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Elon Musk visits CureVac in Germany, explores Tesla’s role in vaccine development
Elon Musk’s trip to Germany appears to have started on a high note, as the CEO experienced nothing short of a rockstar welcome during his visit to the headquarters of CureVac in Tübingen on Tuesday evening. Local reports indicate that the internal visit was aimed at discussing cooperation between the biotech company and Tesla subsidiary Grohmann Automation for the production of RNA mini-factories that could be used for the development of vaccines.
In a statement to SWR News, a CureVac spokesperson noted that the talks between Musk and the biotech company were held without any media present, as per the Tesla CEO’s request. CureVac is currently running a large-scale effort to develop a vaccine for the COVID-19 virus for the market in about two years. By then, the biotech company expects to have the capability to deliver billions of doses of vaccines for those in need.
Musk’s visit was highly-anticipated by Tesla fans in the area. Since Tuesday morning, a crowd of onlookers and photographers were already present at the CureVac site in Tübingen. Fans ended up waiting for hours for the CEO, at times even weathering some rain. Musk finally arrived in a black Model X at about 4:27 local time, followed by his entourage riding in another Tesla. Fortunately, at about 8:18 pm local time, Musk emerged from the facility, strolling between the CureVac headquarters and the Tübingen observatory.
Musk’s rockstar welcome was evident during his brief time with his fans. Surrounded by young Tesla enthusiasts, some of whom were holding signs indicating their intention to eventually work for the CEO, Musk seemingly interacted with some of his fans in a candid manner. Images from the event showed Musk, donning a bandanna in place of a face mask, walking with a group of about 30 people. Til Schwarze, one of those who waited for the CEO, later noted on Twitter that the long wait for Musk was well worth it.
Musk’s visit to Germany has several goals. In a post on Twitter, the CEO noted that conversations with Harvard epidemiology have indicated that the high-speed RNA printer technology has the potential to be helpful for the development of vaccines. Tesla and CureVac, incidentally enough, are currently developing and building RNA microfactories, which could greatly help in the ongoing fight against the pandemic. Back in July, Musk noted that with synthetic RNA and DNA, the solution to many diseases essentially becomes a “software problem.”
“In principle, I think synthetic RNA (and DNA) has amazing potential. This basically makes the solution to many diseases a software problem. Tesla, as a side project, is building RNA microfactories for CureVac & possibly others,” Musk wrote.
While Tesla and CureVac’s collaboration has been placed on the spotlight due to the pandemic, a joint patent application from 2018 reveals that the two companies have already been working on RNA-related innovations long before the initial COVID-19 outbreak. Descriptively titled “Bioreactor for RNA in vitro Transcription,” the patent outlined how Tesla’s mastery in automation could help expedite the manufacturing of RNA.
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Tesla Model Y and Model 3 named safest vehicles tested by ANCAP in 2025
According to ANCAP in a press release, the Tesla Model Y achieved the highest overall weighted score of any vehicle assessed in 2025.
The Tesla Model Y recorded the highest overall safety score of any vehicle tested by ANCAP in 2025. The Tesla Model 3 also delivered strong results, reinforcing the automaker’s safety leadership in Australia and New Zealand.
According to ANCAP in a press release, the Tesla Model Y achieved the highest overall weighted score of any vehicle assessed in 2025. ANCAP’s 2025 tests evaluated vehicles across four key pillars: Adult Occupant Protection, Child Occupant Protection, Vulnerable Road User Protection, and Safety Assist technologies.
The Model Y posted consistently strong results in all four categories, distinguishing itself through a system-based safety approach that combines structural crash protection with advanced driver-assistance features such as autonomous emergency braking, lane support, and driver monitoring.

This marked the second time the Model Y has topped ANCAP’s annual safety rankings. The Model Y’s previous version was also ANCAP’s top performer in 2022.
The Tesla Model 3 also delivered a strong performance in ANCAP’s 2025 tests, contributing to Tesla’s broader safety presence across segments. Similar to the Model Y, the Model 3 also earned impressive scores across the ANCAP’s four pillars. This made the vehicle the top performer in the Medium Car category.
ANCAP Chief Executive Officer Carla Hoorweg stated that the results highlight a growing industry shift toward integrated safety design, with improvements in technologies such as autonomous emergency braking and lane support translating into meaningful real-world protection.
“ANCAP’s testing continues to reinforce a clear message: the safest vehicles are those designed with safety as a system, not a checklist. The top performers this year delivered consistent results across physical crash protection, crash avoidance and vulnerable road user safety, rather than relying on strength in a single area.
“We are also seeing increasing alignment between ANCAP’s test requirements and the safety technologies that genuinely matter on Australian and New Zealand roads. Improvements in autonomous emergency braking, lane support, and driver monitoring systems are translating into more robust protection,” Hoorweg said.
News
Tesla Sweden uses Megapack battery to bypass unions’ Supercharger blockade
Just before Christmas, Tesla went live with a new charging station in Arlandastad, outside Stockholm, by powering it with a Tesla Megapack battery.
Tesla Sweden has successfully launched a new Supercharger station despite an ongoing blockade by Swedish unions, using on-site Megapack batteries instead of traditional grid connections. The workaround has allowed the Supercharger to operate without direct access to Sweden’s electricity network, which has been effectively frozen by labor action.
Tesla has experienced notable challenges connecting its new charging stations to Sweden’s power grid due to industrial action led by Seko, a major Swedish trade union, which has blocked all new electrical connections for new Superchargers. On paper, this made the opening of new Supercharger sites almost impossible.
Despite the blockade, Tesla has continued to bring stations online. In Malmö and Södertälje, new Supercharger locations opened after grid operators E.ON and Telge Nät activated the sites. The operators later stated that the connections had been made in error.
More recently, however, Tesla adopted a different strategy altogether. Just before Christmas, Tesla went live with a new charging station in Arlandastad, outside Stockholm, by powering it with a Tesla Megapack battery, as noted in a Dagens Arbete (DA) report.
Because the Supercharger station does not rely on a permanent grid connection, Tesla was able to bypass the blocked application process, as noted by Swedish car journalist and YouTuber Peter Esse. He noted that the Arlandastad Supercharger is likely dependent on nearby companies to recharge the batteries, likely through private arrangements.
Eight new charging stalls have been launched in the Arlandastad site so far, which is a fraction of the originally planned 40 chargers for the location. Still, the fact that Tesla Sweden was able to work around the unions’ efforts once more is impressive, especially since Superchargers are used even by non-Tesla EVs.
Esse noted that Tesla’s Megapack workaround is not as easily replicated in other locations. Arlandastad is unique because neighboring operators already have access to grid power, making it possible for Tesla to source electricity indirectly. Still, Esse noted that the unions’ blockades have not affected sales as much.
“Many want Tesla to lose sales due to the union blockades. But you have to remember that sales are falling from 2024, when Tesla sold a record number of cars in Sweden. That year, the unions also had blockades against Tesla. So for Tesla as a charging operator, it is devastating. But for Tesla as a car company, it does not matter in terms of sales volumes. People charge their cars where there is an opportunity, usually at home,” Esse noted.
Elon Musk
Elon Musk’s X goes down as users report major outage Friday morning
Error messages and stalled loading screens quickly spread across the service, while outage trackers recorded a sharp spike in user reports.
Elon Musk’s X experienced an outage Friday morning, leaving large numbers of users unable to access the social media platform.
Error messages and stalled loading screens quickly spread across the service, while outage trackers recorded a sharp spike in user reports.
Downdetector reports
Users attempting to open X were met with messages such as “Something went wrong. Try reloading,” often followed by an endless spinning icon that prevented access, according to a report from Variety. Downdetector data showed that reports of problems surged rapidly throughout the morning.
As of 10:52 a.m. ET, more than 100,000 users had reported issues with X. The data indicated that 56% of complaints were tied to the mobile app, while 33% were related to the website and roughly 10% cited server connection problems. The disruption appeared to begin around 10:10 a.m. ET, briefly eased around 10:35 a.m., and then returned minutes later.

Previous disruptions
Friday’s outage was not an isolated incident. X has experienced multiple high-profile service interruptions over the past two years. In November, tens of thousands of users reported widespread errors, including “Internal server error / Error code 500” messages. Cloudflare-related error messages were also reported.
In March 2025, the platform endured several brief outages spanning roughly 45 minutes, with more than 21,000 reports in the U.S. and 10,800 in the U.K., according to Downdetector. Earlier disruptions included an outage in August 2024 and impairments to key platform features in July 2023.