News
Tesla Model 3 Highland arrives in Italy’s showrooms
The Tesla Model 3 Highland arrived in Italy’s showrooms today, September 19, 2023. Deliveries for the refresh Tesla Model 3 are expected to start next month in Italy.
The official X account for Tesla Club Italy posted pictures of the Tesla Model 3 Highland’s unveiling. The account mentioned that a Tesla showroom in Italy holds a closed-door presentation to welcome the Model 3 Highland. Later, the doors were open to the general public.
As of this writing, the Tesla Model 3 Highland RWD variant in Italy costs €42,490 ($45,472.37) before options. The Model 3 Highland Long Range starts at €49,990 ($53,498.80). The tow hitch with a towing capacity of 1,000 kg (2,200+ lbs) costs an additional €1,350 ($1,444.76).
Eccola qui! La nuovissima #Tesla #Model3 #Highland! ?✨✨✨ pic.twitter.com/R9679ZX2l5— Tesla Club Italy (@TeslaClubItaly) September 19, 2023
In Italy, Tesla offers two autonomous driving options: Enhanced Autopilot and Full Self-Driving. Enhanced Autopilot costs €3,800 ($4,066) for Navigate on Autopilot and Auto Lane Change. Tesla states that the Autopark, Summon, and Smart Summon features will be available under Enhanced Autopilot in the future.
In Italy, Tesla Full Self-Driving (FSD) costs €7,500 ($8,026). It includes all features in Basic Autopilot and Enhanced Autopilot. Tesla FSD in Italy also includes Traffic Light and Stop Sign Control. The company does not offer the Autosteer on city streets feature in Italy yet.
In November 2022, the Italian national government earmarked about €8.7 billion in funds for low-emission and new energy vehicles. The fund would also expand Italy’s electric vehicles (EV) charging infrastructure.
According to the European Commission, EV purchases receive ownership tax benefits, company tax benefits, purchase subsidies, VAT benefits, AF Infrastructure incentives, local incentives, and more. For instance, electric vehicle purchases are exempt from annual ownership tax for up to 5 years from their first registration in Italy. After 5 years, EV owners benefit from a 75% reduction of tax rates applied to equivalent fossil fuel cars in the region.
As for purchase subsidies, the following apply to electric vehicles.
- €3,000 (€5,000 with scrappage) for an electric car (M1) emitting ≤ 20g CO2/km and with a selling price of ≤ €35,000 + VAT.
- €2,000 (€4,000 with scrappage) for an electric car (M1) emitting 21-60g CO2/km and with a selling price of ≤ €45,000 + VAT.
The Teslarati team would appreciate hearing from you. If you have any tips, contact me at maria@teslarati.com or via X @Writer_01001101.
Elon Musk
SpaceX weighs Nasdaq listing as company explores early index entry: report
The company is reportedly seeking early inclusion in the Nasdaq-100 index.
Elon Musk’s SpaceX is reportedly leaning toward listing its shares on the Nasdaq for a potential initial public offering (IPO) that could become the largest in history.
As per a recent report, the company is reportedly seeking early inclusion in the Nasdaq-100 index. The update was reported by Reuters, citing people familiar with the matter.
According to the publication, SpaceX is considering Nasdaq as the venue for its eventual IPO, though the New York Stock Exchange is also competing for the listing. Neither exchange has reportedly been informed of a final decision.
Reuters has previously reported that SpaceX could pursue an IPO as early as June, though the company’s plans could still change.
One of the publication’s sources also suggested that SpaceX is targeting a valuation of about $1.75 trillion for its IPO. At that level, the company would rank among the largest publicly traded firms in the United States by market capitalization.
Nasdaq has proposed a rule change that could accelerate the inclusion of newly listed megacap companies into the Nasdaq-100 index.
Under the proposed “Fast Entry” rule, a newly listed company could qualify for the index in less than a month if its market capitalization ranks among the top 40 companies already included in the Nasdaq-100.
If SpaceX is successful in achieving its target valuation of $1.75 trillion, it would become the sixth-largest company by market value in the United States, at least based on recent share prices.
Newly listed companies typically have to wait up to a year before becoming eligible for major indexes such as the Nasdaq-100 or S&P 500.
Inclusion in a major index can significantly broaden a company’s shareholder base because many institutional investors purchase shares through index-tracking funds.
According to Reuters, Nasdaq’s proposed fast-track rule is partly intended to attract highly valued private companies such as SpaceX, OpenAI, and Anthropic to list on the exchange.
Elon Musk
The Boring Company’s Prufrock-2 emerges after completing new Vegas Loop tunnel
The new tunnel measures 2.28 miles, making it the company’s longest single Vegas Loop tunnel to date.
The Boring Company announced that its Prufrock-2 tunnel boring machine (TBM) has completed another Vegas Loop tunnel in Las Vegas. The company shared the update in a post on social media platform X.
According to The Boring Company’s post, the new tunnel measures 2.28 miles, making it the company’s longest single Vegas Loop tunnel to date.
The new tunnel marks the fourth tunnel constructed near Westgate Las Vegas as the Vegas Loop network continues expanding across the city.
The Boring Company also noted that the new tunnel surpassed its previous internal record of 2.26 miles for a single Vegas Loop segment.
Construction of the tunnel involved moving roughly 68,000 cubic yards of dirt. The excavation process also used about 4.8 miles of continuous conveyor belt, powered by six motors totaling 825 horsepower.
The Boring Company’s Prufrock-series all-electric tunnel boring machines are designed to support the rapid expansion of company’s underground transportation projects, including the growing Vegas Loop network. Prufrock machines are designed for reusability, thanks in no small part to their capability to be deployed and retrieved easily through their “porposing” feature.
The Vegas Loop, specifically the Las Vegas Convention Center (LVCC) Loop segment, has already been used during major events. Most recently, the LVCC Loop supported the 2026 CONEXPO-CON/AGG construction trade show, which was held from March 3-7, 2026.
As per The Boring Company, the LVCC Loop transported roughly 82,000 passengers across the convention center campus during the event’s duration.
CONEXPO-CON/AGG is one of the largest construction trade shows in North America, drawing more than 140,000 construction professionals from 128 countries this year.
The LVCC Loop forms the initial segment of the broader Vegas Loop network, which remains under active development as The Boring Company continues building new tunnels throughout the city.
News
Tesla gathers Cybercab fleet in Gigafactory Texas
Images and video of the Cybercab fleet were shared by longtime Giga Texas observer Joe Tegtmeyer in posts on social media platform X.
Tesla appears to be assembling a growing number of Cybercabs at Gigafactory Texas as preparations continue for the vehicle’s mass production. Recent footage shared online has shown over 30 Cybercabs being transported by trucks or staged near testing areas at the facility.
The images and video were shared by longtime Giga Texas observer and drone operator Joe Tegtmeyer in posts on social media platform X.
Interestingly enough, Tegtmeyer noted that many of the Cybercabs being loaded onto transport trucks were still equipped with steering wheels. This suggests that the vehicles are likely testing units rather than the final driverless configuration expected for the company’s Robotaxi service.
The vehicles could potentially be headed to testing sites across the United States as Tesla prepares to expand its Robotaxi fleet.
Additional footage captured at Gigafactory Texas also showed the Cybercab’s side and rear camera washer system operating as vehicles were being loaded onto transport trucks.
The growing number of Cybercabs at Giga Texas comes amidst the company’s announcement that the first production Cybercab has been produced at the facility. Full Cybercab production is expected to begin in April.
The vehicle is expected to play a central role in Tesla’s Robotaxi ambitions as the company looks to expand autonomous ride-hailing operations beyond its early deployments using Model Y vehicles.
Tesla has also linked Cybercab production to its proposed Unboxed manufacturing process, which assembles large vehicle modules separately before integrating them. The approach is intended to reduce production costs and accelerate output.
Musk has also noted that the Cybercab’s ramp will likely begin slowly due to the number of new components and manufacturing steps involved. However, he stated that once the process matures, Cybercab production could scale quickly.