Some would say that the Tesla Model 3 has opened doors for the EV industry in the mainstream passenger car market. To an experienced professional driver like John Chambers, the Tesla Model 3 might be more than just a good passenger car.
“I do think, if you want to take a car on track, I think the Model 3 is the best car,” Tevo Solutions founder John Chambers told Teslarati.
Chambers explained that the size of the Model 3 was a good fit for the track. “Because the Model 3 now is easily the match of any car of that size when we take it on track. There’s nothing that could stay with it,” he said. And that’s including gas or petrol cars.
Chambers is a long-time car enthusiast who can remember the days when there were no track barriers between the spectators and the cars on the racecourse. He’s been behind the wheel of some successful track runs, under the hood optimizing race cars, and even mentored the next generation of racers throughout his career thus far. Now, he wants to help people understand Tesla and other EVs better, too.
He is excited to see a Model 3 with a Taycan on the track during Tevo Solutions’ EV-only track day at the Llandow Circuit in the United Kingdom. Chambers believes it would be an excellent chance to compare the two EVs along with the opportunity to see and experience other electric vehicles, too.
Although, he did distinguish that a track day in the UK is not competitive. It is a day for drivers to learn more about their vehicles and learn slightly more advanced driving skills.
As more car owners transition to electric cars, events like Tevo Solutions’ track day may become common in the automotive industry. Rivian, for instance, plans to hold a 4-month Demonstration Driving Program for new R1T owners so they can familiarize themselves with their new electric pickup truck.
The EV-only track day, scheduled for August 18, 2021, was exclusively created with electric vehicle owners in mind. As per Tevo Solutions’ press release: “Hybrids, PHEVs, and vehicles with range extenders will not be accepted.”
In his talk with Teslarati, Chambers shared that not many tracks or organizers in the UK would consider opening their tracks to EVs, let alone hold an EV-only track day.
“When I got my Model 3 [Performance], there was nothing I could enter that was competitive. At the time, the rules didn’t allow EVs because they were still worried about fire and safety,” he said.
As with many things related to Tesla, there have been some forms of FUD (fear, uncertainty, or doubt) about Tesla vehicles or electric cars in the UK. But Chambers believes the country is overcoming the FUD surrounding EVs or, at least, more people are trying to understand electric vehicles better.
As for Chambers, he ended up joining non-competitive track days, which most Tesla owners participated in at the time. “But there was no track or organizer that was going to do an EV-only day. And, I thought, it’s the obvious next step. But nobody decided to do it, so I decided I’d do it myself.”
TEVO Solutions is working with a list of top-class driving instructors for the event, including a coach responsible for training drivers seen in popular car scenes in films including Mission Impossible and some James Bond movies.
Tesla Model 3 SR Plus sold out in UK for Q2 despite zero EV purchase incentives
Tevo will inform event participants of charging locations near the Llandow Circuit. The company is also trying to bring portable chargers into the track grounds for more convenient charging. Chambers noted that charging is one of the stopgaps that make circuits hesitant about organizing an EV track day.
Chambers hopes that the event will be inclusive. At the time of the interview, he shared that at least two Taycans, a VW Golf-e, and possibly even a VW Beetle converted to electric would be coming to the event. So when Tevo Solutions said all EVs are invited, it really meant all electric vehicles.
Learn more about the UK’s first-ever EV-only track day, here.
News
Tesla dispels reports of ‘sales suspension’ in California
“This was a “consumer protection” order about the use of the term “Autopilot” in a case where not one single customer came forward to say there’s a problem.
Sales in California will continue uninterrupted.”
Tesla has dispelled reports that it is facing a thirty-day sales suspension in California after the state’s Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) issued a penalty to the company after a judge ruled it “misled consumers about its driver-assistance technology.”
On Tuesday, Bloomberg reported that the California DMV was planning to adopt the penalty but decided to put it on ice for ninety days, giving Tesla an opportunity to “come into compliance.”
Tesla enters interesting situation with Full Self-Driving in California
Tesla responded to the report on Tuesday evening, after it came out, stating that this was a “consumer protection” order that was brought up over its use of the term “Autopilot.”
The company said “not one single customer came forward to say there’s a problem,” yet a judge and the DMV determined it was, so they want to apply the penalty if Tesla doesn’t oblige.
However, Tesla said that its sales operations in California “will continue uninterrupted.”
It confirmed this in an X post on Tuesday night:
This was a “consumer protection” order about the use of the term “Autopilot” in a case where not one single customer came forward to say there’s a problem.
Sales in California will continue uninterrupted.
— Tesla North America (@tesla_na) December 17, 2025
The report and the decision by the DMV and Judge involved sparked outrage from the Tesla community, who stated that it should do its best to get out of California.
One X post said California “didn’t deserve” what Tesla had done for it in terms of employment, engineering, and innovation.
Tesla has used Autopilot and Full Self-Driving for years, but it did add the term “(Supervised)” to the end of the FSD suite earlier this year, potentially aiming to protect itself from instances like this one.
This is the first primary dispute over the terminology of Full Self-Driving, but it has undergone some scrutiny at the federal level, as some government officials have claimed the suite has “deceptive” naming. Previous Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg was vocally critical of the use of the name “Full Self-Driving,” as well as “Autopilot.”
News
New EV tax credit rule could impact many EV buyers
We confirmed with a Tesla Sales Advisor that any current orders that have the $7,500 tax credit applied to them must be completed by December 31, meaning delivery must take place by that date. However, it is unclear at this point whether someone could still claim the credit when filing their tax returns for 2025 as long as the order reflects an order date before September 30.
Tesla owners could be impacted by a new EV tax credit rule, which seems to be a new hoop to jump through for those who benefited from the “extension,” which allowed orderers to take delivery after the loss of the $7,500 discount.
After the Trump Administration initiated the phase-out of the $7,500 EV tax credit, many were happy to see the rules had been changed slightly, as deliveries could occur after the September 30 cutoff as long as orders were placed before the end of that month.
However, there appears to be a new threshold that EV buyers will have to go through, and it will impact their ability to get the credit, at least at the Point of Sale, for now.
Delivery must be completed by the end of the year, and buyers must take possession of the car by December 31, 2025, or they will lose the tax credit. The U.S. government will be closing the tax credit portal, which allows people to claim the credit at the Point of Sale.
🚨UPDATE: $7,500 Tax Credit Portal “Closes By End of Year”.
This is bad news for pending Tesla buyers (MYP) looking to lock in the $7,500 Tax Credit.
“it looks like the portal closes by end of the year so there be no way for us to guarantee the funds however, we will try our… pic.twitter.com/LnWiaXL30k
— DennisCW | wen my L (@DennisCW_) December 15, 2025
We confirmed with a Tesla Sales Advisor that any current orders that have the $7,500 tax credit applied to them must be completed by December 31, meaning delivery must take place by that date.
However, it is unclear at this point whether someone could still claim the credit when filing their tax returns for 2025 as long as the order reflects an order date before September 30.
If not, the order can still go through, but the buyer will not be able to claim the tax credit, meaning they will pay full price for the vehicle.
This puts some buyers in a strange limbo, especially if they placed an order for the Model Y Performance. Some deliveries have already taken place, and some are scheduled before the end of the month, but many others are not expecting deliveries until January.
Elon Musk
Elon Musk takes latest barb at Bill Gates over Tesla short position
Bill Gates placed a massive short bet against Tesla of ~1% of our total shares, which might have cost him over $10B by now
Elon Musk took his latest barb at former Microsoft CEO Bill Gates over his short position against the company, which the two have had some tensions over for a number of years.
Gates admitted to Musk several years ago through a text message that he still held a short position against his sustainable car and energy company. Ironically, Gates had contacted Musk to explore philanthropic opportunities.
Elon Musk explains Bill Gates beef: He ‘placed a massive bet on Tesla dying’
Musk said he could not take the request seriously, especially as Gates was hoping to make money on the downfall of the one company taking EVs seriously.
The Tesla frontman has continued to take shots at Gates over the years from time to time, but the latest comment came as Musk’s net worth swelled to over $600 billion. He became the first person ever to reach that threshold earlier this week, when Tesla shares increased due to Robotaxi testing without any occupants.
Musk refreshed everyone’s memory with the recent post, stating that if Gates still has his short position against Tesla, he would have lost over $10 billion by now:
Bill Gates placed a massive short bet against Tesla of ~1% of our total shares, which might have cost him over $10B by now
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 17, 2025
Just a month ago, in mid-November, Musk issued his final warning to Gates over the short position, speculating whether the former Microsoft frontman had still held the bet against Tesla.
“If Gates hasn’t fully closed out the crazy short position he has held against Tesla for ~8 years, he had better do so soon,” Musk said. This came in response to The Gates Foundation dumping 65 percent of its Microsoft position.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk sends final warning to Bill Gates over short position
Musk’s involvement in the U.S. government also drew criticism from Gates, as he said that the reductions proposed by DOGE against U.S.A.I.D. were “stunning” and could cause “millions of additional deaths of kids.”
“Gates is a huge liar,” Musk responded.
It is not known whether Gates still holds his Tesla short position.
Tesla dispels reports of ‘sales suspension’ in California
New EV tax credit rule could impact many EV buyers
