News
Tesla Model 3 can be acquired for less than $27,000 in Oregon: estimate
With Tesla’s recent round of price cuts for its entire lineup of premium all-electric vehicles, cars like the Model 3 sedan have become more affordable to mainstream car buyers. At $43,490 before incentives, the Model 3 RWD is a bang-for-the-buck all-electric car with ample range, power, and a suite of impressive active and passive safety features.
But for residents in the US state of Oregon, the Model 3 RWD can be acquired for an even lower price. With the state’s incentives, the base Model 3 could be acquired for as low as $26,990-$28,390. That’s almost Toyota Corolla territory. After all, a well-equipped 2023 Toyota Corolla XSE could hike up the price of the humble Japanese sedan to about $26,500.
Electric vehicle buyers from Oregon are able to stack incentives so that they can pay a lower price for their selected EVs. Among these incentives is the $7,500 federal tax credit as well as an additional $7,500 incentive through the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality’s Oregon Clean Vehicle and Charge Ahead Rebate programs.
Local Oregon residents could also get a rebate of up to $2,500 for the purchase or lease of a new electric car, and low and moderate income residents are offered an additional $5,000 incentive on qualified new or used electric cars, as noted in a report from The Street. Qualified electric cars become eligible for the incentive provided that its price does not exceed $50,000, which the Model 3 RWD meets.
Other local incentives, such as utility rebates, could also be utilized by EV buyers. These incentives could range between $100 and $1,500. With these incentives in mind, the publication calculated the discounted prices of several popular electric vehicles in Oregon. Needless to say, they are very compelling.
The Model 3 RWD, for example, has a purchase price of $43,490. With a Federal Tax Credit of $7,500; the Oregon Clean Vehicle Rebate of $2,500; the Oregon Charge Ahead Rebate of $5,000; and local incentives of $100-$1,500, electric vehicle buyers in the state could acquire a base Tesla Model 3 for just about $26,990-$28,390.
But it’s not just the Model 3. The Ford Mustang Mach-E, which has an MSRP of $45,995, could be acquired for $29,495-$30,895 with Oregon’s incentives. The Chevrolet Bolt EV, which is an affordable electric car to begin with, could see its price drop to as low as $10,000-$11,400 in the state, and the Nissan Leaf, the veteran EV from Japan, could be acquired for as low as $11,540-$12,940. These prices, of course, assume that a car buyer meets the state’s criteria to qualify for the available tax credits and incentives.
More details on Oregon’s EV incentives can be viewed here.
Don’t hesitate to contact us with news tips. Just send a message to simon@teslarati.com to give us a heads up.
News
Tesla Giga Berlin dispute against IG Metall union leads to investigation
As per a report from rbb24, police seized a laptop belonging to an IG Metall member at Tesla Giga Berlin on Tuesday afternoon.
German authorities have opened an investigation into an IG Metall union representative following allegations that a confidential works council meeting at Tesla’s Gigafactory Berlin was secretly recorded. The probe follows a criminal complaint filed by Tesla management last week.
As per a report from rbb24, police seized a laptop belonging to an IG Metall member at Tesla Giga Berlin on Tuesday afternoon. Prosecutors in Frankfurt (Oder) confirmed that an investigation is underway into a possible unauthorized audio recording of an internal works council meeting.
Under German law, recording a non-public meeting without consent may constitute a criminal offense.
Tesla stated that Gigafactory Berlin employees alerted management after allegedly discovering that an external union representative, who was attending the event as a guest, had recorded the session. Plant manager André Thierig stated in a post on X that the representative was “caught in action,” prompting the company to contact police and file a criminal complaint.
The seized device is now part of the investigation, and authorities will determine whether any unlawful recording had indeed occurred.
IG Metall has denied the accusation. In comments to German media, representatives rejected Tesla’s claim and described the electric vehicle maker’s allegation as an election campaign tactic ahead of upcoming works council elections.
The election at Tesla’s Grünheide plant is scheduled for March 2–4, 2026, with about 11,000 employees being eligible to vote. Regular works council elections in Germany are held every four years between March and May.
The incident comes amid tensions between Tesla and organized labor in Germany. While works councils operate independently from unions, IG Metall has been active at the plant and has previously criticized Tesla’s labor practices. Authorities, for their part, have not yet announced whether charges will be filed, though the investigation remains ongoing.
News
Tesla rolls out xAI’s Grok to vehicles across Europe
The initial rollout includes the United Kingdom, Ireland, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Italy, France, Portugal, and Spain.
Tesla is rolling out Grok to vehicles in Europe. The feature will initially launch in nine European territories.
In a post on X, the official Tesla Europe, Middle East & Africa account confirmed that Grok is coming to Teslas in Europe. The initial rollout includes the United Kingdom, Ireland, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Italy, France, Portugal, and Spain, and additional markets are expected to be added later.
Grok allows drivers to ask questions using real-time information and interact hands-free while driving. According to Tesla’s support documentation, Grok can also initiate navigation commands, enabling users to search for destinations, discover points of interest, and adjust routes without touching the touchscreen, as per the feature’s official webpage.
The system offers selectable personalities, ranging from “Storyteller” to “Unhinged,” and is activated either through the App Launcher or by pressing and holding the steering wheel’s microphone button.
Grok is currently available only on Model S, Model 3, Model X, Model Y, and Cybertruck vehicles equipped with an AMD infotainment processor. Vehicles must be running software version 2025.26 or later, with navigation command support requiring version 2025.44.25 or newer.
Drivers must also have Premium Connectivity or a stable Wi-Fi connection to use the feature. Tesla notes that Grok does not currently replace standard voice commands for vehicle controls such as climate or media adjustments.
The company has stated that Grok interactions are processed securely by xAI and are not linked to individual drivers or vehicles. Users do not need a Grok account or subscription to enable the feature at this time as well.
News
Tesla ends Full Self-Driving purchase option in the U.S.
In January, Musk announced that Tesla would remove the ability to purchase the suite outright for $8,000. This would give the vehicle Full Self-Driving for its entire lifespan, but Tesla intended to move away from it, for several reasons, one being that a tranche in the CEO’s pay package requires 10 million active subscriptions of FSD.
Tesla has officially ended the option to purchase the Full Self-Driving suite outright, a move that was announced for the United States market in January by CEO Elon Musk.
The driver assistance suite is now exclusively available in the U.S. as a subscription, which is currently priced at $99 per month.
Tesla moved away from the outright purchase option in an effort to move more people to the subscription program, but there are concerns over its current price and the potential for it to rise.
In January, Musk announced that Tesla would remove the ability to purchase the suite outright for $8,000. This would give the vehicle Full Self-Driving for its entire lifespan, but Tesla intended to move away from it, for several reasons, one being that a tranche in the CEO’s pay package requires 10 million active subscriptions of FSD.
Although Tesla moved back the deadline in other countries, it has now taken effect in the U.S. on Sunday morning. Tesla updated its website to reflect this:
🚨 Tesla has officially moved the outright purchase option for FSD on its website pic.twitter.com/RZt1oIevB3
— TESLARATI (@Teslarati) February 15, 2026
There are still some concerns regarding its price, as $99 per month is not where many consumers are hoping to see the subscription price stay.
Musk has said that as capabilities improve, the price will go up, but it seems unlikely that 10 million drivers will want to pay an extra $100 every month for the capability, even if it is extremely useful.
Instead, many owners and fans of the company are calling for Tesla to offer a different type of pricing platform. This includes a tiered-system that would let owners pick and choose the features they would want for varying prices, or even a daily, weekly, monthly, and annual pricing option, which would incentivize longer-term purchasing.
Although Musk and other Tesla are aware of FSD’s capabilities and state is is worth much more than its current price, there could be some merit in the idea of offering a price for Supervised FSD and another price for Unsupervised FSD when it becomes available.
Tesla Giga Berlin dispute against IG Metall union leads to investigation
Tesla rolls out xAI’s Grok to vehicles across Europe
