The Tesla Model S competes against other EVs like VW's ID.Buzz to find out which vehicle can travel the furthest in extreme conditions
Motor.no
The Northern tundra of Norway played host to an electrifying showdown as Motor Magazine pitted the latest and greatest electric vehicles against each other in a grueling test of winter endurance. With bone-chilling temperatures, only the bravest and most efficient cars could cross the finish line. However, the Tesla Model S was the clear winner when the dust and snowflakes settled.
This sleek electric sedan not only braved the frigid temperatures but also shattered the previous winter range record, reaching a whopping 530 kilometers (329 miles) on a single charge. While other vehicles struggled to maintain their range, the Model S powered on, proving once and for all that electric cars can handle anything Mother Nature throws their way. It's worth mentioning that the Model S had a slight disadvantage from the get-go - due to a technical issue, the battery could only be charged to 98%.
How the Rest of the Field Fared
As expected, the harsh winter weather took a toll on the other cars in the test. Most cars stopped much earlier than expected, but the Model S saw one of the lowest range deviations at just 16%. The Model X Plaid was second with 444 kilometers (276 miles) and an 18% deviation. Meanwhile, the Toyota bZ4X had the most considerable discrepancy, with a deviation of over 35% and just 323 kilometers (201 miles) driven. Oddly enough, Toyota did not provide its all-wheel drive version of the bZ4X. Subaru's Solterra, the twin to the bZ4X, also did not offer an all-wheel drive edition.
China Emerges as the Driving Force in the Electric Car Industry
The winter range test also saw a significant number of cars from China, with 12 of the test cars hailing from the country. From the affordable MG4 and BYD Atto to the luxury SUV Voyah Free, Chinese electric cars are making a big splash in the industry. These cars prove development in the electric car industry is moving fast, and China is at the forefront.
Winter is no friend to electric cars. Electric heaters and heat pumps work overtime, snow drifts make the roads unpredictable, and drivers are left counting down the miles until they need to reach a charging station. This test provides a real-world look at how electric cars perform in harsh winter weather, and it's clear that the Tesla Model S is one of the best in the business.
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FSD’s insatiable appetite for AI compute is taking shape once again at Giga Texas, where Tesla is building out Cortex 2.0 — its second large-scale GPU supercomputer cluster — on the facility’s north side.
This confirmation comes thanks to the detailed research and findings by Giga Texas drone pilot Joe Tegtmeyer, who shared his findings on X.
For months, there has been some speculation on what this new site would be - new storage, the Optimus production line, preparation for the Cybercab’s unboxed assembly process, and more. Now, thanks to permits filed by Tesla, we know that this new area is destined to become the second supercomputer destined for FSD training.
Cortex 2.0
There are some key details we can unpack from what we’ve learned about Cortex 2.0. The new facility will be on the north side of Giga Texas, opposite Cortex 1.0, which is on the south side. The permits explicitly tie the usage of this expansion to Cortex 2.0, namely through the fact that it is a data center.
This is actually a change from Tesla’s original plans - the northern section was intended to be used as a central campus support facility, with three smaller facilities and water storage tanks. Now, it has been redesignated as Cortex 2.0 and is one large structure.
The permits that have been filed have already been approved and cover the foundations, underground water mains, and building itself. The steel structure is actively being put together on the concrete foundations, and about 50% of the roof decking is already complete, bringing the exterior shell closer to completion.
Fueling FSD’s Brain
The deployment of Cortex 2.0 is the latest in Tesla’s massive and ongoing investment in the computational power required to train FSD. While this primarily covers FSD for cars, this will also eventually apply to Optimus, which is powered by the same AI4 computer and also runs a variant of FSD.
This isn’t Tesla’s first foray into large-scale AI infrastructure and won’t be their last. Alongside Dojo, their home-grown AI supercomputer, Tesla has been partnering closely with Nvidia to ensure they have the GPUs necessary to do all the hard work. Cortex 2.0 is the next iteration, and once it's fully online, we can expect that Tesla’s work on FSD will accelerate even further.
Especially since Elon is planning something truly outrageous once again:
Been thinking about the fastest way to bring a terawatt of compute online.
That is roughly equivalent to all electrical power produced in America today.
With European Tesla owners eagerly awaiting any news on FSD in Europe, we’ve seen Tesla tease FSD, and also point out exactly what the barrier has been - regulatory approval. Now, following the latest meeting of UNECE, new regulatory amendments are set to unlock “System-Initiated Maneuvers” (SIM) on highways across participating European nations.
This development, highlighted by Kees Roelandschap on X, notes that the latest documents from the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) center on amendments to UNECE regulation 171. These changes were formally adopted into UNECE during the WP29 World Forum in March 2025.
Now, the amendment that will enable SIM will come into force on September 26, 2025. This six-month period after approval is standard UNECE procedure and allows objections from party states that would halt the implementation. Objections to UNECE amendments are genuinely rare, with 95% of amendments passing without objection once the World Forum adopts them.
What This Means for FSD in Europe
System-initiated maneuvers will allow your Tesla to perform actions autonomously, such as changing lanes on a highway, while the driver remains fully responsible for supervision. This is a substantial step up from current regulatory standards that only allow for suggested maneuvers or require explicit driver initiation for every automated maneuver.
This inches towards the more normal “hands-off, eyes-on” approach that Tesla has taken with FSD Supervised in North America and China. This regulatory change will help to provide the legal frameworks needed to deploy more advanced autonomy capabilities in Europe, at least matching what’s available on highways in North America.
The UNECE regulation will apply to all countries that adopt its standards, including the European Union, Japan, and South Korea - unless they specifically block it. This is a relatively positive development, but there are some hiccups.
This regulation only allows for system-initiated maneuvers on highways, not low-speed roadways. That means the city streets portion of FSD’s capabilities - including handling ‘Start FSD from Park` and reaching your destination’s parking spot - still won’t be available in Europe.
In addition, the UNECE framework has stricter requirements for driver monitoring and attentiveness - which means that some nags, including the dreaded wheel nag, are likely to remain a key portion of the experience.
Progress on autonomous driving regulations in Europe has been fraught with indecision and caution, which has been a source of frustration for many who are watching the everyday progress of FSD in North America, and more recently, in China. Even with individual countries recently approving testing of FSD on public roads, harmonized UNECE regulations are the key to wider, consistent deployment, which will allow everyday customers to use it as well.
While the path to full parity with North America may be long and involve even more regulatory machinations, the upcoming implementation of System-Initiated Maneuvers is a big step forward for Tesla owners in Europe. It is a key piece of the puzzle that will help Tesla bring some more features of FSD to Europe, assuming the September timeline holds.
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