Tesla Model 3: This Car Is Great Fun!

The Tesla Model 3 stands out as more than just a vehicle with all its tech features. Along with its clean, modern design and an interior that leans heavily into minimalism.

It delivers an experience that feels as much like using a gadget as it does driving a car. This model has become one of Tesla’s most popular for good reason. From its performance to its software, it strikes a balance between practicality, innovation, and pure fun. It’s the kind of car that constantly surprises you.

Even the turn signals have been replaced by steering wheel buttons, which is just one of many ways it redefines what a car can be.

Tech Features

Inside the Model 3, you’ll find a trove of high-tech features designed to make your time on the road both enjoyable and entertaining. Tesla doesn’t shy away from the playful side of tech either.

Features like Boombox Mode allow the car to play custom sounds through external speakers, while Emissions Mode offers a humorous way to prank passengers with simulated fart sounds. Romance Mode turns your display into a crackling virtual fireplace, adding a warm glow and even romantic music — perfect for setting a cozy mood. There’s even a Light Show feature that choreographs the car’s exterior lights to music, transforming your car into a mini performance venue.

The in-car infotainment system is anchored by a 15.4-inch central touchscreen, which functions as the brain of the entire vehicle.

This is complemented by an 8-inch rear display for passengers in the back, allowing them to control media, climate, and more. The system supports Tesla Theater, where passengers can stream services like Netflix and YouTube, and Tesla Arcade, which brings gaming to the dashboard.

There’s also Caraoke for those who want to sing on the go. Topping it all off is the premium sound system, which offers crisp, rich audio that rivals many luxury sedans.

Climate Modes

Tesla has clearly considered a wide variety of real-world scenarios when designing the Model 3’s climate features.

Dog Mode, for instance, ensures that your pet stays safe and comfortable when left in the car by maintaining a cool interior temperature and displaying a message on the screen to let passersby know your pet is okay. Camp Mode is ideal for travelers who want to sleep inside the vehicle, maintaining lighting, airflow, and power to devices throughout the night. Even Romance Mode plays a role here, providing a cozy atmosphere for those chilly evenings. These climate modes aren't just novelties — they genuinely expand the ways the car can be used, transforming it into a mobile living space when needed.

Range, Specs, and Speed

Underneath the sleek exterior, the Tesla Model 3 is built for both efficiency and performance.

The single-motor rear-wheel-drive version accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h in a modest 8.6 seconds — not the fastest Tesla in the lineup, but plenty quick for everyday driving and highway merging.

Where it shines is in range. On a full charge, the Model 3 can travel approximately 513 kilometers, giving drivers the confidence to take longer journeys without frequent stops. When it's time to recharge, Tesla’s Supercharger network comes into play. You can go from 10% to 80% battery in around 25 minutes, making long trips far more practical in an EV than ever before.

Driving Technology

Tesla is known for pushing the envelope in driving technology, and the Model 3 is no exception. Autopilot comes standard, providing semi-autonomous driving capabilities that handle acceleration, braking, and lane-keeping under certain conditions.

Tesla Vision, the company’s camera-based system, offers a comprehensive 360-degree view of the car’s surroundings, contributing to both safety and convenience.

Sentry Mode adds another layer of security, using the car’s cameras to monitor its environment even when parked and sending alerts to your phone if anything suspicious occurs. Regular over-the-air updates ensure the car continues to evolve after purchase — with improvements in performance, added features, and enhanced safety rolling out automatically, much like a smartphone.

While the Model 3 is very impressive, it isn’t without its quirks. One of the most noticeable drawbacks is the glass roof. While it allows natural light to flood the cabin and gives the car a modern, airy feel, it also amplifies the sound of rain significantly.

This can be a minor annoyance, especially during heavy downpours. Another limitation is the fixed regenerative braking system. Unlike some EVs that allow you to adjust the level of braking when you lift off the accelerator, the Model 3’s regen is not customizable. This definitely contributes to the range but it can feel abrupt at first, although most drivers quickly adapt — and many come to appreciate the near one-pedal driving experience it enables.

Elon Musk Teases Grok 3.5 After Alibaba Launches Qwen3 AI Model

Elon Musk revealed a new version of xAI’s Grok chatbot just hours after Alibaba Group Holding released its latest Qwen3 artificial intelligence models, intensifying the US-China AI rivalry.

Credit: GROK

On Tuesday, Alibaba launched the third generation of its Qwen AI family, including multiple versions with varying parameter sizes. The largest model, with 235 billion parameters, reportedly outperformed DeepSeek-R1 and OpenAI’s o1 reasoning models. A smaller 600 million-parameter version may be efficient enough to run on smartphones, according to some experts.

Shortly after Qwen3 was made available on the open-source platform Hugging Face, Musk announced that xAI would release an early beta of Grok 3.5 to SuperGrok subscribers. He claimed it is the first AI capable of accurately answering technical questions about rocket engines and electrochemistry.

The release follows a surge in foundational AI model development, sparked by the January debut of DeepSeek-R1. That model’s low cost and high performance prompted concerns in the US about losing its AI lead.

In the past three months, Chinese tech giants Baidu, ByteDance and Tencent Holdings have also updated their foundational models. These now rival or match the performance of US models such as Google’s Gemini 2.5 Pro, OpenAI’s o3 and o4, and Meta Platforms’ Llama 4.

A recent Stanford University report found that China is rapidly closing the gap with the US in developing advanced AI models. Alibaba’s Qwen has become the world’s largest open-source AI ecosystem, with over 100,000 derivative models, surpassing Meta’s Llama.

Qwen3 was released just three months after Qwen2.5-Max, underscoring the rapid pace of AI development. Meanwhile, speculation continues around DeepSeek’s upcoming R2 reasoning model.

The Qwen team, part of Alibaba Cloud, described the new model as a major step toward achieving artificial general intelligence, where AI matches or exceeds human intelligence.

Nathan Lambert, a researcher at the US-based Allen Institute for AI, said open-source Chinese models like Qwen3 and DeepSeek-R1 could be key to gaining market share in the US. He noted that these companies are effectively influencing the American AI ecosystem through technological innovation.

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• Elon Musk announced Grok 3.5 hours after Alibaba launched Qwen3

• Qwen3 includes a 235 billion-parameter model that outperforms rivals

• Grok 3.5 can answer technical questions on rocket engines and electrochemistry

Source: SCMP

China Deploys Firefighting Robot Dogs with 60-Metre Water Cannons and Real-Time Video Streaming

China is advancing its emergency response capabilities with the deployment of firefighting robot dogs equipped with high-powered water cannons and real-time video streaming technology.

Credit: UNITREE

Developed by Chinese robotics firm Unitree, the quadruped fire rescue robots are designed for hazardous environments and complex rescue missions. The robots feature modular designs, advanced mobility, and a drencher cooling system that allows them to operate in dusty and high-temperature conditions.

Each robot is equipped with a water cannon capable of shooting water or foam up to 60 metres, with a flow rate of 40 litres per second. The cannon can be adjusted between 5° and 85° for targeted firefighting.

The robots also include a self-dewatering belt that completes drainage in one second, enabling rapid deployment. A quick-swap, waterproof battery system ensures continuous operation during extended missions.

For situational awareness, the robots stream live video to a visualisation platform, allowing remote teams to recreate the on-site environment and make faster, safer decisions.

A specialised air blower variant is designed for forest firefighting, using high-speed airflow to suppress flames and reduce risk to human crews.

In February, a four-legged robot dog developed by Hangzhou-based DEEP Robotics was deployed in fire rescue operations in Hunan Province.

China’s Qingdao Firefighting and Rescue Support Team has officially introduced two Unitree quadruped robots to enhance its emergency response capabilities.

During a recent emergency exercise focused on forest fire prevention, the robots played key roles in inspection, fire-source detection, and post-disaster surveillance.

In another live-fire drill simulating an underground store blaze, a reconnaissance robot dog accessed the scene via an internal elevator and conducted multi-level environmental reconnaissance.

Unitree stated that these robots significantly improve operational efficiency and safety in complex rescue scenarios.

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• Unitree’s firefighting robots shoot water or foam up to 60 metres

• Robots stream live video to aid remote rescue decision-making

• Qingdao Firefighting Team deploys two quadruped robots

Source: INTERESTING ENGOINEERING