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Tesla gets full ‘Top Gear’ treatment, Chris Harris to buy Model 3 ‘soon’ after review
There was once a time when UK-based auto show Top Gear practically ignored the existence of Tesla vehicles on the car market. If the popular motoring program’s recent episode is any indication, that time appears to be long gone. The auto show’s host, Chris Harris, has become somewhat of an EV convert during his time with the all-electric sedan.
Off the bat, Harris noted that he would try his best to ignore the hype surrounding the Model 3. He stressed the importance of simply reviewing the vehicle the same way he does other cars. For the most part, he did, discussing only the vehicle’s characteristics such as its suite of fun Easter Eggs, its minimalistic interior, and its exterior looks. The Top Gear host was unimpressed with the Model 3’s design, finding the car to be far too “vanilla” for a vehicle that is being considered as an automobile that can change the face of motoring forever.
But then, the host quips, perhaps that was the point of the Model 3. Tesla made it a point to ensure that its most disruptive vehicle to date does not shock and awe at face value. Being a great car that just so happens to be electric, Harris noted that the Model 3 does appear to have what it takes to convert people away from the veterans of Europe’s hot high-performance sedan market.
And then came the track test.
Gunning the electric sedan into a track, the host could be seen genuinely enjoying the vehicle. The motiring show opted to test the Model 3 against the best high-performance sedans that Europe can offer: the Mercedez-AMG C 63 S, the BMW M3, and the Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio. First off was a drag race, an event that the Model 3 would likely dominate.
In order to give the vehicle a bigger challenge, the motoring show opted to hold a half-mile race. As the four-way race started, Harris was surprised when the Model 3 just kept pulling, even beyond the quarter-mile mark. The Mercedes-AMG C 63 S did catch the Model 3 a few feet away from the half-mile mark, but even with this result, the Top Gear host was convinced.
“This is the traffic light king. It’s an AK-47 disguised as a butter knife,” Harris said as he contemplated the results of the half-mile drag race.
Perhaps what really convinced Harris was the results of the Model 3’s handling test, which required the vehicle to go around a hastily-assembled course. The Top Gear host previously drove both the M3 and the Giulia Quadrifoglio on the same course, and the Alfa Romeo ended up winning against the BMW. With this in mind, Harris opted to set the time using the powerful petrol sedan. The Alfa Romeo lived up to its reputation, handling the track in a refined manner, and completing the course in 1:04:84.
The Top Gear host was not a fan of the Model 3’s handling, stating that the vehicle felt soft around the corners. It was unknown if the electric sedan’s Track Mode was activated during the test, but the Tesla nonetheless attacked the course with such ferocity that Harris was nevertheless impressed. While the Model 3 was not as refined around the corners as the Giulia Quadrifoglio, the vehicle’s insane acceleration was nonetheless enough to complete the course in 1:04:28, a full half-second faster than the Alfa Romeo. Considering that the Model 3 seemed to have only 50+% of its battery during the tests, these figures are nonetheless impressive.
The motoring show ended its Tesla segment by concluding that the Model 3 does indeed live up to Elon Musk’s statements. It does beat petrol cars, even around the track. For a show like Top Gear to admit such a thing, is not a bad accomplishment for the Model 3 at all. As for Chris Harris, he recently announced on Twitter that he has decided to buy a Tesla Model 3 for himself.
Elon Musk
SpaceX nails “Lucky 13” astronaut launch, leaning into Tesla tradition and superstition
SpaceX launched Crew-13 astronauts to the ISS Thursday, setting up a record fast Dragon docking.
SpaceX launched NASA’s Crew-13 mission to the International Space Station on Thursday morning, getting four astronauts to orbit despite a forecast of thunderstorms and gusty winds that had threatened to push the flight to Friday.
Falcon 9 lifted off from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station at 11:10 a.m. ET carrying Dragon Grace, NASA confirmed. On board are NASA commander Jessica Watkins, NASA pilot Luke Delaney, Canadian Space Agency astronaut Joshua Kutryk and Roscosmos cosmonaut Sergey Teteryatnikov. The first stage booster, B1101, landed at Landing Zone 40 beside the pad on its third flight after previously supporting Crew-12 and a Starlink mission.
Liftoff of Crew-13! pic.twitter.com/vteT0DXMTh
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) October 1, 2026
It was the first spaceflight for Delaney, Kutryk and Teteryatnikov. Watkins, who flew on Crew-4 in 2022, became the first NASA astronaut to launch aboard a Crew Dragon twice.
Before launch, the crew rode to the pad in Teslas, a tradition on NASA’s SpaceX crew flights since 2020. This time the cars carried specialty plates reading “Lucky 13.” Watkins said the mission patch leans into the number on purpose, as a nod to Apollo 13 and the resilience of that crew.
Grace is now on a short trip to the station. Docking at the forward port of the Harmony module is scheduled for about 7 p.m. ET, roughly 7 hours and 50 minutes after liftoff, which Space.com notes would be the fastest Crew Dragon transit to the ISS yet. Most Dragon flights take around 15 to 24 hours to catch the station. Hatch opening is planned for 8:25 p.m. ET.
The launch came more than two weeks later than originally planned. An oxidizer leak was found in Grace’s propulsion system in August, and NASA and SpaceX added time for tests. That pushed back the return of Crew-12, which has been aboard the station since February and is now set to splash down off Southern California next week. Crew-13 is expected to stay about six months.
SpaceX rescue mission for stranded ISS astronauts nears end — Here’s when they’ll return home
SpaceX already holds NASA orders for crew rotations through Crew-17, while Boeing is preparing an uncrewed Starliner flight to the station as early as December.
Crew-13 was only the first of three SpaceX launches planned for Thursday, as Teslarati previewed on Wednesday. A Falcon 9 launched its Transporter-18 mission from California today, where Google will be launching its first orbital artificial intelligence (AI) test satellite. Meanwhile, Falcon Heavy is set to launch the classified NROL-97 mission for the National Reconnaissance Office from Launch Complex 39A at 11:53 p.m. ET. Its two side boosters will return to Landing Zones 1 and 2, which means Central Florida could hear up to three sonic booms in a single day. The busy stretch follows Starship’s Flight 14 on Monday, which reached orbit for the first time.
Tesla has moved its Wireless Charging efforts for its electric vehicles forward, as it had a new patent published today, one that it submitted back in March.
The patent describes a system for detecting foreign objects on the wireless charging pad under varying temperatures, aiming to mitigate any undesired results that could come from something being on top of the charging pad.
🚨 Tesla has a new patent application published today, which was submitted back in March, for a Wireless Charging Pad:
“The present disclosure relates to methods and systems that can reliably detect foreign objects on a wireless charging pad under varying temperatures. In some… pic.twitter.com/LIeLfZAuDJ
— TESLARATI (@Teslarati) October 1, 2026
The abstract of the patent states:
“The present disclosure relates to methods and systems that can reliably detect foreign objects on a wireless charging pad under varying temperatures. In some examples, an object detector can utilize a set of inductive coils included in resonant tanks, and excite the resonant tanks using signals in a range of frequencies including or near a nominal resonant frequency of the resonant tanks. The object detector can detect a metal object based on resistance of a coil increasing and inductance of the coil decreasing. By analyzing the shifts and/or distributions in resonant frequencies and output magnitudes (e.g., output voltage peaks), the object detector can distinguish between changes of frequencies and magnitudes caused by temperature and those caused by foreign objects to accurately detect the foreign objects.”
The object detection system will utilize a set of inductive coils included in resonant tanks, and “excite the resonant tank using signals in a range of frequencies including or near a nominal resonant frequency of the tanks.” Metal can be detected by an increase in the coil’s resistance and a decrease in the coil’s inductance.
By analyzing shifts or disruptions in resonant frequencies and output magnitudes, the system can detect foreign objects. These types of safeguards need to be implemented through the normal operation of the charging pads.
Tesla says its Cybercab wireless charging efficiency is ‘well above 90%’
Tesla plans to utilize wireless charging with Cybercab and Robotaxi-enabled units to help streamline the fully autonomous experience from A to Z. The last thing the company wants to do is have any sort of small obstruction preventing the rider from experiencing Robotaxi as intended.
Tesla has launched its newest iteration of the Model 3 in China with a slew of new features, including the highly requested V2L (vehicle-to-load) feature and a new interior option.
The Model 3 now has a 16″ front touchscreen with improved resolution, a black headliner, V2L capabilities, Zen Grey interior in the Premium and Performance trims, as the White option has officially been discontinued, and 19″ Dark Nova Wheels, which are standard on the Model 3 Premium only.
🚨 Tesla has launched the Model 3 in China with a variety of new features and specs:
✅ 16” front touchscreen
✅ Black Headliner
✅ V2L Capability
✅ Zen Grey interior (Premium & Performance only)
✅ 19” Dark Nova wheels (Model 3 Premium only)
✅ Zen Grey Interior option… pic.twitter.com/ltTAEIYi2Z— TESLARATI (@Teslarati) October 1, 2026
The touchscreen in the U.S. version of the Model 3 is just 15.4″, so the newly upgraded screen is .6″ larger. Additionally, the Black Headliner, now standard on Model Y vehicles in the U.S., is coming to China.
Additionally, Tesla’s decision to end the white interior option has also made its way to the Asian market, as Zen Grey is the lighter color consumers can now go with. It is slightly different from the previously offered White option:
These options are available in China, Australia, and New Zealand as well, as Giga Shanghai serves those markets, bringing its mass-market vehicles to those countries in the South Pacific.
The Model 3 trims are now priced at:
- Rear-Wheel-Drive – 235,500 yuan (~$35,000)
- Long Range Rear-Wheel-Drive – 259,500 yuan ($38,700)
- Long Range All-Wheel-Drive – 285,500 yuan (~$42,600)
- Performance – 339,500 yuan (~$50,600)
These features have yet to make their way to the U.S., which might upset some buyers, but it is probably a good sign that Tesla will bring these changes to U.S. trims sometime next year. Potentially, these could come even sooner, as they could be used to stimulate demand for the year-end sales push.
Nevertheless, when things start at Giga Shanghai, they usually end up in the U.S. market. Tesla has also already started to install things like the Black Headliner and larger touchscreen in certain U.S.-built vehicles, so these things will be easy to implement across other vehicles in the lineup.
SpaceX nails “Lucky 13” astronaut launch, leaning into Tesla tradition and superstition
Tesla moves forward on Wireless Charging for vehicles
