Today's list is all Tesla. It opens with a Model 3 that can cook your hot pot and ends with a Roadster that keeps missing its own party. In between, Musk's worry about grey kittens is keeping robotaxis off Austin's streets after dark.
China's Model 3 can now power your dinner. Tesla (TSLA) gave the Shanghai-built car a 16-inch touchscreen, up from 15.4 inches, plus a light grey interior and vehicle-to-load, or V2L. That feature lets the battery run appliances through Tesla's adapter. Tesla's own camping pitch has a rice cooker, a hot pot and a kettle all going at once. Chinese buyers who order before the end of October also get 5,000 yuan (roughly US$700) off.
The US and Mexico got the screen but not the plug. A day later, Tesla put the new 16-inch display in every Model 3 sold in the US, Puerto Rico and Mexico. US prices didn't change, and the Premium and Performance trims got a bit more punch. There's no V2L, though, and Canada wasn't mentioned at all. That stings, because Canadian Model 3s come from the same Shanghai factory that builds the upgraded China car. Tesla hasn't said whether Canadians will get it, or when.
Grey kittens are deciding when Robotaxi goes to bed. Tesla pushed the Austin Robotaxi's closing time back an hour, to 11 p.m. Musk explained why it doesn't run any later: "The main thing we're trying to solve is making sure that we don't run over pets when they're hard to see at night. Literally trying to avoid grey kittens on grey tarmac in the dark". When the service launched it took rides until midnight, so it still shuts earlier than it did on day one. Electrek points out that picking out dark shapes in low light is exactly what lidar does well. That's the laser sensor Musk once called a "fool's errand". More in our story on the Cybercab's first month in Austin.
Tesla sold more cars than it built. Its filing shows the company built 464,391 cars and delivered 486,532 in the third quarter, about 22,000 more than it made, so it dipped into cars it had already built. The real test comes after the market closes on Oct. 21, when earnings show what all those sales were actually worth. We covered the numbers in our delivery story.
The Roadster slipped again. Tesla moved its demo back two weeks, to Oct. 15, and blamed the weather. The company said the event "can only be held outdoors" at SpaceX's test site in McGregor, Texas. Electrek reports the car is supposed to hover on SpaceX thrusters with nobody inside, though Tesla hasn't confirmed that. Electrek also noticed the forecast looked dry just days after the original date. The Roadster was first shown in 2017 with production promised for 2020, so treat the new date as a target and nothing more. Here's our tally of this year's slips.
So if you could add one thing to your car, would you pick the bigger screen or a plug that runs a hot pot?
The WattsUpNext take: China gets the hot pot plug, Canada gets silence, kittens get caution, inventory got thinner, and the Roadster gets another date. Classic Tesla.
That's wattsup, and here's wattsnext: RAM and SSD prices may not ease until new fabs open in 2027 to 2028
Sources
- 1.Tesla upgrades China Model 3 with 16-inch screen and V2L, US left out · Electrek
- 2.Tesla upgrades Model 3 with 16-inch screen, more power and range · Drive Tesla Canada
- 3.Musk admits Tesla Robotaxi struggles to see pets at night. Lidar doesn't · Electrek
- 4.Tesla, Inc. Form 8-K, Exhibit 99.1: Q3 2026 production and deliveries · Tesla via SEC EDGAR
- 5.Tesla delays Roadster demo two weeks to October 15, blames weather · Electrek
Reported by the WattsUpNext desk from the sources linked below. Spot an error? Tell us at corrections@wattsupnext.com.
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