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Tesla Model 3 overtakes UK’s most popular gas cars in December 2020 registrations
The Tesla Model 3 has claimed the top spot for car registrations for December 2020, overtaking the region’s most popular gas-powered cars, new data from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders shows.
The Model 3 has dominated markets like the United States and China in terms of the most popular electric cars. However, the United Kingdom saw the Model 3 become the most popular vehicle regardless of powertrain. It overtook the Volkswagen Golf and the Ford Fiesta, two of the UK’s three most popular cars the top seller in December.
The #Tesla #Model3 takes top spot in new car registrations in the UK in December, according to new release from the SMMT.
Overall, the BEV mkt share is growing in the UK by leaps and bounds!@TeslaPodcast @Teslarati @Lebeaucarnews @alex_avoigt @ARKInvest @GerberKawasaki pic.twitter.com/4pCYWLuzYS
— Tavi (@tavi_chocochip) January 6, 2021
Data from the SMMT shows Tesla sold 5,798 Model 3s in the United Kingdom in December. This eclipsed the Volkswagen Golf, the second-place vehicle, by 1,328 units. The Ford Fiesta, the top seller in the UK for 2020, finished third for the month, with 3,367 units sold.
Credit: SMMT
The Model 3 has become the most popular electric vehicle in many markets due to its highly-affordable price point and commendable range and performance qualities. It was first manufactured by Tesla in 2017, and there is reason to believe that Tesla could have been experiencing overwhelming demand for the Model 3 in Europe due to the company importing many builds from the company’s Giga Shanghai facility in China. Tesla originally said that the China-manufactured Model 3s wouldn’t be imported. Still, the new numbers from the SMMT seem to indicate that demand was high, and the only way to keep up with it and fit the company’s year-end guidance of 500,000 cars was to import some builds from China to Europe.
Tesla Model 3 produced in Giga Shanghai are heading to Europe next week
As for battery electric vehicles (BEVs) as a whole, the UK saw a 343.7% increase in registrations in December 2020 compared to the same month in 2019. Figures show that a total of 21,914 BEVs were bought in December 2020, a sizeable increase from the 4,939 units that were sold in December 2019.
A noticeable increase in BEV purchases for 2020 as a whole was also noticed in the SMMT data. The 108,205 BEVs sold in 2020 eclipsed the 37,850 BEVs sold in 2019, a 185.9% increase. Additionally, a 5% increase in market share was reported for BEVs, from just 1.6% in 2019 to 6.6% in 2020.
Credit: SMMT
The Model 3 has dominated sales figures in many countries and regions since its introduction in 2017. As of now, it is the car that has put Tesla on the map as a mass-manufacturer of automobiles, and the Model Y crossover will only solidify the company’s presence as a major player in the transition to EVs. There is no doubt that the Model 3 was the main contributor to Tesla reaching its 500,000 vehicle production and delivery rate for 2020. Now that the popularity shows up in proven figures by surpassing gas-powered cars, the dawn of a new era may be upon the automotive industry.
News
Volkswagen teams with Uber for robotaxi service with the ID. Buzz
Volkswagen and Uber team up to launch a driverless ID. Buzz robotaxi fleet in U.S. cities. Testing starts in LA this year.

Volkswagen of America and Uber unveiled a plan to launch a commercial robotaxi service using autonomous electric ID. Buzz vehicles across U.S. cities over the next decade. The partnership marks a significant step for Volkswagen’s autonomous vehicle ambitions, leveraging Uber’s ride-hailing expertise.
The service will debut in Los Angeles by late 2026, with human safety operators initially overseeing the fleet before transitioning to fully driverless operations in 2027. Volkswagen ADMT, the German automaker’s autonomous subsidiary, will begin testing in Los Angeles later this year upon securing a testing permit from the California Department of Motor Vehicles. The California Public Utilities Commission will oversee permits for the commercial ride-hailing phase.
“Volkswagen is not just a car manufacturer — we are shaping the future of mobility, and our collaboration with Uber accelerates that vision,” said Christian Senger, CEO of Volkswagen Autonomous Mobility. “What really sets us apart is our ability to combine the best of both worlds–high-volume manufacturing expertise with cutting-edge technology and a deep understanding of urban mobility needs.”
The Trump administration’s recent policy shift, announced last Thursday by Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, supports initiatives like VW and Uber’s partnerships by easing federal safety rules and crash reporting requirements on autonomous vehicle development. According to Duffy, the United States government wants to outpace Chinese competitors in autonomous vehicle development.
Volkswagen ADMT, which launched publicly in July 2023, has been testing 10 ID. Buzz vehicles equipped with Mobileye’s autonomous technology in Austin, reported TechCrunch. Two years ago, Volkswagen focused on selling self-driving vans and fleet management software rather than building its own ride-hailing service. VW’s strategy toward autonomous vehicles appears to have shifted, as reflected in its Uber partnership.
Uber will strengthen its autonomous vehicle portfolio through its partnership with Volkswagen. The ride-hailing service company has secured deals with over 14 firms, including Waymo in Austin and a forthcoming launch in Atlanta.
The Volkswagen-Uber collaboration positions both companies to capitalize on the growing robotaxi market. With testing imminent and regulatory support increasing, the ID. Buzz fleet could redefine urban mobility, blending Volkswagen’s manufacturing prowess with Uber’s ride-hailing network to compete in the evolving autonomous vehicle landscape.
News
These automakers are pushing to overturn California’s gas car ban
This lobbying group represents Detroit’s Big Three automakers, as well as several others selling vehicles in the U.S.

A lobbying group made up of several automakers is pushing Congress to ban California’s plan to phase out and ban new gas car sales altogether by 2035, ahead of a vote that could also affect the 11 other states that have followed with similar plans.
The Alliance for Automotive Innovation (AAI), an organization representing the interests of Ford, General Motors (GM), Stellantis, Toyota, Volkswagen, Hyundai, and several others, recently sent a letter to Congress requesting that it overturn a waiver granted to California letting it set its own emissions rules.
Later this week, the U.S. House of Representatives will vote on overturning the waiver granted to California under the 1968 Clean Air Act to impose the tightened standards, according to Reuters. In the previous letter, the AAI argued to Congress that automakers would be “forced to substantially reduce the number of overall vehicles for sale to inflate their proportion of electric vehicle sales,” adding that it would also boost prices and reduce competition in the market.
The waiver, enacted under the Biden administration’s Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), allows California to mandate at least 80 percent electric vehicle sales by 2035 under the Clean Air Act. The passage of disapproval of the waiver is being ushered under the Congressional Review Act, and an initial vote in the House of Representatives is set to take place on Wednesday.
READ MORE ON STATE EMISSIONS RULES: Tesla could face emissions credit tax in Washington
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia backed the EPA’s decision to grant the waiver last April, following a challenge from 17 Republican-run states. The group claimed that California was being given unconstitutional regulatory power in the decision, adding that other states didn’t have those same powers.
In December, the U.S. Supreme Court agreed to hear out bids from Valero, the AAI, and other groups to oppose the 2035 California gas car sales ban, which would begin phasing them out in 2026 if the waiver remains in place.
You can see the full list of members of the AAI below, including automakers and a handful of other tech companies.
Companies represented by the Alliance for Automotive Innovation (AAI)
Here’s the full list of AAI members, according to the lobbying group’s website:
- AESC
- AISIN
- Aptiv
- Autoliv
- BMW Group
- Bosch
- Denso
- Emergency Safety Solutions
- Ferrari
- Ford
- GM
- Harman
- Honda
- Hyundai
- InEos Automotive
- Infineon
- Isuzu
- Jaguar-Land Rover
- Kia
- LG
- Luminar
- Magna
- Mazda
- McLaren
- Mercedes-Benz
- Mitsubishi Motors
- Nissan
- Nuro
- Panasonic
- Porsche
- Qualcomm
- RV Industry Association
- Samsung
- SiriusXM
- SK On
- Stellantis
- Subaru
- Texas Instruments
- Toyota
- Uber
- VinFast
- Volkswagen
- Volvo
- Zoox
California proposal to allow self-driving tests for heavy-duty trucks
News
Neuralink’s third brain chip patient shares first video edited with BCI
The third Neuralink brain chip patient is the trial’s first patient with ALS and its first non-verbal patient, and he has detailed his experience regaining speech and more.

Elon Musk’s Neuralink has officially installed its brain-chip interface (BCI) into a third human patient, and the individual shared a video this week detailing his experiences gaining control of external devices and regaining the ability to talk through the use of AI.
On Monday, X user Bradford G Smith shared a video detailing his experience as the third person in the world to receive the Neuralink BCI, and as the first non-verbal patient and the first with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) to receive the implant. In the video, Smith details how the BCI works, how it’s less limiting than his previous eye tracker technology, and how it has literally helped him regain his voice through AI.
“I am typing this with my brain,” Smith wrote. “It is my primary communication.”
The video, which he says is the first edited directly with a BCI, is narrated by an AI-generated version of his old voice. Prior to the BCI, he was also unable to leave the house using his eye tracker, as it made it difficult to communicate unless he was in dark or low-light settings.
The video also shows how he’s able to connect with external devices using the BCI, with a live shots of him controlling his computer using a cursor.
You can see the full update below, which runs a little under 10 minutes.
READ MORE ON NEURALINK: Elon Musk: over 1,000 humans with Neuralink implants in 2026 is feasible
The news follows Neuralink’s initial update with Brad and other initial BCI patients, as was shared in a post on the company’s website in February. In it, Brad also explained how groundbreaking it was to be able to communicate outside and see his son win a robotics award, along with being able to consider leaving the city area for the first time in half a decade:
The most significant thing that happened this week will sound strange to you: I got to use the computer on the porch, and it worked!!
I went to [my child’s] soccer game, and the referee thought I was sleeping. I was actually able to talk outside. I [am] actually thinking about traveling outside the [city] metro [for] the first time in 5 years.
Both of Neuralink’s studies focus on restoring autonomy to people who are paraplegic through the use of external devices. The company gained initial approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to install the first BCI in a human patient in May 2023, with Noland Arbaugh being the first, a patient named Alex being the second, and Brad being the third.
Neuralink opened its Patient Registry worldwide earlier this month, allowing participants to submit to take part in the company’s initial PRIME and CONVOY studies. The firm also announced plans to operate the PRIME study out of a second location in Miami, Florida in January, after an initial location was launched in Phoenix, Arizona.
Last week, it was reported by Bloomberg that Neuralink is currently targeting a $500 million funding round at a valuation of $8.5 billion. Meanwhile, Neuralink has also been constructing office buildings near Austin, Texas, which initially aimed to be completed in May 2025.
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