California Governor Gavin Newsom is currently visiting China to discuss climate initiatives, and one stop on Sunday included a visit to U.S. automaker Tesla’s factory in Shanghai.
Governor Newsom visited and toured the Tesla Gigafactory in Shanghai on Sunday, as detailed ahead of the trip by Cal Matters and reported by Elex Michaelson in a video on X. The visit to the world’s most productive electric vehicle (EV) plant underscores the unique relationship between the U.S. and China, as the latter country still controls much of the supply chain for EV battery materials.
The visit is intended to look at how China and California can cooperate on climate goals, and it included trips to Shenzen, where a fully electric 16,000-bus fleet is operational, an offshore wind facility in Jiangsu, and finally, the Shanghai facility. In addition, Newsom test-drove one of BYD’s hybrid vehicles and held a meeting in Beijing with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
In the video shared by Michaelson, you can see Newsom and other officials watching as the Model Y production line is in action. Michaelson notes that the facility produces around 2,000 cars per day at Giga Shanghai.
.@GavinNewsom tours @Tesla’s gigafactory outside Shanghai, China.
They produce 2,000 new cars a day here. pic.twitter.com/DE62OyEWKL
— Elex Michaelson (@Elex_Michaelson) October 29, 2023
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In a separate video shared on X by WuWa on Sunday, Newsom was asked multiple questions outside of Giga Shanghai, including how he saw Tesla’s role in the cooperation between the U.S. and China.
“It’s demonstrable,” Newsom said. “I mean the jobs it’s created, the entrepreneurial spirit, the innovation. I’m happy to see the success of this facility.”
Newsom was also asked if he would talk to Tesla CEO Elon Musk when he returns to the U.S. about what he saw at Giga Shanghai, responding that he “imagines” they will, and noting that Tesla moved its engineering and R&D headquarters back to California earlier this year, as located in Palo Alto. Tesla also operates a large factory in Fremont, California.
Additionally, Newsom was spotted test-driving Tesla’s newly redesigned Model 3, which you can see below in a video shared by Sawyer Merritt.
California governor Gavin Newsom test drives the new Tesla Model 3pic.twitter.com/khN7Y7UTC6
— Sawyer Merritt (@SawyerMerritt) October 29, 2023
During his time in Jiangsu, Governor Newsom also signed a memorandum of understanding on climate change work, with a particular focus on offshore wind development. The state of California hopes to be producing 25 gigawatts of offshore wind electricity by 2045, which could provide around 13 percent of the state’s power supply and could power roughly 25 million homes in the state.
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California has particularly ambitious climate and EV adoption goals compared to many other U.S. states, including a ban on the sale of new gas cars starting in 2035. Although the state has been ahead of the U.S. on EV adoption thus far, China still remains the top miner and producer of EV battery materials.
According to U.K. firm TechInsights, China manages about 80 percent of the world’s cobalt processing, 76 percent of the world’s natural graphite processing, 56 percent of its synthetic graphite and 60 percent of the world’s processing capacity for lithium compounds. The country also produces 50 percent of the world’s sodium hydroxide.
President Joe Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) requires at least half of all EV battery components to be sourced in the U.S. or from a country with a free trade agreement.
California to disperse $40.5 million in funding for EV fast-chargers
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.
Tesla is nearing its long-awaited unveiling of the all-electric Tesla Roadster, a new report from The Information claims, as the company has said several times this year that the event would take place “soon.”
Now, it appears there is movement on Tesla’s end regarding when it will happen.
The report says that Tesla will unveil the Roadster as soon as this month with a SpaceX version that will utilize cold-gas thrusters to help the vehicle float for a short period of time. This is something CEO Elon Musk has talked about with the Roadster for years.
🚨 The Information is reporting this morning that Tesla is ready to unveil the “flying” Roadster as soon as this month
It’s almost here, folks. pic.twitter.com/IdL4atsucQ
— TESLARATI (@Teslarati) August 14, 2026
Additionally, due to the delays, Tesla explored “a variety of designs” for the Roadster, potentially planning to abandon the design it showed off for the first time in 2017 and adopting an entirely new aesthetic.
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According to The Information, Tesla considered utilizing a repurposed Model S Plaid and even wanted to upgrade the look to something like a Lamborghini Countach.
We’ve heard all of these things before, including teases about the date and how “soon” the Roadster will finally be ready to be shown off to the world (for the second time). Musk said that the event would occur in April, then May, then Chief Designer Franz von Holzhausen continued to say it would be coming “soon.”
We do expect to see the Roadster by the end of the year, and now with this new report swirling, it appears it could be sooner rather than later.
The wait has been incredibly long, but there is likely a good reason for it. Tesla’s desire to make the Roadster the craziest vehicle on the road was non-negotiable, and it likely took a lot of time and resources to develop and perfect into something that was safe and suitable for a vehicle like this.
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Tesla finally got its Nevada Robotaxi Permit but with a few catches hard to miss
Nevada granted Tesla’s robotaxi permit, but capped the fleet at just ten vehicles for now.
Tesla has received its robotaxi permit in Nevada, more than two months after regulators closed the public comment period on the company’s application. News of the approval surfaced Wednesday night when Tesla investor and longtime company watcher Sawyer Merritt posted a copy of the interim order, and the Nevada Transportation Authority’s own carrier registry now lists the permit, AVNC Permit 002 under Docket 26-05015, as active for Tesla Robotaxi, LLC.
Tesla asked Nevada in June for authority to run up to 5,000 vehicles in Clark County within a year, however the permit the NTA issued is initially capping Tesla at ten fully autonomous vehicles and confines them to a defined geofence along the Las Vegas Strip corridor. Any expansion of that operating area, or any increase to the fleet size, requires the NTA’s approval first.
Tesla has received its Autonomous Vehicle Network Company permit in Nevada.
The Nevada Transportation Authority says that operations are limited to a maximum fleet of 10 fully autonomous vehicles and shall be conducted only within the Authority-approved Operational Design… https://t.co/Cxfd6GIfDk pic.twitter.com/iOO6wSZkHF
— Sawyer Merritt (@SawyerMerritt) August 13, 2026
The order also sets rules that look more restrictive than what Tesla runs in Austin. Rides are barred on roads with posted speed limits above 45 miles per hour, pickups are off limits within a quarter mile of Harry Reid International Airport without separate authorization, and every vehicle has to carry visible “Robotaxi” markings while notifying riders before each trip that no one is driving. The order also requires “appropriate human supervision”, language that suggests Nevada isn’t ready to let Tesla offer the rides without a safety monitor that it has run in parts of Austin since January. As with standard protocol with robotaxi services, Tesla must report any accident, system failure, or vehicle that becomes stranded on a Nevada road within five business days.
Tesla is entering a market Nevada already knows well. Zoox, the Amazon owned robotaxi company, has run its own autonomous vehicle permit in the state since last year, building up to roughly 100 vehicles and 350,000 rides along the Strip. That history likely explains why the NTA started Tesla at ten cars rather than the fleet size the company asked for. The agency has a template for scaling a permit up once a company proves out its safety record.
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Tesla’s Nevada application first surfaced in June, when the company filed for the permit alongside plans for a maintenance hub in southwest Las Vegas. The company has said it won’t meaningfully scale its robotaxi fleet anywhere until FSD v15 ships, expected in late 2026 or early 2027, which makes the ten vehicle cap less of a constraint today than it might look on paper. For now, Tesla has the legal right to start Nevada rides. Whether it starts before FSD v15 arrives is a separate question the permit doesn’t answer.
Tesla Energy has introduced the Powerwall Lease in conjunction with Tesla Electric, making the service available in Texas. This new option delivers whole-home backup power using two Powerwall units for a net monthly cost of $35 after credits, accompanied by a low fixed electricity rate.
Under the lease terms, customers pay a one-time order fee of $100. The base lease payment for the two Powerwalls is approximately $122 per month during the first year, subject to a 3 percent annual escalator thereafter. Enrollment in a qualifying Tesla Electric Backup plan or Virtual Power Plant plan provides an $87 monthly credit.
Powerwall Lease is now available with Tesla Electric in Texas
Whole-home backup for $35/month, with a low fixed electricity rate
– Two Powerwalls, $0 installation
– Storm Watch outage protection
– One app to manage it all pic.twitter.com/oTzqc6K3aF— Tesla Energy (@teslaenergy) August 13, 2026
This credit lowers the effective cost to roughly $35 per month plus applicable tax.
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Installation of the standard system carries no additional charge. The package features Storm Watch for outage protection and allows complete management through a single Tesla application. The system supplies continuous whole-home backup capability.
The Powerwall system enables households to maintain electricity during severe storms that disrupt the utility grid. When outages occur, the batteries automatically provide seamless backup power to the home.
Tesla announces 100k Powerwalls are participating in Virtual Power Plants
Tesla Storm Watch monitors weather forecasts and ensures the units are fully charged ahead of anticipated severe weather events so that power remains available throughout the disruption, keeping lights, refrigeration, and other essential systems operating without interruption.
Availability is restricted to select Texas locations where retail electric choice exists. Participants must lease exactly two Powerwall units and maintain continuous enrollment with Tesla Electric. Solar panels cannot be included under this particular lease arrangement.
The monthly credit activates automatically once the system is installed, receives permission to operate, and enrollment is confirmed. To retain the credit, customers are required to stay enrolled in Tesla Electric and fulfill all program conditions.
Nonstandard installations that involve electrical upgrades or special permitting may lead to extra expenses and might impact eligibility for the credit, so be sure to check with either your installer or Tesla to ensure you will still qualify.
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Tesla Roadster unveiling nears, and it will fly: The Information
Tesla finally got its Nevada Robotaxi Permit but with a few catches hard to miss
