

News
Elon Musk calls for more oil and gas as world transitions to sustainable energy
Elon Musk reiterated his support for nuclear power during his talk at the 2022 Offshore Northern Shore (ONS) conference, which is being held at Stavanger, Norway. Interestingly enough, the Tesla CEO made it a point to reiterate his stance that the world still needs oil and gas today, even as it moves towards sustainability.
Musk covered a number of topics during his talk at the 2022 ONS conference. While he mentioned that Tesla’s main focus for this year is to get FSD ready for wide release, Musk also noted that to prevent civilization from crumbling, the world still needs oil and gas in the short term.
This, explained Musk, is part of the challenge in pushing the world towards a sustainable economy. Considering that the transition would likely take decades to complete, the use of fossil fuels, at least for now, should be appropriate.
“Realistically, I think we need to use oil and gas in the short term because otherwise, civilization will crumble. One of the biggest challenges the world has ever faced is the transition to sustainable energy and to a sustainable economy. That will take some decades to complete,” Musk said, according to Reuters.
When asked if Norway should drill for more oil and gas for now, Musk noted that he thinks “some additional exploration is warranted at this time.” That said, he also highlighted that offshore wind power generation in the North Sea could become a crucial source of power, especially if it’s combined with battery packs. “It could provide a strong, sustainable energy source in winter,” Musk said.
While Musk leads Tesla — a company whose sole purpose of existence is to accelerate the advent of sustainable energy — the CEO is also quite a realist. Musk’s stance on the energy sector’s likely decades-long transition to a renewable economy is proof of this.
It should be noted, however, that Musk also emphasized the need for oil and gas in the short term. Over time and as renewable technologies like battery storage systems gain ground, the need for fossil fuel-powered solutions should see a steady decline.
Don’t hesitate to contact us with news tips. Just send a message to simon@teslarati.com to give us a heads up.
Elon Musk
Tesla looks to expand Robotaxi geofence once again with testing in new area
It looks as if Tesla is preparing for its next expansion of the geofence, potentially moving toward a much larger service area that could eclipse 150 square miles.

Tesla looks to be preparing for the potential expansion of the Robotaxi geofence once again, as the company was spotted testing the suite in an area well outside of the Austin service area.
After it first launched the Robotaxi platform on June 22, Tesla has managed to expand its geofence twice, essentially doubling the travel area both times.
The most recent expansion took the size of the geofence from 42 square miles to about 80 square miles, bringing new neighborhoods and regions of the city into the realm of where the driverless vehicles could take passengers.
However, it looks as if Tesla is preparing for its next expansion of the geofence, potentially moving toward a much larger service area that could eclipse 150 square miles.
Over the weekend, one fan noticed a Robotaxi validation vehicle testing in Bee Cave, Texas, which is roughly 25 minutes from the edge of the current geofence:
Tesla spotted doing Robotaxi validation testing in Bee Cave, Texas, about 15 miles west of Austin (20-25 minute drive from current edge of geofence). pic.twitter.com/JCOcoys8SJ
— Sawyer Merritt (@SawyerMerritt) August 23, 2025
Tesla has been testing vehicles in the western suburbs of Austin for some time, and it seems the company is laying some groundwork to push its geofence expansion into Plaid Mode as competition with Waymo continues to be at the forefront of the conversation.
Waymo has been expanding with Tesla for some time, as the pace of expansion for the two companies has been relatively accelerated for the past couple of months.
Tesla’s expansions of the geofence sent a clear message to competitors and doubters, but it is still aiming to keep things safe and not push the envelope too quickly.
The geofence expansion is impressive, but Tesla is also focusing on expanding its vehicle fleet in both Austin and the Bay Area, where it launched a ride-hailing service in July.
Tesla Bay Area autonomous fleet to grow to over 100 units: Elon Musk
Still, safety is the priority at the current time.
“We are being very cautious. We do not want to take any chances, so we are going to go cautiously. But the service areas and the number of vehicles in operation will increase at a hyper-exponential rate,” CEO Elon Musk said during the Q2 Earnings Call.
News
Tesla considers making a big move with Model Y pricing as demand is skyrocketing
“Trending toward a need to expedite output even further, which could mean adjusting pricing upward in the coming days. Trying hard not to, will see.”

Tesla is considering making a big move with Model Y pricing as demand is skyrocketing due to the EV tax credit expiring in just over a month.
With the $7,500 EV tax credit set to be removed on September 30, Tesla is experiencing increased demand for its Model 3 and Model Y. Customers are doing whatever they can to take delivery of the car they ordered as soon as possible.
The IRS recently adjusted the EV tax credit’s rules slightly.
Previously, the vehicle had to be delivered by September 30, but a slight tweak the agency made last week will now allow customers to enter a legally binding contract along with a marginal down payment by that date. The delivery can occur after September 30, and the car can still qualify for the credit.
However, demand is getting so crazy for the Model Y that Tesla is considering a price increase on the all-electric crossover, as well as a potential boost in production output to keep up with orders.
Inventory is dwindling in several markets across the United States, a good sign for the company, as it could have one of its best quarters in recent history in terms of deliveries.
However, Tesla is thinking of bumping the price slightly, Raj Jegannathan, the company’s VP of IT, AI Infrastructure, Apps, Infosec, and Vehicle Service Operations, said on X:
Trending toward a need to expedite output even further, which could mean adjusting pricing upward in the coming days. Trying hard not to, will see.
— Raj Jegannathan (@r_jegaa) August 25, 2025
The price adjustment would come as a response to increasing production output, Jegannathan’s response seems to indicate.
The bump would help Tesla’s margins, but the idea that the company could adjust pricing by increasing it would not be popular with potential car buyers. It might encourage some buyers to put their orders in sooner, hoping to avoid a new, higher price.
However, it could also steer some buyers away from putting an order in on a vehicle, especially if the price increase is more than a few hundred dollars.
Tesla boosted the price of the Model S, Model X, and Cybertruck recently, but brought in a “Luxe Package” to help justify it.
It comes with Free Full Self-Driving, Free lifetime Supercharging, four years of premium service, and lifetime Premium Connectivity.

Tesla has produced its 100,000th new Model Y at Gigafactory Berlin. The milestone was announced by the electric vehicle maker through its official Tesla Manufacturing account on social media platform X.
New Tesla Model Y milestone
The milestone was announced by Tesla on X, when the company wrote “Today, we built the 100,000th New Model Y at Giga Berlin!” The announcement was accompanied by an image of a new Model Y coming off the line.
The milestone was received warmly by members of the Tesla community, many of whom expressed excitement at the further progress of the new Model Y program at Giga Berlin. The facility, after all, only produces Model Y units, which would make it the perfect site to produce new variants like the Model Y Performance and possibly even the Model Y L, which was recently launched in China.
New Model Y ramp
As noted in a previous report from electrive, the initial production of the new Model Y started in Giga Berlin around mid-January 2025. Since the new Model Y involved a changeover from the legacy Y to the new variant, the ramp of the new Model Y’s production at the Germany-based facility was likely a gradual process over the past months.
It would then be no surprise if the next 100,000 new Model Y units would be produced in Giga Berlin in a shorter period. Giga Berlin could become an even bigger factor in Tesla’s global sales, after all, especially if it becomes the site that produces the Model Y Performance and the Model Y L for Europe and other territories. Giga Berlin, if any, seems to be quite busy recently, with aerial videos of the facility showing a fleet of mysteriously covered Model Y units being stored within the complex.
-
Elon Musk3 days ago
Elon Musk takes aim at Bill Gates’ Microsoft with new AI venture “Macrohard”
-
Elon Musk9 hours ago
Elon Musk argues lidar and radar make self driving cars more dangerous
-
News2 weeks ago
Elon Musk reaffirms Tesla Semi mass production in 2026
-
News1 week ago
Tesla clarifies LA car carrier fire started in diesel semi, not EV batteries
-
News2 weeks ago
Tesla FSD V14 gets tentative release date
-
Elon Musk2 weeks ago
Tesla warns consumers of huge, time-sensitive change coming soon
-
News2 weeks ago
Tesla plans to use Unreal Engine for driver visualization with crazy upgrade
-
News2 weeks ago
Tesla flexes its most impressive and longest Full Self-Driving demo yet