There’s no denying that the Porsche Taycan Turbo is an incredible electric car on the track. Refined on the cruel turns of the Nurburgring, the Taycan embodies Porsche’s racing pedigree in an all electric package. This is why it was quite surprising to see such a vehicle bow down to a far more affordable and understated adversary: the Tesla Model 3 Performance.
China’s premier motoring site, Dongchedi, recently conducted a 24-hour test of the Porsche Taycan Turbo, benchmarking the vehicle against the Tesla Model S Performance and Model 3 Performance with Track Package. The news agency performed three main tests for the Taycan, which included a drag race and endurance test against the Model S and a time attack track run against the Model 3 Performance.
The Taycan Turbo is one of the most expensive electric cars in China. Commanding a price of RMB 1,498,000 (around USD 214,238) in the local market, the Taycan Turbo is over three times more expensive than the Model 3 Performance, which is priced at RMB 419,800 (around USD 60,038). It should be noted that the Model 3 Performance is still quite pricey in China, seeing as it is not yet being locally produced at Gigafactory Shanghai.
As noted by the motoring site, the Porsche Taycan Turbo actually performed really well during its test. Professional drivers who tested the vehicle over the 24 hour period praised the electric sedan for its driving dynamics, which showcases the best that Porsche has to offer. That being said, the Taycan did bow to the Model S Performance in the drag race, as it finished the quarter mile run in 10.99 seconds, just behind the Model S Performance, which completed the race in 10.56 seconds.
The Taycan Turbo also did well on its battery endurance test, running 452 km in one charge and impressively close to its NEDC rating of 462 km. In contrast, Tesla’s flagship sedan was able to run 505 km before it ran out of battery, 145 km less than its NEDC rating of 650 km.
For the Porsche Taycan Turbo’s track test, the Dongchedi team brought the vehicle to its closed circuit for a hot lap time attack test. But this time around, the Taycan Turbo had an additional competitor: the Tesla Model 3 Performance with Track Package. The Taycan Turbo showed its racing pedigree in the test, decimating the Model S Performance’s track time of 1:19:26 with its impressive 1:15:97 run.
However, the German made electric car’s win was short lived, as the much more affordable Model 3 was able to complete its hot lap in 1:15:78. Granted, the gap between the time attack results of the Porsche Taycan Turbo and the Model 3 Performance was very slim. Despite this, it is difficult not to be impressed by Tesla’s most affordable performance branded car.
There are very few cars out there in the Model 3 Performance’s price range that could give the Taycan Turbo some competition, after all, and there are even fewer that can actually humble the proud German made EV in an area that it’s designed to dominate. With such results, it would not be surprising if the Model 3 Performance becomes the vehicle of choice for the country’s mainstream racing enthusiasts, seeing as it offers performance that can compete with a Porsche on the track — at a fraction of the price.
Elon Musk
SpaceX targets 150Mbps per user for upgraded Starlink Direct-to-Cell
If achieved, the 150Mbps goal would represent a significant jump from the current performance of Starlink Direct-to-Cell.
SpaceX is targeting peak download speeds of 150Mbps per user for its next-generation Direct-to-Cell Starlink service. The update was shared by SpaceX Spectrum & Regulatory Affairs Lead Udrivolf Pica during the International Telecommunication Union’s Space Connect conference.
“We are aiming at peak speeds of 150Mbps per user,” Pica said during the conference. “So something incredible if you think about the link budgets from space to the mobile phone.”
If achieved, the 150Mbps goal would represent a significant jump from the current performance of Starlink Direct-to-Cell.
Today, SpaceX’s cellular Starlink service, offered in partnership with T-Mobile under the T-Satellite brand, provides speeds of roughly 4Mbps per user. The service is designed primarily for texts, low-resolution video calls, and select apps in locations that traditionally have no cellular service.
By comparison, Ookla data shows median 5G download speeds of approximately 309Mbps for T-Mobile and 172Mbps for AT&T in the United States, as noted in a PCMag report. While 150Mbps would still trail the fastest terrestrial 5G networks, it would place satellite-to-phone broadband much closer to conventional carrier performance, even in remote areas.
Pica indicated that the upgraded system would support “video, voice, and data services, clearly,” moving beyond emergency connectivity and basic messaging use cases.
To reach that target, SpaceX plans to upgrade its existing Starlink Direct-to-Cell satellites and add significant new capacity. The company recently acquired access to radio spectrum from EchoStar, which Pica described as key to expanding throughput.
“More spectrum means a bigger pipeline, and this means that we can expand what we can do with partners. We can expand the quality of service. And again, we can do cellular broadband basically, cellular broadband use cases, like AI or daily connectivity needs,” he stated.
SpaceX has also requested regulatory approval to deploy 15,000 additional Direct-to-Cell satellites, beyond the roughly 650 currently supporting the system. The upgraded architecture is expected to begin rolling out in late 2027.
News
Tesla seeks approval to test FSD Supervised in new Swedish city
Tesla has applied to conduct local Full Self-Driving (Supervised) testing in the city of Jönköping, Sweden.
Tesla has applied to conduct local Full Self-Driving (Supervised) testing in the city of Jönköping, Sweden.
As per local outlet Jönköpings-Posten, Tesla has contacted the municipality with a request to begin FSD (Supervised) tests in the city. The company has already received approval to test its Full Self-Driving (Supervised) software in several Swedish municipalities, as well as on the national road network.
Sofia Bennerstål, Tesla’s Head of Public Policy for Northern Europe, confirmed that an application has been submitted for FSD’s potential tests in Jönköping.
“I can confirm that we have submitted an application, but I cannot say much more about it,” Bennerstål told the news outlet. She also stated that Tesla is “satisfied with the tests” in the region so far.
The planned tests in Jönköping would involve a limited number of Tesla-owned vehicles. Trained Tesla safety drivers would remain behind the wheel and be prepared to intervene if necessary.
Tesla previously began testing in Nacka municipality after receiving local approval. At the time, the company stated that cooperation between authorities, municipalities, and industry enables technological progress and helps integrate future transport systems into real-world traffic conditions, as noted in an Allt Om Elbil report.
If approved, Jönköping would become the latest Swedish municipality to allow local Full Self-Driving (Supervised) testing.
Tesla’s Swedish testing program is part of the company’s efforts to validate its supervised autonomous driving software in everyday traffic environments. Municipal approvals allow Tesla to gather data in urban settings that include roundabouts, complex intersections, and mixed traffic conditions.
Sweden has become an increasingly active testing ground for Tesla’s driver-assistance software in Europe, with regulatory coordination between local authorities and national agencies enabling structured pilot programs.
Elon Musk
Microsoft partners with Starlink to expand rural internet access worldwide
The update was shared ahead of Mobile World Congress.
Microsoft has announced a new collaboration with Starlink as part of its expanding digital access strategy, following the company’s claim that it has extended internet connectivity coverage to more than 299 million people worldwide.
The update was shared ahead of Mobile World Congress, where Microsoft detailed how it surpassed its original goal of bringing internet access to 250 million people by the end of 2025.
In a blog post, Microsoft confirmed that it is now working with Starlink to expand connectivity in rural and hard-to-reach regions.
“Through our collaboration with Starlink, Microsoft is combining low-Earth orbit satellite connectivity with community-based deployment models and local ecosystem partnerships,” the company wrote.
The partnership is designed to complement Microsoft’s existing work with local internet providers and infrastructure companies across Africa, Latin America, and India, among other areas. Microsoft noted that traditional infrastructure alone cannot meet demand in some regions, making low-Earth orbit satellite connectivity an important addition.
Kenya was cited as an early example. Working with Starlink and local provider Mawingu Networks, Microsoft is supporting connectivity for 450 community hubs in rural and underserved areas. These hubs include farmer cooperatives, aggregation centers, and digital access facilities intended to support agricultural productivity and AI-enabled services.
Microsoft stated that 2.2 billion people globally remain offline, and that connectivity gaps risk widening as AI adoption accelerates.
Starlink’s expanding constellation, now numbering more than 9,700 satellites in orbit, provides near-global coverage, making it one of the few systems capable of delivering broadband to remote regions without relying on terrestrial infrastructure.
Starlink is expected to grow even more in the coming years as well, especially as SpaceX transitions its fleet to Starship, which is capable of carrying significantly larger payloads compared to its current workhorse, the Falcon 9.
SpaceX targets 150Mbps per user for upgraded Starlink Direct-to-Cell
Tesla seeks approval to test FSD Supervised in new Swedish city
