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Tesla sold 10X more EVs than rivals in the first three quarters of 2023: study
A recent study from Jerry has revealed a number of interesting observations in the United States’ electric vehicle sector. Tesla, for one, could be considered as one of the companies with the “slowest” growth trends this year so far, but the electric vehicle maker also sold ten times as many EVs as any other car maker during the first three quarters of 2023.
Electric vehicle sales in the United States were tracked at 873,000 units in the first three quarters of 2023, thanks in no small part to Tesla’s strong sales in the country. Such numbers suggest that EV sales in the US would likely break the 1 million barrier this year, though the sector’s 49% year-over-year sales growth in the first three quarters is less than the 55% growth recorded last year, as per Jerry‘s study.

Tesla’s US sales grew 26% in the first three quarters of 2023 to 493,513 units, as per Jerry. Interestingly enough, this meant that Tesla had the third-slowest growth rate among this year’s top 10 best-selling EV makers. Tesla’s share of the EV market fell to a new low of 50% in Q3, even though sales rose 20% from the same quarter last year.
Tesla’s Model Y and Model 3 remained dominant in the US auto market. The Model Y, which became the world’s best-selling car earlier this year, sold six times as many units as any other non-Tesla vehicle in Q1-Q3, with 296,059 units sold. Sales of the Model Y rose 55% year-over-year in the first three quarters of 2023, accounting for a whopping 34% of all EV sales during the period.

Tesla Model 3 sales rose only 6.2%, but the vehicle still accounted for 19% of all EV sales in the United States. Its 166,042 units sold from Q1-Q3 2023 is particularly impressive considering the presence of its crossover sibling, the Model Y, in the market, as well as the launch of an updated variant, the Model 3 Highland, in countries like China.
The closest competitor to the Tesla Model Y and Model 3 was the Chevrolet Bolt, which sold 49,494 units in the first three quarters of the year. The Ford Mustang Mach-E followed the Chevy Bolt with 28,882 units sold, and the Volkswagen ID.4 completed the top five EVs in the United States with 27,155 units sold from Q1-Q3 2023.

Electric vehicles currently make up about 7% of all vehicle sales in the United States, which is already within the 5%-15% range that has triggered widespread EV adoption in other countries. This does not mean that the road to mass adoption in the US will be perfectly smooth, however, especially as the average EV price is still about 10% higher than the overall average vehicle price in the US.
It should be noted, of course, that best-sellers like the Model 3 and Model Y already start at a price that’s lower than the US average. As per Cox Automotive, the average transaction price for a new vehicle in September 2023 was $47,899. In comparison, the Tesla Model 3 starts at $38,990 before options, while the Model Y starts at $43,990 before options.
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Tesla shares rare peek at Semi factory’s interior
The new video of the Tesla Semi factory was posted by the official Tesla account on X.
Tesla has shared a rare peek inside the factory of the Tesla Semi, which is expected to start production next year. Based on the video, it appears that work in the facility’s interior is ongoing, just as hinted at by drone flyers of the site.
Tesla Semi factory
The new video of the Tesla Semi factory, which is located close to Giga Nevada, was posted by the official Tesla account on X. While the video was short at less than 30 seconds long, it did show several parts of the factory’s interior, from its gigantic machines to its expansive space. The company also showed some initial production units of the Semi operating around the site.
Elon Musk shared a quick update on the Tesla Semi’s production at the 2025 Annual Shareholder Meeting. While addressing the company’s shareholders, Musk confirmed that production of the Semi is on track for 2026.
“Starting next year, we (will) manufacture the Tesla Semi. So this, we already have a lot of prototype Tesla Semis in operation. PepsiCo and other companies have been using the Tesla Semi for quite some time. But we will start volume production at our Northern Nevada factory in 2026,” Musk said.
Tesla Semi redesign
Apart from Elon Musk’s confirmation that the Semi will indeed enter production next year, Tesla also showed an image of the Class 8 all-electric truck’s overall look. Based on a slide that was shown during Musk’s presentation, it appears that the Semi has undergone a pretty major redesign. The redesigned Semi features updated design cues that align with the company’s current lineup.
Immediately noticeable from the Semi’s updated design is its front end, which now feature headlights that resemble the style of the Cybertruck, Cybercab, and the new Model Y. Several other changes appear designed to improve aerodynamics, with Tesla now stating that the Semi has an efficiency of 1.7 kWh per mile. Side cameras, likely for FSD, are also quite prominent on the redesigned Semi.
Elon Musk
Tesla says texting and driving capability is coming ‘in a month or two’
“In the next month or two, we’re going to look at the safety statistics, but we’re going to allow you to text and drive, essentially.”
Tesla CEO Elon Musk said that within the next month or two, the company will be able to open the ability for people to text and drive because its Full Self-Driving suite will be robust enough to allow drivers to take their attention away from the road.
In its current state, Tesla Full Self-Driving is a supervised driver assistance suite that requires the vehicle operator to maintain control of the vehicle and pay attention to the road surroundings.
However, the company has been aiming to release a fully autonomous version of the Full Self-Driving suite for years, teasing its future potential and aiming to release a Level 5 suite as soon as possible.
CEO Elon Musk believes the company is on the cusp of something drastic, according to what he said at yesterday’s Annual Shareholder Meeting.
One thing Musk hinted at was that the company should be able to allow those sitting in the driver’s seat of their cars to text and drive “in the next month or two,” as long as the statistics look good.
He said:
“In the next month or two, we’re going to look at the safety statistics, but we’re going to allow you to text and drive, essentially.”
The company recently transitioned to its v14 Full Self-Driving suite, which is its most robust to date, and recently expanded to Cybertruck, completing its rollout across the vehicle lineup.
Currently, Tesla is running v14.1.5, and when major improvements are made, that second number will increase, meaning v14.2 will be the next substantial improvement.
Musk said that v14.3 will be when you can “pretty much fall asleep and wake up at your destination.”
🚨🚨 Elon Musk says Tesla Full Self-Driving v14.3 will be when you can “pretty much fall asleep and wake up at your destination.”
We are on v14.1 currently 👀 pic.twitter.com/KMkWh5Qa7T
— TESLARATI (@Teslarati) November 6, 2025
We’ve heard a considerable amount of similar statements in the past, and Tesla owners have been conditioned to take some of these timeframes with autonomous driving with a grain of salt.
However, with the upgrades in FSD over the past few months, especially with the rollout of Robotaxi in Austin, which does not utilize anyone in the driver’s seat for local roads, it does not seem as if autonomy is that far off for Tesla.
News
Tesla Semi undergoes major redesign as dedicated factory preps for deliveries
The Semi has been one of the most anticipated products in the Tesla lineup due to the disruption it could cause in the trucking industry.
Tesla put its all-electric Semi truck through quite a major redesign as its dedicated factory for the vehicle is preparing for initial deliveries to the public starting next year.
The Semi has been one of the most anticipated products in the Tesla lineup due to the disruption it could cause in the trucking industry.
It has already been in numerous pilot programs for some pretty large companies over the past couple of years, PepsiCo. being one of them, and it is moving toward first deliveries to other companies sometime in 2026.
Yesterday at the 2025 Annual Shareholder Meeting, Tesla unveiled its new Semi design, which underwent a pretty significant facelift to match the aesthetic and vibe of the other vehicles in the company’s lineup.
Additionally, Tesla announced some other improvements, including changes to efficiency, and some other changes that we did not get details on yet.
The first change was to the design of the Semi, as Tesla adopted its blade-like light bar for the Class 8 truck, similar to the one that is used on the new Model Y and the Cybertruck:

There also appear to be a handful of design changes that help with aerodynamics, as its efficiency has increased to 1.7 kWh per mile.
Tesla also said it has an increased payload capability, which will help companies to haul more goods per trip.
All of these changes come as the company’s Semi Factory, which is located on the same property as its Gigafactory in Reno, Nevada, is just finishing up. In late October, it was shown that the Semi facility is nearly complete, based on recent drone imagery from factory observer HinrichsZane on X:
The factory will be capable of producing about 50,000 Tesla Semi units annually when it is completely ramped. The company has major plans to help get the Semi in more fleets across the United States.
Other entities are also working to develop a charging corridor for electric Class 8 trucks. The State of California was awarded $102 million to develop a charging corridor that spans from Washington to Southern California.
Another corridor is being developed that spans from Southern California to Texas, and 49 applicants won $636 million from the Department of Transportation for it.
Tesla requested funding for it, but was denied.
The Semi has been a staple in several companies’ fleets over the past few years, most notably that of Frito-Lay and PepsiCo., who have reported positive experiences thus far.
Musk said last year that the Semi had “ridiculous demand.”
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