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Tesla Model 3’s emergency braking system saves driver from icy collision

(Credit: thenext44/Reddit)

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A Tesla Model 3 owner is thanking his electric car’s emergency braking system after a recent close call on a dangerous, icy highway. A video of the nail-biting incident showed the electric sedan seemingly detecting and anticipating a road hazard well ahead of time, allowing its driver to successfully perform a “threading the needle” maneuver, avoiding a potentially deadly crash in the process.

The short dashcam video showed the Tesla Model 3 navigating an icy highway smoothly, before it braked and moved to the right just as a stopped hatchback came into view. The Model 3 did not lose any traction when it performed the maneuver, unlike a white sedan that almost spun out when it evaded the vehicle.

In a post on the r/TeslaModel3 subreddit, Long Range Model 3 AWD owner u/thenext44 noted that he felt his electric sedan start braking even before he saw the stopped car on the road. Sharing his insights further, the Tesla enthusiast noted that when he swerved to the right to avoid the other vehicle, he could feel the Model 3 keeping itself in a straight line. This allowed the electric car to avoid losing traction, similar to what happened to the white sedan in front, which almost spun out when it tried to evade the stopped car.

Due to the circumstances of the incident, the Model 3 owner admitted that he was not really sure if Autopilot was engaged when his car’s emergency braking system kicked into gear. Explaining further, the Tesla enthusiast explained that the trip had been a six-hour drive, and that there have been times when Autopilot disengaged due to the weather. That said, the Tesla community member lightly stated that after he successfully threaded the needle, he immediately felt relief.

Tesla’s vehicles are among the safest cars on the road today, and this has been evident in the accolades the Model 3 has received since its release. Last year alone, the Model 3 received a “superior” front crash avoidance rating from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), a nonprofit organization funded by auto insurers dedicated to reducing the number of accidents and injuries on the road. During the IIHS’ evaluation, the Model 3 showed impeccable automatic braking capabilities, reducing its speed by more than 10 mph during the organization’s 12 mph test, and exhibiting a speed reduction of over 22 mph in the 25 mph test.

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Just like its two larger siblings, the Model 3 boasts an incredibly high safety rating from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Last August, the safety organization gave the electric sedan a perfect 5-Star safety rating in all categories and subcategories. In its frontal crash, side crash, and rollover tests, the Model 3 performed superbly, displaying a level of industry-leading driver and passenger safety. Analyzing the Model 3’s NHTSA results, Tesla has noted that the electric sedan is the vehicle with the lowest probability of injury among all cars that the agency has tested so far. 

Watch the Tesla Model 3’s automatic braking system in action in the video below.

Threading the needle. Model 3 auto braked and kept from sliding out, avoiding a crash while driving too fast for conditions.
byu/thenext44 inTeslaModel3

Simon is an experienced automotive reporter with a passion for electric cars and clean energy. Fascinated by the world envisioned by Elon Musk, he hopes to make it to Mars (at least as a tourist) someday. For stories or tips--or even to just say a simple hello--send a message to his email, simon@teslarati.com or his handle on X, @ResidentSponge.

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Tesla Optimus steals the show during TRON: ARES premiere

Now that kung-fu Optimus demonstration makes sense.

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Credit: Tesla Optimus/X

Just a few days ago, Elon Musk shared a video of Tesla Optimus demonstrating some kung fu moves with a human partner. The video was impressive, though some were confused about why the Optimus team was busying itself with what appeared to be a cool but frivolous demonstration. 

With the premiere of TRON: ARES, we now know that Optimus’ kung fu demonstration was part of the robot’s preparations for the red carpet. 

Optimus “starts a fight”

As noted by X Business on its official account on the social media platform, the TRON: ARES red carpet world premiere was a showcase of today’s AI-powered technologies. With this in mind, xAI, X, Walt Disney, and Tesla collaborated to provide attendees with an immersive experience on real-world AI. This included Optimus engaging with attendees, and even distributing theater concessions. 

But one black and red painted Optimus unit definitely stole the show. The humanoid robot, in front of several attendees, attempted to “pick a fight” with Jared Leto, who starts in the movie alongside Greta Lee, Evan Peters, and Jeff Bridges. As could be seen in the video of Optimus, the robot’s moves in the red carpet were similar to the kung fu demonstration that Elon Musk showcased last week. 

TRON: ARES

Monique Pintarelli, Head of Americas at X, shared some insights about the event, which ended up being a collaboration of sorts between several Elon Musk-led companies. 

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“This partnership with Disney lets fans and stars experience the world of TRON like never before – turning the red carpet event into a collision between the real world and AI. By leveraging X’s unparalleled real-time engagement and xAI’s cutting-edge technology alongside Tesla’s Optimus robots, we’re creating shared, immersive experiences that redefine storytelling,” the X executive noted.

TRON: ARES releases on U.S. theaters on October 10, 2025. 

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Tesla FSD (Supervised) V14.1 with Robotaxi-style dropoffs is here

This represents FSD’s most significant update in nearly a year.

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Credit: Sawyer Merritt/X

Tesla has started the rollout of Full Self-Driving (Supervised) V14.1, the advanced driver-assist system’s most significant update in nearly a year. The release introduces vision-based navigation for real-time detour handling and a new “Arrival Options” feature that simulates Robotaxi-style drop-offs.

New Tesla Vision-based features

With Version 14.1, Tesla has integrated navigation and routing directly into its vision-based neural network, enabling the system to respond to scenarios such as blocked roads or closures in real time. The update also enhances emergency vehicle detection, allowing the car to pull over or yield when police, fire, or ambulances are nearby.

Other improvements include refined responses to debris, school buses, and lane cut-ins, as well as smoother handling of unprotected turns and gated entries. The update also adds a Robotaxi-style automatic camera-cleaning system. Tesla also promises improved fault recovery for greater reliability during degraded system operation.

New Speed Profiles and other features

Drivers can now personalize FSD’s behavior more precisely through new Speed Profiles. A new “Sloth” mode has joined the lineup, offering a more conservative lane and speed selection than “Chill.” Preferences for parking and arrival positions are saved per destination, while the system’s reasoning model automatically recommends several options for each route.

Users can start FSD from a single tap, adjust settings from the central visualization, and expect fewer driver “nags,” according to Elon Musk. The CEO noted that Version 14 features a 10x higher parameter count and said it “feels sentient” compared to earlier builds. While it’s still a supervised system, unlike the Austin Robotaxi pilot, FSD 14.1 seems to be a key milestone toward the refinement of Tesla’s autonomous driving efforts.

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FSD (Supervised) V14.1 release notes

Following are the release notes for FSD (Supervised) V14.1:

FSD(Supervised) v14.1 includes:

• Added Arrival Options for you to select where FSD should park: in a Parking Lot, on the Street, in a Driveway, in a Parking Garage, or at the Curbside.

• Added handling to pull over or yield for emergency vehicles (e.g. police cars, fire trucks, ambulances).

• Added navigation and routing into the vision-based neural network for real-time handling of blocked roads and detours.

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• Added additional Speed Profile to further customize driving style preference.

• Improved handling for static and dynamic gates.

• Improved offsetting for road debris (e.g. tires, tree branches, boxes).

• Improve handling of several scenarios including: unprotected turns, lane changes, vehicle cut-ins, and school buses.

Improved FSD’s ability to manage system faults and recover smoothly from degraded operation for enhanced reliability.

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• Added automatic narrow field washing to provide rapid and efficient front camera self-cleaning, and optimize aerodynamics wash at higher vehicle speed.

• Added alerting for residue build-up on interior windshield that may impact front camera visibility. If affected, visit Service for cleaning!

Upcoming Improvements:

• Overall smoothness and sentience

• Parking spot selection and parking quality

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• You can now select an arrival option such as Parking Lot, Street, Driveway, Parking Garage and Curbside for Robotaxi-style drop offs.

• Your preferences for arrival options and preferred parking positions are persisted for each destination.

• Our reasoning model will assess the suitable options for your destination and pick an intuitive default.

Speed Profiles:

FSD (Supervised) will now determine the appropriate speed based on a mix of driver profile, speed limit, and surrounding traffic:

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• Introduced new Speed Profile SLOTH, which comes with lower speeds & more conservative lane selection than CHILL.

• Driver profile now has a stronger impact on behavior. The more assertive the profile, the higher the max speed.

• Right scroll-wheel up/down now adjusts Speed Profile setting rather than your precise max speed offset selection in mph/kph.

UI Improvements:

• Start Self-Driving with a tap of the touchscreen from Park, or any time during your drive.

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• Adjust settings like the Speed Profile and Arrival Options directly from the Autopilot visualization on the center display.

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Tesla plant manager tips off affordable model production

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Credit: @Gf4Tesla/X

A plant manager at a Tesla factory just tipped off the fact that the company will begin production of an affordable model in the coming weeks, all but confirming that a new car will be unveiled tomorrow.

Tesla has been teasing some kind of product unveiling for October 7 on its social media accounts. It has now dropped two separate indications that a new product is coming on its X account.

Fans have been anticipating two things: either the company’s planned affordable model, which has been codenamed “E41,” or the Roadster, a long-awaited vehicle that Tesla has kept under wraps for much longer than it would likely care to admit.

Tesla all but confirms that affordable Model Y is coming Tuesday

André Thierig, Tesla’s plant manager at the German production plant Gigafactory Berlin, tipped off what is likely coming tomorrow at the product unveiling as he revealed during an internal event today that a light version of the Model Y will begin series production and deliveries “in a few weeks.”

Thierig’s revealing of plans was reported by Handelsblatt, a German media outlet.

The description of a “light version of the Model Y” aligns with what CEO Elon Musk said earlier this year, as well as what we have seen on public roads, both covered and uncovered.

Last week, we finally saw an uncovered version of what the affordable model likely is, as it was cruising around near Gigafactory Texas, just outside of Austin.

Tesla coding shows affordable model details, including potential price

Musk said earlier this year, candidly during an Earnings Call, that the affordable model Tesla planned to release was a Model Y.

“It’s just a Model Y. Let the cat out of the bag there,” Musk said.

The images of what we assumed to be the affordable model lined up with Musk’s candid statement:

Tesla is expected to unveil its affordable model tomorrow during the planned event, which has been teased twice. Pricing and other details are still pending, but the company is expected to reveal this information tomorrow.

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