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Tesla’s refreshed Model 3 includes ‘Active Hood’ pedestrian safety feature

(Credit: Tesla)

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Tesla has added a few new safety features to the refreshed Model 3, including an “Active Hood” feature, designed to offer increased protection in the case of a collision with a pedestrian.

Tesla details the Active Hood feature in the Model 3 owner’s manual in markets where the refreshed vehicle is currently sold. Upon colliding with a pedestrian or cyclist, Tesla says, the car’s hood will pop up to reduce the likelihood of serious injury. Deployment of the Active Hood feature will immediately result in a touchscreen alert and a collision chime, and Tesla says that drivers should immediately bring the Model 3 into a service center following deployment.

“Multiple sensors at the front of the vehicle are designed to detect an impact with a pedestrian when Model 3 is moving between approximately 30 and 52 km/h, and raise the rear portion of the hood automatically approximately 80 mm,” writes Tesla in the owner’s manual. “This increases the space between the hood and the components beneath it, reducing the likelihood of injuries.”

Credit: Tesla | Model 3 refresh owner’s manual

Tesla also notes that the system relies on sensors and algorithms to determine when the Active Hood feature should be deployed, meaning that it’s possible for the feature to deploy when the Model 3 collides with animals, other vehicles or other objects, and it’s possible for it not to deploy in some pedestrian collisions.

Although the feature was previously available in the Tesla Model S and X — and only in some regions as noted in European owner’s manuals — it isn’t included with the pre-refresh Model 3, and it can’t be seen in the vehicle’s U.S. owner’s manual. The feature has also been used in other cars in the past beyond Tesla’s brand.

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Along with the Active Hood feature, X user Tesla Adri notes that the new Model 3 includes several other active and passive safety features, including double dampeners on the trunk and metal hooks that keep the doors aligned in case of a crash.

https://twitter.com/tesla_adri/status/1728402103075229742

Tesla’s Model 3 “Highland” was named the best car you can buy in Norway earlier this week, and the redesigned vehicle has been delivering across Europe, Asia and elsewhere over the past couple of months.

The vehicle is still not available in North America, though it’s expected to become available in the region in early 2024.

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Tesla China loads up another batch of upgraded Model 3 for export

What are your thoughts? Let me know at zach@teslarati.com, find me on X at @zacharyvisconti, or send your tips to us at tips@teslarati.com.

Zach is a renewable energy reporter who has been covering electric vehicles since 2020. He grew up in Fremont, California, and he currently lives in Colorado. His work has appeared in the Chicago Tribune, KRON4 San Francisco, FOX31 Denver, InsideEVs, CleanTechnica, and many other publications. When he isn't covering Tesla or other EV companies, you can find him writing and performing music, drinking a good cup of coffee, or hanging out with his cats, Banks and Freddie. Reach out at zach@teslarati.com, find him on X at @zacharyvisconti, or send us tips at tips@teslarati.com.

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Tesla avoids California sales suspension after DMV review

The agency confirmed Tuesday that Tesla has taken “corrective action.”

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(Credit: Tesla)

Tesla will not face a 30-day sales suspension in California after the state’s Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) stated that the company has come into compliance regarding the marketing of its automated-driving features. 

The agency confirmed Tuesday that Tesla has taken “corrective action” following a prior ruling over how it promoted Autopilot and Full Self-Driving (FSD), as noted in a Bloomberg News report.

The California DMV had previously given Tesla 90 days to address concerns that were raised by an administrative judge. Regulators had alleged that Tesla overstated the capabilities of its driver-assist systems, which were branded as Autopilot and Full Self-Driving.

A potential 30-day suspension of vehicle sales in California was on the table if Tesla had failed to comply. On Tuesday, however, the DMV stated that Tesla had met the requirements to avoid that penalty, though it did not provide detailed specifics about the changes that were made.

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That being said, Tesla did discontinue its standalone Autopilot product in January and has ramped the marketing of its most advanced driver-assistance package available to consumers today, Full Self Driving (Supervised). From its naming, FSD (Supervised) clearly emphasizes that the system, despite its advanced features, still requires driver attention.

Following reports of a potential sales ban in California, Tesla clarified the matter on X, stating that the issue “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.” Tesla also noted that “Sales in California will continue uninterrupted.”

Tesla has not issued a comment about the matter as of writing.

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Elon Musk confirms Tesla Cybercab pricing and consumer release date

Elon Musk has confirmed that Tesla does intend to sell a version of the Cybercab for less than $30,000 by 2027.

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Credit: @AdanGuajardo/X

Elon Musk has confirmed that Tesla does intend to sell a version of the Cybercab for less than $30,000 by 2027. He shared the update in a post on social media platform X. 

Amidst Tesla’s announcement that the first Cybercab has been produced at Giga Texas’ production line, some members of the Tesla community immediately started joking about how the milestone will affect a wager shared by popular YouTube tech reviewer Marques Brownlee (MKBHD.) 

Following Tesla’s We, Robot event in October 2024, MKBHD noted that while the Cybercab was impressive in a lot of ways, he is very skeptical about Elon Musk’s estimate that the autonomous two-seater could be sold to consumers for below $30,000 around 2027. 

“I think the obvious red flag, the biggest red flag to me is the timeline stuff. This is notorious Elon stuff. He gets on stage, he says we’re going to have this vehicle out for $30,000 before 2027,”  he said, adding “No, they’re not. There’s just no way that they’re actually going to be able to do that. I mean, if they do, let’s say they do, I will shave my head on camera because I’m that confident.”

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It was then no surprise that meme images of MKBHD with his head shaved immediately spread on X following Tesla’s announcement that the first Cybercab has been built at Giga Texas. One of these, which was posted by longtime FSD tester Whole Mars Catalog, received a response from Elon Musk. The CEO responded with the words “Gonna happen,” together with a laughing emoji. 

Apart from riding jokes about MKBHD’s wager, Musk also confirmed that Tesla will be selling a Cybercab to regular consumers before 2027, and the vehicle will be priced for $30,000 or less. In response to an X user who asked if the exact scenario will be happening, Musk responded with a simple “Yes.” 

While the first Cybercab has been produced at Giga Texas, it would not be surprising if the following months will only see low volumes of the autonomous two seater being produced. As per Elon Musk in previous comments, the Cybercab’s early production will likely be slow, but it will eventually be extremely fast. “For Cybercab and Optimus, almost everything is new, so the early production rate will be agonizingly slow, but eventually end up being insanely fast,” he said. 

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First Tesla Cybercab rolls off Giga Texas production line

Tesla’s official account on X shared an image showing employees gathered around the first Cybercab built at Gigafactory Texas.

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Credit: Tesla/X

Tesla has produced the first Tesla Cybercab at Texas Gigafactory, marking a key milestone ahead of the planned autonomous two-seater’s production in April. The two-seat Robotaxi, which was unveiled in 2024, is designed without pedals or a steering wheel and represents Tesla’s most aggressive step yet toward fully autonomous mobility.

Tesla’s official account on X shared an image showing employees gathered around the first Cybercab built at Gigafactory Texas. Elon Musk echoed the milestone, writing, “Congratulations to the Tesla team on making the first production Cybercab!”

Previous comments from Musk on X reiterated the idea that production of the Cybercab “starts in April.” The vehicle will launch without traditional driver controls, and it will rely entirely on Tesla’s vision-based Full Self-Driving (FSD) system.

The Cybercab is positioned to compete with autonomous services such as Waymo. While Tesla has deployed Model Y vehicles in limited Robotaxi operations in Austin and the Bay Area, a serious ramp of the service to other cities across the United States is yet to be implemented. The production of the Cybercab could then be seen as a push towards the company’s autonomy plans.

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Musk has linked the Cybercab to Tesla’s proposed “Unboxed” manufacturing process, which would assemble large vehicle modules separately before integrating them, rather than following a traditional production line. The approach is intended to cut costs, reduce factory footprint, and speed up output.

That being said, Elon Musk has set expectations for the Cybercab’s production ramp. As per Musk, it would likely take some time before meaningful volumes of the Cybercab are produced because it is such a new and different vehicle. But when the vehicle hits its pace, volumes will be notable. 

“Initial production is always very slow and follows an S-curve. The speed of production ramp is inversely proportionate to how many new parts and steps there are. For Cybercab and Optimus, almost everything is new, so the early production rate will be agonizingly slow, but eventually end up being insanely fast,” Musk noted.

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