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Hyundai car factory in GA runs into a wastewater issue

Hyundai’s Metaplant in GA hit a wastewater snag, exceeding limits for zinc & copper. Savannah stopped accepting its wastewater.

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Credit: Hyundai

Hyundai’s car factory in Georgia has run into a wastewater issue that may affect production. The Hyundai Motor Group Metaplant America (HMGMA) failed to meet wastewater permit standards and must develop a plan to address the issue.

According to the City of Savannah, in mid-September, staff at its water treatment facility observed that Hyundai’s wastewater was “affecting biological processes. The facility stopped accepting wastewater from Hyundai’s car factory in Georgia at the end of September due to Hurricane Helene and has not received wastewater water from HMGMA since.

The City of Savannah issued a permit to accept HMGMA’s industrial wastewater at its water treatment facility on August 30, 2024. The agreement between the City and Hyundai’s car factory was a temporary plan while the North Bryan County Water Reclamation Facility was under construction.

However, on October 1, the City issued a Notice of Violation to HMGMA. The City of Savannah is coordinating with the Georgia Environmental Protection Division (EPD) and Bryan County to facilitate corrective actions and address Hyundai’s wastewater issue.

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Below is a HMGMA spokesperson’s statement regarding the plant’s wastewater issue, shared by WTOC.

In September 2024, HMGMA began discharging wastewater to the City of Savannah. Less than one month after discharge began, HMGMA, as required by permit, notified the City that our discharge amounts exceeded the limit for zinc, copper and total conductivity. HMGMA immediately stopped discharging and began a root cause analysis to determine the source.

In the meantime, HMGMA contracted with a specialized company to pump wastewater into tanker trucks and transport it off site to permitted facilities.

In late October 2024, one of the third party contractor/haulers transported wastewater from HMGMA to a treatment plant that did not have the required permit for industrial wastewater but was permitted to accept domestic wastewater. As soon as HMGMA was made aware of this issue, all operations with said contractor were ceased. HMGMA increased its oversight of the contract company to ensure this does not happen again. HMGMA has confirmed that all treatment facilities receiving wastewater from the site since that incident have been properly classified, permitted, and authorized to treat and dispose of industrial wastewater.

HMGMA has worked diligently with the GA-EPD on all aspects of our wastewater management issues and improvements.

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HMGMA operates an industrial wastewater treatment system and has upgraded its equipment to better address the levels found. Previously, there was not a means to treat domestic wastewater. HMGMA has now procured a dissolved air flotation (DAF) system, which is being commissioned to ensure all discharges meet permit levels.

The investigation determined the pipes installed at HMGMA had elevated levels of metal that affected both domestic and industrial wastewater discharge streams. HMGMA decided the best course of action was to replace the pipes at the Metaplant. Work is expected to being soon, and we anticipate this to be completed in September.

HMGMA took this issue seriously and worked diligently to find a solution. We are committed to being good environmental stewards and to adhering to all applicable laws and regulations regarding wastewater. We live and work in the Coastal Empire and have a vested interest in keeping waterways healthy.

Maria--aka "M"-- is an experienced writer and book editor. She's written about several topics including health, tech, and politics. As a book editor, she's worked with authors who write Sci-Fi, Romance, and Dark Fantasy. M loves hearing from TESLARATI readers. If you have any tips or article ideas, contact her at maria@teslarati.com or via X, @Writer_01001101.

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Tesla Diner to transition to full-service restaurant as Chef heads for new venture

“I am leaving the Tesla Diner project to focus on the opening of Mish, my long-desired Jewish deli. Projects like Mish and the Tesla Diner require a sharpness of focus and attention, and my focus and attention is now squarely on Mish.”

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Credit: Tesla

Tesla Diner, the all-in-one Supercharging and dining experience located in Los Angeles, will transition to a full-service restaurant in January, staff said, as Chef Eric Greenspan said he would take on a new project.

A report from the Los Angeles Times says Greenspan confirmed through a text that he would leave the Diner and focus on the opening of his new Jewish deli, Mish.

Greenspan confirmed to the paper:

“I am leaving the Tesla Diner project to focus on the opening of Mish, my long-desired Jewish deli. Projects like Mish and the Tesla Diner require a sharpness of focus and attention, and my focus and attention is now squarely on Mish.”

Greenspan took on the job at the Tesla Diner and curated the menu back in March, focusing on locally-sourced ingredients and items that would play on various company products, like Cybertruck-shaped boxes that hold burgers.

Tesla Cybertruck leftovers are the main course at the Supercharger Diner

The Tesla Diner has operated as somewhat of a self-serve establishment, where Tesla owners can order directly from their vehicles through the center touchscreen. It was not exclusive to Tesla owners. Guests could also enter and order at a counter, and pick up their food, before sitting at a booth or table.

However, the report indicates Tesla is planning to push it toward a sit-down restaurant, full of waiters, waitresses, and servers, all of which will come to a table after you are seated, take your order, and serve your food.

It will be more of a full-featured restaurant experience moving forward, which is an interesting move from the company, but it also sounds as if it could be testing for an expansion.

We know that Tesla is already considering expanding locations, as it will be heading to new areas of the country. CEO Elon Musk has said that Tesla will be considering locations in Palo Alto near the company’s Engineering HQ, and in Austin, where its HQ and Gigafactory Texas are located.

Musk said that the Diner has been very successful in its first few months of operation.

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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.”

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Credit: Grok

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.

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Credit: Grok Imagine

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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