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Tesla Model 3 giveaway used to encourage voting in Georgian election

Credit: Girchi.com

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The Libertarian Party in the Eurasian country of Georgia is planning to give out Tesla Model 3 vehicle to encourage voters to participate in the 2020 Parliamentary Elections.

The Party, known as Girchi, stated that it would give out several Tesla Model 3 vehicles. The number of cars depends on how many votes the Girchi party receives, which will consequently provide the group with funding that will coincide with the number of votes. The more votes the Party gets, the more funding the Party will receive.

Girchi has launched a nationwide raffle to encourage all registered voters across every Party or political affiliation to vote.

According to Girchi’s website, the Party’s supporters state that the idea has two purposes: to increase voter turnout on election day, and to stage a protest against the public funding of political parties.

Girchi sees voter turnout as the key to defeating the current ruling party, which is called the “Georgian Dream.”

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Zurab Girchi Japaridze, one of the leaders of the Libertarian sector, says that once the party is elected into the new Parliament, it will introduce a new bill that will abolish laws that sanction any public funding for political parties.

“We believe that each politician and political party shall be financed only by their respective supporters and voters,” Japaridze said. “Upon election into the new Parliament, Girchi will launch a bill to this effect and until it is adopted, the Party will keep purchasing Tesla cars with the public funding allocated for Girchi annually and will award them to the random voters with a raffle-ticket who prove that they have voted on 31 October 2020.”

Japaridze also added that the Tesla giveaway should appeal to the youth in the country, which could encourage younger people to become more involved in the political sector.

“We are trying to appeal specifically to the youth so that more young people become interested in the politics and take active part in shaping it for the betterment of their own future,” he said.

The mass appeal of Tesla’s electric vehicles and the company’s sustainable mission has spread all across the world. The inclusion of the Model 3 in the race for Georgia’s Parliament shows the company’s products are so appealing that they may entice people to participate in the election that their country is holding later this year.

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The overall appeal of Tesla’s electric cars is becoming a worldwide sensation. It is unknown how many people will walk away from the election with a Tesla vehicle. Still, every car that goes into the hands of a voter is another step toward the ultimate goal of worldwide sustainability.

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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Tesla Full Self-Driving warrants huge switch-up on essential company strategy

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tesla side repeater camera
(Credit: Tesla)

Tesla Full Self-Driving has warranted a huge switch-up on an essential company strategy as the automaker is hoping to increase the take rate of the ADAS suite.

Unlike other automotive companies, Tesla has long been an outlier, as it has famously ditched a traditional advertising strategy in favor of organic buzz, natural word-of-mouth through its production innovation, and utilizing CEO Elon Musk’s huge social media presence to push its products.

Tesla has taken the money that it would normally spend on advertising and utilized it for R&D purposes. For a long time, it yielded great results, and ironically, Tesla saw benefits from other EV makers running ads.

Tesla counters jab at lack of advertising with perfect response

However, in recent years, Tesla has decided to adjust this strategy, showing a need to expand beyond its core enthusiast base, which is large, but does not span over millions and millions as it would need to fend off global EV competitors, which have become more well-rounded and a better threat to the company.

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In 2024 and 2025, Tesla started utilizing ads to spread knowledge about its products. This is continuing, as Full Self-Driving ads are now being spotted on social media platforms, most notably, X, which is owned by Musk:

Interestingly, Tesla’s strategy on FSD advertising is present in Musk’s new compensation package, as the eleventh tranche describes a goal of achieving 10 million active paid FSD subscriptions.

Full Self-Driving is truly Tesla’s primary focus moving forward, although it could be argued that it also has a special type of dedication toward its Optimus robot project. However, FSD will ultimately become the basis for the Robotaxi, which will enable autonomous ride-sharing across the globe as it is permitted in more locations.

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Tesla has been adjusting its advertising strategy over the past couple of years, and it seems it is focused on more ways to spread awareness about its products. It will be interesting to see if the company will expand its spending even further, as it has yet to put on a commercial during live television.

We wouldn’t put it out of the question, at least not yet.

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Tesla Model Y Standard: first impressions from a Premium owner

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Credit: TESLARATI

Tesla was nice enough to hook us up with the new Model Y “Standard” trim for a few days, and while we’ll be sure to fill you in on the full experience in the coming days, there are a lot of differences we noticed right off the bat, which make the ownership experience different from the “Premium” configuration level.

I purchased a Model Y Long Range All-Wheel-Drive back in August and took delivery just two weeks later. Through the first three months of owning my car, I’ve come to love so many things about the Tesla experience.

I traded my ICE vehicle for a Tesla Model Y: here’s how it went

However, I was interested in experiencing the affordable trim and seeing whether I would miss any of the voided features of the “Premium” Model Y.

Through the first 24 hours, here are my first impressions of the Model Y Standard as a Premium trim level owner:

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Overall Aesthetic

The lack of a light bar is not something that is a dealbreaker. In fact, I would argue that the Model Y Standard’s more traditional headlight design is just as pleasing from an aesthetic standpoint.

The car is great looking from top to bottom; there are not a substantial number of differences besides the lack of a lightbar on both the front and the back of the car.

Overall, it is a very sleek vehicle, but the major changes are obviously with the interior.

Interior Changes

This is where the big differences are, and some of the things I’ve gotten used to in the Premium are not included. If I didn’t have a Premium Model Y already, I’m not sure I’d miss some of the things that are not present in the Standard trim, but I believe I’d get annoyed with it.

Storage

The Premium has a large storage compartment between the cupholders and the wireless charger, which is not present in the Standard trim. Instead, it is more like the Cybertruck, as there is a pass-through and floor storage.

I think that the pass-through is nice, but the additional storage is something I take advantage of, especially as someone who films Full Self-Driving videos, which requires hauling mounts, GoPros, and other accessories.

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The sleekness of the Premium trim is also something I prefer; I really enjoy having the ability to close those compartments and cover the cupholders.

Obviously, this is a really trivial issue and not something that is substantially impactful from an ownership experience. If I weren’t already an owner, I am not sure I’d even have something to complain about.

Material Differences

The Premium trim seats are completely Vegan Leather, which I really do like, even as someone who doesn’t really love leather seats due to their temperature dependency.

The Standard trim features a Textile and Vegan hybrid, which has half of the seat a different material than the other.

The material is very similar to what I had in my previous car, a Bronco Sport. It was very durable, easy to clean, dried quickly, and hid a lot of things that leather does not, like oils from your skin, which constantly require attention to keep your interior looking fresh.

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The wireless charger is also a different material, as the Premium features an Alcantara material on that. The Standard has a rubberized and textured backing, which looks good, too. They’re both more than suitable.

Other Missing Features

The Standard lacks a few minor things, most noticeably is the ambient lighting. The biggest change, however, and something I really miss, is the glass roof.

A lot of people told me that when I got my Model Y, I wouldn’t even notice the glass roof after a few weeks. That could not be further from the truth. I look out of it all the time, and it’s one of my family’s favorite parts of the car.

My Fiancè and I really love parking and watching Netflix when we pick food up, especially when it’s raining, because the glass roof gives such a great view.

We also loved it as Fall arrived, because it was great to look at the foliage.

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Bigger Differences

There are also a handful of very noticeable differences from the overall cabin experience, especially with the sound system.

Much Weaker Sound System

The Model Y Standard has just 7 speakers and 1 amp, with no subwoofer. This is a significant step down from the 13-15 speakers in the Premium Long Range AWD Model Y, the 2 amps it comes with, and 1 subwoofer in the trunk.

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I usually like to listen to Long Time by Boston to test out a sound system, and it was noticeably weaker in the Standard. It was missing a big portion of the umph that is provided by the Premium’s sound system.

Cabin Noise

It feels like the Cabin Noise is definitely more noticeable in the Standard, which is something I really love about my Model Y. It is able to dampen so much road noise from louder cars, and I don’t feel as if it is very quiet in the Standard.

This is perhaps the biggest make-or-break for me with this car. I truly have been spoiled by how quiet the cabin is in the Premium, and it’s due to the lack of acoustic-lined glass in the Standard.

I will be doing a more in-depth review of the Model Y Standard, especially with ride quality, later this week.

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Tesla takes a step towards removal of Robotaxi service’s safety drivers

Tesla watchers are speculating that the implementation of in-camera data sharing could be a step towards the removal of the Robotaxi service’s safety drivers.

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Credit: Tesla

Tesla appears to be preparing for the eventual removal of its Robotaxi service’s safety drivers. 

This was hinted at in a recent de-compile of the Robotaxi App’s version 25.11.5, which was shared on social media platform X. 

In-cabin analytics

As per Tesla software tracker @Tesla_App_iOS, the latest update to the Robotaxi app featured several improvements. These include Live Screen Sharing, as well as a feature that would allow Tesla to access video and audio inside the vehicle. 

According to the software tracker, a new prompt has been added to the Robotaxi App that requests user consent for enhanced in-cabin data sharing, which comprise Cabin Camera Analytics and Sound Detection Analytics. Once accepted, Tesla would be able to retrieve video and audio data from the Robotaxi’s cabin. 

Video and audio sharing

A screenshot posted by the software tracker on X showed that Cabin Camera Analytics is used to improve the intelligence of features like request support. Tesla has not explained exactly how the feature will be implemented, though this might mean that the in-cabin camera may be used to view and analyze the status of passengers when remote agents are contacted.

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Sound Detection Analytics is expected to be used to improve the intelligence of features like siren recognition. This suggests that Robotaxis will always be actively listening for emergency vehicle sirens to improve how the system responds to them. Tesla, however, also maintained that data collected by Robotaxis will be anonymous. In-cabin data will not be linked to users unless they are needed for a safety event or a support request. 

Tesla watchers are speculating that the implementation of in-camera data sharing could be a step towards the removal of the Robotaxi service’s safety drivers. With Tesla able to access video and audio feeds from Robotaxis, after all, users can get assistance even if they are alone in the driverless vehicle. 

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