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Top 10 Tesla Track Mode V2 features for the Model 3 Performance
The capabilities of Tesla’s newly-unveiled Track Mode V2 was demonstrated recently by a select group of car enthusiasts, one of them being the host of YouTube’s Vehicle Virgins channel. Following some time with a Model 3 Performance with Track Mode V2, host Parker Nirenstein listed the 10 best features of the upcoming update.
Tesla’s V2 Track Mode was announced on March 2 and it will introduce a variety of new features that foster better performance for Model 3 owners who have a taste for higher speeds and racecar-like handling. Expanding on the original Track Mode, V2 promises even more customization, control, and capabilities for drivers brave enough to tap into the raw power of a Model 3 Performance.
Following are Vehicle Virgins‘ Top 10 Track Mode V2 features.
1. Industry-Leading Visual Display
Once Track Mode V2 is enabled, the Model 3’s center display changes to give drivers pertinent information for closed circuit driving. Instead of the typical driving visuals and trip stats featured in the Model 3’s screen, the Model 3 Performance’s display shifts to provide drivers with a clear visual of what is exactly happening with certain portions of the car while Track Mode V2 is engaged. Stats such as battery temperatures and tire temperatures are provided.
2. G-Force Meter
Track Mode V2’s G-Force Meter gives live feedback of current measurements of the car’s current state. The meter also tracks past G-Force measurements from the most recent session. This allows drivers to see how much G-force was applied to each portion of the car during drifting or hot laps.
3. Post-Drive Cooling Feature
Tesla has included a Post-Drive Cooling feature to Track Mode V2, a feature that the Vehicle Virgins host stated is something that is being included today in actual track cars. This feature prevents excessive heat from damaging the battery and the Model 3’s other critical components. This will also decrease the wait time between runs, allowing Model 3 Performance owners to spend more time on the closed circuit and less time waiting for their vehicles to cooling down.
4. Record Video Features
Track Mode V2 will now allow drivers to record recent runs using the vehicle’s built-in cameras that are used by Sentry Mode and Autopilot. Now, laps and drifting runs could be actively captured, allowing for playback of impressive lap times, or to show off a flawless drifting run around obstacles. Driving data from these videos can even be printed to give drivers the full rundown of their performance on the track.
5. Variable Power Splits
This makes the Dual Motor All-Wheel Drive vehicle capable of changing into a full Rear-Wheel-Drive or Front-Wheel-Drive car simply by toggling through settings on the Model 3 Performance’s center display. Nirenstein noted that the Model 3’s customization of this feature is much more impressive than his Lamborghini Huracan’s “Sport Mode,” which went all the way up to 90-10 in favor of Rear-Wheel Drive. The YouTube host also emphasized that the Model 3’s price is 10 times less than the Lamborghini’s, but he is much more impressed with the electric car’s feature.
6. Custom Track Settings
Custom settings could be named and perhaps even saved on the vehicle for specific tracks. This would allow drivers to get the optimum performance from their Model 3 Performance for each location or racing session that they will be attending.
7. 20 Stages of Traction Control
Track Mode V2 allows for 20 different settings of Traction Control for different driving experiences. Nirenstein stated that the AMG GTR became practically legendary due to its 9 different stages of traction control, but Tesla has actually more than doubled the number of options with 20 full stages. This, of course, provides Model 3 Performance drivers with an immense amount of control for their vehicle.
8. Regen only on the Rear Wheels
Track Mode V1 uses regen a lot to enable the Model 3 Performance to perform well on a closed circuit. Track Mode V2 takes this a step further, allowing owners to completely turn regen off, or only apply the braking system to the rear wheels exclusively in RWD mode. Experienced drivers and those who are proficient at drifting will likely take a liking to this capability.
9. Built-in Lap Timer with customizable start point and finish line
By using the vehicle’s GPS, drivers can set a custom start and finish point that will then track lap times and speed based on the vehicle’s location. This feature will record multiple laps, allowing drivers to test different lines and speeds to improve performance.
10. Compressor Overclock
Compressor Overclock runs the Model 3’s cooling compressor at an increased rate to inhibit faster battery and vehicle cooling, decreasing wait time between runs. The feature allows the compressor to run at a rate higher than normal, helping performance, but also increasing wear.
Each of these new features is demonstrated in Vehicle Virgins‘ new video, where host Parker Nirenstein demonstrated Track Mode V2’s capabilities. In addition to displaying the new functions Tesla has released with Track Mode V2, the video featured the new Model 3 Track Package recently released for the all-electric sedan. The package includes Zero-G Performance Wheels, race-focused brakes and brake fluid, and track-optimized tires.
Tesla has yet to set a date for when the free OTA update will roll out for Model 3 Performance owners. The Model 3 Track Package will begin shipping in April and it includes Zero-G Performance wheels, Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tires, high-performance brake pads, track-focused brake fluid, center cups, pressure sensors, and lug nut covers. The package will cost $5,500.
Watch Vehicle Virgins‘ Track Mode V2 video below.
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SpaceX just locked up a NASA record no other U.S. spacecraft can touch
SpaceX’s Crew-13 Dragon reached the ISS in under eight hours, and NASA confirmed a record.
SpaceX now owns every spot on the list of the five fastest trips a U.S. spacecraft has ever made to the International Space Station, and its newest entry beat the old mark by more than four hours.
Crew Dragon Grace docked to the forward port of the station’s Harmony module at 7:05 p.m. ET on October 1, just 7 hours and 55 minutes after lifting off from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral. NASA confirmed the milestone in a space station blog update, writing that the flight “marked the fastest launch‑to‑docking of a U.S. spacecraft in the history of the International Space Station.”
The previous U.S. record also belonged to Dragon. SpaceX’s uncrewed CRS-31 cargo mission reached the station in a little over 12 hours in November 2024. The fastest crewed trip before last week was Crew-11, which took 14 hours and 43 minutes in August 2025, according to Space.com.
A post that Elon Musk reposted on Monday filled out the rest of the ranking. Behind Crew-13, CRS-31 and Crew-11 sit Axiom’s Ax-2 mission at 15 hours and 35 minutes and NASA’s Crew-4 at 15 hours and 44 minutes. All five flew on Dragon.
SpaceX turned a heralding moment for Starship into its greatest
Crew-13 carried NASA astronauts Jessica Watkins and Luke Delaney, Canadian Space Agency astronaut Joshua Kutryk, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Sergey Teteryatnikov. NASA had projected a docking around 8 p.m. ET, as Teslarati reported the day before launch, and Dragon arrived nearly an hour early. Our launch day coverage noted that the flight was lined up to be the quickest Crew Dragon transit yet.
The speed came from timing more than hardware. SpaceX’s Julianna Scheiman said the station “was in an opportune spot in space,” which let Dragon start closing the gap almost immediately after reaching orbit. “This is close to the fastest it could be,” she added. Most Crew Dragon flights still take close to a day, using a series of Draco thruster burns to raise and phase their orbit before arrival.
Dragon’s next job at the station is a departure. NASA said Monday it is targeting 8:05 a.m. ET on Wednesday, October 7, for Crew-12 to undock, setting up a splashdown off the coast of California around 11:34 a.m. on Thursday. Clearing that port makes room for CRS-35, a cargo Dragon carrying the final set of iROSA solar arrays.
Dragon remains NASA’s only operational ride to the station while Boeing’s Starliner stays grounded, and the agency recently added Crew-15, Crew-16 and Crew-17 to SpaceX’s contract in a $946 million modification.
Elon Musk has acknowledged that early discussions with Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) could bring the company into his ambitious Terafab semiconductor project, signaling a possible partnership with the world’s leading contract chipmaker.
Musk confirmed that early talks are underway, but as of right now, they are “just discussions.” There is no confirmation of a deal nor dismissal of the possibility of one, leaving open the prospect of one of the largest advanced-chip collaborations under discussion in the U.S.
@wholemars Just discussions, but something may come of it
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 3, 2026
The report that speculated on potential discussions between Terafab and TSMC comes from Tim Culpan, who outlined a few ways the collaboration could operate. One is TSMC using the project as an “anchor customer” for future facilities in Texas, potentially contributing process expertise, operational know-how, or capacity while Terafab provides capital, long-term purchase commitments, or both.
Tesla and SpaceX jointly developed the Terafab project, with Intel already participating on the tech side. Elon Musk announced the project in March, and it intends to produce more than one terawatt of AI compute capacity annually once fully built.
Company statements place the first phase at approximately $16.8 billion in cost, with later filings pointing to a total that could reach well into the tens of billions across multiple stages.
Intel joined the effort in April 2026 and is expected to supply its 14A manufacturing process for the full-scale plant.
Musk has said existing suppliers, including Samsung and TSMC, remain important for near-term needs; Tesla already has production arrangements with Samsung for AI5 and AI6 chips, but that future demand from Optimus robots, Cybercab vehicles, and planned space-based data centers will eventually exceed what the global industry can currently deliver.
Terafab is positioned as the long-term answer to that projected shortfall, and Tesla did something similar during COVID to avoid a chip shortage. This is just a much larger-scale solution.
If the partnership were to materialize, it would add TSMC’s industry-leading strategies to a project that already combines Tesla’s and SpaceX’s capital and offtake with Intel’s process technology. For now, the only public confirmation is Musk’s brief acknowledgement that conversations are occurring.
Tesla’s early strategy for charging units operating within its Robotaxi fleet reveals that the company surely has not lost any of that scrappy DNA that took it from an unlikely success story to the most valuable carmaker in the world.
An observer at a Tesla Supercharger in Austin spotted ten total Robotaxi vehicles arrive: one Cybercab and nine Model Y units. A Tesla employee was waiting at the lot and allowed each unit to park itself; every car that arrived had nobody in it.
Tesla wins FCC approval for wireless Cybercab charging system
The Tesla employee would walk around and plug each car in, adjusting the parking if needed:
So look at what I found. This is how Tesla charges unsupervised robotaxis at a public supercharger. Here is a driverless Cybercab showing up with no one in it. There are 9 other Model Ys that showed up too. A Tesla employee is walking around and plugging each of them in. She also moves the cars if they are not positioned well enough to charge. I love this process. One person charges multiple robotaxis at once
— Abhimanyu Yadav (@WorldlyReviewer) October 3, 2026
It’s a very interesting strategy, but extremely understandable at this early point in the Robotaxi program. It’s only been out for about 15 months, and Cybercab just entered the fleet in early September.
On top of that, Tesla is still working tirelessly on its wireless charging apparatus, and a new patent was just published regarding that product last week.
However, this is just another example of how Tesla still has plenty of that scrappy DNA leftover from the “production hell” days, when CEO Elon Musk slept on the floor of the factory, employees were working crazy hours, Tesla was building Sprung Structures to build cars in, and the company was tiptoeing on the brink of bankruptcy.
@Teslarati Sheer magnitude of the entire production system is hard to appreciate. Almost every element of production is >75% automated. Only wire harnesses & general assembly, which are <10% of production costs, are primarily manual.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 12, 2020
For now, Tesla is utilizing a simple system for recharging its ride-hailing vehicles, and that is a Tesla employee doing it manually until another solution presents itself. Sure, it’s not the most high-tech thing, and it certainly is not what people might have expected at this point in time, but it works, and it’s keeping the entire suite running.
SpaceX just locked up a NASA record no other U.S. spacecraft can touch
Elon Musk teases TSMC as potential Terafab partner
