Connect with us
Elon Musk Elon Musk

News

Elon Musk was just live on Twitter Spaces talking Tesla: 5 key takeaways

Credit: Tesla

Published

on

Elon Musk recently joined a Twitter Spaces talk covering Tesla on Thursday and spoke on several topics such as the lithium refining factory in Corpus Christi, Texas, the recession, his goal of not selling any more Tesla stock for another 18-24 months, and more. The Spaces were hosted by @StockMKTNewz, @WholeMarsBlog, and @StockTalkWeekly.

Although you can go back and listen to the recording, Elon Musk gave a lot of detailed information and reassured Tesla shareholders that he wasn’t; he is still at Tesla. Here are five key takeaways from the live Twitter Spaces.

1. Elon Musk isn’t MIA at Tesla.

Advertisement

Several shareholders have been worried that Elon Musk’s focus on Twitter has been taking him away from Tesla. Elon Musk told Ross Gerber that he hasn’t missed a single important Tesla meeting.

“I was back in Austin just last week. There is literally not a single important Tesla meeting I have missed this entire time. I’m not MIA.”

He also told Gerber that he doesn’t have plants to sell any more Tesla stock until around 2025.

“I’m not selling any stock for another 18-24 months. Not until around 2025. I needed to sell. I’m not selling any stock until probably two years from now… I’m somewhat paranoid after going through two recessions.”

2. Tesla will weather any economic storms. 

Advertisement

Regarding any upcoming economic issues, Elon Musk said he believed Tesla would weather it better than any company.

“I think Tesla will weather an upcoming economic storm better than any company. Unless the company is making bread.”

“If you are a ship in the storm, even if you have a great ship, you are still going to be hit. There is latency in the supply chain.”

3. Tesla’s lithium refinery. 

In November, Tesla began negotiating for a battery-grade lithium refinery in Texas and discussed details of its planned $365 million plant with Nueces County commissioners. Elon Musk spoke briefly of the refinery during the Twitter Spaces.

Advertisement

“Tesla is building a lithium refinery in Texas to relieve the lithium refining choke point.”

“Seven years to build a refinery is insane. We are aiming to have meaningful volume out the factory in 2 years.”

“We are also cathode refining at Giga Texas for nickel-based cathodes.”

4. Next Gigafactory, recession & demand

Elon Musk added that the total automotive demand, especially the demand in China, will cause a reduction in the cost of battery materials. He added that Tesla is deploying capital at the fasted rate possible without being wasteful and then shared a bit of Gigafactory news.

Advertisement

“Deploying capital at the fastest rate we can without being wasteful. We are making investments, and can’t say too much, but we are close to picking a location for the next Gigafactory. We are being careful and deliberate about that. We are coming into recession in a strong position.”

5. Tesla Electric in Texas & Master Plan Part 3

Tesla recently launched Tesla Electric in Texas, which allows Powerwall owners to participate in virtual power plants (VPPs). This was a major milestone for both Tesla and Texas. Elon Musk said:

“The overarching purpose is to accelerate the advent of sustainable energy. Energy generation, storage of that energy, and electric transport. We are working on all three. The demand for large batteries is quasi-infinite. So long a Tesla battery pack is cheaper than a peaker plant, there will be insatiable demand.”

“1000+ GWh battery packs a year, if not 2000, is the goal. Master plan part 3 is really about scale. One should think of things in terms of tonnage. The fundamental rate limiter is how many gigawatt hours per year of battery packs can we make?”

Advertisement

“300 TWh of installed capacity for fully sustainable energy globally.”

Elon Musk also pointed out that the Tesla team is doing a phenomenal job and stands by his prediction that Tesla will be the most valuable company in the world.

Disclosure: Johnna is a $TSLA shareholder and believes in Tesla’s mission.  

Your feedback is welcome. If you have any comments or concerns or see a typo, you can email me at johnna@teslarati.com. You can also reach me on Twitter at @JohnnaCrider1.

Teslarati is now on TikTok. Follow us for interactive news & more. Teslarati is now on TikTok. Follow us for interactive news & more. You can also follow Teslarati on LinkedInTwitter, Instagram, and Facebook.

Advertisement

 

News

Tesla launches in India with Model Y, showing pricing will be biggest challenge

Tesla finally got its Model Y launched in India, but it will surely come at a price for consumers.

Published

on

Credit: Narendra Modi | X

Tesla has officially launched in India following years of delays, as it brought its Model Y to the market for the first time on Tuesday.

However, the launch showed that pricing is going to be its biggest challenge. The all-electric Model Y is priced significantly higher than in other major markets in which Tesla operates.

On Tuesday, Tesla’s Model Y went up for sale for 59,89,000 rupees for the Rear-Wheel Drive configuration, while the Long Range Rear-Wheel Drive was priced at 67,89,000.

This equates to $69,686 for the RWD and $78,994 for the Long Range RWD, a substantial markup compared to what these cars sell for in the United States.

Deliveries are currently scheduled for the third quarter, and it will be interesting to see how many units they can sell in the market at this price point.

The price includes tariffs and additional fees that are applied by the Indian government, which has aimed to work with foreign automakers to come to terms on lower duties that increase vehicle cost.

Tesla Model Y seen testing under wraps in India ahead of launch

Advertisement

There is a chance that these duties will be removed, which would create a more stable and affordable pricing model for Tesla in the future. President Trump and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi continue to iron out those details.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said to reporters outside the company’s new outlet in the region (via Reuters):

“In the future, we wish to see R&D and manufacturing done in India, and I am sure at an appropriate stage, Tesla will think about it.”

It appears to be eerily similar to the same “game of chicken” Tesla played with Indian government officials for the past few years. Tesla has always wanted to enter India, but was unable to do so due to these import duties.

India wanted Tesla to commit to building a Gigafactory in the country, but Tesla wanted to test demand first.

Advertisement

It seems this could be that demand test, and the duties are going to have a significant impact on what demand will actually be.

Continue Reading

Elon Musk

Tesla ups Robotaxi fare price to another comical figure with service area expansion

Tesla upped its fare price for a Robotaxi ride from $4.20 to, you guessed it, $6.90.

Published

on

Credit: Tesla

Tesla has upped its fare price for the Robotaxi platform in Austin for the first time since its launch on June 22. The increase came on the same day that Tesla expanded its Service Area for the Robotaxi ride-hailing service, offering rides to a broader portion of the city.

The price is up from $4.20, a figure that many Tesla fans will find amusing, considering CEO Elon Musk has used that number, as well as ’69,’ as a light-hearted attempt at comedy over the past several years.

Musk confirmed yesterday that Tesla would up the price per ride from that $4.20 point to $6.90. Are we really surprised that is what the company decided on, as the expansion of the Service Area also took effect on Monday?

Advertisement

The Service Area expansion was also somewhat of a joke too, especially considering the shape of the new region where the driverless service can travel.

I wrote yesterday about how it might be funny, but in reality, it is more of a message to competitors that Tesla can expand in Austin wherever it wants at any time.

Tesla’s Robotaxi expansion wasn’t a joke, it was a warning to competitors

It was only a matter of time before the Robotaxi platform would subject riders to a higher, flat fee for a ride. This is primarily due to two reasons: the size of the access program is increasing, and, more importantly, the service area is expanding in size.

Tesla has already surpassed Waymo in Austin in terms of its service area, which is roughly five square miles larger. Waymo launched driverless rides to the public back in March, while Tesla’s just became available to a small group in June. Tesla has already expanded it, allowing new members to hail a ride from a driverless Model Y nearly every day.

Advertisement

The Robotaxi app is also becoming more robust as Tesla is adding new features with updates. It has already been updated on two occasions, with the most recent improvements being rolled out yesterday.

Tesla updates Robotaxi app with several big changes, including wider service area

Continue Reading

News

Tesla Model Y and Model 3 dominate U.S. EV sales despite headwinds

Tesla’s two mainstream vehicles accounted for more than 40% of all EVs sold in the United States in Q2 2025.

Published

on

Credit: Tesla Asia/X

Tesla’s Model Y and Model 3 remained the top-selling electric vehicles in the U.S. during Q2 2025, even as the broader EV market dipped 6.3% year-over-year. 

The Model Y logged 86,120 units sold, followed by the Model 3 at 48,803. This means that Tesla’s two mainstream vehicles accounted for 43% of all EVs sold in the United States during the second quarter, as per data from Cox Automotive.

Tesla leads amid tax credit uncertainty and a tough first half

Tesla’s performance in Q2 is notable given a series of hurdles earlier in the year. The company temporarily paused Model Y deliveries in Q1 as it transitioned to the production of the new Model Y, and its retail presence was hit by protests and vandalism tied to political backlash against CEO Elon Musk. The fallout carried into Q2, yet Tesla’s two mass-market vehicles still outsold the next eight EVs combined. 

Q2 marked just the third-ever YoY decline in quarterly EV sales, totaling 310,839 units. Electric vehicle sales, however, were still up 4.9% from Q1 and reached a record 607,089 units in the first half of 2025. Analysts also expect a surge in Q3 as buyers rush to qualify for federal EV tax credits before they expire on October 1, Cox Automotive noted in a post.

Legacy rivals gain ground, but Tesla holds its commanding lead

General Motors more than doubled its EV volume in the first half of 2025, selling over 78,000 units and boosting its EV market share to 12.9%. Chevrolet became the second-best-selling EV brand, pushing GM past Ford and Hyundai. Tesla, however, still retained a commanding 44.7% electric vehicle market share despite a 12% drop in in Q2 revenue, following a decline of almost 9% in Q1.

Advertisement

Incentives reached record highs in Q2, averaging 14.8% of transaction prices, roughly $8,500 per vehicle. As government support winds down, the used EV market is also gaining momentum, with over 100,000 used EVs sold in Q2.

Q2 2025 Kelley Blue Book EV Sales Report by Simon Alvarez on Scribd

Continue Reading

Trending