

News
Tesla launches new Model 3 Long Range Rear-Wheel Drive priced at under $35k
Tesla has launched a new Model 3 configuration in the United States that will be under $35,000 after the federal electric vehicle tax credit is applied.
The new Model 3, known as the Model 3 Long Range Rear-Wheel-Drive, is one of the most well-thought-out EVs Tesla has come out with. For an ultra-affordable price, owners will get over 360 miles of range, exceptional acceleration, and a high-top speed comparable with most luxury cars.
Tesla Model 3 Rear Wheel Drive
Starting at $34,990 after the $7,500 EV tax credit, the Model 3 Rear Wheel Drive is the most affordable vehicle in Tesla’s lineup, coming in at $4,000 under the normal RWD configuration.
The vehicle has an EPA-estimated 363 miles of range, and goes 125 MPH at its peak. Adding to the performance metrics, it also goes from 0-60 MPH in just 4.9 seconds.
Model 3 Long Range RWD now available in the US & ??
Maximum range & more affordable – starts at $34,990 after $7,500 federal tax credit
Specs below:
– 363 mile range (EPA est. w/ 18″ Photon wheels)
– 0-60 in 4.9 secs
– 125 mph top speedhttps://t.co/TIVZsO3yNq— Tesla North America (@tesla_na) July 12, 2024
Tesla also launched the vehicle in Puerto Rico.
Tesla for under $30,000
While the federal EV tax credit brings the vehicle down to $34,990, Tesla also factors in $5,000 of gas savings over the span of five years. This would bring the vehicle down, hypothetically, for under $30,000, at $29,999.
For the price, the range and performance simply do not get much better. There are very few electric vehicles on the market right now that are even close to comparable at this price point with its performance metrics and range rating.
Tesla currently does not have the vehicle listed for lease availability.
First Deliveries
It appears Tesla is prepared to deliver this new Model 3 configuration before the end of the month. Delivery is already listed at between July and August 2024.
Tesla launched this new Model 3 body style earlier this year in the United States. Called “Highland” by many, the vehicle features more defined exterior shaping and new headlights. It also has better suspension and handling, and an even more minimalistic interior.
We test drove one when they first came to the U.S. You can check out that review here:
All in all, this is a good move by Tesla. Offering such a great price on a Model 3 with this amount of range and next-level performance should help sell more units.
Model 3 demand has taken a backseat to the Model Y in recent years, so anything to complement the great options on the crossover side with a competitive sedan offering will benefit the company and consumers alike.
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.
News
Tesla plans to use Unreal Engine for driver visualization with crazy upgrade
This could change the way Driver Visualization looks for Tesla owners.

Tesla looks to be planning a major upgrade to its driver visualization for Autopilot with a crazy upgrade from its current version.
Tesla’s driver visualization appears on the center screen and shows the vehicle, its surroundings, and, when it is operating on Autopilot or Full Self-Driving, shows the route of travel.
It has improved over the years, and even includes things like pedestrians, pets, and the shapes of other vehicles. It also helps with manual driving because it can be a good representation of your surroundings when trying to change lanes or merge in traffic.
However, it appears Tesla is planning a pretty substantial upgrade with the
Coding found in the 2025.20 firmware by Tesla hacker greentheonly showed the company is planning to utilize Unreal Engine for Autopilot visualization. He said the one Tesla currently uses is “godot-based.”
Hm, I did not notice it at first, but it looks like Tesla is adding unreal-engine based AP viz (the one you see today is godot-based).
The binaries are already shipping starting from firmware 2025.20 only on amd-based s and x cars for nowtime to see if that could be activated…
— green (@greentheonly) August 8, 2025
Unreal Engine is a 3D computer graphics game engine that was developed by Epic Games, the developer of the popular third-party shooter game Fortnite. It was first released back in 1998, and the most recent version is Unreal Engine 5. The sixth version is in development, and it could be out in 2027 or 2028.
However, Tesla could use it for a more realistic representation of vehicle surroundings. It would undoubtedly improve driver visualization, creating a smoother and freer-flowing depiction of what is outside of the car.
Tesla’s Autopilot visualization could look like this with Unreal Engine https://t.co/OOKNpeDM6F pic.twitter.com/mnjaxW36tO
— The Tesla Newswire (@TeslaNewswire) August 13, 2025
News
SpaceX is rolling out a new feature to Starlink that could be a lifesaver
Starlink now has a new Standby Mode that will enable low-speed internet access in the event of an outage.

SpaceX is rolling out a new feature to Starlink that could be a lifesaver in some instances, but more of a luxury for others.
Starlink is the satellite internet service that Elon Musk’s company SpaceX launched several years ago. It has been adopted by many people at their homes, many airlines on their planes, and many maritime companies on their ships.
It has been a great way for customers to relieve themselves of the contracts and hidden fees of traditional internet service providers.
Now, Starlink is rolling out a new service feature on its units called “Standby Mode,” which is part of Pause Mode. The company notified customers of the change in an email:
“We’re reaching out to you to let you know the Pause feature on your plan has been updated. Pause now includes Standby Mode, which comes with unlimited low-speed data for $5.00 per month, perfect for backup connectivity and emergency use. These updates will take effect in 30 days. All of your other plan features remain the same. You are able to cancel your service at any time for no charge.”
SpaceX did not define how fast these “low speeds” will be. However, there are people who have tested the Standby Mode, and they reported speeds of about 500 kilobytes per second.
The mode is ideal for people who might deal with internet or power outages, but still need to have some sort of internet access.
It could also be used as a backup for people who want to stay with their ISP, but would like to have some sort of alternative in case of an outage for any reason.
Elon Musk
Elon Musk says this essential Tesla Robotaxi feature will be here soon
Tesla will work to solve automatic parking at available Supercharger stalls with future updates.

Elon Musk reiterated that one feature, which is ultimately an essential part of the operation of the Tesla Robotaxi platform, will be here soon.
Tesla released a new video of its longest Full Self-Driving demo yesterday, showing off a zero-intervention drive from San Francisco to Los Angeles. The drive is roughly seven hours and 360 miles long, and not a single need for the driver to touch the wheel was recorded.
Tesla flexes its most impressive and longest Full Self-Driving demo yet
There was one question that was brought up by an owner that brings up an interesting point. Tesla still needs to solve the vehicle’s ability to pull into Superchargers automatically, something that does not currently have a high success rate, at least for the owner who got a response from CEO Elon Musk.
Musk assured him that a Tesla’s ability to pull into open parking spaces at Superchargers would be more reliable with future software updates. Owners can see how many and which exact stalls are available before traveling to a Supercharger, so Teslas should be able to identify these stalls and pull in automatically:
Yeah, it will work essentially perfectly with future software updates
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) August 12, 2025
This is a small part of what will be imperative for the charging experience when Robotaxi launches in the coming years. Tesla plans to enable customer-owned cars to potentially enter the Robotaxi fleet and become an autonomous ride-sharing vehicle by next year.
However, it still needs to figure out autonomous charging. There are two parts to that process: pulling into the spot and charging without human need to connect the Supercharger to the vehicle.
Tesla used to consider a robotic snake-arm charger for this, but it has talked about induction charging more recently. Wireless charging seems to be the route that Tesla plans to go, but it might take some time to resolve the energy loss issue and make it an efficient charging method.
Tesla flexes Robotaxi wireless charging — autonomy from top to bottom
Tesla has said its wireless charging efficiency is “well above 90 percent.”
Nevertheless, Tesla is still working toward figuring out all of the edge cases of Robotaxi operation. Figuring out charging without the need of a human is just one part of the puzzle it still has yet to solve, but with its improvements over the past few years, there’s no doubt Tesla will find the missing piece.
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