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Tesla Autopilot, other driver-assistance suites set for extended testing in Sweden

(Credit: Tesla)

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Tesla Autopilot, along with other driver-assistance suites, is set for extended testing in Sweden after the country’s government has decided to abolish the time limit for experimental activities with self-driving vehicles.

After a meeting between government officials on Thursday, Sweden’s public officials decided that it was time to do away with the idea that self-driving test projects should have a time limit before they were to be scrapped.

The development could be monumental for companies that have cars with driver assistance packages, Tesla being one of them with its notable Autopilot functionality.

“We are now creating the conditions for longer projects with self-driving cars. It is in Sweden that the technical vehicle development should be, and we should have the best conditions to be able to try new technologies and applications,” Tomas Eneroth, the Swedish Minister of Infrastructure said to Dagens Industri, who first reported the story.

Cutting off these developmental projects can be detrimental to a company whose experiments with self-driving capabilities because major breakthroughs can take years to accomplish. For example, Tesla Autopilot was first talked about publicly by Elon Musk in 2013. Seven years later, the functionality is the most advanced in the semi-autonomous sector, but it still remains a work in progress because it is always improving thanks to the drivers who use it.

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Tesla Autopilot continuously improves thanks to the company’s Neural Network, which acts as a brain for when the company’s semi-autonomous functions are used. The Neural Network continually learns more about human behavior while driving, which leads to a constantly improving suite and thus becomes safer with more operation.

Sweden’s ordinance on self-driving projects having a time limit would have expired on July 1, 2022. The companies who have applied to have their projects examined by the Swedish Transport Agency did not have permission to extend studies beyond that date. As of now, this portion of the regulation will still apply.

More spaces for the possible examination of self-driving technologies will also take effect with the new bill. Ultimately, driverless tests will also be possible, provided that they can be carried out safely.

Eneroth says that the European Union should work toward an open testing infrastructure to keep up with other countries in the sector.

“We must have good testing opportunities throughout the EU to be able to meet the competition from Asia and the United States and quickly ensure that we get permanent legislation in place. It still differs between different EU countries. And there work is done to get clearer general guidelines. But Sweden must be the country with the best conditions,” he said.

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The changes will officially take effect on January 1, 2021.

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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Elon Musk

Donald Trump shares thoughts on Elon Musk’s DOGE step back

The U.S. President also noted that Musk is a great patriot, and that the people who attack Teslas are “sick.”

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Credit: Elon Musk/X

During Tesla’s first quarter earnings call, CEO Elon Musk announced that starting in May, he would be stepping back from the Department of Government Efficiency’s (DOGE) daily operations. 

Musk’s comments were received positively by TSLA investors, resulting in the company’s stock rising despite Tesla missing Q1 expectations.

Musk’s Comments

In his opening remarks at the Tesla Q1 2025 earnings call, Musk acknowledged that there has been some blowback to Tesla due to his activities at DOGE. And while he believes that the protests against Tesla are very organized and paid for, he also noted that it is time for him to allocate more of his time to Tesla. 

“Starting probably next month, May, my time allocation to DOGE will drop significantly… I’ll be allocating probably more of my time to Tesla now that the major work of establishing the Department of Government Efficiency is done,” Musk noted.

Trump’s Response

Considering Musk’s comments, it was no surprise that United States President Donald Trump was asked about the CEO’s impending step back from DOGE. Trump stated that he “can’t speak more highly about any individual,” and that Elon Musk has contributed a lot to the administration due to his work with DOGE. The president highlighted, however, that the backlash against Tesla has been extremely unfair. 

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“I also know that he was treated very unfairly by the, I guess he called the public, by some of the public, not by all of it. He makes an incredible car. Everything he does is good, but they took it out on Tesla, and I just thought it was so unfair, because he’s trying to help the country, but he has helped the country,” Trump stated.

The U.S. President also noted that Musk is a great patriot, and that the people who attack Teslas are “sick.” Trump also praised Elon Musk’s initiatives, stating that all the CEO’s projects are great, from Starlink to Neuralink to SpaceX to Tesla.

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Tesla trails Volkswagen in Q1 EV sales, Model Y still on top

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Volkswagen surpassed Tesla in Q1 2025 electric vehicle (EV) sales in Europe.

The German automaker sold 65,679 battery EVs compared to Tesla’s 53,237 in the first three months of the year, per JATO Dynamics data. Volkswagen’s registrations soared 157% year-over-year (yoy), while Tesla saw a 38% decline in the same period, the steepest among the top 30 brands. The German automaker’s strong performance highlights a growing competitive landscape in the EV market.

Despite losing the overall lead, Tesla’s Model Y and Model 3 remain the top two in Europe’s battery EV registrations. Volkswagen’s ID.4 ranked third in EU registrations, trailing the Model 3 by 2,000 units.

Model Y registrations dropped 43% in March, but the Model 3 increased 1% in the first quarter. The decline in Model Y registrations could be linked to Tesla’s upgraded Model Y, which debuted at the beginning of the year. In the first quarter, Tesla retooled and upgraded its factories worldwide to produce the new Model Y.

“As the brand continues to deal with a host of PR issues in addition to the changeover of the Model Y, Tesla is now relying on the Model 3 to offset its losses. Despite the controversy surrounding the brand’s CEO and the limited availability of the new Model Y, Tesla continues to perform well,” said Felipe Munoz, a global analyst at JATO Dynamics.

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Tesla addressed its Q1 challenges during its recent earnings calls, with CEO Elon Musk attributing the dip to seasonal and strategic factors.

“Now, Q1, [the] first quarters of a year, are usually pretty tricky. Because it’s usually the worst quarter of the year because people don’t want to go buy a car in the middle of winter during the blizzard. So we picked Q1 as a good quarter to do a cutover to the new version of the Model Y and we changed the production of the world’s best-selling cars with — remember, the Model Y is the best-selling car of any kind on earth with a 1.1 billion unit per year output of a single model,” Musk stated.

Volkswagen’s surge reflects its continued focus on and dedication to EVs. While Tesla’s Model Y remains the global best-seller, Volkswagen’s momentum signals intensifying competition. As both companies navigate market dynamics, Tesla’s focus on its Robotaxi network and upcoming launches will be critical to regaining its edge.

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Neuralink targets $500 million raise at $8.5 billion valuation: report

The news was initially reported by Bloomberg, which cited sources reportedly familiar with the matter.

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Credit: Neuralink

Elon Musk’s Neuralink is reportedly gearing up for a $500 million funding round at a $8.5 billion pre-money valuation. 

The news was initially reported by Bloomberg, which cited sources reportedly familiar with the matter.

The Alleged Funding Round 

Preliminary discussions with investors, which could value Neuralink at $9 billion post-money, have reportedly started. Terms for the funding round remain fluid, however, as per one of the publication’s sources. Neuralink, for its part, has not issued a comment about its alleged funding round.

That being said, Neuralink is one of Elon Musk’s smaller ventures, with PitchBook valuing the brain-computer interface startup at $3.5 billion in November 2023.  

Neuralink’s Ambitious Vision

Neuralink aims to create devices that enable users to interact with tech devices using only their brain. Neuralink is currently focusing on paralyzed individuals and neurodegenerative disease patients, though Musk has also hinted at Neuralink’s technology being used to address vision problems and other health issues. 

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Neuralink has made a lot of headway in its goals, with the startup recently announcing that it has expanded its human trial to three patients. All three are participants in the company’s ongoing primary and convoy study.

Musk’s Soaring Valuations

Neuralink’s potential capital raise aligns with skyrocketing valuations for Elon Musk’s other firms. While Tesla’s valuation remains volatile due to its publicly traded nature, his private space company, SpaceX, hit an impressive $350 billion valuation in December. His artificial intelligence startup, xAI, reached an $80 billion valuation following its merger with social media platform X. 

Musk’s holdings in his companies have allowed him to top the Bloomberg Billionaires Index with a net worth of $310 billion as of writing.

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