Track mode is coming to the Tesla Model Y Performance, and it seems like it’s for real this time. Elon Musk reiterated Model Y track mode over the weekend.
In 2020, Musk said that track mode would come out for the Tesla Model Y, but it has not rolled out to the vehicle thus far. The Tesla CEO admitted that track mode for the Model Y isn’t as easy as it sounds when responding to a Twitter follower. Track mode is available on the Tesla Model 3 Performance and Model S Plaid.
Track Mode V2 seems to be the version available on the Model 3 Performance and the Model S Plaid. The Tesla Model 3 received track mode V2 in 2020. Tesla rolled out track mode to the Model S Plaid earlier this year in January.
Tesla released track model V2 with a few pre-set profiles to show drivers how they can customize their vehicles for the track. Below are some of track mode V2’s highlights.
Vehicle Handling Customization
- Handling Balance: Shift motor bias from 100 percent front to 100 percent rear, adjusts how much torque is sent to each motor for different understeer or oversteer behaviors, and initiate rotation and sustain slip angle.
- Stability Assistance: Choose the level at which the stability control systems are helping to control your car – from all stability systems on to off for complete driver control.
- Regen Braking: Adjust how much deceleration is provided by the car’s motors and foundation brakes. Adjusting deceleration impacts how much physical braking force is required to slow the vehicle down but also allows drivers to initiate their car’s rotation using the throttle pedal.
Real-Time Status Monitoring
- Optimal Vehicle Cooling: Post-Drive Cooling and Compressor Overclock extend track sessions by compensating for the higher temperatures generated by sustained, high-speed driving. Access Post-Drive Cooling and Compressor Overclock from Track Mode Settings.
- Vehicle Status: Get a detailed look at vehicle and sub-system temperatures on Model 3’s touchscreen. Track Mode uses real-time models to display battery, brake, motor temperatures, and tire utilization.
- G-Meter: Tesla’s G-Meter will automatically track and record peak lateral and longitudinal accelerations. To view the G-Meter go to the Cards area of the touchscreen.
Performance Review
- Lap Timer: The touchscreen map now displays a Lap Timer. Follow the instructions to place a start/finish pin on the map. After each lap, the Lap Timer will show the duration of your last lap. It also displays the times associated with the previous and best laps in the driving session.
- Video Logging & Telemetry Data: Video and telemetry data are now downloadable to a USB drive so drivers can track and share their performance. Data is stored in a .CSV file and includes lap times, acceleration, deceleration, G-meter, vehicle thermals, and tire utilization. To save data, plug in a USB flash drive with a folder named TeslaTrackMode. When ‘Save Dashcam for Lap’ is enabled, Track Mode stores a video of each lap in a driving session while using the Lap Timer.
The Teslarati team would appreciate hearing from you. If you have any tips, contact me at maria@teslarati.com or via Twitter @Writer_01001101.
News
Tesla dispels reports of ‘sales suspension’ in California
“This was a “consumer protection” order about the use of the term “Autopilot” in a case where not one single customer came forward to say there’s a problem.
Sales in California will continue uninterrupted.”
Tesla has dispelled reports that it is facing a thirty-day sales suspension in California after the state’s Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) issued a penalty to the company after a judge ruled it “misled consumers about its driver-assistance technology.”
On Tuesday, Bloomberg reported that the California DMV was planning to adopt the penalty but decided to put it on ice for ninety days, giving Tesla an opportunity to “come into compliance.”
Tesla enters interesting situation with Full Self-Driving in California
Tesla responded to the report on Tuesday evening, after it came out, stating that this was a “consumer protection” order that was brought up over its use of the term “Autopilot.”
The company said “not one single customer came forward to say there’s a problem,” yet a judge and the DMV determined it was, so they want to apply the penalty if Tesla doesn’t oblige.
However, Tesla said that its sales operations in California “will continue uninterrupted.”
It confirmed this in an X post on Tuesday night:
This was a “consumer protection” order about the use of the term “Autopilot” in a case where not one single customer came forward to say there’s a problem.
Sales in California will continue uninterrupted.
— Tesla North America (@tesla_na) December 17, 2025
The report and the decision by the DMV and Judge involved sparked outrage from the Tesla community, who stated that it should do its best to get out of California.
One X post said California “didn’t deserve” what Tesla had done for it in terms of employment, engineering, and innovation.
Tesla has used Autopilot and Full Self-Driving for years, but it did add the term “(Supervised)” to the end of the FSD suite earlier this year, potentially aiming to protect itself from instances like this one.
This is the first primary dispute over the terminology of Full Self-Driving, but it has undergone some scrutiny at the federal level, as some government officials have claimed the suite has “deceptive” naming. Previous Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg was vocally critical of the use of the name “Full Self-Driving,” as well as “Autopilot.”
News
New EV tax credit rule could impact many EV buyers
We confirmed with a Tesla Sales Advisor that any current orders that have the $7,500 tax credit applied to them must be completed by December 31, meaning delivery must take place by that date. However, it is unclear at this point whether someone could still claim the credit when filing their tax returns for 2025 as long as the order reflects an order date before September 30.
Tesla owners could be impacted by a new EV tax credit rule, which seems to be a new hoop to jump through for those who benefited from the “extension,” which allowed orderers to take delivery after the loss of the $7,500 discount.
After the Trump Administration initiated the phase-out of the $7,500 EV tax credit, many were happy to see the rules had been changed slightly, as deliveries could occur after the September 30 cutoff as long as orders were placed before the end of that month.
However, there appears to be a new threshold that EV buyers will have to go through, and it will impact their ability to get the credit, at least at the Point of Sale, for now.
Delivery must be completed by the end of the year, and buyers must take possession of the car by December 31, 2025, or they will lose the tax credit. The U.S. government will be closing the tax credit portal, which allows people to claim the credit at the Point of Sale.
🚨UPDATE: $7,500 Tax Credit Portal “Closes By End of Year”.
This is bad news for pending Tesla buyers (MYP) looking to lock in the $7,500 Tax Credit.
“it looks like the portal closes by end of the year so there be no way for us to guarantee the funds however, we will try our… pic.twitter.com/LnWiaXL30k
— DennisCW | wen my L (@DennisCW_) December 15, 2025
We confirmed with a Tesla Sales Advisor that any current orders that have the $7,500 tax credit applied to them must be completed by December 31, meaning delivery must take place by that date.
However, it is unclear at this point whether someone could still claim the credit when filing their tax returns for 2025 as long as the order reflects an order date before September 30.
If not, the order can still go through, but the buyer will not be able to claim the tax credit, meaning they will pay full price for the vehicle.
This puts some buyers in a strange limbo, especially if they placed an order for the Model Y Performance. Some deliveries have already taken place, and some are scheduled before the end of the month, but many others are not expecting deliveries until January.
Elon Musk
Elon Musk takes latest barb at Bill Gates over Tesla short position
Bill Gates placed a massive short bet against Tesla of ~1% of our total shares, which might have cost him over $10B by now
Elon Musk took his latest barb at former Microsoft CEO Bill Gates over his short position against the company, which the two have had some tensions over for a number of years.
Gates admitted to Musk several years ago through a text message that he still held a short position against his sustainable car and energy company. Ironically, Gates had contacted Musk to explore philanthropic opportunities.
Elon Musk explains Bill Gates beef: He ‘placed a massive bet on Tesla dying’
Musk said he could not take the request seriously, especially as Gates was hoping to make money on the downfall of the one company taking EVs seriously.
The Tesla frontman has continued to take shots at Gates over the years from time to time, but the latest comment came as Musk’s net worth swelled to over $600 billion. He became the first person ever to reach that threshold earlier this week, when Tesla shares increased due to Robotaxi testing without any occupants.
Musk refreshed everyone’s memory with the recent post, stating that if Gates still has his short position against Tesla, he would have lost over $10 billion by now:
Bill Gates placed a massive short bet against Tesla of ~1% of our total shares, which might have cost him over $10B by now
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 17, 2025
Just a month ago, in mid-November, Musk issued his final warning to Gates over the short position, speculating whether the former Microsoft frontman had still held the bet against Tesla.
“If Gates hasn’t fully closed out the crazy short position he has held against Tesla for ~8 years, he had better do so soon,” Musk said. This came in response to The Gates Foundation dumping 65 percent of its Microsoft position.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk sends final warning to Bill Gates over short position
Musk’s involvement in the U.S. government also drew criticism from Gates, as he said that the reductions proposed by DOGE against U.S.A.I.D. were “stunning” and could cause “millions of additional deaths of kids.”
“Gates is a huge liar,” Musk responded.
It is not known whether Gates still holds his Tesla short position.
Tesla dispels reports of ‘sales suspension’ in California
New EV tax credit rule could impact many EV buyers
