Tesla Model 3
Tesla Gigafactory 3 starts coming to life as construction begins in China [Updated]
It’s been barely a week since Tesla CEO Elon Musk attended Gigafactory 3’s groundbreaking ceremony, but the location for the upcoming battery and electric car factory is now ablaze with life. As could be seen in footage taken on Thursday local Shanghai time, work on Gigafactory 3 is already going full throttle, as evidenced by the sheer number of heavy equipment operating on the site.
The recent footage of the upcoming facility was shared with Teslarati by Tesla owner-enthusiast Vincent Yu, who is currently visiting Shanghai. Taken using a drone, the short footage shows heavy machinery busily working on a section of Tesla’s 864,885-square meter plot of land in Shanghai’s Lingang Industrial Zone. Vincent also shared some images taken around the land on Twitter, showing trucks seemingly moving dirt from the site.
(Pictures) Tesla Shanghai Lingang Gigafactory 3- Jan 17th 2019 $TSLA #Tesla #China #TeslaChina #GF3 pic.twitter.com/Yp7mhfLGLM
— vincent (@vincent13031925) January 17, 2019
The recently shared footage from Gigafactory 3 is but a few seconds long, but it does prove one notable point — once the groundbreaking ceremony for the site was done, the construction of the facility would likely proceed at an extremely rapid pace. China’s construction workforce, after all, is known for its fast, almost surgically-precise buildouts. Just last year, for example, Elon Musk lauded the country’s workforce on Twitter, sharing a report about Chinese workers building a railway station in just nine hours. In his post, Musk noted that “China’s progress in advanced infrastructure is more than 100 times faster than the US.”
In a country such as China, though, these rapid buildouts are usually accomplished with support from the government. Fortunately for Tesla, this appears to be the case, as evidenced by the state’s warm reception to Elon Musk during his visits to the country, as well as the help the electric car maker has received in securing partial funding for Gigafactory 3 (to name a few).
Tesla, for one, was allowed to become the sole owner of Gigafactory 3 — something that was not granted to other automakers operating in the country. Reports have also emerged pointing to local banks competing to grant Tesla low-interest loans to fund part of Gigafactory 3’s construction. The government’s favor was evident when Tesla placed its bid on the 864,885-square meter plot of land in Shanghai’s Lingang Industrial Zone as well, as the company was able to secure the land without any rival bidders. Lastly, China Construction Third Engineering Bureau Co., Ltd, the company building the facility, is a subsidiary of China Construction, which is owned by the government.
This favor on Tesla was no more evident during Elon Musk’s recent visit to the country, though. After the groundbreaking ceremony for Gigafactory 3, Musk met with Chinese Premier Li Keqiang in Beijing, who is widely considered as the country’s #2 after President Xi Jinping. During their talk, which was held at the Tower of Violet Light in Beijing — a place reserved for distinguished guests — Li openly listened to Musk’s ideas for Gigafactory 3, even the more ambitious ones such as making a facility that behaves similar to a “living being.” Li even lightly suggested that China can just issue Musk a “Chinese Green Card,” so that he can pursue his ideas in the country.
The timeframe for the construction of Gigafactory 3 is ambitious. Tesla aims to complete the initial construction of the facility by summer’s end. The company also intends to start the production of affordable Model 3 variants in the battery and electric car factory by the end of the year. Now that work has commenced on the factory’s site, though, Tesla’s aggressive timetable just became more feasible.
Watch the most recent footage of Gigafactory 3 in the video below.
Update: Vincent has provided a more extensive video from his recent drone flyover of Gigafactory 3.
Lifestyle
Tesla saves its passengers again – This time after a 300-foot cliff fall in Malibu
A Tesla Model 3 fell 300 feet off a Malibu cliff and both passengers survived.
A Tesla Model 3 plunged roughly 300 feet off a cliff on Mulholland Highway in Malibu on Friday morning, May 29, 2026, and both occupants survived. The crash was reported at approximately 7:30 a.m. near the 2500 block of Mulholland Highway, triggering a multi-agency rescue operation involving Malibu Search and Rescue, the Los Angeles County Fire Department, the California Highway Patrol, and McCormick Ambulance.
When first responders arrived, the male driver was outside the vehicle shouting for help while the female passenger remained pinned inside the Tesla. Rescue crews rappelled down the cliffside on ropes to reach the wreckage. A flight medic was lowered by helicopter to begin treating both victims, and the driver was hoisted up to the roadway before crews used the Jaws of Life to free the trapped passenger. Both were airlifted to a local trauma center with moderate injuries despite a remarkable result for a fall that steep.
The outcome is not surprising, considering Model 3 earned an overall 5-star rating from NHTSA in every category and sub-category, and recorded the lowest probability of injury of any car ever evaluated by the U.S. New Car Assessment Program. The absence of a traditional engine in the front of the vehicle creates a longer crumple zone that absorbs impact energy before it reaches occupants, and the battery pack running along the floor gives the car an unusually low center of gravity that reinforces structural rigidity.
This is not the first time a Tesla has kept passengers alive after going off a cliff. A Tesla Model Y carrying a family of four survived a plunge off a cliff at Devil’s Slide near San Francisco in January 2023, with two adults and two children walking away from a 250-foot fall. That incident drew widespread attention to how the structural integrity of Tesla’s electric platform performs in extreme crash scenarios that most vehicles would not survive.
Tesla Model Y driver who drove off cliff with family attempts to avoid criminal conviction
Tesla Vice President of Vehicle Engineering, Lars Moravy, recently revealed the company has thought about introducing a Plaid powertrain on the Model 3, but there could be some challenges involved.
On the Ride the Lightning podcast, Moravy revealed that he thinks about a Plaid Model 3 “all the time,” and it certainly has a place in Tesla’s potential lineup of future vehicles.
Now that the Plaid powertrain is technically defunct due to the newfound absence of the Model S and Model X, Tesla could find a way to reintroduce the lightning-quick trim level to its mass-market vehicles.
But there are going to be some challenges with it. Moravy said that the Model 3 Plaid would likely adopt the carbon-sleeved motors that the Model S Plaid had. However, packaging would be a major challenge, as Moravy said on the podcast, it would be a “tight engineering squeeze.”
It’s important to note that there are no active production plans for the Model 3 Plaid at this point, but it’s also worth noting that with the Model S and Model X Plaid no longer available, Tesla would likely be willing to introduce something that is even more white-knuckle than the Model 3 Performance, which already boasts a 2.9-second 0-60 MPH acceleration rate and a top speed of 163 MPH.
Of course, there is the Roadster, but we don’t know when that will exactly make it to market, and we know that, for sure, it will not be accessible to many.
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Tesla has prided itself in building some of the best cars out there, but they’re also interested in building cars that are simply fun to be in.
A Plaid Model 3 could truly push the limits and could end up being one of the best cars Tesla will ever build, especially if it can shave off at least half of a second from its 0-60 MPH time and increase its top speed slightly.
More than anything, the real changes will be in the ride and aerodynamics. Tesla improving things like the suspension, handling, and downforce will be the true trademarks of its Plaid powertrain; putting it in the Model 3 could be a great move for the company and for customers interested in high-end performance.
News
Tesla offers awesome Free Supercharging incentive on an unexpected vehicle
In the past, Tesla has used Free Supercharging to incentivize the purchase of its expensive vehicles, like the Model S and Model X. However, those vehicles are leaving the company lineup, and Tesla saw a benefit from applying the incentive to another car.
Tesla is offering an awesome new Free Supercharging incentive on a vehicle that is sort of unexpected.
In the past, Tesla has used Free Supercharging to incentivize the purchase of its expensive vehicles, like the Model S and Model X. However, those vehicles are leaving the company lineup, and Tesla saw a benefit from applying the incentive to another car.
Tesla North America has introduced a compelling new incentive aimed at boosting Model 3 sales. Starting with orders placed on or after April 24, buyers of the Model 3 Premium (Long Range) and Performance variants in the United States will receive one full year of complimentary Supercharging.
The offer applies exclusively to new vehicle orders and does not extend to existing owners or other trims like the base Rear-Wheel Drive model.
New orders of Model 3 Premium & Performance now come with 1 year of free Supercharging 🇺🇸
Also, all Teslas pay the lowest Supercharging rates – all others pay a ~40% premium or need a subscription
— Tesla North America (@tesla_na) April 24, 2026
The announcement underscores Tesla’s continued dominance in EV charging infrastructure.
While the incentive provides 12 months of zero-cost access to the Supercharger network, Tesla also reiterated its pricing structure: all Tesla vehicles receive the lowest Supercharging rates.
Non-Tesla EVs, by contrast, pay approximately 40 percent more per kWh or must purchase a subscription to access the network at standard rates. This tiered approach highlights the strategic value of owning a Tesla, where seamless integration with the world’s largest and most reliable fast-charging network remains a key differentiator.
For prospective buyers, the savings can be substantial. Depending on driving habits, a typical Model 3 owner might log 12,000–15,000 miles annually.
With average Supercharging costs around $0.40–$0.50 per kWh, one year of free sessions could translate to $800–$1,200 in avoided expenses.
That effectively lowers the total cost of ownership and makes long-distance travel more affordable from day one. Early delivery customers have already noted similar past incentives, with one Cybertruck owner reporting over $2,400 saved in just six months under similar offers that Tesla has deployed in the past.
The timing of the offer appears strategic. Tesla faces growing competition from other automakers expanding their own charging networks and offering aggressive EV incentives.
By bundling free Supercharging rather than discounting the vehicle’s MSRP, Tesla preserves perceived value while directly addressing one of the biggest barriers for new EV adopters: charging costs and convenience.
The move also encourages higher-mileage use of the network, generating valuable real-world data for Tesla’s autonomous driving development.
Why Tesla would apply this incentive to the Model 3 is pretty interesting. It usually is a pretty good incentive to move units out the door, so there’s some speculation whether Tesla is planning to launch new upgrades to the mass-market sedan in the coming months, and the company wants to move what will be outdated units from its inventory.
However, there is also just the idea that Tesla could be attempting to stimulate some early quarter demand for the Model 3, especially as the Model Y continues to sell very well. Tesla’s loss of the $7,500 EV tax credit last year had an impact on sales, and Tesla might be testing some formidable options to see if it can add some demand once again.
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