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Tesla is revamping the Model 3, and it is about time

Credit: Tesla

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Tesla is reportedly revamping the Model 3 in a new project code-named “Highland.” In all honesty, it’s about time.

The Model 3 is arguably the most crucial vehicle in Tesla’s history. Before the Model 3, Tesla was confined to expensive, luxury vehicles with the Model S and Model X. While every day, and “average” people wanted to embark on the journey of owning and driving an electric car, very few in this category could ideally and logically afford Tesla’s first two commercial releases.

In mid-2017, the Model 3 rolled off Fremont production lines for the first time, and by 2019, the Model 3 was a regularly spotted EV in areas where EVs were few and far between. I am in York County, PA, and here, before the Model 3, the BMW i3 was all I really saw. Sometimes an e-Golf or Bolt EV would appear, but EVs didn’t become a regular sighting in South Central Pennsylvania until 2019 or 2020.

Small-town America is what truly encapsulates this country. I may be biased, but after spending time in big cities and small towns, there is no doubt, to me at least, that low-population towns are where true humankind is observed. Here is where tech tends to arrive much later than the hubs of American ingenuity. iPhones were rare in my high school of 1,000 people until 2011. Everyone drove a car from the 90s, for the most part. When I started writing about electric cars in 2019, many people I told didn’t realize EVs were truly in existence. Many believed they still needed gas to operate.

The Model 3 truly changed that narrative in my area. Since then, I’ve seen more EVs in general in my area, and it is not uncommon to see 5-6 different EV manufacturers in a 20-minute drive to the store.

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Tesla truly catapulted EVs to what they are today, hate them or love them, they cannot be discredited. The Model 3 made EVs such a mainstream idea, that it may be somewhat of a sentimental design to some. However, feelings aside, it is time the car gets an upgrade.

According to a report from Reuters earlier today, Tesla is planning to revamp the Model 3’s most crucial features, including its interior and infotainment system. In my opinion, these things deserve upgrades because, simply put, they’re old.

Interior Update

Internally, Tesla’s infotainment is always up-to-date. However, an improved center screen with more intuitive designs, a high-quality and crystal-clear 5K monitor that could support gaming is the first idea. The center screen is oriented differently than the Model S and Model 3. It is a good size, but it is definitely time for Tesla to increase the quality of this monitor.

Interiors are a completely subjective topic, but I have personally felt minimalistic interiors are not a better option. Personally, I have found that touchscreens are not a less distracting option than knobs or buttons. Yes, knobs and buttons are clanky and can become invasive when they are placed too prominently on a dashboard. However, scrolling through a series of different screens to turn the air conditioning up or down a few degrees is more of a task than it should be.

tesla model 3 interior

Credit: Tesla

What about the exterior?

Tesla hasn’t done much to change the look of the Model 3 from the outside for several years. Some might call chrome delete a major change, but it truly wasn’t monumental. To me, it only helped me recognize which Model 3s were newer than others in my area.

How much can you truly change the design of a vehicle before it becomes something else entirely? Honda has made the Civic for decades, and the 2022 versions are vastly different from even the models of ten years ago. I’m not sure how the Tesla community would take significant changes in the Model 3 design; it might be too mainstream of an idea. Tesla hasn’t done much to the Model S other than modernizing its front bumper and moving away from the old nose cone. For the most part, that car has stayed the same too.

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tesla model s nosecone

(Photo: Ma. Claribelle Deveza)

Why the Model 3 deserves an update

The Model 3 was more than a catalyst for Tesla’s domination in the EV sector. It deserves to be updated and kept fresh for new owners, and it will only increase the possibility that people will return to Tesla for their next vehicle. I don’t know if I would ever drive a vehicle for a few years and then want to buy something that looks exactly the same on the inside and out.

Although the Model Y has overtaken the Model 3 as Tesla’s best-seller, some consumers may enjoy driving a sedan but will want an entirely new look in their next car. An update to the Model 3 is just what Tesla can do to keep things moving and fresh within the company’s most important product.

Joey has been a journalist covering electric mobility at TESLARATI since August 2019. In his spare time, Joey is playing golf, watching MMA, or cheering on any of his favorite sports teams, including the Baltimore Ravens and Orioles, Miami Heat, Washington Capitals, and Penn State Nittany Lions. You can get in touch with joey at joey@teslarati.com. He is also on X @KlenderJoey. If you're looking for great Tesla accessories, check out shop.teslarati.com

Elon Musk

xAI supercomputer faces lawsuit over air pollution concerns

NAACP & environmental groups are suing Elon Musk’s xAI over turbine emissions at its Colossus supercomputer site.

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(Credit: xAI)

The xAI supercomputer, Colossus, faces a potential lawsuit from the NAACP and the Southern Environmental Law Center over pollution concerns tied to its gas-powered turbines. The facility has sparked debate over its environmental impact versus economic benefits.

The xAI data center has been operational since last year. The company used pollution-emitting turbines without an air permit, citing a 364-day exemption. Southern Environmental Law Center attorney Patrick Anderson disputed xAI’s exemption, stating: “there is no such exemption for turbines — and that regardless, it has now been more than 364 days.”

The groups issued a 60-day notice of intent to sue under the Clean Air Act, challenging xAI’s permit application under review by the Shelby County Health Department.

According to AP, critics argue the turbines emit smog, carbon dioxide, nitrogen oxides, and formaldehyde, worsening health risks in an area with cancer rates four times the national average.

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“The permit itself says emissions from the site ‘will be an area source for hazardous air pollutants,’” the Southern Environmental Law Center noted, alleging Clean Air Act violations.

Opponents claim xAI installed up to 35 turbines—exceeding the 15 requested—without community oversight, straining Memphis’s power grid.

xAI responded: “The temporary power generation units are operating in compliance with all applicable laws.”

The company highlighted its economic contributions, including billions in investments, millions in taxes, and hundreds of jobs. At an April community meeting, xAI’s Brent Mayo underscored that the “tax revenue will support vital programs like public safety, health, human services, education, firefighters, police, parks, and so much more.” He projected that xAI would generate over $100 million in tax revenue by next year. The company is also investing $35 million in a power substation and $80 million in a water recycling plant.

Additionally, xAI is transitioning to sustainable power, particularly Tesla Megapacks. It is actively working on demobilizing the gas turbines.

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“The temporary natural gas turbines that were being used to power the [xAI’s] Phase I GPUs prior to grid connection are now being demobilized and will be removed from the site over the next two months,” shared the Greater Memphis Chamber. xAI brought Tesla Megapack batteries and a 150-megawatt substation online earlier this year.

Despite xAI’s expansion to a second 1-million-square-foot site, the lawsuit threat underscores tensions between innovation and environmental justice.

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Elon Musk

Tesla CEO Elon Musk hits back at drug use claims, calls publications ‘hypocrites’

Elon Musk showed a clean drug test, dispelling any rumors of drug use that came from unfounded reports from two large media outlets.

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Credit: Elon Musk

Tesla CEO Elon Musk has responded to a report from the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times, as both publications claimed he was abusing drugs while being involved with President Trump on both the campaign trail and while he was active within the administration after the election.

A bombshell report from the New York Times, published in late May, stated that Musk was regularly using things like ketamine, ecstasy, and psychedelic mushrooms, and also stimulants like Adderall, during his time within the Trump administration.

The reports cited inside sources who claimed the Tesla and SpaceX frontman was using substances during his time with the government.

However, Musk published the results of a recent drug test performed at Fastest Labs of South Austin. They showed ‘Negative’ results across the board:

Musk was not done there.

He went on to say the New York Times “lies as easy as breathing. It’s normal for them.” He also said both the Times and Wall Street Journal reporters should also publish their own drug test results, stating, “They won’t, because those hypocrites are guilty as sin.”

Musk said years ago that he received ketamine prescriptions from doctors to treat depression. He said he had it “years ago and said so on X, so this is not even news.” He also said that ketamine “helps for getting out of dark mental holes, but haven’t taken it since then.”

Tesla fans and Musk enthusiasts have joked for days now that, if Musk were to be on drugs, other CEOs should also do them, considering his persistence on work-related projects, long hours, and commitment to his job.

Musk has now proven that there has been no drug use with this test, and it seems as if the reports could have some sort of legal impact, although he has not said he will take any action.

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Tesla’s Grok integration will be more realistic with this cool feature

Tesla is preparing Grok for its first integration into vehicles, but it’s making it more robust than ever, firmware shows.

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Credit: Tesla

Tesla has not yet integrated the AI assistant Grok into its vehicles, but when it does, it will be even more realistic with a new feature that firmware coding shows.

CEO Elon Musk teased a few months back that Grok would be making its way into vehicles in the near future. The implementation has not yet occurred, but we are confident it will be rolling out soon, especially as Tesla has its sights set on a near-term rollout of the Robotaxi platform.

Tesla’s vehicles expected to get Grok voice assistant—but when?

Grok will enable AI assistance for drivers who are both manually operating Tesla vehicles or using the company’s Full Self-Driving suite. It has been widely popular and extremely useful for users on X, Musk’s social media platform.

However, Tesla hacker green has revealed through firmware that the company is planning to roll out Grok into vehicles with personalities, giving it an even more realistic tone that is totally customizable and catered to whatever the driver wants.

There are also a handful of kids’ versions that will do things like tell stories or play trivia:

The true capabilities of Grok are nearly limitless. Back in January, Musk said on a livestream on X that, “You’ll be able to talk to your Tesla and ask for anything.”

Grok appears to only be available on AMD-based vehicles, according to other things green found in the firmware. This means that Intel-based Teslas, which are usually older models, will not enable Grok support for right now.

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