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Tesla has a small fleet of updated Model 3s at Fremont Factory

Credit: Met God in Wilderness | YouTube

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Tesla has a small fleet of the updated “Highland” Model 3 at the Fremont Factory, according to a recent flyover of the plant by a notable drone operator.

Tesla started building and delivering the new Model 3 last year in Shanghai, and they made their way to several regions, including Europe and the Middle East, toward the end of 2023.

There has been a lot of speculation in terms of when the new Model 3 would make it to the United States, and over the past week or so, we’ve seen some of them at the Fremont Factory, where the vehicle was rumored to be built initially.

We tracked several permits from the Fremont Factory over the past year and a half that gave us some clues as to what was going on at the plant in Northern California. Tesla was preparing production lines at the Fremont plant for the introduction of the new Model 3, according to filings, but it ultimately landed in China before it did here.

Tesla will demo and update a production line at Fremont, perhaps for new Highland Model 3

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Now, we can confirm that there is a small fleet of six Model 3 Highland vehicles outside of the Fremont Factory, based on images captured by Met God In Wilderness, a drone operator that is often taking video and monitoring changes at the factory:

Credit: Met God in Wilderness | YouTube

The images seem to confirm that Tesla is preparing for what could be a potentially imminent launch of the Model 3 Highland in the United States. Based on the changes made to the vehicle, we are unsure whether Tesla will have to be awarded a new Certificate of Conformity for the vehicle.

Because the vehicle is slightly different than past iterations of the Model 3, it would make sense that Tesla might have to send these units to the EPA for testing and have them recertified before they can be given to customers.

This process is usually not too strenuous, nor does it take very long. In the past, Tesla received approvals and Certificates of Conformity from the EPA less than a month after sending the cars to the agency for testing.

The new and revamped Model 3 could help spark interest in the Model 3 from those who already own the vehicle. We saw something similar when the Model 3 was initially refreshed a few years ago, but this is a different story altogether, considering Tesla has chosen to overhaul the design.

https://youtu.be/D4mRLo5SJos?si=w3zVKbieJwk9wYYO

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I’d love to hear from you! If you have any comments, concerns, or questions, please email me at joey@teslarati.com. You can also reach me on Twitter @KlenderJoey, or if you have news tips, you can email us at tips@teslarati.com.

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 Semi frames stack up in Nevada as production nears

Tesla Semi frames are being spotted outside of the Nevada production facility ahead of initial high-volume manufacturing.

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Credit: Zanegler | X

Tesla is moving closer to the initial production of the Semi later this year, and outside of its dedicated factory in Nevada, which will be responsible for building the all-electric truck, frames, and other parts of the vehicle, are beginning to stack up.

The Semi production facility is located on the same property as Gigafactory Nevada, and is moving closer to completion as the construction crews on site have already enclosed walls.

Now, production is moving even closer as parts of the Semi were spotted outside of the Semi production facility in Nevada. The images were captured by Zanegler, a Tesla Semi enthusiast and Giga Nevada tracker:

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The Semi is already used by a handful of companies, including U.S. Foods, Frito-Lay, and PepsiCo. However, the vehicle is not up for public use quite yet, as Tesla is working with various companies to carry out pilot testing of the Semi to see how it performs during regional runs.

Tesla Semi fleet from Frito-Lay gets more charging at Bakersfield factory

The results have been very encouraging, with the Semi even completing a 1,000-mile run in a single day two years ago.

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Now, Tesla is truly focusing on the launch of the factory, which will put production into full swing moving into 2026. Earlier this year, Lars Moravy, Tesla’s VP of Vehicle Engineering, gave an update on the Semi and the company’s current timeline for the product:

“So, we just closed out the Semi factory roof of walls last week in Reno, a schedule, which is great with the weather. In Reno, you never know what’s going to happen. But we’re prepping for mechanical installation of all the equipment in the coming months.

The first builds of the high volumes in design come late this year in 2025 and begin ramping early in 2026. But as we’ve said before, the Semi is a TCO, no-brainer. I think it’s really similar to Optimus. It’s going to be set by how much people pay and it has the total cost of ownership, it’s much, much cheaper than any other transportation you could have.”

Tesla also started ordering parts for the Semi and Cybercab after the tariff situation between the U.S. and China was alleviated.

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Tesla teases new color while testing refreshed Model S, X

Tesla teased a new color that could be coming to the United States with the new Model S and Model X.

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Credit: @supergeek18 | X

Tesla appears to be teasing a brand new color while it was testing the refreshed Model S and Model X, which was spotted last week in California.

Tesla currently offers six paint options in the United States, but they are all pretty basic. This has not been a problem for owners as wrapping the vehicles is a common practice, but some people would likely see more versatility from Tesla in terms of their standard paint colors.

This is especially relevant as Europe has been able to have both Midnight Cherry Red and Quicksilver, which were, at one time, exclusive to the market.

Quicksilver made its way to the United States, and Tesla did release a new Red last year with “Ultra Red,” but Midnight Cherry Red never made its way outside the walls of Gigafactory Berlin.

Last week, as the first spy images of the new Model S and Model X were taken and released by The Kilowatts, there was a very noticeable difference with the vehicle, as other changes seemed to be relatively underwhelming: a new paint color.

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Many believed this was simply a wrap, but Ryan Levenson of The Kilowatts, a former Tesla employee, dispelled that rumor after several questions about it.

He said that this is absolutely a factory paint color and not a wrap:

More images were shared by @supergeek18 on X:

Tesla released a new color earlier this year, but it was just a revision to Black, now called “Diamond Black,” featuring speckles that give a reflection and refraction of light as a diamond would.

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However, this new color is certainly quite different than anything Tesla has previously offered in the U.S. before. It is relatively similar to Glacier Blue, a color Tesla launched in Asia. Earlier this year, Franz von Holzhausen, Tesla’s Chief Designer, talked about bringing the color to the U.S.:

“Glacier Blue is just a color that we’ve been talking about with our team — the team is like right through that window by the way — and we were looking at the impact of silver, how do we get pigment into silver and really add a little bit of personality to it. If you look at our palette, you know it was either darks or white, and so we were looking for something in between. Blue is always a fairly popular color.”

It would be a refreshing addition to the options Tesla currently offers, and a breath of fresh air for those who have been wanting a different look altogether.

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Mark Cuban wants to sell his Tesla due to this polarizing feature

Mark Cuban said this simple Tesla feature will eventually lead to him selling the car.

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Credit: Tesla

Known Elon Musk critic Mark Cuban is ready to sell his Tesla because of a simple feature that is one of the more polarizing amongst community members.

Cuban and Musk have gone head-to-head in several back-and-forths on X, Musk’s social media platform, formerly Twitter. However, it is not the public spats that the two have shared that makes Cuban want to sell his car. In fact, it is something relatively trivial and a feature that many could easily adjust to in the matter of a few minutes of driving.

For the entrepreneur and former owner of the Dallas Mavericks, it is a feature that every driver must use, but Tesla temporarily changed it in the Model 3, Model S, and Model X: the turn signal.

With the refreshed versions of the S, 3, and X, Tesla chose to eliminate the turn signal stalk, instead opting for a turn signal button, which is located on the steering wheel. This was a change that was extremely polarizing among the Tesla community, with many requesting that the company reverse the change with the new Model Y.

Credit: Tesla

They listened, and the newest version of the all-electric crossover has a stalk. No turn signal haptics are available on the new Model Y.

This is one feature Cuban said he cannot get into, and instead chooses to drive his Kia EV6, which he said he is “comfortable with.”

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On the Your Mom’s House podcast, Cuban commented on the stalk and turn signal button dilemma within the vehicle:

“On the Tesla, you’ve got to find [the turn signal] and push the button…while you’re driving. You can’t pay attention to the road as much. [The Kia] doesn’t try to be too fancy. Your turn signal is like, a turn signal.”

It’s hard to imagine that someone’s attention is taken away from the road when pushing a button. In my test drive of the new Model 3 last year, I noted that the button was definitely an adjustment, but it only took a few minutes to adjust to:

“It only took me about three or four turns, or roughly ten minutes, to realize I needed to stop reaching for stalks. I feel like the buttons are super convenient, but there were times I would push the edges or corners, and the signal would not come on.”

I drove the new Tesla Model 3, here’s what got better

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At least to me, it’s not super believable that pushing a turn signal button takes your attention away from the road for more than a split second. Do I like the traditional stalk more? Yes. However, it would not make me sell a car I really enjoyed driving.

Cuban also said that his son called the EV6 “a nerd car,” to which he replied, “Exactly.”

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