News
Tesla Model 3 impressively ‘swims’ in deep waters in China amid ongoing floods
China has been inundated with heavy torrential rains since June, causing numerous cities across the county to be flooded. The rains have been so heavy that even the Three Gorges Dam, the world’s largest hydropower plant, is being put to a grueling test. With the country facing its worst flooding since 1998, some cities could end up flooded with just a few hours of rain.
Such an incident happened at the end of July, with the city of Xian getting its streets submerged after just about an hour of rain. A clip from the recent flooding was recently posted online, and it included a good view of the city’s roads being completely flooded. Quite surprisingly, it also included a Tesla Model 3 bravely taking on the deep floodwaters in stride.
The video was brief, but it does suggest that the all-electric sedan was not having issues with the flood. The vehicle simply waded through until it reached a section of the road with shallower waters. Other vehicles such as motorbikes traveling in similar areas also looked almost like jet skis due to the depth of the flood.
Other posts have emerged from China depicting similar feats from Tesla’s most affordable sedan. One such video showed a white Model 3 that was practically swimming as it was halfway submerged, and sure enough, the vehicle did not seem to have issues navigating through the water. People in the background, some of whom seemed to be surprised at the vehicle, could be heard remarking that the car was a Tesla.
While the videos from China may be a bit stressful for avid EV enthusiasts, it should be noted that Tesla made some notable preparations for the locally-produced Model 3 that may have contributed to the vehicle’s performance in submerged streets. Back in November, sightings of Model 3 around the Gigafactory Shanghai complex were abounding, and it became evident that the vehicles were first production units made in the facility itself.
One of these sightings involved a blue Made-in-China Model 3 seemingly undergoing flood testing. The short video showed a Model 3 driving across a deliberately flooded section of the Gigafactory Shanghai complex. Tesla China did not provide further information about the video, but speculations from the local EV community suggested that the electric car maker was ensuring that its locally-made Model 3 would be resistant to floods.
Based on the recently shared videos from China, it appears that the Model 3 is indeed quite resilient when faced with floodwaters. This bodes well for Tesla’s ramp in China, as floods are quite common in the country and in nearby Southeast Asian regions, thanks to the multiple typhoons that hit the area every year. Amidst China’s push for electric cars, a flood-resistant, reasonably-priced vehicle from Tesla could very well attract a significant consumer base.
The current rainy season and flooding in China have so far affected 55 million people in 27 of the country’s 31 provinces. As of July 28, at least 158 people have been listed as dead or missing by the country’s Ministry of Emergency Management. Direct economic losses have been estimated at about 144 billion yuan (about $20.6 billion), which is 14% higher than the country’s five-year average, as per the Nikkei Asian Review. That being said, Pictet Wealth Management in Hong Kong still expects China’s growth forecast for 2020 to be around 1.8%, thanks to a potentially “strong rebound” in industrial activities.
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
