Former Tesla 4680 battery cell production engineer James Herbermann has been named Vice President of Manufacturing at the American Battery Factory (ABF).
“James brings to American Battery Factory incredible perspective and front row experiences in evolving battery cell technology and is the perfect complement to our team as we begin our journey to develop a domestic battery manufacturing ecosystem that will make energy independence and renewable energy a reality for the United States,” ABF CEO and President Paul Charles said. “As we lay the foundation for our factory network, I am confident James’ cross-functional leadership will not only enhance the efficiency of ABF’s modular approach to manufacturing, but it will also propel our unwavering quest to develop the longest-lasting LFP prismatic battery cells on the market.”
James Herbermann, formerly with Tesla, joins American Battery Factory as its new Vice President of Manufacturing.
ABF is working to develop the United States’ first network of Lithium-Iron Phosphate, or LFP, battery cell gigafactories. The LFP cell is a major part of many automakers’ plans for future electric vehicles as more cell chemistries are being utilized to combat excessive demand. Tesla, for example, started transitioning its Standard Range trim levels to LFP batteries last year. The automaker confirmed that it would utilize the cell chemistry in lower range vehicle as they are less expensive and have longer lifespans. They do have their disadvantages, especially in terms of energy density, which means less power and range with EVs that utilize these packs. They are also more likely to be affected by adverse weather conditions, especially in colder climates.
CEO Elon Musk has said in the past that LFP packs want to be charged to 100 percent, as opposed to nickel-based packs that prefer a 90 percent state of charge.
Tesla is just one of the companies working to use LFP cells. Rivian, Ford, and Volkswagen are also utilizing the cell chemistry for some of their vehicles. Therefore, the need to produce more cells to provide automakers and customers with suitable options is definitely a work in progress.
Tesla (TSLA) Q1 2022 earnings results: Another beat with 19% operating profit and margin
ABF is working to eliminate LFP shortages with a series of production plants across the U.S., and the company is looking for Herbermann to lead and support all aspects of its manufacturing and production operations. Prior to ABF, Herbermann worked at Tesla to lead the development and scaling of its new battery electrode processes in Austin from the pilot program to a full-scale production process. He was a direct piece of Tesla’s commercialization of the 4680 cells, which has been installed in early builds of the Model Y from the new Austin factory. Additionally, Herbermann has developed “novel Sodium Titanium Phosphate; F1 racing Li-Ion cells; Aquion Hybrid Ion (AHI®); Duracell Ultra®; Comfort Plus® modular carpet tiles; and ZIP Wall® sheathing,” a press release from ABF said.
“I am inspired by ABF’s mission to develop a domestic supply chain for LFP batteries, especially in light of the pandemic’s crippling effect on availability and our country’s glaring void in battery cell manufacturing,” Herbermann said about his new role. “With its strategic approach of constructing a network of modular rapid construction factories near or onsite at pack integrators and energy solution providers, ABF is on track to solve one of the planet’s most pressing energy needs. I look forward to being a part of this impactful work.”
I’d love to hear from you! f you have any comments, concerns, or questions, please email me at joey@teslarati.com. You can also reach me on Twitter @KlenderJoey, or if you have news tips, you can email us at tips@teslarati.com.
Tesla stock (NASDAQ: TSLA) endured one of its sharpest single-day declines in years on July 23, tumbling approximately 14.5 percent and closing near $320 after opening the session around $374. The drop erased more than $140 billion in market value amid heavy trading volume and left the shares at multi-week lows.
The sell-off followed the company’s second-quarter 2026 results, released the previous evening. Tesla reported record revenue of $28.2 billion, up 26 percent year over year, driven by a Q2-record 480,126 vehicle deliveries. Energy storage deployments also rose strongly.
Tesla (TSLA) Q2 2026 earnings results: miss on EPS, beat on revenue
Yet profitability disappointed sharply. Operating income fell 57 percent to $398 million, compressing the operating margin to just 1.4 percent. Non-GAAP earnings per share came in at $0.33, well below the roughly $0.53 analysts had expected. Free cash flow turned negative by $1.1 billion as capital expenditures surged 142 percent to $5.8 billion, largely tied to accelerated spending on artificial intelligence, robotics, and autonomous systems.
The losses on capex were expected, as Tesla said it would be spending heavily in 2026.
Investors also reacted to lingering uncertainty surrounding key product timelines. During the Earnings Call, management reiterated ambitions for Robotaxi deployment and the Optimus humanoid robot, but offered limited new concrete milestones, renewing questions about execution pace that have long accompanied Tesla’s ambitious roadmap.
The magnitude of the decline places it among Tesla’s more severe one-day percentage losses since its 2010 initial public offering. Historically, the two largest single-day drops (split-adjusted) remain September 8, 2020, when shares fell 21.1 percent amid broader market volatility and valuation concerns, and January 13, 2012, with a 19.3 percent plunge during the company’s early growth struggles.
Other notable declines include an 18.6 percent drop on March 16, 2020, at the onset of pandemic-related market turmoil. Thursday’s move ranks roughly ninth on the all-time list but stands out as the steepest in more than a year.
Despite the short-term pain, Tesla’s long-term trajectory has repeatedly recovered from such volatility. The latest results underscore both the strength of its core automotive and energy businesses and the near-term costs of heavy investment in next-generation technologies.
Elon Musk clapped back at France’s decision to withhold the approval for Tesla’s Full Self-Driving (FSD) Supervised system, projecting a clear and blunt message to French Transport Minister Phillippe Tabarot, after he publicly rejected the technology in its current form.
Tabarot outlines several concerns with Tesla Full Self-Driving in a detailed video statement, where he said, “The safety trade-offs are not yet sufficient to authorize it as it currently stands,” he said. He emphasized that FSD is not a true self-driving system and that the driver remains fully responsible.
Key issues Tabarot also brought up included allowing speeding when surrounding traffic exceeds limits and what he believes are insufficient guarantees of driver attention during complex urban maneuvers such as lane changes, intersections, and roundabouts.
Delaying the approval of FSD in France will cost lives
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 22, 2026
While acknowledging technological progress and France’s support for autonomous innovation, Tabarot stressed that deployment must prioritize road safety. He noted ongoing technical discussions with Tesla, the Netherlands, and other European partners, with further ecosystem meetings planned for the fall.
Musk’s rebuke highlights the human cost of regulatory caution. Tesla’s latest safety reports provide compelling data supporting accelerated adoption. In the most recent 12-month period, vehicles using FSD (Supervised) recorded one major collision per approximately 5.1 million miles driven, dramatically better than the U.S. national average of one crash per 698,000 miles.
Even Tesla vehicles driven manually with active safety features outperform the average by a wide margin. These figures come from billions of real-world miles of telemetry, showing FSD vehicles involved in far fewer incidents than both manual Teslas and the broader U.S. fleet.
Critics argue Tesla’s comparisons require careful scrutiny regarding reporting thresholds and fleet demographics, yet the data consistently positions FSD as a potential lifesaver. With road fatalities remaining a leading cause of death worldwide, Musk contends that proven safer technology should not face prolonged bureaucratic hurdles.
France’s measured approach reflects the broader European regulatory caution, which many, especially Musk, have been critical of in the past. However, as autonomous systems from Tesla and competitors like Waymo demonstrate superior safety in independent studies, pressure is mounting for harmonized approvals.
Musk’s warning carries the belief that every month of delay may equate to avoidable tragedies on European roads.
In a striking revelation that underscores the lucrative crossover between Big Tech and space exploration, Alphabet Inc., Google’s parent company, disclosed a massive $94.1 billion equity stake in SpaceX following the rocket company’s blockbuster initial public offering earlier this year.
The disclosure came in Alphabet’s quarterly filing, marking the first time the long-held private investment has been publicly valued at market prices. Google was an early backer, investing alongside Fidelity in 2015 with roughly $500-900 million at a time when SpaceX was valued around $12 billion.
That bet has delivered extraordinary returns, roughly a hundredfold, transforming a strategic play on satellite internet and launch capabilities into one of Alphabet’s largest assets.
Google, $GOOGL, has said they hold $94 billion in SpaceX, $SPCX, shares after IPO.
— unusual_whales (@unusual_whales) July 23, 2026
Of the total holding, approximately $80 billion remains subject to short-term post-IPO lockup restrictions, preventing near-term sales. An additional $14.1 billion faces longer-term restrictions, extending into the third quarter of 2027. This structure limits immediate liquidity but protects against market volatility as SpaceX transitions into public trading.
The SpaceX position contributed significantly to gains in Alphabet’s broader investment portfolio, which also includes a major stake in AI leader Anthropic. Combined, these holdings helped drive nearly $100 billion in investment gains during the second quarter, providing a substantial boost to net income amid ongoing AI spending pressures.
Analysts view the disclosure as validation of Alphabet’s venture strategy beyond its core search and cloud businesses. The investment aligns with deeper ties, including reported multi-billion-dollar deals for AI computing capacity on SpaceX infrastructure. As SpaceX advances Starship flights, Starlink expansion, and ambitious Mars goals under Elon Musk, Google’s stake positions it to benefit from the commercialization of space.
For Alphabet, the windfall highlights how patient, forward-looking bets in transformative sectors can yield outsized rewards. While lockups temper short-term impact, the holding cements SpaceX as a cornerstone of Alphabet’s diversified portfolio in an era where aerospace, AI, and connectivity increasingly intersect. Investors will watch closely as restrictions lift and SpaceX’s public performance unfolds.
Tesla stock tumbles after earnings, one of its sharpest single-day declines
Elon Musk is not happy about this Tesla Full Self-Driving approval delay
