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2021 Tesla Model 3 Performance gives way to the 2020 version of itself in drag race
The Tesla Model 3 has been on the market since 2017, and in typical Tesla fashion, the automaker has made several changes to the car over this period. Tesla’s updates span across all of its vehicles. Frequently referred to as “refreshes,” Tesla often updates cosmetic details and attempts to improve overall vehicle performance, whether it would be through speed and acceleration or through improvements to battery longevity and range. Carwow, a U.K.-based automotive platform, wanted to find out if the new Model 3 Performance could outduel an old Model 3 Performance on the drag strip, and the results were interesting, to say the least.
Both vehicles equip Tesla’s Dual Motor setup that comes standard with all of its Performance variants. Both Model 3s pack 457 horsepower, 660 Newton-meters of torque, and both vehicles weight is nearly identical. The old Model 3 weighs just three kilograms more at 1,847 kg, while the new Model 3 “steps” on the scale at only 1,844 kg. The wheels used on the newer Model 3 Performance are the 20″ Überturbine edition, which Carwow says are a kilogram heavier than the previously used 20″ Model 3 Sport Wheels.
The biggest changes are present in the battery pack. The previous version of the vehicle packed a 75 kWh battery pack, while new builds come with an 82 kWh pack. Other minor contributors to weight discrepancies between the two vehicles can be attributed to things as minor as the double-paned glass that Tesla included in several new cars to combat excessive cabin noise. Both vehicles operated in the “Sport” acceleration mode, the “Standard” steering mode, and regenerative braking was put on the “Standard” setting. Neither car operated in Tesla’s Track Mode.
During the two initial runs, the vehicles started from a standstill. The “old” Model 3, which was manufactured in 2020, managed to beat the new 2021 Model 3 in a race to the finish line. It wasn’t overly decisive, however, and both cars completed the 1/4-mile race in 11.7 seconds. During races where the two vehicles were at a rolling pace of 30 MPH, the two vehicles remained virtually identical, although the 2021 Model 3 crossed the finish line before its 2020 sibling.
Another rolling start race, this time at 50 MPH, proved to yield the same results. While the two vehicles seemed to travel at a nearly identical pace, the 2021 Model 3 once again crossed the finish line as a victor.
Carwow also performed a braking test, but the results were inconclusive as the track conditions seemed to affect the results during numerous test runs.
While the performance hasn’t seemed to change much between the two vehicles, it certainly appears that the race was almost too close to determine whether either of the Model 3 builds is superior to the other. Nevertheless, the race proved one thing in particular: the Model 3 is a fast, fun, and affordable EV with some of the best performance on the market for a midsized sedan. Its numerous crash safety awards and its nomination as one of the NTHSA’s Top Safety Pick+ recipients also attest to Tesla’s focus on consumer safety.
Check out the Carwow drag race below, and let us know what you think in the comments!
Elon Musk
Elon Musk confirms xAI’s purchase of five 380 MW natural gas turbines
The deal, which was confirmed by Musk on X, highlights xAI’s effort to aggressively scale its operations.
xAI, Elon Musk’s artificial intelligence startup, has purchased five additional 380 MW natural gas turbines from South Korea’s Doosan Enerbility to power its growing supercomputer clusters.
The deal, which was confirmed by Musk on X, highlights xAI’s effort to aggressively scale its operations.
xAI’s turbine deal details
News of xAI’s new turbines was shared on social media platform X, with user @SemiAnalysis_ stating that the turbines were produced by South Korea’s Doosan Enerbility. As noted in an Asian Business Daily report, Doosan Enerbility announced last October that it signed a contract to supply two 380 MW gas turbines for a major U.S. tech company. Doosan later noted in December that it secured an order for three more 380 MW gas turbines.
As per the X user, the gas turbines would power an additional 600,000+ GB200 NVL72 equivalent size cluster. This should make xAI’s facilities among the largest in the world. In a reply, Elon Musk confirmed that xAI did purchase the turbines. “True,” Musk wrote in a post on X.
xAI’s ambitions
Recent reports have indicated that xAI closed an upsized $20 billion Series E funding round, exceeding the initial $15 billion target to fuel rapid infrastructure scaling and AI product development. The funding, as per the AI startup, “will accelerate our world-leading infrastructure buildout, enable the rapid development and deployment of transformative AI products.”
The company also teased the rollout of its upcoming frontier AI model. “Looking ahead, Grok 5 is currently in training, and we are focused on launching innovative new consumer and enterprise products that harness the power of Grok, Colossus, and 𝕏 to transform how we live, work, and play,” xAI wrote in a post on its website.
Elon Musk
Elon Musk’s xAI closes upsized $20B Series E funding round
xAI announced the investment round in a post on its official website.
xAI has closed an upsized $20 billion Series E funding round, exceeding the initial $15 billion target to fuel rapid infrastructure scaling and AI product development.
xAI announced the investment round in a post on its official website.
A $20 billion Series E round
As noted by the artificial intelligence startup in its post, the Series E funding round attracted a diverse group of investors, including Valor Equity Partners, Stepstone Group, Fidelity Management & Research Company, Qatar Investment Authority, MGX, and Baron Capital Group, among others.
Strategic partners NVIDIA and Cisco Investments also continued support for building the world’s largest GPU clusters.
As xAI stated, “This financing will accelerate our world-leading infrastructure buildout, enable the rapid development and deployment of transformative AI products reaching billions of users, and fuel groundbreaking research advancing xAI’s core mission: Understanding the Universe.”
xAI’s core mission
Th Series E funding builds on xAI’s previous rounds, powering Grok advancements and massive compute expansions like the Memphis supercluster. The upsized demand reflects growing recognition of xAI’s potential in frontier AI.
xAI also highlighted several of its breakthroughs in 2025, from the buildout of Colossus I and II, which ended with over 1 million H100 GPU equivalents, and the rollout of the Grok 4 Series, Grok Voice, and Grok Imagine, among others. The company also confirmed that work is already underway to train the flagship large language model’s next iteration, Grok 5.
“Looking ahead, Grok 5 is currently in training, and we are focused on launching innovative new consumer and enterprise products that harness the power of Grok, Colossus, and 𝕏 to transform how we live, work, and play,” xAI wrote.
Tesla (NASDAQ: TSLA) stock received a price target update from Pierre Ferragu of Wall Street firm New Street Research, citing the company’s growing lead in self-driving and autonomy.
On Tuesday, Ferragu bumped his price target from $520 to $600, stating that the consensus from the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas was that Tesla’s lead in autonomy has been sustained, is growing, and sits at a multiple-year lead over its competitors.
CES 2026 validates Tesla’s FSD strategy, but there’s a big lag for rivals: analyst
“The signal from Vegas is loud and clear,” the analyst writes. “The industry isn’t catching up to Tesla; it is actively validating Tesla’s strategy…just with a 12-year lag.”
The note shows that the company’s prowess in vehicle autonomy is being solidified by lagging competitors that claim to have the best method. The only problem is that Tesla’s Vision-based approach, which it adopted back in 2022 with the Model 3 and Model Y initially, has been proven to be more effective than competitors’ approach, which utilizes other technology, such as LiDAR and sensors.
Currently, Tesla shares are sitting at around $433, as the company’s stock price closed at $432.96 on Tuesday afternoon.
Ferragu’s consensus on Tesla shares echoes that of other Wall Street analysts who are bullish on the company’s stock and position within the AI, autonomy, and robotics sector.
Dan Ives of Wedbush wrote in a note in mid-December that he anticipates Tesla having a massive 2026, and could reach a $3 trillion valuation this year, especially with the “AI chapter” taking hold of the narrative at the company.
Ives also said that the big step in the right direction for Tesla will be initiating production of the Cybercab, as well as expanding on the Robotaxi program through the next 12 months:
“…as full-scale volume production begins with the autonomous and robotics roadmap…The company has started to test the all-important Cybercab in Austin over the past few weeks, which is an incremental step towards launching in 2026 with important volume production of Cybercabs starting in April/May, which remains the golden goose in unlocking TSLA’s AI valuation.”
Tesla analyst breaks down delivery report: ‘A step in the right direction’
Tesla has transitioned from an automaker to a full-fledged AI company, and its Robotaxi and Cybercab programs, fueled by the Full Self-Driving suite, are leading the charge moving forward. In 2026, there are major goals the company has outlined. The first is removing Safety Drivers from vehicles in Austin, Texas, one of the areas where it operates a ride-hailing service within the U.S.
Ultimately, Tesla will aim to launch a Level 5 autonomy suite to the public in the coming years.
Elon Musk confirms xAI’s purchase of five 380 MW natural gas turbines
Elon Musk’s xAI closes upsized $20B Series E funding round
