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.
Tesla made a change to the Cybertruck, and nobody noticed. But to be fair, nobody could have, but it was revealed by the program’s lead engineer that it was aimed toward simplifying manufacturing through a minor change in casting.
After the Cybertruck was given a Top Safety Pick+ award by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), for its reputation as the safest pickup on the market, some wondered what had changed about the vehicle.
Tesla makes changes to its vehicles routinely through Over-the-Air software updates, but aesthetic changes are relatively rare. Vehicles go through refreshes every few years, as the Model 3 and Model Y did earlier this year. However, the Cybertruck is one of the vehicles that has not changed much since its launch in late 2023, but it has gone through some minor changes.
Most recently, Wes Morrill, the Cybertruck program’s Lead Engineer, stated that the company had made a minor change to the casting of the all-electric pickup for manufacturing purposes. This change took place in April:
We made a minor change on the casting for manufacturability in April. Our Internal testing shows no difference in crash result but IIHS only officially tested the latest version
— Wes (@wmorrill3) December 17, 2025
The change is among the most subtle that can be made, but it makes a massive difference in manufacturing efficiency, build quality, and scalability.
Morrill revealed Tesla’s internal testing showed no difference in crash testing results performed by the IIHS.
The 2025 Cybertruck received stellar ratings in each of the required testing scenarios and categories. The Top Safety Pick+ award is only given if it excels in rigorous crash tests. This requires ‘Good’ ratings in updated small and moderate overlap front, side, roof, and head restraints.
Additionally, it must have advanced front crash prevention in both day and night. Most importantly, the vehicle must have a ‘Good’ or ‘Acceptable’ headlights standard on all trims, with the “+ ” specifically demanding the toughest new updated moderate overlap test that checks rear-seat passenger protection alongside driver safety.
Tesla has entered an interesting situation with its Full Self-Driving suite in California, as the State’s Department of Motor Vehicles had adopted an order for a suspension of the company’s sales license, but it immediately put it on hold.
The company has been granted a reprieve as the DMV is giving Tesla an opportunity to “remedy the situation.” After the suspension was recommended for 30 days as a penalty, the DMV said it would give Tesla 90 days to allow the company to come into compliance.
The DMV is accusing Tesla of misleading consumers by using words like Autopilot and Full Self-Driving on its advanced driver assistance (ADAS) features.
The State’s DMV Director, Steve Gordon, said that he hoped “Tesla will find a way to get these misleading statements corrected.” However, Tesla responded to the story on Tuesday, stating that this was a “consumer protection” order for the company using the term Autopilot.
It said “not one single customer came forward to say there’s a problem.” It added that “sales in California will continue uninterrupted.”
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
Tesla has used the terms Autopilot and Full Self-Driving for years, but has added the term “(Supervised)” to the end of the FSD suite, hoping to remedy some of the potential issues that regulators in various areas might have with the labeling of the program.
It might not be too long before Tesla stops catching flak for using the Full Self-Driving name to describe its platform.
Tesla Robotaxi goes driverless as Musk confirms Safety Monitor removal testing
The Robotaxi suite has continued to improve, and this week, vehicles were spotted in Austin without any occupants. CEO Elon Musk would later confirm that Tesla had started testing driverless rides in Austin, hoping to launch rides without any supervision by the end of the year.
Tesla stock (NASDAQ: TSLA) closed at an all-time high on Tuesday, jumping over 3 percent during the day and finishing at $489.88.
The price beats the previous record close, which was $479.86.
Shares have had a crazy year, dipping more than 40 percent from the start of the year. The stock then started to recover once again around late April, when its price started to climb back up from the low $200 level.
This week, Tesla started to climb toward its highest levels ever, as it was revealed on Sunday that the company was testing driverless Robotaxis in Austin. The spike in value pushed the company’s valuation to $1.63 trillion.
Tesla Robotaxi goes driverless as Musk confirms Safety Monitor removal testing
It is the seventh-most valuable company on the market currently, trailing Nvidia, Apple, Alphabet (Google), Microsoft, Amazon, and Meta.
Shares closed up $14.57 today, up over 3 percent.
The stock has gone through a lot this year, as previously mentioned. Shares tumbled in Q1 due to CEO Elon Musk’s involvement with the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which pulled his attention away from his companies and left a major overhang on their valuations.
However, things started to rebound halfway through the year, and as the government started to phase out the $7,500 tax credit, demand spiked as consumers tried to take advantage of it.
Q3 deliveries were the highest in company history, and Tesla responded to the loss of the tax credit with the launch of the Model 3 and Model Y Standard.
Additionally, analysts have announced high expectations this week for the company on Wall Street as Robotaxi continues to be the focus. With autonomy within Tesla’s sights, things are moving in the direction of Robotaxi being a major catalyst for growth on the Street in the coming year.
Tesla Cybertruck gets small change that makes a big difference
Tesla enters interesting situation with Full Self-Driving in California
