In order to accommodate the increase in travel, Tesla has launched four Megapack Chargers in heavily traveled areas of the U.S., offering a mobile Megapack unit along with pre-fabricated Supercharger units. These mobile chargers have been deployed in Bakersfield, California, Primm, Nevada, El Centro, California, and Cambridge, Ohio, and can now be seen on Tesla’s Supercharger map.

Credit: Tesla Charging | X

Credit: Tesla Charging | X

Credit: Tesla Charging | X

Credit: Tesla Charging | X

READ MORE ON SUPERCHARGERS: Tesla set to launch new V4 Cabinet enabling fastest Supercharging speeds yet

While the Bakersfield and Primm mobile charger locations appear to have been added to existing Superchargers, the El Centro and Cambridge sites seem to be standalone sites with eight and 10 stalls, respectively, according to Tesla’s website. The mobile units also seem to offer up to 150kW charging speeds, as detailed on the listings for the latter two chargers.

Tesla has deployed similar mobile Superchargers in the past, recently doing so in October in areas of Florida hit by Hurricane Milton. Other mobile chargers have been spotted as far back as 2019, though the latest units appear to also have benefitted from Tesla’s increasing deployment of pre-fabricated Supercharger units, which the company builds at its Gigafactory in Buffalo, New York.

You can see a diagram of the pre-fab Superchargers below, as shared in recent weeks by Tesla’s North America Director of Charging Max de Zegher. On the left, you can see all the materials needed to build a traditional Supercharging station with four stalls, including the stalls themselves, the charging cabinet, and all the structural items needed. On the right, you’ll see Tesla’s pre-fabricated units, which streamline the installation process and feature a built-in cabinet, stalls, and structure.

Credit: Max de Zegher | X

Tesla reached 60,000 Supercharger stalls worldwide in October, and the company is also readying its rollout of the V4 Supercharging cabinet in 2025, which will enable charging speeds of up to 500 kW for the Cybertruck and up to 1.2 MW for the electric Semi.

The company has also been aiming to make improvements to the existing Supercharger network, with goals to build more stations with pull-through, towing-friendly stalls, and to increase the length of charging cables to help accommodate wider access to the chargers for non-Tesla electric vehicles (EVs).

What are your thoughts? Let me know at zach@teslarati.com, find me on X at @zacharyvisconti, or send us tips at tips@teslarati.com.

Nissan Ariya to gain access to NACS-compatible Tesla Superchargers starting Dec 10

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CarNewsChina is indicating that the new Model Y will have both a five-seat and six-seat variation. The five-seater will feature a facelift much like the Model 3 “Highland” did, and will enter production in January 2025.

There is no information on when the six-seater version could enter production, but the report says the five-seat Model Y Juniper will start being built at Gigafactory Shanghai in China just after the new year in January.

The six-seater Model Y Juniper will likely enter production later in the year. Reuters reported in September that this version of the new Model Y would be manufactured by late 2025. The report from the outlet also stated that Tesla was asking suppliers to prepare for a substantial increase in production of the Model Y in Shanghai.

There will be several notable changes between the current version of the all-electric crossover and the new version that will begin production next year, the report says.

Many of the changes will be related to the interior and exterior design, but there will also be battery and performance upgrades to help bolster the vehicle’s reputation as one of the best in the highly competitive Chinese electric vehicle market.

We have also spotted several Model Y Juniper test mules in the United States, as the vehicle is under wraps in California on public roads. Not all of the exact changes are yet known.

Tesla Model Y ‘Juniper’ spotted in China with several big changes

With the Model 3 Highland, Tesla focused on a new, more minimalistic interior, greater suspension performance, better cabin noise reduction, and a new fascia that gave the all-electric sedan a more modern look.

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At its Robotaxi unveiling event in October, Tesla said it planned to kick off fully autonomous ride-sharing operation in Texas and California as early as 2025. It has already started talks with local authorities in one of those states.

The company is now in touch with officials in Austin, Texas, according to a new report from Bloomberg. The publication saw emails between Tesla and Austin city officials that showed the talks had already started.

Tesla reveals design inspiration behind Cybercab’s gold color

However, they are in the earliest of stages, which means there are plenty of things to iron out before any true progress is made, including a date or terms of what the Robotaxi fleet may look like in terms of size and operation.

This would be quite different from what the company offers currently. Tesla drivers can currently use the company’s Full Self-Driving suite to navigate anywhere in a semi-autonomous fashion. While it does not require hands on the steering wheel, it does require a driver’s complete attention, and it is monitored through a cabin-facing camera.

What Tesla is aiming for with its Robotaxi fleet is totally different. This would not require anyone in the vehicle to pay attention or contribute anything to the vehicle in terms of its operation.

The vehicle would get the passengers from point A to point B without any human intervention, something that has been done with other companies in the past like Waymo.

However, these companies have used geofenced areas and teleoperation to keep these rides driverless. They are just confined to a certain area. Tesla does not want to use geofencing, but there has been speculation the company will use teleoperation in the early days of its Robotaxi fleet operation.

It would make sense for Austin to be the first city where Tesla operates the Robotaxi fleet. The company’s Gigafactory Texas is located just outside the city, and Tesla moved its Headquarters to Texas from Palo Alto, California in 2022.

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Song Gang, who has been with Tesla for six years, confirmed in an internal memo seen by Reuters that his time with the electric automaker has come to a close.

As of this writing, he has not updated the experience portion of his LinkedIn page, as it states he is still the Vice President of Manufacturing at Gigafactory Shanghai.

However, the description below his name states he is “EX-Tesla.” His about me on his LinkedIn page states:

“As the No. 1 employee in Telsa GFSH, I have built up the world No. 1 vehicle factory, Battery factory and Drive Unit factory. All factories are intellegent and digitalized. Now I am leading the 1st Mega factory project outside US, aiming to build the No. 1 energy product factory in the world.”

He is set to leave his post on Wednesday, the memo said. He also wrote:

“Today is my last day at Tesla and I feel extremely fortunate to have worked and fought with everyone on this plot of land.”

Tesla Giga Shanghai operating at maximum capacity: Elon Musk

The reason for his departure is not currently known, but Bloomberg is reporting that Senior Director of Quality at the plant, Fei Wenjin, will be the new frontman for Gigafactory Shanghai.

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Baird analyst Ben Kallo continued the bullish sentiment that many analysts are pushing on the EV maker’s stock over the past month and a half as Tesla continues to gain value based on the catalysts it has moving forward with President-elect Donald Trump set to take the White House in January.

Kallo said in a note to investors on Tuesday that the company has “several upcoming potential catalysts” and that Baird “likes the stock long term.”

The note also came with a boosted price target of $480 from $280. Kallo also reiterated his “Outperform” rating on Tesla shares.

The analyst recommends that investors buy “particularly on pullbacks,” especially considering that the company has several things that could help the stock climb higher in the future.

Credit: Tesla

Kallo specifically mentions several things, including:

• The introduction of new vehicles will help increase volume
  • Tesla is leveraging affordable models that are set to launch in the first half of 2025, as well as the Robotaxi fleet to bolster annual growth moving forward
• Removal of the EV tax credit by the Trump White House
  • Although this would potentially be a negative across the board, it would be a positive for Tesla as it will hurt competitors more than them
• Production costs continue to decrease
  • Tesla is profitable on every vehicle it builds, including Cybertruck, which reached a positive gross margin in less than one year
• Expansion into new markets
  • Tesla is specifically targeting new Asian and South American markets
• Growth in the energy division
  • Many forget Tesla is more than just a car company, and its performance as an energy provider in 2024 was better than ever
• Full Self-Driving approval in new markets
  • Tesla hopes to launch FSD in China and Europe in the next year
• Tesla Optimus robots
  • Tesla says it will begin deploying these robots in its factories considerably in the coming years

There are also some things that Kallo and Baird list as potential weaknesses, including the company’s valuation, potentially “lumpy” sales with new vehicle introductions, Robotaxi delays and accidents, which are commonly mentioned by mass media, and the potential that the removal of the EV tax credit could be a bigger negative than expected.

Tesla shares are down just over 1 percent at 10:20 a.m. on the East Coast, trading at around $474.30.

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In a post on X on Monday, Tesla Energy announced that the Powerwall 3 is now available in Puerto Rico, following the company’s launch of a Virtual Power Plant (VPP) program in the U.S. territory last year. Tesla also launched the next-generation Powerwall across the rest of the U.S. earlier this year, and in other countries, including Canada, Germany, and still others.

Credit: Tesla Energy | X

READ MORE: Tesla Energy already exceeded FY 2023’s battery deployments—and there’s still one quarter left

Tesla Powerwall 3 launch and recent milestones

Tesla officially launched the Powerwall 3 on its website in the U.S. in February, though the company had been quietly starting installing them in the country throughout much of last year. In addition to starting to deploy the Powerwall 3 in a variety of markets throughout this year, Tesla has also reached several production, delivery, and other milestones in 2024.

Most recently, Tesla announced last month that its Powerwall production team at Gigafactory Nevada had built over 1,000 units in a single day. The same production team produced more than 500 Powerwall units in a single shift in August.

As of Q3, Tesla had deployed over 750,000 Powerwall units globally, of which more than 100,000 are participating in the company’s VPP programs—which effectively create giant, distributed batteries from a region’s Powerwall owners during times of peak energy demand.

Puerto Rico’s VPP program has the potential to become the company’s largest VPP program yet, with around 75,000 Powerwall owners around the time it launched last November. Tesla also details the Puerto Rico VPP program on its website here.

To be sure, most of the Powerwalls involved in these VPPs and deployed throughout the world are still comprised of Tesla’s Powerwall 2 units, though the Powerwall 3 has been rolling out to more and more countries and regions.

Tesla Energy: production and delivery scales for this high-margin business

The news of Tesla widening the reach of its Powerwall 3 also comes as this year comes to an end, a year during which Elon Musk predicted the energy business would make some substantial strides. In addition to the Powerwall being produced and delivered in high volumes, Tesla’s grid-scale Megapack batteries have been going online more frequently than ever, living up to Musk’s predicted hype.

Heading into 2024, Musk said he expected Tesla Energy to grow into its highest-margin business, and predicted that the energy sector’s sales growth rate would outpace that of its automotive arm. In the third quarter, Tesla Energy reached a record gross profit margin of 30.5 percent, along with delivering a record 6.9 GWh of energy products to drive the company past its full-year 2023 energy deployments.

What are your thoughts? Let me know at zach@teslarati.com, find me on X at @zacharyvisconti, or send us tips at tips@teslarati.com.

Tesla shows off solar, Powerwall-backed display at Giga Berlin

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Within the past few days, Tesla’s “Foundation Series” Cybertrucks have appeared on the company’s inventory page in states across the U.S. At the time of writing on Sunday afternoon, Tesla’s website still shows inventory Foundation Series units in at least California, Colorado, Florida, Texas, Minnesota, and likely several other states.

As noted on listings for these units, they still include many of the initial launch features that have always come with the Foundation Series units, including the subtle “Foundation Series” badges near the side mirrors, the inclusion of Supervised Full Self-Driving (FSD), and lifetime premium connectivity, among other upgraded Tesla Cybertruck accessories still.

You can find the inventory units for both the tri-motor Cyberbeast configuration and the dual-motor, all-wheel-drive (AWD) trim, which are listed at $119,990 and $99,990, respectively. By comparison, U.S. buyers can now purchase non-Foundation Series units, which don’t include the aforementioned upgrades, for $79,990 (AWD) and $99,990 (Cyberbeast) through Tesla’s online order configurator.

Credit: Tesla

Florida-based X user Bearded Tesla said that there were 13 Foundation Series Cybertrucks at his local delivery center, as well as several non-Foundation Series units. He also confirmed that the Foundation Series models would still include FSD Supervised, as can be seen on the inventory page when searching for Cybertrucks.

Credit: Bearded Tesla | X

Tesla effectively ended the Foundation Series program for the U.S. market in October, going on to launch the non-Foundation Series units online. The program lasted around 11 months since Tesla initially launched the Cybertruck last November.

Currently, the Foundation Series is still the only Cybertruck option available in the Canadian and Mexican markets, and some have been speculating that Tesla could continue this for a while, eventually rolling out non-Foundation Series units, just as it did in the U.S.

Tesla also achieved a positive gross margin on the Cybertruck for the first time in October, after ramping up production of the electric vehicle (EV) at its Gigafactory in Texas throughout much of this year. A recent recall of the Cybertruck that was resolved with a software update revealed that there were approximately 27,185 units affected—likely a good estimate for the number of units that had been produced thus far by the tenth month of the year.

What are your thoughts? Let me know at zach@teslarati.com, find me on X at @zacharyvisconti, or send us tips at tips@teslarati.com.

Tesla completes Cybertruck regulatory filing in China just days after rumor denial

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On Friday, Tesla’s Charging account on X highlighted that the Cybertruck can now charge at speeds of up to 325kW at select Supercharger sites with V4 charging stalls. The news comes as Tesla prepares to start rolling out its V4 charging cabinets in early 2025, which will enable speeds of up to 500kW.

Tesla North American Charging Director Max de Zegher also reposted the news on X, clarifying that, eventually, all V4 posts with a V3 cabinet would enable 325kW charging speeds, and likely even in the coming weeks. He also points out that these Cybertrucks are charging at 400v at 325kW, though they’ll eventually be able to access the full capabilities of their 800v charging architecture with the arrival of the V4 cabinet.

Where can Tesla Cybertrucks charge at speeds of up to 325kW?

Below is the full list of initial sites where Tesla Cybertrucks can charge at 325kW, as shared by Tesla. The company also says it’s aiming to roll out access to even more locations.

• Lebec, CA
• Chemult, OR
• Columbus, GA – Macon Road
• Dayton, OH – North Springboro Pike
• Dunnigan, CA – County Road
• Lamoni, IA
• Wilsonville, OR
• Truckee, CA – Deerfield Drive
• Harrison, NY
• Farr West, UT
• Tacoma, WA – S 40th Street
• Highland, CA – 4154 E Highland Ave
• Melissa, TX
• Cedar Park, TX – East Whitestone Boulevard
• Gillette, WY – South Douglas Highway
• Rockaway, NJ – Green Pond Road
• Mesa, AZ – South Signal Butte Road
• Blaine, WA – Boblett Street
• Santa Ynez, CA

Tesla’s latest charging improvements and milestones

Tesla quietly started rolling out its upgraded V4 Superchargers in North America and other markets throughout much of last year, though the community was quick to point out that the power cabinets also required updates to allow for faster charging speeds. In August, however, Tesla did confirm that it was performing trials of faster charging speeds on the V4 stalls at select Supercharger locations, hinting that these updates were not far off and that even sites with V3 cabinets would likely soon access faster charging.

In the past, Tesla and de Zegher have also highlighted the advantages of building prefabricated charging units at the Gigafactory in Buffalo, New York, which come in pre-built structures with four stall units that are delivered to the site. For one, Tesla has said that the prefab units now take the company just four days from delivery to installation, meaning that it can deploy charging stations faster than ever.

Ultimately, the charging executive also says that the cost-savings that come from building Supercharger stalls this way will be passed onto the customer, following suit recent price reductions that have been spotted in both the North American and European markets in recent weeks.

You can see a rendering of the total supplies needed for four V4 Supercharger stalls (left) compared to the pre-assembled Supercharger units (right) below.

Credit: Max de Zegher | X

What are your thoughts? Let me know at zach@teslarati.com, find me on X at @zacharyvisconti, or send us tips at tips@teslarati.com.

Tesla Supercharger network leads U.S. toward 2030 charging goal

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Interestingly enough, Tesla ended up building its first Supercharger in the Philippines even before it delivered its first car in the country.

Tesla Philippines’ first Supercharger:

• Tesla Philippines’ first Supercharger is located at Uptown Mall, the same location where the flagship Tesla Philippines Experience Center is located.
• Uptown Mall is located in Bonifacio Global City (BGC), a central business district and one of Metro Manila’s most upscale areas. 
• Based on images shared by the official Tesla Charging account, Tesla Philippines’ first Supercharger is equipped with four V4 stalls.
• Estimates suggest that a Model 3 or Model Y will cost about PHP 1,140 (about $20) to fully charge in the Supercharger at Uptown Mall. That’s roughly equal to the price of 20 liters (5.28 gallons) of gasoline, or less than half a full tank of a popular seven-seater like the Mitsubishi Xpander, which is powered by a 1.5-liter engine.

Philippines' first Supercharger

Taguig, Philippines – Uptown Mall (4 stalls) https://t.co/hblLnds67T pic.twitter.com/NPpB2ZB06H

— Tesla Charging (@TeslaCharging) December 11, 2024

Tesla Philippines fast facts:

• Tesla Philippines only sells the Tesla Model 3 and Tesla Model Y.
• Both vehicles are imported from Gigafactory Shanghai.
• The Model 3 and Model Y are competitively priced—comparable in cost to mainstream vehicles like the Toyota Camry Hybrid and the Honda CR-V—at least if bought in cash. 
• If financed, the Model 3 and Model Y are offered with a steep 29% add-on rate for a 60-month loan.
• First deliveries for the Tesla Model 3 and Model Y are expected early 2025.

A very young EV market:

• Electric vehicles are still very new in the Philippines, so Tesla would have to battle a lot of misconceptions from domestic car owners.
• These include misconceptions about the power, range, and reliability of electric vehicles.
• That said, the Philippines is a small country, so the range of the Model 3 and Model Y is likely more than adequate to satisfy the needs of Filipino drivers.

Don’t hesitate to contact us with news tips. Just send a message to simon@teslarati.com to give us a heads up.

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This was highlighted recently when Tesla announced that the self-driving two-seater will be on display at several key locations across the United States this weekend.

Cybercab weekend: 

• Tesla announced the Cybercab’s weekend showcase through its official Tesla North America account on social media platform X. 
• As per Tesla North America’s announcement, the Cybercab will be featured in the following locations: 
  • Century City, Los Angeles, CA
  • Park Meadows, Lone Tree, CO
  • Tampa Westshore Blvd, Tampa, FL
  • Gold Coast, Chicago, Il
  • Garden State Plaza, Paramus, NJ
• Tesla did not indicate in its announcement if visitors would be able to sit inside the Cybercab displays or if the vehicles would be strictly for viewing only.

Cybercab on display this weekend

Locations below – come drop by! pic.twitter.com/qfbKcyhai8

— Tesla North America (@tesla_na) December 13, 2024

A Cybercab promotional blitz:

• This is Tesla’s latest round of Cybercab displays.
• The self-driving robotaxi is currently on tour in Europe, where it is being showcased across several countries.
• The Cybercab has also been brought to Tesla’s facilities like Gigafactory New York.
• The Cybercab is currently featured at the Petersen Automotive Museum as well.

What makes the Cybercab special:

• The Cybercab is Tesla’s first vehicle that is specifically designed for autonomy. Thus, it has no manual controls like a steering wheel or pedals. 
• As per Tesla Lead Engineer Eric E., the Cybercab will feature roughly half the parts of the Model 3. This will likely make the Cybercab easy to produce in large numbers.
• Elon Musk has estimated that Tesla is aiming to produce about 2 million Cybercabs per year.
• Despite its small size, the Cybercab is fitted with a very large trunk. Eric E. mentioned that the Cybercab’s trunk is able to fit everything from multiple golf bags to two full-size carry-ons and two full-size checked bags at once.
• The Cybercab’s trunk can also fit some bicycles, depending on their size, as well as a foldable wheelchair.

Don’t hesitate to contact us with news tips. Just send a message to simon@teslarati.com to give us a heads up.

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