Tesla Now Lets You Pick the Battery Supplier in the Model 3 and Model Y Long Range Models

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Tesla has begun providing different Model 3 and Model Y Long Range variants for its customers – dividing the two variants between those who are eligible for the $7,500 Federal EV Tax Credit, and those who are not eligible.

Eligible vs Non-Eligible Customers

Tesla is making two versions of their Long Range models of the Model 3 and Model Y available to customers in the U.S. One of them qualifies for the tax rebate, and the other doesn’t. However, there are some underlying differences between the two models customers should know.

Customers who claim they are eligible for the tax credit will be provided a VIN for a vehicle that qualifies for the EV Tax Credit. Vehicles that qualify for the Tax Credit have their battery and its cells manufactured in North America.

Customers who aren’t eligible or don’t opt to use the tax credit will get a VIN that doesn’t qualify for the federal credit. Customers who aren’t eligible for the federal rebate may still be eligible for local or state rebates, and these cars should be eligible for those specific rebates.

Panasonic vs LG Batteries

So what’s the difference between the two variants? It essentially comes down to the batteries and where they’re produced. The Model 3 and Model Y cars that are eligible for the tax credit will contain Panasonic batteries, which are produced in the U.S., while the cars not eligible for the rebate will include LG batteries.

They’re both non-LFP, 2170 cells, and while there isn’t a huge difference on the surface between the battery cells since they offer similar “regular” charging speeds and range, one does tend to be a little better. The LG batteries have been known to not charge as fast at level 3 chargers – which include Superchargers.

We recommend getting the vehicle that qualifies for the rebate that includes Panasonic batteries, even if you’re not planning to take advantage of the federal rebate. Besides getting a better battery, it leaves you open to receiving the tax rebate if circumstances change later in the year. It’s possible Tesla may offer a discount on the LG battery-powered model in the future, but at this time with them being the same cost, the Panasonic version makes more sense.

The Performance variant of the Model 3 and Model Y also comes with the Panasonic batteries. The LFP pack in the Rear-Wheel Drive variants of either vehicle also charge faster than the LG batteries.

The video below shows some of the speed differences between the battery packs.

How to View Cars

To view the vehicles with their specific battery packs, you’ll need to use Tesla’s inventory system. Simply go to the Inventory section of Tesla’s site, and then enable (Panasonic batteries) or disable (LG batteries) the Tax Credit Eligible Vehicles toggle on Tesla’s site.

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Tesla Says 12V Power Socket Access Will Not Return With Sentry Mode

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It turns out that the big undocumented change in Tesla update 2024.32 that disables the 12V power and USB ports while Sentry Mode is active is not a bug but an intentional change.

A fan contacted Tesla Service to see if the change was intentional and what the reason behind the change was. Surprisingly, they received a response pretty quickly.

No 12V Power Access

Tesla has decided to restrict 12V power access for safety reasons—namely, to “reduce the likelihood of thermal events” when third-party devices are left powered on without users present. Tesla reached out to the fan in question by phone, and they seemed to be sticking to that line.

It seems that Tesla is resolute that it was due to safety reasons and that the change would not be “fixed” or allowed in a future software update – as this was an intentional change for safety reasons.

Other sources have reported that the change was due to potential misuse of the 12V power access, with people wiring 1200w microwaves and kettles or jury-rigging 240v to 120v adapters, which had apparently been the cause of multiple fires in Tesla vehicles within China.

Workarounds

There are a couple workarounds, although neither are ideal. You can tap in to the vehicle’s 12v line directly to power your accessories, or you can use Camp Mode.

If you choose to enable Camp Mode, then you’ll need to manually lock the car from the app since walk-away door locking is disabled with Camp Mode. However, Camp Mode will use extra energy to keep the climate system enabled.

We’re still hoping Tesla considers bringing the Cybertruck’s Power Control menu to the rest of its vehicles and is somehow able to limit the max draw from these outlets to prevent dangerous situations.

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Join Our Tesla Robotaxi Event Prediction Contest

Tesla

With the Robotaxi event just a day away, we thought it would be a fun idea to run a contest to predict what Tesla will announce tomorrow evening.

We’ve outlined a list of questions below; simply answer them on our forums or social media (X or Threads), and be entered for a chance to win some great prizes.

The individuals who have the most correct answers will win one of five prizes mentioned below. If more than five people get them all right, a random drawing will be held from the pool of winners.

We’ll reach out to the winners either by email or by DM on social media.

The Questions

1. Will Tesla let attendees experience Robotaxi at the event?

2. Will Tesla first start the network with human supervision (ridesharing), or with Robotaxis only?

3. What year will the network start? When will it become fully autonomous? (if announced)

4. When will Robotaxi production begin? (if announced)

5. Will it be Robotaxi or Cybercab?

6. Which of these Robotaxi Concepts will be the closest to the one announced?

7. Will Robotaxi include:

   1. Front-facing camera?

   2. Stainless-steel body?

   3. Steer-by-Wire or No Steering Wheel? (if announced)

   4. Which current Tesla model has the most similar door-opening mechanism?

   5. How many seats will the robotaxi have?

8. Will the robotaxi include AI5/Hardware 5, HW4 or something completely different?

9. Where will Tesla’s first Rideshare/Robotaxi location be established?

10. Will customers be able to purchase a Robotaxi?

Requirements

Please use the template below to answer the questions on social media or in our forums. You can post your answer as a comment to our forums, to our X post, or to our Threads post.

Once you do that, repost or quote post your favorite article from us.

1. Yes

2. Ridesharing

3. 2025/2027

4. 2025

5. Cybercab

6. Dominic's

7. Yes, Yes, SBW, No, 2

8. HW5

9. LA

10. Yes

Prizes

Prizes are generously provided by Enhance and Jowua, makers of some of the best Tesla accessories and amazing Tesla community members. Prizes will be mailed out directly by them. Winners will get to choose their prize from the list below. First place will have the first pick and so on. There will be five winners in total.

• S3XY Buttons (including a commander and wiring)

• S3XY Knob for Model 3/Y

• Tesla Gaming Controller - Multi-Device Wireless Controller (Wireless Charging)

• Tesla Gaming Controller - Multi-Device Wireless Controller (Wireless Charging)

• Tesla Gaming Controller - Multi-Device Wireless Controller (Wireless Charging)

Disclaimer

This is a Tesla event, and Tesla normally likes to hold their cards close to their chest. If an answer is ambiguous, we’ll go with the best choice decided by our staff. We’ll do our best to be fair. This

With all that said, we wish our entrants the best of luck, and we’ll announce the winners at the end of the week.

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