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First Tesla Model Y in Netherlands spotted undergoing Autopilot, Supercharger tests

A Tesla Model Y spotted in the Netherlands. (Photo: Hans Noordsij/Tesla Owners Club Netherlands)

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It appears that Tesla has begun testing the Model Y on European roads, and it has reached the Netherlands in its recent travels. Based on accounts from Tesla owners in the area, the vehicle appears to be testing several of its features, such as its Autopilot system and its Supercharging capabilities. 

An image of the US-spec Model Y was shared recently by the Tesla Owners Club Nederland group, which featured the all-electric crossover charging from a EU-spec Supercharger. Interestingly enough, a Tesla Model S service unit was alongside the Model Y. According to Tesla owner and electric vehicle veteran Hans Noordsij, the Model Y has been making its way across several countries before it reached Dutch roads. 

The Tesla Model Y’s European road tests reportedly began in Germany. From there, the all-electric crossover headed to Holland, before traveling to Tilburg, where it was photographed at a Supercharger. Based on information shared with Teslarati, the Model Y was using a CCS adapter to plug into the region’s Superchargers, highlighting once more that it was a US-spec vehicle. 

Conducting real-world tests of the Tesla Model Y on European roads is incredibly important for the electric car maker. The vehicle must be approved in Europe before it could be offered to customers, after all, and this includes driver-assist features such as Autopilot. Road tests are invaluable towards this goal. 

The Model Y is a key vehicle in Tesla’s plan to enter the mainstream auto market, with CEO Elon Musk stating in the past that he expects the Model Y to sell more than the Model 3, Model S, and Model X combined. This is partly due to the fact that the Model Y is a crossover, which happens to be a very popular segment across the auto industry today. 

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Perhaps the biggest question with the Model Y and Europe for now would be Tesla’s immediate plans for the all-electric crossover. The Model Y will be the first vehicle that will be produced in Gigafactory Berlin, whose initial stages are currently being built. However, Tesla’s Germany plant is not expected to begin producing vehicles until next year. 

With this in mind, there is some value to Tesla initially shipping the Model Y to Europe from the United States, as the same strategy has been adopted with the Model 3 to some success. Then again, it would be quite interesting to see how European customers would respond to an imported version of the Model Y, when a German-made variant of the crossover, which would likely be built according to the country’s strict quality standards and will be priced more reasonably, is coming in the near future. 

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 adjusts crucial feature as winter weather arrives

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Credit: Tesla Cybertruck Owners Club Forum user CybertruckCovers

Tesla has adjusted the functionality of a crucial climate feature as Winter weather has started to arrive throughout some parts of the United States. The new feature was highly requested by owners.

Tesla has a Cabin Overheat Protection feature that helps keep the temperature regulated if it reaches a certain threshold. Inversely, it can be used in cold weather as well, which will automatically warm the cabin if it sinks to a temperature that is too low for the owner’s comfort.

This is a great way to keep the cabin either warmed up just enough or cooled down just enough so that it never gets too hot or too cold. Extreme temperatures could damage certain parts of the vehicle or damage personal belongings that are kept inside the car.

Overheat protection is a great thing to have in hot climates like Arizona or Texas, especially with the Premium trims of the Model 3 and Model Y, which feature a glass roof.

Many owners appreciate the feature, but they argue that using it at home will utilize too much energy, especially during extreme temperatures. For a while, many Tesla fans have requested an option to disable this feature when the car is parked at home, which the company recently added, according to Not a Tesla App.

The feature is part of Software Version 2025.44.3, and the release notes state:

“You can now choose Exclude Home when Cabin Overheat Protection or No A/C is enabled.”

Tesla has been great at listening to what owners want with new features, and this is one that will reserve some charge and prevent unnecessary utilization of available power, especially as the car is parked at home. If owners want to condition the cabin or get the car ready for operation with a comfortable interior, they can utilize the Tesla app to adjust the climate.

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Tesla CEO Elon Musk sends rivals dire warning about Full Self-Driving

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Credit: Tesla

Tesla CEO Elon Musk revealed today on the social media platform X that legacy automakers, such as Ford, General Motors, and Stellantis, do not want to license the company’s Full Self-Driving suite, at least not without a long list of their own terms.

“I’ve tried to warn them and even offered to license Tesla FSD, but they don’t want it! Crazy,” Musk said on X. “When legacy auto does occasionally reach out, they tepidly discuss implementing FSD for a tiny program in 5 years with unworkable requirements for Tesla, so pointless.”

Musk made the remark in response to a note we wrote about earlier today from Melius Research, in which analyst Rob Wertheimer said, “Our point is not that Tesla is at risk, it’s that everybody else is,” in terms of autonomy and self-driving development.

Wertheimer believes there are hundreds of billions of dollars in value headed toward Tesla’s way because of its prowess with FSD.

A few years ago, Musk first remarked that Tesla was in early talks with one legacy automaker regarding licensing Full Self-Driving for its vehicles. Tesla never confirmed which company it was, but given Musk’s ongoing talks with Ford CEO Jim Farley at the time, it seemed the Detroit-based automaker was the likely suspect.

Tesla’s Elon Musk reiterates FSD licensing offer for other automakers

Ford has been perhaps the most aggressive legacy automaker in terms of its EV efforts, but it recently scaled back its electric offensive due to profitability issues and weak demand. It simply was not making enough vehicles, nor selling the volume needed to turn a profit.

Musk truly believes that many of the companies that turn their backs on FSD now will suffer in the future, especially considering the increased chance it could be a parallel to what has happened with EV efforts for many of these companies.

Unfortunately, they got started too late and are now playing catch-up with Tesla, XPeng, BYD, and the other dominating forces in EVs across the globe.

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Tesla backtracks on strange Nav feature after numerous complaints

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Credit: Tesla

Tesla is backtracking on a strange adjustment it made to its in-car Navigation feature after numerous complaints from owners convinced the company to make a change.

Tesla’s in-car Navigation is catered to its vehicles, as it routes Supercharging stops and preps your vehicle for charging with preconditioning. It is also very intuitive, and features other things like weather radar and a detailed map outlining points of interest.

However, a recent change to the Navigation by Tesla did not go unnoticed, and owners were really upset about it.

Tesla’s Navigation gets huge improvement with simple update

For trips that required multiple Supercharger stops, Tesla decided to implement a naming change, which did not show the city or state of each charging stop. Instead, it just showed the business where the Supercharger was located, giving many owners an unwelcome surprise.

However, Tesla’s Director of Supercharging, Max de Zegher, admitted the update was a “big mistake on our end,” and made a change that rolled out within 24 hours:

The lack of a name for the city where a Supercharging stop would be made caused some confusion for owners in the short term. Some drivers argued that it was more difficult to make stops at some familiar locations that were special to them. Others were not too keen on not knowing where they were going to be along their trip.

Tesla was quick to scramble to resolve this issue, and it did a great job of rolling it out in an expedited manner, as de Zegher said that most in-car touch screens would notice the fix within one day of the change being rolled out.

Additionally, there will be even more improvements in December, as Tesla plans to show the common name/amenity below the site name as well, which will give people a better idea of what to expect when they arrive at a Supercharger.

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