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Tesla Model S rival Porsche Mission E spotted testing on the Nurburgring

[Credit: EMS Nordschleife TV/YouTube]

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Porsche recently took its Mission E prototype to the Nurburgring in Germany, where it was spotted speeding through one of the tracks’ iconic turns. As could be seen in a brief clip featuring the upcoming all-electric high-performance sedan, the Mission E was able to go through the exit of Brunnchen in classic, aggressive Porsche fashion.

Considered as the German legacy automaker’s direct competitor to the Tesla Model S, the Mission E is expected to pack a lot of high-tech gear and formidable performance. Just recently, Porsche VP of Product Line BEV, Stefan Weckbach, even threw some shade at Tesla, stating that the American electric car and energy company does not build a car that can tackle the performance requirements of continued track driving.

Weckbach also noted that the Porsche Mission E, with its twin electric motors delivering instant torque, would be designed to be driven hard over long periods of time. According to the Porsche executive, the Mission E would be able to maintain its top speed and aggressive acceleration even under the demanding conditions of track driving.

Teslarati’s “48” Model S race car at Laguna Seca

The Model S, after all, is capable of Ludicrous straight-line acceleration, but when taken to a racetrack, Tesla’s software ends limits the vehicle’s performance after a few minutes to prevent excessive heating of the car’s battery. Track performance is something that the German automaker has proven mastery of over the years, with some of his vehicles like the Porsche 911 GT2 RS and the 918 Spyder holding some of the best lap times on the Nurburgring.

Tesla might be on its way to improving the track capabilities of its vehicles, however. As we noted in a previous report, a Model 3 was recently able to complete several laps in the Laguna Seca raceway without seeing a drop in performance. The next-gen Roadster, Tesla’s fastest car to date with a 0-60 mph time of 1.9 seconds, is also speculated to be capable of maintaining its high speed over long periods of time.

The Mission E was first unveiled at the 2015 Frankfurt Motor Show as a concept car. Since then, however, Porsche has begun producing pre-production prototypes of the electric car, which still boast some classic Porsche design minus some of the concept version’s more daring design elements. The most prominent of these are the rear suicide doors on the concept Mission E, which have been replaced by traditional rear doors on the pre-production variant. Some characteristics of the Mission E concept remained present in the pre-production version of the all-electric car, however, such as the sleek lines on its front that curve into its headlights.

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While the Mission E will definitely be a Tesla Model S competitor when it gets released, Porsche’s idea of a charging infrastructure is far different than the Elon Musk-led company’s Supercharger network. In a recent statement, Porsche’s deputy chairman of the executive board Lutz Meschke noted that Mission E owners would be billed for charging services from day one of ownership. Meschke further noted that the rates for the Mission E’s charging would be comparable to the average prices of gasoline.

Watch the Porsche Mission E tackle a section of the Nurburgring in the video below.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=18&v=3PkUeDJKBLA

Simon is an experienced automotive reporter with a passion for electric cars and clean energy. Fascinated by the world envisioned by Elon Musk, he hopes to make it to Mars (at least as a tourist) someday. For stories or tips--or even to just say a simple hello--send a message to his email, simon@teslarati.com or his handle on X, @ResidentSponge.

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Tesla Model 3 gets perfect 5-star Euro NCAP safety rating

Tesla prides itself on producing some of the safest vehicles on the road today.

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Credit: Tesla Singapore/X

Tesla prides itself on producing some of the safest vehicles on the road today. Based on recent findings from the Euro NCAP, the 2025 Model 3 sedan continues this tradition, with the vehicle earning a 5-star overall safety rating from the agency.

Standout Safety Features

As could be seen on the Euro NCAP’s official website, the 2025 Model 3 achieved an overall score of 90% for Adult Occupants, 93% for Child Occupants, 89% for Vulnerable Road Users, and 87% for Safety Assist. This rating, as per the Euro NCAP, applies to the Model 3 Rear Wheel Drive, Long Range Rear Wheel Drive, Long Range All Wheel Drive, and Performance All Wheel Drive.

The Euro NCAP highlighted a number of the Model 3’s safety features, such as its Active Hood, which automatically lifts during collisions to mitigate injury risks to vulnerable road users, and Automatic Emergency Braking System, which now detects motorcycles through an upgraded algorithm. The Euro NCAP also mentioned the Model 3’s feature that prevents initial door opening if someone is approaching the vehicle’s blind spot.

Standout Safety Features

In a post on its official Tesla Europe & Middle East account, Tesla noted that the company is also introducing new features that make the Model 3 even safer than it is today. These include functions like head-on collision avoidance and crossing traffic AEB, as well as Child Left Alone Detection, among other safety features.

“We also introduced new features to improve Safety Assist functionality even further – like head-on collision avoidance & crossing traffic AEB – to detect & respond to potential hazards faster, helping avoid accidents in the first place. 

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“Lastly, we released Child Left Alone Detection – if an unattended child is detected, the vehicle will turn on HVAC & alert caregivers via phone app & the vehicle itself (flashing lights/audible alert). Because we’re using novel in-cabin radar sensing, your Tesla is able to distinguish between adult vs child – reduced annoyance to adults, yet critical safety feature for kids,” Tesla wrote in its post on X.

Below is the Euro NCAP’s safety report on the 2025 Tesla Model 3 sedan.

Euroncap 2025 Tesla Model 3 Datasheet by Simon Alvarez on Scribd

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USDOT Secretary visits Tesla Giga Texas, hints at national autonomous vehicle standards

The Transportation Secretary also toured the factory’s production lines and spoke with CEO Elon Musk.

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Credit: Elon Musk/X

United States Department of Transportation (USDOT) Secretary Sean Duffy recently visited Tesla’s Gigafactory Texas complex, where he toured the factory’s production lines and spoke with CEO Elon Musk. In a video posted following his Giga Texas visit, Duffy noted that he believes there should be a national standard for autonomous vehicles in the United States.

Duffy’s Giga Texas Visit

As could be seen in videos of his Giga Texas visit, the Transportation Secretary seemed to appreciate the work Tesla has been doing to put the United States in the forefront of innovation. “Tesla is one of the many companies helping our country reach new heights. USDOT will be right there all the way to make sure Americans stay safe,” Duffy wrote in a post on X. 

He also praised Tesla for its autonomous vehicle program, highlighting that “We need American companies to keep innovating so we can outcompete the rest of the world.”

National Standard

While speaking with Tesla CEO Elon Musk, the Transportation Secretary stated that other autonomous ride-hailing companies have been lobbying for a national standard for self-driving cars. Musk shared the sentiment, stating that “It’d be wonderful for the United States to have a national set of rules for autonomous driving as opposed to 50 independent sets of rules on a state-by-state rules basis.”

Duffy agreed with the CEO’s point, stating that, “You can’t have 50 different rules for 50 different states. You need one standard.” He also noted that the Transportation Department has asked autonomous vehicle companies to submit data. By doing so, the USDOT could develop a standard for the entire United States, allowing self-driving cars to operate in a manner that is natural and safe.

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Tesla posts Optimus’ most impressive video demonstration yet

The humanoid robot was able to complete all the tasks through a single neural network.

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Credit: Tesla Optimus/X

When Elon Musk spoke with CNBC’s David Faber in an interview at Giga Texas, he reiterated the idea that Optimus will be one of Tesla’s biggest products. Seemingly to highlight the CEO’s point, the official Tesla Optimus account on social media platform X shared what could very well be the most impressive demonstration of the humanoid robot’s capabilities to date.

Optimus’ Newest Demonstration

In its recent video demonstration, the Tesla Optimus team featured the humanoid robot performing a variety of tasks. These include household chores such as throwing the trash, using a broom and a vacuum cleaner, tearing a paper towel, stirring a pot of food, opening a cabinet, and closing a curtain, among others. The video also featured Optimus picking up a Model X fore link and placing it on a dolly.

What was most notable in the Tesla Optimus team’s demonstration was the fact that the humanoid robot was able to complete all the tasks through a single neural network. The robot’s actions were also learned directly from Optimus being fed data from first-person videos of humans performing similar tasks. This system should pave the way for Optimus to learn and refine new skills quickly and reliably.

Tesla VP for Optimus Shares Insight

In a follow-up post on X, Tesla Vice President of Optimus (Tesla Bot) Milan Kovac stated that one of the team’s goals is to have Optimus learn straight from internet videos of humans performing tasks, including footage captured in third person or by random cameras.

“We recently had a significant breakthrough along that journey, and can now transfer a big chunk of the learning directly from human videos to the bots (1st person views for now). This allows us to bootstrap new tasks much faster compared to teleoperated bot data alone (heavier operationally).

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“Many new skills are emerging through this process, are called for via natural language (voice/text), and are run by a single neural network on the bot (multi-tasking). Next: expand to 3rd person video transfer (aka random internet), and push reliability via self-play (RL) in the real-, and/or synthetic- (sim / world models) world,” Kovac wrote in his post on X.

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