle with a tow-capable hitch.
To Autopilot or Not to Autopilot?
An overwhelming number of Model 3 reservation holders want Autopilot capabilities and willing to hand over the extra money to do so. 88% of those polled via Model3Tracker.info indicated that they want the convenience of having Tesla’s self-driving and self-parking capabilities.
With the ability to improve itself through fleet learning, Tesla’s Autopilot continues to get better and will likely become fully autonomous by the time first Model 3 vehicles roll off the assembly line in late 2017.
Wheels, Interior, and Sound
The remaining options are, for the most part, equally split with the exception of wheels. 78.5% of Model 3 reservation holders polled will want to keep the standard wheel offering.
If you’re a Model 3 reservation holder, please help Model3Tracker.info increase its sample size by contributing your own preferences through their platform.
We’ll provide a closer look at each of the available options, and the choices people made, once additional data has been collected.
News
Tesla gathers Cybercab fleet in Gigafactory Texas
Images and video of the Cybercab fleet were shared by longtime Giga Texas observer Joe Tegtmeyer in posts on social media platform X.
Tesla appears to be assembling a growing number of Cybercabs at Gigafactory Texas as preparations continue for the vehicle’s mass production. Recent footage shared online has shown over 30 Cybercabs being transported by trucks or staged near testing areas at the facility.
The images and video were shared by longtime Giga Texas observer and drone operator Joe Tegtmeyer in posts on social media platform X.
Interestingly enough, Tegtmeyer noted that many of the Cybercabs being loaded onto transport trucks were still equipped with steering wheels. This suggests that the vehicles are likely testing units rather than the final driverless configuration expected for the company’s Robotaxi service.
The vehicles could potentially be headed to testing sites across the United States as Tesla prepares to expand its Robotaxi fleet.
Additional footage captured at Gigafactory Texas also showed the Cybercab’s side and rear camera washer system operating as vehicles were being loaded onto transport trucks.
The growing number of Cybercabs at Giga Texas comes amidst the company’s announcement that the first production Cybercab has been produced at the facility. Full Cybercab production is expected to begin in April.
The vehicle is expected to play a central role in Tesla’s Robotaxi ambitions as the company looks to expand autonomous ride-hailing operations beyond its early deployments using Model Y vehicles.
Tesla has also linked Cybercab production to its proposed Unboxed manufacturing process, which assembles large vehicle modules separately before integrating them. The approach is intended to reduce production costs and accelerate output.
Musk has also noted that the Cybercab’s ramp will likely begin slowly due to the number of new components and manufacturing steps involved. However, he stated that once the process matures, Cybercab production could scale quickly.
Elon Musk
Elon Musk’s xAI, creator of Grok and Grokipedia, celebrates its third birthday
xAI Memphis highlighted several of its milestones over the years in its celebratory post.
Elon Musk’s artificial intelligence startup xAI has marked its third anniversary. The update was shared in a post from the xAI Memphis account on social media platform X.
xAI Memphis highlighted several of its milestones over the years in its celebratory post.
As per xAI, it has built three massive data centers in the city, launched a coherent cluster of 330,000 GBs, created over 3,000 jobs, and paid over $30 million in taxes to local communities.
xAI’s Memphis operation has become a key part of the company’s infrastructure as the company works to train and deploy its Grok artificial intelligence models. Elon Musk has been quite optimistic about Grok’s potential, noting in the past that the large language model might have a shot at achieving artificial general intelligence (AGI).
xAI’s Memphis’ crown jewel is its Colossus supercomputer cluster. The project was announced in 2024 and has since become the home of one of the world’s largest AI compute facilities. The first phase of Colossus reached its initial 100,000 GPU operational milestone in just 122 days, or just about four months.
Industry figures such as Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang have praised the facility, noting that projects of similar scale typically take two to four years to complete.
xAI has cited Memphis’ central location, skilled workforce, and industrial infrastructure as key reasons for selecting the city as the home of its AI training operations. The company has also emphasized plans to expand the site further as it scales compute capacity for Grok and future AI models.
News
Tesla Sweden’s Megapack Supercharger near Arlanda continues to aggravate IF Metall union
The charging site, located in Arlandastad outside Stockholm, appears to be operating despite ongoing union blockade measures tied to Tesla’s labor dispute in the country.
Tesla Sweden’s Megapack-powered Supercharger station near Arlanda Airport has continued to aggravate Swedish labor union IF Metall. The charging site, located in Arlandastad outside Stockholm, appears to be operating despite ongoing union blockade measures tied to Tesla’s labor dispute in the country.
Comments about the site were shared by IF Metall representatives in remarks to Swedish publication CarUp.
The Arlandastad location includes eight Tesla Superchargers powered by a Megapack battery system. Unlike traditional charging stations that rely on direct grid connections, the site uses a large battery installation to store electricity and power the chargers.
According to the Swedish publication, the setup allowed the station to come online despite sympathy measures from Sweden’s electricians’ union, which has attempted to prevent companies from cooperating with Tesla as part of the broader labor conflict.
IF Metall press manager Jesper Pettersson indicated that the union was not aware that the Superchargers had already been connected and activated.
“We do not know the details around this. But it is further proof of how Tesla systematically finds loopholes to circumvent the sympathy measures through active strikebreaking. Every time this happens it gives us reason to sharpen our conflict measures,” Pettersson said.
Union representatives also noted that the Megapack appears to be charged using electrical cables routed through nearby terrain, though the exact power source remains under review.
The Megapack-powered site has then prompted questions from Swedish labor unions about how electricity is being supplied to the system.
IF Metall has submitted a report to Sweden’s Energy Market Inspectorate asking the regulator to review whether the electricity supply arrangement complies with national regulations. The Megapack is reportedly charged using electricity from a local company, though the provider has not been publicly identified.
Peter Lydell, an ombudsman at IF Metall, previously stated that Swedish law limits electricity trading to companies with proper authorization.
“The legislation states that only companies that engage in electricity trading may supply electricity to other parties. You may not supply electricity without a permit, then you are engaging in illegal electricity trading. That is why we have reported this…
“This is about a company that helps Tesla circumvent the conflict measures that exist. It is clear that it is troublesome and it can also have consequences,” Lydell said.
IF Metall and Tesla Sweden’s conflict has been going on for over two years now.






