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Elon Musk courted by French President as Tesla eyes global expansion

Credit: President Emmanuel Macron, Twitter

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Tesla CEO Elon Musk has met with the President of France, Emmanuel Macron, as the automaker considers furthering its global expansion.

Alongside its dramatic production ramp, Tesla has been growing its global market presence in parallel. This has included founding new facilities outside its home market of the United States and entering countless new markets with its popular Model 3 and Model Y vehicles. As Tesla hopes to maintain this production ramp, its CEO, Elon Musk, has been courted by French President Emmanual Macron ahead of a business summit in Versailles.

Elon Musk has been on a world tour in recent months, heading to South Korea, Indonesia, and Mexico, and has now made his way to France. The French President announced the meeting with Elon Musk on Twitter earlier today. He explained that the two leaders had met regarding EV technology, the future of energy, and “the attractiveness of France,” among other topics.

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The meeting between Macron and Musk comes at a critical time for both leaders. In the case of Elon Musk, Tesla is facing increasing competition in each of its global markets, not the least of which being Europe, on top of mounting pressure to maintain an incredible production ramp, which has made Tesla the guiding EV business globally. As for President Macron, the French leader faces increasing political pressure, including a slim majority in both houses of the French Government and a creeping level of unpopularity in the country.

Tesla is taking its time choosing its next production location, which could easily come to any of the countries the fast-paced CEO has met with in recent months. Tesla is already in the process of establishing its first facility in Mexico, yet many analysts believe that a need for more production in Europe and Asia could drive the automaker to establish new footholds in those key markets.

Looking to Europe, Tesla maintains a substantial market share in many key countries, including France, the U.K., Germany, and the EV leader, Norway. To maintain this lead and help reduce general production reliance on China, France could be a key contributor if Tesla were to establish a new facility in the country.

Following the meeting, Musk elaborated that Tesla will be investing in France at some point, but specifics regarding what that investment could look like remain unknown.

While this statement may sound like France’s admission into Tesla’s fleet of production centers is secured, that is likely not the case. If Tesla were to establish a new facility in Europe, it would likely be a highly competitive choice. While France may be working to develop a more business-friendly environment, Germany has long been the automotive center of Europe. At the same time, countries like Spain, Poland, and Turkey have all been common production choices for the world’s top automakers.

Further courting the CEO, as noted in the tweet from the French President, both Macron and Musk will be attending the “Choose France” Summit, which is set to not only unveil roughly 13 billion euros of new business investments into the country but also tout France as the market of choice for expanding businesses in Europe.

What do you think of the article? Do you have any comments, questions, or concerns? Shoot me an email at william@teslarati.com. You can also reach me on Twitter @WilliamWritin. If you have news tips, email us at tips@teslarati.com!

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Will is an auto enthusiast, a gear head, and an EV enthusiast above all. From racing, to industry data, to the most advanced EV tech on earth, he now covers it at Teslarati.

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Tesla launches its new branded Supercharger for Business with first active station

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Credit: Tesla

Tesla has officially launched its first branded Supercharger just months after initiating a new program that allows third-party companies to brand their own charging piles.

The site opened in Land O’ Lakes, Florida, and features eight V4 Supercharging stalls offering up to 325 kW of charging speed. It appears it was purchased by a company called Suncoast Credit Union. This particular branch is located Northeast of Tampa, which is on the Gulf of Mexico.

It features graphics of Florida animals, like alligators:

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Tesla launched this program back in September, and it basically was a way to expand its Supercharger presence and also allow companies to pay for the infrastructure. Tesla maintains it. When it announced the “Supercharger for Business,” it said:

“Purchase and install Superchargers at your business. Superchargers are compatible with all electric vehicles, bringing EV drivers to your business by offering convenient, reliable charging.”

The program does a few things. Initially, it expands EV charging infrastructure and makes charging solutions more readily available for drivers. It can also attract people to those businesses specifically.

Tesla launches new Supercharger program that business owners will love

The chargers can also be branded with any logo that the business chooses, which makes them more personalized and also acts as an advertisement.

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The best part is that the customers do not have to maintain anything about the Supercharger. Tesla still takes care of it and resolves any issues:

“We treat your site like we treat our sites. By providing you with a full-service package that includes network operations, preventative maintenance, and driver support, we’re able to guarantee 97% uptime–the highest in the industry.”

It appears the Superchargers will also appear within the in-car nav during routing, so they’ll be publicly available to anyone who needs to use them. They are still available to all EVs that have worked with Tesla to utilize its infrastructure, and they are not restricted to people who are only visiting the business.

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Tesla reveals its Cybertruck light bar installation fix

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u/Kruzat, see page for license, via Wikimedia Commons

Tesla has revealed its Cybertruck light bar installation fix after a recall exposed a serious issue with the accessory.

Tesla and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) initiated a recall of 6,197 Cybertrucks back in October to resolve an issue with the Cybertruck light bar accessory. It was an issue with the adhesive that was provided by a Romanian company called Hella Romania S.R.L.

Tesla recalls 6,197 Cybertrucks for light bar adhesive issue

The issue was with the primer quality, as the recall report from the NHTSA had stated the light bar had “inadvertently attached to the windshield using the incorrect surface primer.”

Instead of trying to adhere the light bar to the Cybertruck with an adhesive, Tesla is now going to attach it with a bracketing system, which will physically mount it to the vehicle instead of relying on adhesive strips or glue.

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Tesla outlines this in its new Service Bulletin, labeled SB-25-90-001, (spotted by Not a Tesla App) where it shows the light bar will be remounted more securely:

The entire process will take a few hours, but it can be completed by the Mobile Service techs, so if you have a Cybertruck that needs a light bar adjustment, it can be done without taking the vehicle to the Service Center for repair.

However, the repair will only happen if there is no delamination or damage present; then Tesla could “retrofit the service-installed optional off-road light bar accessory with a positive mechanical attachment.”

The company said it would repair the light bar at no charge to customers. The light bar issue was one that did not result in any accidents or injuries, according to the NHTSA’s report.

This was the third recall on Cybertruck this year, as one was highlighted in March for exterior trim panels detaching during operation. Another had to do with front parking lights being too bright, which was fixed with an Over-the-Air update last month.

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Tesla is already expanding its Rental program aggressively

The program has already launched in a handful of locations, specifically, it has been confined to California for now. However, it does not seem like Tesla has any interest in keeping it restricted to the Golden State.

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Credit: Grok

Tesla is looking to expand its Rental Program aggressively, just weeks after the program was first spotted on its Careers website.

Earlier this month, we reported on Tesla’s intention to launch a crazy new Rental program with cheap daily rates, which would give people in various locations the opportunity to borrow a vehicle in the company’s lineup with some outrageous perks.

Along with the cheap rates that start at about $60 per day, Tesla also provides free Full Self-Driving operation and free Supercharging for the duration of the rental. There are also no limits on mileage or charging, but the terms do not allow the renter to leave the state from which they are renting.

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The program has already launched in a handful of locations, specifically, it has been confined to California for now. However, it does not seem like Tesla has any interest in keeping it restricted to the Golden State.

Job postings from Tesla now show it is planning to launch the Rental program in at least three new states: Texas, Tennessee, and Massachusetts.

The jobs specifically are listed as a Rental Readiness Specialist, which lists the following job description:

“The Tesla Rental Program is looking for a Rental Readiness Specialist to work on one of the most progressive vehicle brands in the world. The Rental Readiness Specialist is a key contributor to the Tesla experience by coordinating the receipt of incoming new and used vehicle inventory. This position is responsible for fleet/lot management, movement of vehicles, vehicle readiness, rental invoicing, and customer hand-off. Candidates must have a high level of accountability, and personal satisfaction in doing a great job.”

It also says that those who take the position will have to charge and clean the cars, work with clients on scheduling pickups and drop-offs, and prepare the paperwork necessary to initiate the rental.

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The establishment of a Rental program is big for Tesla because it not only gives people the opportunity to experience the vehicles, but it is also a new way to rent a car.

Just as the Tesla purchasing process is more streamlined and more efficient than the traditional car-buying experience, it seems this could be less painful and a new way to borrow a car for a trip instead of using your own.

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