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Tesla gears up for refresh Model 3 delivery ramp

(Credit: @klwtts)

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Tesla seems to be gearing up to ramp refresh Model 3 deliveries. The Fremont Factory had batches of refreshed Model 3 vehicles ready for delivery. Some of the newly-minted cars were already in delivery truck carriers, with more parked nearby. 

“Save the single refreshed Model 3 we’ve seen delivered to @kawikados, we’ve yet to see a significant number of 2021 Model 3s built for the NA market… at least that was the case until NOW!!,” said @klwtts, who snapped a few pictures of the cars parked and ready to deliver at Tesla’s Fremont Factory. 

It seems that Tesla has started notifying Model 3 reservation holders about deliveries in the coming weeks. Majority of the vehicles spotted at Fremont seem to be the Model 3 Standard Range Plus with the new Aero wheel covers.

Tesla notified a few reservation holders of the refreshed Model 3 Performance variant and told them to expect deliveries in at least 5-7 weeks. Some reported getting earlier delivery dates for the Dual Motor Long Range non-performance variant.

So far, Teslarati has reported two refresh Model 3 deliveries in the North American region. David Narayan reported one of the first refresh Model 3 deliveries in the United States. Narayan received his new Tesla in Utah. At the time, Tesla employees told him that he might be the very first customer to get the refreshed Model 3 in the United States because they had never seen it before.

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Another new Model 3 was delivered in British Columbia, Canada to Mahdi Askarzadeh. According to comments in Askarzadeh’s videos of his new car, some reservation holders located in Vancouver were notified to expect their Model 3 deliveries in two weeks.

 Both Narayan and Askarzadeh gave their first impressions of the updated Model 3 and both seemed favorable. The refreshed Model 3s feature a new center console with wireless charging pads, blacked out door handles and trim, along with the newly-designed Aero wheel covers. The Model Y’s heat pump also made it to the refresh Model 3, making it more energy efficient and ready to take on the winter. 

Maria--aka "M"-- is an experienced writer and book editor. She's written about several topics including health, tech, and politics. As a book editor, she's worked with authors who write Sci-Fi, Romance, and Dark Fantasy. M loves hearing from TESLARATI readers. If you have any tips or article ideas, contact her at maria@teslarati.com or via X, @Writer_01001101.

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Tesla FSD Supervised ride-alongs in Europe begin in Italy, France, and Germany

The program allows the public to hop in as a non-driving observer to witness FSD navigate urban streets firsthand.

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Credit: Tesla

Tesla has kicked off passenger ride-alongs for Full Self-Driving (Supervised) in Italy, France and Germany. The program allows the public to hop in as a non-driving observer to witness FSD navigate urban streets firsthand. 

The program, detailed on Tesla’s event pages, arrives ahead of a potential early 2026 Dutch regulatory approval that could unlock a potential EU-wide rollout for FSD.

Hands-Off Demos

Tesla’s ride-along invites participants to “ride along in the passenger seat to experience how it handles real-world traffic & the most stressful parts of daily driving, making the roads safer for all,” as per the company’s announcement on X through its official Tesla Europe & Middle East account. 

Sign-ups via localized pages offer free slots through December, with Tesla teams piloting vehicles through city streets, roundabouts and highways.

“Be one of the first to experience Full Self-Driving (Supervised) from the passenger seat. Our team will take you along as a passenger and show you how Full Self-Driving (Supervised) works under real-world road conditions,” Tesla wrote. “Discover how it reacts to live traffic and masters the most stressful parts of driving to make the roads safer for you and others. Come join us to learn how we are moving closer to a fully autonomous future.”

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Building trust towards an FSD Unsupervised rollout

Tesla’s FSD (Supervised) ride-alongs could be an effective tool to build trust and get regular car buyers and commuters used to the idea of vehicles driving themselves. By seating riders shotgun, Tesla could provide participants with a front row seat to the bleeding edge of consumer-grade driverless systems.

FSD (Supervised) has already been rolled out to several countries, such as the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and partially in China. So far, FSD (Supervised) has been received positively by drivers, as it really makes driving tasks and long trips significantly easier and more pleasant.

FSD is a key safety feature as well, which became all too evident when a Tesla driving on FSD was hit by what seemed to be a meteorite in Australia. The vehicle moved safely despite the impact, though the same would likely not be true had the car been driven manually.

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Swedish union rep pissed that Tesla is working around a postal blockade they started

Tesla Sweden is now using dozens of private residences as a way to obtain license plates for its vehicles.

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Andrzej Otrębski, CC BY-SA 4.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

Two years into their postal blockade, Swedish unions are outraged that Tesla is still able to provide its customers’ vehicles with valid plates through various clever workarounds. 

Seko chairman Gabriella Lavecchia called it “embarrassing” that the world’s largest EV maker, owned by CEO Elon Musk, refuses to simply roll over and accept the unions’ demands.

Unions shocked Tesla won’t just roll over and surrender

The postal unions’ blockade began in November 2023 when Seko and IF Metall-linked unions stopped all mail to Tesla sites to force a collective agreement. License plates for Tesla vehicles instantly became the perfect pressure point, as noted in a Dagens Arbete report.

Tesla responded by implementing initiatives to work around the blockades. A recent investigation from Arbetet revealed that Tesla Sweden is now using dozens of private residences, including one employee’s parents’ house in Trångsund and a customer-relations staffer’s home in Vårby, as a way to obtain license plates for its vehicles.

Seko chairman Gabriella Lavecchia is not pleased that Tesla Sweden is working around the unions’ efforts yet again. “It is embarrassing that one of the world’s largest car companies, owned by one of the world’s richest people, has sunk this low,” she told the outlet. “Unfortunately, it is completely frivolous that such a large company conducts business in this way.”

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Two years on and plates are still being received

The Swedish Transport Agency has confirmed Tesla is still using several different workarounds to overcome the unions’ blockades.

As noted by DA, Tesla Sweden previously used different addresses to receive its license plates. At one point, the electric vehicle maker used addresses for car care shops. Tesla Sweden reportedly used this strategy in Östermalm in Stockholm, as well as in Norrköping and Gothenburg.

Another strategy that Tesla Sweden reportedly implemented involved replacement plates being ordered by private individuals when vehicles change hands from Tesla to car buyers. There have also been cases where the police have reportedly issued temporary plates to Tesla vehicles.

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Czech Deputy excited for Tesla FSD, hints at Transport Committee review

The ANO party lawmaker shared his thoughts about FSD in a post on social media platform X.

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Credit: @BLKMDL3/X

Martin Kolovratník, a Czech Republic Chamber of Deputies member, has expressed his excitement for Tesla’s Full Self-Driving (FSD) after an apparent constituent called for a quick approval for the advanced safety system.

The ANO party lawmaker, who drives both diesel and EV, shared his thoughts about the matter in a post on social media platform X.

The official’s initial statements

Kolovratník kicked off the exchange with a post outlining his coalition’s efforts to scrap highway toll exemptions for electric vehicles and plug-ins starting in 2027. 

“Times have changed. Electric vehicles are no longer a fringe technology, but a full-fledged part of operations. And if someone uses the highway network, they should follow the same rules as everyone else. That’s the basis of fairness,” he wrote.

He emphasized equity over ideology, noting his personal mix of diesel and electric driving. “For this reason, there is no reason to continue favoring one technology at the expense of another… It’s not about ideology, it’s about equal conditions. That’s why we clearly agreed within the new coalition: the exemption for electric vehicles and plug-ins will end in 2027. The decision is predictable, understandable, and economically sound.”

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Tesla FSD enthusiasm

The conversation pivoted to Tesla’s FSD when X user @robotinreallife, who seems to be one of the official’s constituents, replied that other matters are more important than ending highway exemptions for EVs. 

“I’m happy to pay for the highway, but I have a question about a much more fundamental matter: The Netherlands will approve the operation of Tesla FSD in February 26, a technology that has been proven to reduce accidents. The Czech Republic has the option to immediately recognize this certification. Do you plan to support this step so that we don’t unnecessarily delay?” the X user asked. 

Kolovratník responded promptly, sharing his own excitement for the upcoming rollout of FSD. “I know about it. I like it and it seems interesting to me. Once we set up the committees and subcommittees, we’ll open it right away in that transport one. Thanks for the tip, I’ll deliver the report,” the official noted in his reply on X. 

Kolovratník’s nod to FSD hints at the system’s potentially smooth rollout to Czechia in the coming year. With the Netherlands possibly greenlighting FSD (Supervised) in early 2026, Kolovratník’s commitment could accelerate cross-border certification, boosting FSD’s foray into Europe by a notable margin.

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