News
Tesla Giga Shanghai is seeing a mysterious expansion beyond the Model Y factory
The pace of Gigafactory Shanghai’s construction has reached a point where it is now normal to see massive buildings being built from the ground up in but a few months. Over the past few months, all eyes were focused on the site’s Phase 2A zone, which happens to be the upcoming Model Y factory. Recent flyovers of the Gigafactory Shanghai complex show that the construction activities in the area are now going far beyond the Model Y plant.
As could be seen in a recent video posted by Tesla enthusiast and drone operator Jason Yang, the Model Y factory in Gigafactory Shanghai is quickly coming to form. The massive facility, which looks very similar to the Model 3 factory constructed a year prior, is now getting its floors paved with concrete. The facility’s roofing is also being refined, and some walls are now being put up.
This is impressive in its own right, and it hints at the possibility of the Model Y’s initial trial production runs being held sooner rather than later. With the pace of the factory’s construction in mind, it would not be surprising if trial production runs of the all-electric crossover are held sometime within this year. Tesla seems to be following this timeframe somewhat, with the company noting that Model Y deliveries to local consumers could start in 2021.
But another story is forming right beside Tesla’s expansive Model Y factory in China. A look at the drone footage of the Gigafactory Shanghai complex reveals that the Model Y facility is only one of several buildings that are being constructed rapidly. Granted, the all-electric crossover’s production plant seems to be progressing a bit faster, but the other buildings beside it are pretty much catching up.
What is interesting is that Tesla has so far been very quiet about the nature of these upcoming structures. Back in the days of the Phase 1 zone’s construction, it was evident that Tesla was building three primary structures: a Model 3 factory, a battery pack assembly building, and a substation. The purpose of the other buildings in the Phase 2 zone apart from the Model Y factory itself has remained rather mysterious to date.
Things become even more interesting when one looks at the plans that Tesla China shared for the completed Gigafactory Shanghai complex. As of late last year, Tesla China’s plans show four major structures that would comprise the completed Gigafactory. Interestingly enough, the new structures beside the Model Y factory seem to be absent in the plans that the company has shared to date.
The purposes of Gigafactory Shanghai’s new buildings remain unknown for now, though it would definitely be interesting to see exactly what the new structures would be once they are finished. This is especially notable considering that the site already has a battery pack and powertrain assembly facility and a power station. Perhaps the new buildings will be used for administrative purposes, or perhaps they will be used for storing completed cars, or maybe even the assembly of energy products? Time would tell.
Elon Musk
Brazil Supreme Court orders Elon Musk and X investigation closed
The decision was issued by Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes following a recommendation from Brazil’s Prosecutor-General Paulo Gonet.
Brazil’s Supreme Federal Court has ordered the closure of an investigation involving Elon Musk and social media platform X. The inquiry had been pending for about two years and examined whether the platform was used to coordinate attacks against members of the judiciary.
The decision was issued by Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes following a recommendation from Brazil’s Prosecutor-General Paulo Gonet.
According to a report from Agencia Brasil, the investigation conducted by the Federal Police did not find evidence that X deliberately attempted to attack the judiciary or circumvent court orders.
Prosecutor-General Paulo Gonet concluded that the irregularities identified during the probe did not indicate fraudulent intent.
Justice Moraes accepted the prosecutor’s recommendation and ruled that the investigation should be closed. Under the ruling, the case will remain closed unless new evidence emerges.
The inquiry stemmed from concerns that content on X may have enabled online attacks against Supreme Court justices or violated rulings requiring the suspension of certain accounts under investigation.
Justice Moraes had previously taken several enforcement actions related to the platform during the broader dispute involving social media regulation in Brazil.
These included ordering a nationwide block of the platform, freezing Starlink accounts, and imposing fines on X totaling about $5.2 million. Authorities also froze financial assets linked to X and SpaceX through Starlink to collect unpaid penalties and seized roughly $3.3 million from the companies’ accounts.
Moraes also imposed daily fines of up to R$5 million, about $920,000, for alleged evasion of the X ban and established penalties of R$50,000 per day for VPN users who attempted to bypass the restriction.
Brazil remains an important market for X, with roughly 17 million users, making it one of the platform’s larger user bases globally.
The country is also a major market for Starlink, SpaceX’s satellite internet service, which has surpassed one million subscribers in Brazil.
Elon Musk
FCC chair criticizes Amazon over opposition to SpaceX satellite plan
Carr made the remarks in a post on social media platform X.
U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Brendan Carr criticized Amazon after the company opposed SpaceX’s proposal to launch a large satellite constellation that could function as an orbital data center network.
Carr made the remarks in a post on social media platform X.
Amazon recently urged the FCC to reject SpaceX’s application to deploy a constellation of up to 1 million low Earth orbit satellites that could serve as artificial intelligence data centers in space.
The company described the proposal as a “lofty ambition rather than a real plan,” arguing that SpaceX had not provided sufficient details about how the system would operate.
Carr responded by pointing to Amazon’s own satellite deployment progress.
“Amazon should focus on the fact that it will fall roughly 1,000 satellites short of meeting its upcoming deployment milestone, rather than spending their time and resources filing petitions against companies that are putting thousands of satellites in orbit,” Carr wrote on X.
Amazon has declined to comment on the statement.
Amazon has been working to deploy its Project Kuiper satellite network, which is intended to compete with SpaceX’s Starlink service. The company has invested more than $10 billion in the program and has launched more than 200 satellites since April of last year.
Amazon has also asked the FCC for a 24-month extension, until July 2028, to meet a requirement to deploy roughly 1,600 satellites by July 2026, as noted in a CNBC report.
SpaceX’s Starlink network currently has nearly 10,000 satellites in orbit and serves roughly 10 million customers. The FCC has also authorized SpaceX to deploy 7,500 additional satellites as the company continues expanding its global satellite internet network.
Energy
Tesla Energy gains UK license to sell electricity to homes and businesses
The license was granted to Tesla Energy Ventures Ltd. by UK energy regulator Ofgem after a seven-month review process.
Tesla Energy has received a license to supply electricity in the United Kingdom, opening the door for the company to serve homes and businesses in the country.
The license was granted to Tesla Energy Ventures Ltd. by UK energy regulator Ofgem after a seven-month review process.
According to Ofgem, the license took effect at 6 p.m. local time on Wednesday and applies to Great Britain.
The approval allows Tesla’s energy business to sell electricity directly to customers in the region, as noted in a Bloomberg News report.
Tesla has already expanded similar services in the United States. In Texas, the company offers electricity plans that allow Tesla owners to charge their vehicles at a lower cost while also feeding excess electricity back into the grid.
Tesla already has a sizable presence in the UK market. According to price comparison website U-switch, there are more than 250,000 Tesla electric vehicles in the country and thousands of Tesla home energy storage systems.
Ofgem also noted that Tesla Motors Ltd., a separate entity incorporated in England and Wales, received an electricity generation license in June 2020.
The new UK license arrives as Tesla continues expanding its global energy business.
Last year, Tesla Energy retained the top position in the global battery energy storage system (BESS) integrator market for the second consecutive year. According to Wood Mackenzie’s latest rankings, Tesla held about 15% of global market share in 2024.
The company also maintained a dominant position in North America, where it captured roughly 39% market share in the region.
At the same time, competition in the energy storage sector is increasing. Chinese companies such as Sungrow have been expanding their presence globally, particularly in Europe.
Brazil Supreme Court orders Elon Musk and X investigation closed
FCC chair criticizes Amazon over opposition to SpaceX satellite plan
