

News
Tesla partner Panasonic shares details of Gigafactory Nevada’s major expansion
It appears that Tesla’s battery partner, Panasonic, is preparing for a massive ramp in Gigafactory Nevada, with an executive stating that the Japanese firm will be rolling out a major expansion of its operations on the site. These include the installation of new equipment and the hiring of more workers, which would allow Giga Nevada to produce battery cells at higher rates than before.
Panasonic’s expansion was recently confirmed by Carl Walton, vice president of production engineering and facilities for Panasonic Energy of North America, who shared the updates in a conversation with the Reno Gazette-Journal. According to Walton, some of the expansion should take place within the next few months, and it will likely continue all the way to next year.
“There’s some construction work that needs to take place over the next couple of months. Then early next year, we’ll be installing new equipment with production starting shortly after that,” he said.
The additional capacity will be coming from a 14th battery production line that Panasonic will be adding to Giga Nevada. Walton declined to give the exact number of GWh that the planned expansion will add to the facility’s capacity, though he noted that Panasonic expects the facility’s capacity to increase by about 10% with the upgrades in place. It should be noted that currently, Gigafactory Nevada has a capacity of about 35 GWh per year.
Walton further noted that with the expansion in place, Panasonic will be hiring more employees for Giga Nevada. That being said, the executive noted that the planned hiring ramp will only include about 100 new positions, hinting at the possibility of the 14th line being heavily automated. “The expansion will increase our staffing by about 100 positions. We’re excited to continue our investment in the Northern Nevada community and our people here,” Walton stated.
While speaking with the Gazette-Journal, Walton added that the expansion plans for the Tesla site will not be limited to the new battery cell production line, since existing lines will also be receiving significant upgrades. These upgrades, the exec explained, are necessary to accommodate a new generation of battery cells. “That work is starting now and we’ve already started to convert current equipment to be able to make those batteries for us,” Walton remarked.
Interestingly enough, the Panasonic executive provided some details about the next-generation battery cells that will be produced at Gigafactory Nevada. According to Walton, Panasonic’s latest battery improves energy density by 5% compared to its previous cells. The company also claimed that its new cells are 1.4x denser than competing iron phosphate batteries, making them the world’s highest energy density batteries. These improvements are but a step, however, as Panasonic is reportedly looking to increase the energy density of its battery cells by 20%.
Panasonic’s confirmation of its planned expansion in Gigafactory Nevada highlights the Japanese firm’s strong working relationship with Tesla. Last year, a report from the Nikkei Asian Review, which cited very little sources, alleged that Panasonic was freezing its expansion plans in Giga Nevada. Panasonic Chief Executive Officer Kazuhiro Tsuga also commented on Tesla CEO Elon Musk’s “unpredictable” behavior on Twitter. Musk, for his part, noted that Panasonic has been the reason behind Giga Nevada’s battery supply constraints.
With the recent statements from Walton, however, it appears that both companies now stand on much firmer ground. Panasonic’s expansion of its Gigafactory Nevada operations seems to be a strong strategy this year, after all, especially since its battery business in the Tesla facility has proven profitable even from January to March 2020, a time that is marred by the start of the pandemic. And with electric cars becoming more popular, the Japanese firm will likely have its hands full trying to meet the battery demand for Tesla’s electric vehicles.
News
Tesla makes big change to encourage Full Self-Driving purchases
Tesla Full Self-Driving was recently proven to be about ten times safer than a human driver in terms of accident frequency.

Tesla has made a big change to its Online Design Studio, hoping to encourage car buyers to purchase Full Self-Driving with their vehicles.
Now, when you look at ordering a car on Tesla’s website, the portion of the page that formerly showed a render of Full Self-Driving capabilities has been replaced by a compilation of the suite’s performance in a variety of challenging scenarios.
It’s a great way to show off FSD’s impressive ability to work through road conditions that can even stump human drivers.
🚨 Tesla is now showing a Full Self-Driving demo on its Design Studio to help encourage people to buy the suite for their new cars pic.twitter.com/RwhqbSStzs
— TESLARATI (@Teslarati) August 24, 2025
The move is much better than what the page previously illustrated. Now, people can see the true capabilities of the FSD suite and what it could do to change their perspective on how vehicles can be. Instead of a vessel of transportation, FSD turns cars into a semi-autonomous mode of travel.
Tesla Full Self-Driving is statistically very safe, logging about ten times the number of miles between accidents as human drivers, based on recent data the company released.
Tesla Q2 2025 vehicle safety report proves FSD makes driving almost 10X safer
It is available for purchase in two different ways: an outright purchase for $8,000 or in a monthly subscription for $99. This enables the software to essentially do a vast majority of the legwork of driving. Drivers must keep their eyes on the road and be prepared to take over if an intervention is needed.
However, FSD has been proven to be a very accurate and safe way to travel. Tesla recently released a video of a drive from the Bay Area to Los Angeles, a nearly seven-hour trip, under FSD without a single intervention ever needed:
Tesla flexes its most impressive and longest Full Self-Driving demo yet
From a personal perspective, Tesla Full Self-Driving is a great way to travel because it truly takes a lot of the stress out of driving. In the past, I’ve used it during weekend Demo Drives to navigate around my town to see if it could handle some of the tougher traffic in my area. It became such an amazing and convenient alternative that when I went back to my car, I truly missed the advantage of having it.
I took a Tesla Model Y weekend-long Demo Drive – Here’s what I learned
However, I am picking up my Tesla Model Y this coming weekend and will enjoy it for the free three months before subscribing to the monthly program.
News
Tesla offers new feature to save battery and reduce phantom drain
While in Low Power Mode, your vehicle continues to use energy for standby functions, screen activity, and Tesla app interactions. In cold weather, available energy may drop more quickly.”

Tesla is offering a new feature to help owners save battery and reduce phantom drain, an issue that some have complained of with their cars.
While Teslas are some of the most efficient EVs on the market, they utilize energy and battery life when they’re parked to keep certain features, like Sentry Mode, Summon Standby, and others, active in preparation for potential events that occur.
Keeping these features ready to perform utilizes energy, and if your car is parked at an airport where it could be sitting stagnant for a few days, the battery percentage could start to dwindle pretty significantly.
Because of this, Tesla is rolling out a new feature called “Low Power Mode,” which will automatically disable a handful of settings to combat battery dwindling and phantom battery drain.
Tesla writes in the release notes for the feature:
“When Low Power Mode is enabled, your vehicle will conserve energy by automatically disabling the following features:
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- Sentry Mode
- Summon Standby
- Outlets
- Keep Accessory Power On
- Keep Climate On and Camp Mode
- Scheduled Preconditioning
- Cabin Overheat Protection
While charging with Low Power Mode enabled:
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- Sentry Mode and accessory power will remain available
- Keep Climate On and Camp Mode are only available when Supercharging
While in Low Power Mode, your vehicle continues to use energy for standby functions, screen activity, and Tesla app interactions. In cold weather, available energy may drop more quickly.”
Trying the new “low power mode” while I travel – you can enable it in vehicle controls menu->charging->low power mode or through the mobile app quick actions.
I use hands free frunk function, so I replaced the frunk quick action and enabled low power mode. 196 miles 8/23 1:30pm pic.twitter.com/E0zzXtwHmr
— Wes (@wmorrill3) August 23, 2025
This feature seemed to be a reaction to a past issue that an owner had as their Cybertruck continued to utilize energy even though the pickup was parked at an airport and the owner was in Japan. The Cybertruck had utilized a lot of energy to keep standby functions active, which left the owner in an interesting spot when they returned.
CEO Elon Musk stepped in, and it seems this feature might have been a reaction to that situation. This is an ideal thing to use if you’re looking to conserve your battery’s state of charge.
News
Tesla is bringing back something it took from the Model 3…for a price
“Modify your Model 3 by replacing the turn signal buttons on your steering wheel with turn signal stalks. This modification is included in the purchase price and is installed by a Tesla Service Center.”

Tesla is bringing back the Model 3’s turn signal stalk in China after removing the part with the refresh of the all-electric sedan early last year.
However, it is going to cost you.
In 2024, Tesla launched the Model 3 “Highland,” a refreshed version of the vehicle that included several large-scale changes. One of the most noticeable was the lack of a turn signal stalk, something the company chose to remove and instead implement turn signal buttons on the steering wheel.
The buttons were met with mixed reviews, as some drivers complained that it was too difficult to get used to them. Others had no problem with the change, noting that it was slightly more convenient for them or that they enjoyed the minimalistic look.
Now, Tesla is offering Model 3 owners in China the opportunity to replace the stalk for a price of ¥ 2,499, or about $350:
“Modify your Model 3 by replacing the turn signal buttons on your steering wheel with turn signal stalks. This modification is included in the purchase price and is installed by a Tesla Service Center.”
Tesla notes on its website that the service is available for Model 3 vehicles without stalks manufactured after February 7, 2025. Any car without a stalk that was manufactured before that date will have the service available to them in the future.
Installation can be performed at a Service Center or by the owner. However, Tesla notes that it is not responsible for any damages resulting from self-installation and recommends that the part be put in by an employee.
The cockpit of the Tesla lineup has been under intense scrutiny by the company in recent years. After a few changes to things like the stalk, steering wheel shape, and others, Tesla has usually given drivers the chance to have things reverted back to their preferences if they want.
They did this for the Model S and Model X a few years ago after implementing the yoke steering wheel.
Tesla Steering Wheel Retrofits have started, and it’s easy to get rid of your yoke
The stalk was not supposed to be removed from the Model 3 and Model Y, but Tesla chose to do so with the refresh last year.
It seems the minimalization of the cockpit, overall, is a move that prepares drivers for autonomy, as eventually, Teslas will be void of pedals, steering wheels, and any other apparatus that are used to control the car.
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