Tesla's very public secret, codenamed Highland, is now in showrooms in China. The company finally publicly revealed the product, as predicted for the beginning of September, and thanks to months of leaks, there weren't a lot of surprises. We’ve been reporting on leaks since the end of 2022, and it turns out our sources were accurate.
Tesla has again made a publicity splash without spending a dime on traditional advertising. Instead, the company gave some automotive YouTubers an early peak at the Model 3. As soon as the embargo was lifted, YouTube channels were filled with views — money in the content creators’ pocket and publicity for Tesla.
Ambient Lighting
Multicolor ambient LED interior lighting extends from the dash to the rear seats. If that’s not cool enough, this color appears to be adjustable to any shade you like, similar to how you can change the color of your Tesla on the screen and in the app. More than half of the refreshed Model 3 is made with new parts. It is also coming in two new colors in China, Ultra Red and Stealth Gray.
Range
The range has increased by 11 to 12 percent, which equates to the rear-wheel drive getting 346 miles (554 kilometers), and the dual motor long-range 423 miles (678 kilometres). This is thanks to several things, including the lighter Model 3, now the most aerodynamic Tesla in the lineup at a stunning 0.219 drag coefficient down from 0.225.
Suspension & Road Noise
Tesla officially announced the refreshed Model 3
Tesla
The upgraded suspension provides a more premium ride with new springs & dampers, new geometry on the front suspension, new bushings, and a new way they mount the subframe to the chassis. Moreover, the tires now have more cushioning for an improved ride.
Tesla has made a 30% decrease in wind and ambient noise, a 25% improvement in impact noise, and a 20% improvement in road noise. This has been achieved by using acoustic glass on the rear windows and back window (it was only on the front windows before), resulting in "360º acoustic glass". Additionally, more sound insulation has been added for a quieter ride.
Even Better Interior
However, you won’t be able to hear the quiet thanks to the new 17-speaker sound system, up from 14 speakers — complete with two subwoofers and two amplifiers.
We knew the interior was getting an overhaul, but we didn’t know about the upgraded ventilation system, allowing the passage side to be turned off and gain separate fan speeds. There are also two microphones for clearers calls and improved Wi-Fi connectivity. There is also an updated center console with real metal handles and a 65W USB-C charger that provides enough power to charge almost any USB-C device, includingarge a laptop. The center touchscreen has smaller bezels, higher contrast, and better responsiveness. Speaking of screens, there is an 8-inch touchscreen for rear passengers, just like the Model S and Model X.
Tesla officially announced the refreshed Model 3
Tesla
Front Bumper Camera
Tesla officially announced the refreshed Model 3
Tesla
The rumored front camera did not appear in any of the YouTube videos. As previously reported, the new Model 3 is still believed to have a front camera, just like the Cybertruck, and did appear with it in several photos. The front camera will eliminate that very real blind spot just in front of the bumper that the cameras in the windshield can’t see.
Details We Already Knew
Tesla officially announced the refreshed Model 3
Tesla
Now for a refresher about the Model 3 refresh. We’ve been talking about this vehicle since December of 2022, as the partially covered cars started popping up around California. Along the way we learned a lot, but we know that not all of you read about Tesla every day (shame, shame!). So here is a list with links to previous articles that discuss the features.
Tesla has been slashing the prices of the current Model 3, but the Highland is getting a price bump. With the cars already on the showroom floors in China, the RWD is 259,900 yuan, $35,800 USD, while the long-range is 295,900 yuan, $40,800 USD. Those prices are about a 10 percent increase — still, no word when the new Model 3 will be available in North America.
The Tesla Model 3 Highland is more than just a refresh; it's a complete overhaul that addresses several aspects of the vehicle, from aesthetics to performance and comfort. Introducing new colors, a more aerodynamic design, an enhanced sound system, and improved noise insulation are just a few of the many upgrades that make this Model 3 iteration stand out. Although there was a slight bump in the price, the host of improvements and added features justify the increase, offering more value to the customers. Time for an upgrade?
Subscribe
Subscribe to our newsletter to stay up to date on the latest Tesla news, upcoming features and software updates.
Alongside the launch of the Cybertruck, Tesla also sneakily launched a new Mobile Connector that came with every Foundation-Series Cybertruck. We initially thought this was just an updated Mobile Connector to match the aesthetics of the Cybertruck, but that’s not the whole story.
New Mobile Connector
This third-gen Mobile Connector has finally arrived in the Tesla Shop, and the old one has been discontinued. Tesla has increased the price of the new connector from $275 USD to $300 USD.
The new Mobile Connector looks like a mini Wall Connector now. It offers the same shape with a green LED running from top to bottom. Otherwise, the packaging and items included are relatively the same, but with one interesting caveat.
Tesla is indicating that the new Mobile Connector can be used with a “Powershare Outlet Adapter” to power electronic devices. While the Outlet Adapter currently isn’t an item available on the Tesla Store, we expect that it will arrive in the coming months.
Unfortunately, Tesla doesn’t have any photos of the Outlet Adapter, but it sounds like it’ll be a different type of plug that connects to the top of the mobile connector, just like the 110V and 220V plugs. Instead of having a male plug to connect to an outlet, it’ll include various outlets at the end.
Powershare Capability for More Teslas?
Another key item of note is that the webpage for the new Mobile Connector also states, “Powershare is currently only available with the Cybertruck”. This appears to indicate that Tesla will soon offer Powershare on other vehicles, potentially the new Model Y, or even older vehicles.
The Cybertruck uses the AC charging circuit to discharge via its 120V and 240V outlets in the bed, which is why you can’t AC charge the truck and use the outlets at the same time.
Differences Between Wall Connector and Mobile Connector
While the Cybertruck is able to use the Powershare capable Wall Connector to power an entire house, the Mobile Connector would be used to power individual devices instead since it’s not capable of the same power output as the Wall Connector.
If and when Tesla brings Powershare to additional vehicles, it’ll be interesting to see whether they also support Powershare Home Backup with a Tesla Gateway or if it’d arrive in a more limited fashion using only the Mobile Connector’s Powershare Outlet Adapter we’re seeing here.
AC power out is a feature of the Cybertruck’s improved power conversion circuit, so it’s not clear whether other vehicles would be able to support this. Tesla could use an inverter to convert the vehicle’s DC power to AC power, which powers household devices.
Even if older vehicles only receive Powershare capabilities through the new Mobile Connector and the Powershare Outlet, this will be a huge win for Tesla owners. While it won’t be able to power an entire home, it should be able to provide about 10 kW of power, which is equivalent to a small gas generator — enough to use power tools, charge devices, run most 110v appliances like a refrigerator, and more.
In the meantime, if you’re itching to use your vehicle’s battery as a massive portable power bank and don’t have the Cybertruck, check out our coverage on the Vortipower V2L VP20 device, which offers similar capabilities by plugging into the NACS port to allow for 120V and 240V power.
Several months ago, Tesla infamously started turning off power to its 12V sockets in its vehicles when someone wasn’t in the vehicle. This affected all vehicles, including the ever-popular Model Y. The reason provided for the removal was inappropriate modification of vehicles to use high-power devices, which could potentially cause dangerous situations.
This left many accessories, such as vehicle fridges, inoperable since they relied on power staying with Sentry Mode.
In its current state, your vehicle disables the rear 12V cigarette lighter-style sockets inside the center console and USB ports, when no one is detected inside the vehicle. The only current workaround to keeping these outlets with power is to use Camp Mode, but this has disadvantages such as the climate system staying on and walk-away locks being turned off.
This change also impacted USB power provided over any of the vehicle’s USB ports. This made it difficult for users to run sub-trunk fridges or other accessories that would continuously draw power, as Camp Mode consumes quite a bit of energy to maintain the vehicle’s internal temperature.
Update: Both the Model Y and Model X include a 12V socket in the rear left pillar of the vehicle, which is located under a flap, alongside a 12V socket in the front of the vehicle. The Model S and Model 3 only include USB ports and a 12V socket in the front.
The Cybertruck is Tesla’s only vehicle with 110V sockets at this time.
New Accessory Power Feature
Now, in a surprise move, Tesla is restoring access to the 12V sockets when the vehicle is powered off if users enable a new option called “Accessory Power.”
Tesla states that power is available whenever the vehicle detects a user is available or when the Keep Accessory Power On is enabled.
Turning on this new option will enable power across the entire vehicle, including the 12V socket, 12V (max 16A) rear plug (if equipped), and the vehicle’s USB ports. This will let users charge devices or use vehicle accessories, even when they’re not in the vehicle.
This is actually an improvement over the original way to keep these plugs powered without a user present, which required leaving Sentry Mode enabled, which uses a significant portion of energy itself.
The new Accessory Power option will be able to be turned on in your vehicle under Controls > Charging > Keep Accessory Power On.
Limitations
Similar to Sentry Mode and other features, accessory power is only enabled while the option is on and the vehicle’s battery remains above 20%, at which point, it’ll be turned off.
Tesla also warns that keeping the new accessory option on will cause the vehicle to consume additional energy, even if devices are not plugged into any of the outlets, so this should be an option that should be used selectively, when needed.
Release Date
It looks like this feature was supposed to make it out in the 2025.8 update, but to our knowledge, it hasn’t been enabled in any vehicles yet. Our best guess is that it’ll be enabled in a future 2025.8 update, or in the upcoming Spring Update, which will likely add other exciting features — at least if it’s anything like Tesla’s 2024 Spring Update.
We reported back in October that Tesla was looking for alternatives to keep accessories powered on without users present, so we’re super happy to hear this news, as it really shows that Tesla listens to its customers. It’s exciting to see Tesla restore a feature that had a lot of user support behind it, and we’re sure users will be thrilled to be able to use their fridges and accessories again.
If you’re a major user of accessory power, tell us what your primary use case is. Is it charging a laptop while you’re away from your vehicle, or is it running a sub-trunk fridge during your road trips?
We’d love to see some additional input on how Tesla can continue to improve this feature, so let us know in our forums or social media.
