Tesla has been approved to invest $750,000 in nine local organizations in Texas this year, significantly exceeding its required investments. Although the company is required to give a certain percentage of its taxes as community investments, the figure nearly doubles the required amount from last year, and one official went on to call the automaker’s contributions “really impressive.”
Travis County commissioners approved Tesla for $750,000 in investments to local organizations in 2023, as shared by the automaker in a report this week (via Fox 7 Austin). Tesla is required to invest about 10 percent of operations and maintenance property taxes into organizations near its Gigafactory in Austin, Texas, and in its official headquarters of Del Valle.
When Tesla established its headquarters in Del Valle, which officially opened in 2022 after being announced in 2020, part of the agreement included giving back to the community. Travis County Director of Economic Development Christy Moffett recently explained the agreement upon the commission’s approval of Tesla’s 2023 investment plan.
“Tesla has an obligation to spend an equivalent of at least 10 percent of the operations and maintenance ad valorem property tax owed by the company over the term of the agreement in one or more of the programs identified,” Moffett said.
Tesla’s maintenance and operational taxes amounted to a little more than $2.9 million in 2022, according to Fox 7 Austin, so the 10-percent requirement would equate to $298,000. The $750,000 Tesla has been approved for is more than double the 2022 figure.
“To see what has happened there because of the hard work of a lot of people, it’s really cool to see that,” said Rohan Patel, Tesla’s director of public policy.
The investments are broken up into increments ranging from as little as $12,000 to over $350,000, and will go toward organizations such as Del Valle school needs, along with multiple social and environmental groups.
“These things demonstrate to youth that there is something on the other side if [they] stay in school,” Travis County Precinct 1 Commissioner Jeff Travillion said.
The nine organizations are as follows, according to Tesla’s report to the county:
| Community Partner
|
Funding Amount
|
Program Description
|
| Ecorise
|
$100,000
|
Student Innovation Fund creating access to career pathways.
|
| American Youthworks
|
$30,000
|
New training and production equipment for Manufacturing Program, providing workforce training.
|
| Colorado River Alliance
|
$25,000
|
River clean-up and environmental education activities.
|
| Black Leaders’ Collective
|
$32,000
|
State of Black Education Program to improve career opportunities.
|
| Austin Area Urban League
|
$75,000
|
Green Jobs Initiative improving training and access to careers in the sustainability sector.
|
| Partners for Education Agriculture and Sustainability (PEAS)
|
$100,000
|
Sustainability/ Environmental programming to six elementary schools (AISD and Manor ISD) and prepare programming for the 4 Del Valle elementary schools.
|
| Workforce Solutions Teacher Externships
|
$12,000
|
2023 Summer Educator Externship Program. Tesla led training and teaching opportunities at Giga Texas.
|
| Del Valle ISD Staff
|
$376,880
|
Creation of 3 new DVISD roles to directly support career opportunities.
|
| Del Valle High School P-Tech Equipment
|
TBD
|
Manufacturing and Robotics equipment for classroom training.
|
Among the many programs are the addition of new roles at the Del Valle School District to support career development, and multiple education and training opportunities for students and teachers. The automaker is also expanding a 120-acre area to the west of Giga Texas as a pilot program for ecological restoration.
“The whole goal with this pilot project, which is a fairly large pilot project, is to get a lot of learnings about what works on this site and maybe what doesn’t and continue applying this along our river frontage,” said Logan Grant, Tesla factory engineer.
The news comes ahead of Tesla’s third-quarter earnings report on Wednesday evening at 5:30 pm ET.
“This is really impressive. I know there’s lots of chatter in the community about Musk and Tesla and all of that, but what you’ve created here is really remarkable,” said Brigid Shea, Travis County Precinct 2 Commissioner.
Tesla partners with Del Valle ISD on student training program for Giga Texas
What are your thoughts? Let me know at zach@teslarati.com, find me on X at @zacharyvisconti, or send your tips to us at tips@teslarati.com.
Elon Musk appeared on the Moonshots podcast with Peter Diamandis today to discuss AGI, U.S. vs. China, Tesla, and some other interesting topics, but there was some discussion about the upcoming unveiling of the Roadster, the company’s electric supercar that will arrive several years after it was initially slated for release.
Musk made some pretty amazing claims about the Roadster; we already know it is supposed to be lightning-fast and could even hover, if Tesla gets everything to happen the way it wants to. However, the car has some pretty crazy capabilities, some of which have not even been revealed.
On the podcast, Musk said:
“This is not a…safety is not the main goal. If you buy a Ferrari, safety is not the number one goal. I say, if safety is your number one goal, do not buy the Roadster…We’ll aspire not to kill anyone in this car. It’ll be the best of the last of the human-driven cars. The best of the last.”
🚨 Elon on the Roadster unveiling, scheduled for April 1:
— TESLARATI (@Teslarati) January 6, 2026
Musk makes a good point: people who buy expensive sports cars with ridiculous top speeds and acceleration rates do not buy them to be safe. They hope they are safe in case of an emergency or crash, but safety is not at the forefront of their thoughts, because nobody buys a car thinking they’ll crash it.
The Roadster is truly going to push the limits and capabilities of passenger vehicles; there’s no doubt about that. Tesla plans to show off the new version car for the first time on April 1, and Musk has only hinted at what is possible with it.
Musk said back in November:
“Whether it’s good or bad, it will be unforgettable. My friend Peter Thiel once reflected that the future was supposed to have flying cars, but we don’t have flying cars. I think if Peter wants a flying car, he should be able to buy one…I think it has a shot at being the most memorable product unveiling ever. [It will be unveiled] hopefully before the end of the year. You know, we need to make sure that it works. This is some crazy technology in this car. Let’s just put it this way: if you took all the James Bond cars and combined them, it’s crazier than that.”
Production is set to begin between 12 and 18 months after the unveiling, which would put the car out sometime in 2027. Hopefully, Tesla is able to stay on track with the scheduling of the Roadster; many people have been waiting a long time for it.
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Tesla launches hiring for Robotaxi program in its twentieth country
Overall, the hiring signals Tesla’s aggressive timeline for global dominance in autonomous mobility.
Tesla has launched a hiring initiative for its Robotaxi program in its twentieth country, as the company posted two new jobs in Thailand this week.
Tesla is hiring in Bangkok and Kowloon for the Vehicle Operator position, which is related to data collection, and is the first in Thailand, but the twentieth country overall, as the company tries to expand into other markets.
🚨 BREAKING: Tesla is hiring additional full-time Vehicle Operators in Bangkok, Thailand.
Previous openings were 6-month, part-time roles. These are equivalent to AI Safety Operator roles in the U.S. pic.twitter.com/R6LzoU1bos— Tesla Yoda (@teslayoda) January 5, 2026
Tesla has had active job postings for Vehicle Operator positions in the United States, India, Israel, Taiwan, Germany, the Czech Republic, Hungary, the UK, Finland, Switzerland, Sweden, the Netherlands, Austria, Spain, Norway, Italy, and Turkey in past listings.
These postings are not all currently available, likely because the roles have been filled.
Thailand is the most recent, and broadens the company’s potential path to expanding its ride-hailing program, which is only active in the United States in Austin, Texas, and the California Bay Area, so far.
These roles typically involve data collection, which assists in improving Autopilot and Full Self-Driving operation. Tesla’s self-driving programs utilize real-world data that is accumulated and stored, observing vehicle and traffic behavior, as well as tendencies that are performed by human drivers to help increase safety and overall performance.
Overall, the hiring signals Tesla’s aggressive timeline for global dominance in autonomous mobility. Although the company has several high-profile rivals and competitors in the field, it has established itself as a main player and a leader in the development of autonomous technology, especially in the U.S., as its FSD suite is refined on almost a weekly basis.
The Full Self-Driving suite is available in seven countries and territories currently, including the U.S., Canada, China, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Australia, and New Zealand. Its biggest goal for expansion is currently the European market, where regulatory hurdles have been the main bottleneck prolonging its launch on the continent.
Tesla has performed months of testing in various European countries, including France and Spain, and does have support in some areas from various regulatory agencies. However, the company is hoping to get through this red tape and offer its suite in Europe for the first time, hopefully this year.
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Tesla China rolls out Model Y upgrades, launches low-interest financing
These strategies are aimed at improving the ownership experience and keeping vehicle pricing competitive in the world’s largest electric vehicle market.
Tesla has rolled out minor updates to the five-seat Model Y in China, upgrading the vehicle’s center display to a higher-resolution 16-inch 2K screen. The electric vehicle maker also introduced attractive financing options, including 7-year low-interest rates, to offset the new purchase tax on EVs.
These strategies are aimed at improving the ownership experience and keeping vehicle pricing competitive in the world’s largest electric vehicle market.
Five-seat Model Y gets larger, better display
With its recent update, all three variants of the five-seat Model Y now feature an upgraded 16-inch 2K resolution center display, which replaces the vehicle’s previous 15.4-inch 1080p panel. This screen was already used in the six-seat Model Y L, and it offered improved visual clarity. Tesla China has also updated the Model Y’s headliner to black, giving the vehicle a sleeker appearance.
Prices of the five-seat Model Y remain unchanged at RMB 263,500, RMB 288,500, and RMB 313,500 for the respective trims. This update enhances the cabin experience as domestic rivals are already adopting high-resolution screens. As noted in a CNEV Post report, some domestic automakers have begun rolling out vehicles equipped with 3K-resolution displays.
New financing offers
Tesla also launched ultra-long-term financing offers for its locally produced models in China, which include the Model 3 sedan, the five-seat Model Y, and the six-seat Model Y L, through January 31, 2026. The 7-year option features an annualized fee rate as low as 0.5%, which is equivalent to 0.98% interest. This is expected to save customers up to RMB 33,479 ($4,790) compared to standard rates.
A 5-year zero-interest plan is also available, and it has been extended to the Tesla Model Y L for the first time. These incentives help offset China’s new 5% purchase tax on New Energy Vehicles (NEVs) in 2026-2027. Some of Tesla’s rivals in China have announced in recent months that they would be covering the purchase tax owed by buyers early this year.
Elon Musk just said some crazy stuff about the Tesla Roadster
Tesla launches hiring for Robotaxi program in its twentieth country
