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Tesla Model 3 - Maiden Voyage 3(Source: @MCarbon via Twitter) Tesla Model 3 - Maiden Voyage 3(Source: @MCarbon via Twitter)

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Tesla Model 3 dominates Switzerland’s 2020 EV Market

Tesla Model 3 - Maiden Voyage 3(Source: @MCarbon via Twitter)

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New data shows that the Tesla Model 3 dominated the 2020 EV market in Switzerland, and the figures weren’t very close.

After finishing 2020 in the same pole position, the Model 3 continued its undeniable domination of the electric vehicle market in Switzerland. European countries, in general, are highly competitive areas for electric automakers and are usually anyone’s game in terms of who will have the most popular car. German automakers, like Volkswagen, have enjoyed some great statistics in some European countries, so it’s not a given that Tesla will own every country’s gold medal for the most popular EV. With that being said, Tesla has competitors in regions all around the world, and as the company begins to navigate to different continents and regions, it is proving that its vehicles are the world’s best, beating out homegrown EV competition in several markets.

Switzerland was no different. According to Auto-Schweiz, the Model 3 sold 5,051 units in 2020 in Switzerland, enough to take the top prize by a considerable margin over the second-place Renault Zoe, which sold only 2,890 units.

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It appears that it was never a close race past February. A more in-depth analysis of the Swiss EV sales figures was conducted by TechnikBlog, and it showed that the Model 3 overtook the Renault Zoe in March and really never looked back. A steady flow of sales continued until June when sales seemed to slow down significantly, although it was short-lived.

Credit: Technik Blog

According to the data, sales once again accelerated into August from July, but the most notable spike occurred in November and December when the company sold around 1,500 units. This makes up for nearly a third of all of the Model 3’s sales for 2020. Tesla’s year-end sales push usually results in some of the strongest months across the board, and Switzerland was undoubtedly a prime example of this.

Tesla as a manufacturer, also took home nearly one-third of the market share in Switzerland last year. Another graphic provided by TechnikBlog shows that the Model 3, along with the Model S and Model X, contributed to Tesla’s overall dominance of the Swiss market. 31.27% of all EVs sold in the region were Teslas, with the next closest competitors being Renault-Nissan Gruppe and Volkswagen, who both shared just over 18%.

Credit: Technik Blog

The Model 3 has been dominant in several markets, including globally, against all other electric models on the market. The vehicle was the most popular EV through Q1 2020, and in Europe, it was sold four times as often as its closest competitor. The affordable, all-electric sedan continues a trend of domination and consistency through strong sales numbers as Tesla works to expand its lineup of sustainable cars later this year.

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

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Tesla teases new market entrance with confusing and cryptic message

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(Credit: Tesla)

Tesla teased its entrance into a new market with a confusing and what appeared to be cryptic message on the social media platform X.

The company has been teasing its entrance into several markets, including Africa, which would be a first, and South America, where it only operates in Chile.

In September, Tesla started creating active job postings for the Colombian market, hinting it would expand its presence in South America and launch in a new country for the first time in two years.

Tesla job postings seem to show next surprise market entry

The jobs were related to various roles, including Associate Sales Manager, Advisors in Sales and Delivery, and Service Technicians. These are all roles that would indicate Tesla is planning to launch a wide-scale effort to sell, manage, and repair vehicles in the market.

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Last night, Tesla posted its latest hint, a cryptic video that seems to show the outline of Colombia, teasing its closer than ever to market entry:

This would be the next expansion into a continent where it does not have much of a presence for Tesla. Currently, there are only two Supercharger locations on the entire continent, and they’re both in Chile.

Tesla will obviously need to expand upon this crucial part of the ownership experience to enable a more confident consumer base in South America as a whole. However, it is not impossible, as many other EV charging infrastructures are available, and home charging is always a suitable option for those who have access to it.

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Surprisingly, Tesla seems to be more concerned about these middle-market countries as opposed to the larger markets in South America, but that could be by design.

If Tesla were to launch in Brazil initially, it may not be able to handle the uptick in demand, and infrastructure expansion could be more difficult. Brazil may be on its list in the upcoming years, but not as of right now.

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Tesla expands crucial Supercharging feature for easier access

It is a useful tool, especially during hours of congestion. However, it has not been super effective for those who drive non-Tesla EVs, as other OEMs use UI platforms like Google’s Android Auto or Apple’s iOS.

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tesla supercharger
Credit: Tesla

Tesla has expanded a crucial Supercharging feature that helps owners identify stall availability at nearby locations.

Tesla said on Tuesday night that its “Live Availability” feature, which shows EV owners how many stalls are available at a Supercharger station, to Google Maps, a third-party app:

Already offering it in its own vehicles, the Live Availability feature that Teslas have is a helpful feature that helps you choose an appropriate station with plugs that are immediately available.

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A number on an icon where the Supercharger is located lets EV drivers know how many stalls are available.

It is a useful tool, especially during hours of congestion. However, it has not been super effective for those who drive non-Tesla EVs, as other OEMs use UI platforms like Google’s Android Auto or Apple’s iOS.

Essentially, when those drivers needed to charge at a Supercharger that enables non-Tesla EVs to plug in, there was a bit more of a gamble. There was no guarantee that a plug would be available, and with no way to see how many are open, it was a risk.

Tesla adding this feature allows people to have a more convenient and easier-to-use experience if they are in a non-Tesla EV. With the already expansive Supercharger Network being available to so many EV owners, there is more congestion than ever.

This new feature makes the entire experience better for all owners, especially as there is more transparency regarding the availability of plugs at Supercharger stalls.

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It will be interesting to see if Tesla is able to expand on this new move, as Apple Maps compatibility is an obvious goal of the company’s in the future, we could imagine. In fact, this is one of the first times an Android Auto feature is available to those owners before it became an option for iOS users.

Apple owners tend to get priority with new features within the Tesla App itself.

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Elon Musk’s Boring Co goes extra hard in Nashville with first rock-crushing TBM

The Boring Company’s machine for the project is now in final testing.

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Credit: The Boring Company/X

The Boring Company is gearing up to tackle one of its toughest projects yet, a new tunnel system beneath Nashville’s notoriously tough limestone terrain. Unlike the soft-soil conditions of Las Vegas and Austin, the Music City Loop will require a “hard-rock” boring machine capable of drilling through dense, erosion-resistant bedrock. 

The Boring Company’s machine for the project is now in final testing.

A boring hard-rock tunneling machine

The Boring Company revealed on X that its new hard-rock TBM can generate up to 4 million pounds of grip force and 1.5 million pounds of maximum thrust load. It also features a 15-filter dust removal system designed to keep operations clean and efficient during excavation even in places where hard rock is present.

Previous Boring Co. projects, including its Loop tunnels in Las Vegas, Austin, and Bastrop, were dug primarily through soft soils. Nashville’s geology, however, poses a different challenge. Boring Company CEO and President Steve Davis mentioned this challenge during the project’s announcement in late July.

“It’s a tough place to tunnel, Nashville. If we were optimizing for the easiest places to tunnel, it would not be here. You have extremely hard rock, like way harder than it should be. It’s an engineering problem that’s fairly easy and straightforward to solve,” Davis said.

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Nashville’s limestone terrain

Experts have stated that the city’s subsurface conditions make it one of the more complex tunneling environments in the U.S. The Outer Nashville Basin is composed of cherty Mississippian-age limestone, a strong yet soluble rock that can dissolve over time, creating underground voids and caves, as noted in a report from The Tennessean.

Jakob Walter, the founder and principal engineer of Haushepherd, shared his thoughts on these challenges. “Limestone is generally a stable sedimentary bedrock material with strength parameters that are favorable for tunneling. Limestone is however fairly soluble when compared to other rack materials, and can dissolve over long periods of time when exposed to water. 

“Unexpected encounters with these features while tunneling can result in significant construction delays and potential instability of the excavation. In urban locations, structures at the ground surface should also be constantly monitored with robotic total stations or similar surveying equipment to identify any early signs of movement or distress,” he said.

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