Tesla CEO Elon Musk recently praised the Texas team working on the Austin Gigafactory in a recent tweet. Based on videos of Giga Texas’s progress, Tesla seems to be moving along with its construction right on schedule.
“Tesla Texas team is making great progress! Giga Texas factory will be an a$$kicker,” Musk replied to a tweet from the Austin Tesla Club, who shared a photo of the construction site. Each new Gigafactory has developed its own special defining trait, even the ones that are in the middle of construction–and Giga Texas is no different.
Giga Shanghai became known for its speed and the quality of its vehicles. Tesla’s factory in Berlin will have extremely advanced technology thanks to its next-gen paint shop, which Elon Musk seems very excited to see in action.
Giga Texas will probably be known for two notable traits. First, it will most likely have the most beautiful Gigafactory grounds. After announcing the location of Tesla’s next Gigafactory in the US, Musk shared that parts of the Giga Texas complex will be an “ecological paradise” of sorts that the public could visit.
Giga Texas’s second notable trait would be its production of the Cybertruck. If the vehicle proves successful, there is a good chance that Tesla’s other facilities may also manufacture the all-electric pickup, and there’s an equally good chance that the truck could be produced for a very long time. But the factory in Austin will always be Tesla’s first Cybertruck production line.
Elon Musk shared that Tesla made some minor tweaks to the Cybertruck before production starts in Giga Texas. During the Q3 earnings call, Musk said that the Cybertruck’s production depends a lot on Giga Texas’ completion, making his recent praise even more noteworthy.
“Like [the Cybertruck is] going to be made in Austin. So it’s kind of dependent on completing that factory. And there are obviously new technologies with the high hardness kind of armored exoskeleton,” he said.
The Cybertruck’s design has received polarized reactions. The Tesla all-electric truck’s stainless steel exoskeleton allows the vehicle to have a unique take on the traditional pickup. Musk has noted in the past that the Cybertruck’s origami-like approach in making the exoskeleton may be one of the difficulties Tesla has to face during the EV pickup’s production.
“This is — it’s never been done before, so there’ll probably be some challenges along the way. And obviously, something that’s extremely high hardness and difficult to scratch or dent is also difficult to form. So there’s manufacturing challenges there. That’s why it’s so cleaner,” Musk said during the last earnings call.
Based on Elon Musk’s Cybertruck updates on Twitter, though, the Tesla team has been working continuously on the EV pickup truck’s design since its unveiling last November. Thanks to Tesla’s experience with the Model 3’s “production hell”, the company is well aware that the Cybertruck’s final design will likely determine how challenging its production ramp will be. The Tesla team’s constant work on refining the details of the Cybertruck’s design hints that the company is doing everything in its power to make sure the production of its first EV pickup goes by smoothly.
Watch a recent flyover of the Tesla Gigafactory Texas site in the video below.
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Tesla adds new surprising fee to Robotaxi program
“Additional cleaning was required for the vehicle after your trip. A fee has been added to your final cost to cover this service. Please contact us if you have any questions.”
Tesla has added a new and somewhat surprising fee to the Robotaxi program. It’s only surprising because it was never there before.
Tesla shocked everyone when it launched its Robotaxi platform and offered riders the opportunity to tip, only to tell them they do not accept tips. It was one of the company’s attempts at being humorous as it rolled out its driverless platform to people in Austin.
As it has expanded to new cities and been opened to more people, as it was yesterday to iOS users, Tesla has had to tweak some of the minor details of the Robotaxi and ride-hailing platforms it operates.
First Look at Tesla’s Robotaxi App: features, design, and more
With more riders, more vehicles, and more operational jurisdictions, the company has to adjust as things become busier.
Now, it is adjusting the platform by adding “Cleaning Fees” to the Robotaxi platform, but it seems it is only charged if the vehicle requires some additional attention after your ride.
The app will communicate with the rider with the following message (via Not a Tesla App):
“Additional cleaning was required for the vehicle after your trip. A fee has been added to your final cost to cover this service. Please contact us if you have any questions.”
The cost of the cleaning will likely depend on how severe the mess is. If you spill a soda, it will likely cost less than if you lose your lunch in the back of the car because you had a few too many drinks.
This is an expected change, and it seems to be one that is needed, especially considering Tesla is operating a small-scale ride-hailing service at the current time. As it expands to more states and cities and eventually is available everywhere, there will be more situations that will arise.
The messes in vehicles are not a new situation, especially in a rideshare setting. It will be interesting to see if Tesla will enable other fees, like ones for riders who request a ride and do not show up for it.
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Tesla Model Y sold out in China for 2025
Customers who wish to get their cars by the end of the year would likely need to get an inventory unit.
It appears that the Model Y has been sold out for 2025 in China. This seems to be true for the four variants of the vehicle that are currently offered in the country.
Tesla China’s order page update
A look at Tesla China’s order page for the Model Y shows a message informing customers that those who wish to guarantee delivery by the end of the year should purchase an inventory unit. This was despite the Model Y RWD and Model Y L showing an estimated delivery timeline of 4-8 weeks, and the Model Y Long Range RWD and Model Y Long Range AWD showing 4-13 weeks.
As per industry watchers, these updates on the Model Y’s order page suggest that Tesla China’s sales capacity for the remainder of 2025 has been sold out. The fact that estimated delivery timeframes for the Model Y Long Range RWD and AWD extend up to 13 weeks also bodes well for demand for the vehicle, especially given strong rivals like the Xiaomi YU7, which undercuts the Model Y in price.
Tesla China’s upcoming big updates
What is quite interesting is that Tesla China is still competing in the country with one hand partly tied behind its back. So far, Tesla has only been able to secure partial approval for its flagship self-driving software, FSD, in China. This has resulted in V14 not being rolled out to the country yet. Despite this, Tesla China’s “Autopilot automatic assisted driving on urban roads,” as the system is called locally, has earned positive reviews from users.
As per Elon Musk during the 2025 Annual Shareholder Meeting, however, Tesla is expecting to secure full approval for FSD in China in early 2026. “We have partial approval in China, and we hopefully will have full approval in China around February or March or so. That’s what they’ve told us,” Musk said.
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Tesla Full Self-Driving appears to be heading to Europe soon
For years, Musk has said the process for gaining approval in Europe would take significantly more time than it does in the United States. Back in 2019, he predicted it would take six to twelve months to gain approval for Europe, but it has taken much longer.
Tesla Full Self-Driving appears to be heading to Europe soon, especially as the company has continued to expand its testing phases across the continent.
It appears that the effort is getting even bigger, as the company recently posted a job for a Vehicle Operator in Prague, Czech Republic.
This would be the third country the company is seeking a Vehicle Operator in for the European market, joining Germany and Hungary, which already have job postings in Berlin, Prüm, and Budapest, respectively.
🚨Breaking: Tesla is hiring vehicle operators in Prague. pic.twitter.com/CbiJdQLCLj
— Tesla Yoda (@teslayoda) November 19, 2025
This position specifically targets the Engineering and Information Technology departments at Tesla, and not the Robotics and Artificial Intelligence job category that relates to Robotaxi job postings.
Although there has been a posting for Robotaxi Operators in the Eastern Hemisphere, more specifically, Israel, this specific posting has to do with data collection, likely to bolster the company’s position in Europe with FSD.
The job description says:
“We are seeking a highly motivated employee to strengthen our team responsible for vehicle data collection. The Driver/Vehicle Operator position is tasked with capturing high-quality data that contributes to improving our vehicles’ performance. This role requires self-initiative, flexibility, attention to detail, and the ability to work in a dynamic environment.”
It also notes the job is for a fixed term of one year.
The position requires operation of a vehicle for data collection within a defined area, and requires the Vehicle Operator to provide feedback to improve data collection processes, analyze and report collected data, and create daily driving reports.
The posting also solidifies the company’s intention to bring its Full Self-Driving platform to Europe in the coming months, something it has worked tirelessly to achieve as it spars with local regulators.
For years, Musk has said the process for gaining approval in Europe would take significantly more time than it does in the United States. Back in 2019, he predicted it would take six to twelve months to gain approval for Europe, but it has taken much longer.
This year, Musk went on to say that the process of getting FSD to move forward has been “very frustrating,” and said it “hurts the safety of the people of Europe.”
Elon Musk clarifies the holdup with Tesla Full Self-Driving launch in Europe
The latest update Musk gave us was in July, when he said that Tesla was awaiting regulatory approval.
Tesla adds new surprising fee to Robotaxi program
Tesla Model Y sold out in China for 2025
