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‘Insane’ Quotes in 2014 from Elon Musk and the Tesla Motors Team
Elon Musk and the Tesla Motors team provided another year of inspiration and drama, with the gigafactory chase, Wall Street tweets and general company growing pains.
Here are seven quotes from some of the main players at Tesla Motors in 2014:
7. Automotive companies are pushing self-driving capabilities for next-generation cars and this is what Elon Musk said right before the Model S P85D announcement in California via CNN Money:
Musk: “A Tesla Car next year will probably be 90 percent capable of autopilot.” On the highway, Musk is “for sure” confident the car will be able to drive itself. Tesla’s a Silicon Valley company. If we’re not the leader, shame on us.”
6. Earlier this year, I posted a teardown of the Model S’s center stack (control screen) in “Video | Tesla Motors Teardown Unveils a Tech Company,” and Musk’s take on the company:
Musk: “We’re a technology company making electric cars. What’s very important is sustainable transport. Autonomous driving is a nice to have but not required; sustainable transport is what’s required.”
5. At the latest earnings conference call, an analyst posed the question on what would happen if a breakthrough battery technology came along and leapfrogged Tesla’s gigafactory strategy?
JB Straubel, CTO, Tesla Motors: “I would be pretty shocked if there were any major improvements that were close enough to commercialization that we haven’t been aware of or found out about. So, a lot of those improvements are rolled into our thinking and there’s great potential there.”
4. Here’s more JB Straubel talking about the gigafactory’s potential output last May:
JB Straubel: “15 GWH/yr will be targeted for stationary energy, to build stationary battery packs. We see the California mandate for stationary energy storage by 2020 and we’re (Tesla) quite a lot more bullish than that. We think that mandate will be met and far exceeded before the timeframe expires. We all should be thinking bigger.”
3. Fight the power…we can’t leave 2014 and not think about all the free market love espoused by so many politicos for this bleeding-edge, American automotive company. So many open arms in Texas, Ohio, Michigan and tubby in New Jersey.
This isn’t a quote, but a leaked in an email before Elon Musk went before the Texas Assembly in April.
Musk: It is crazy that Texas, which prides itself on individual freedom, has the most restrictive laws in the country protecting the big auto dealer groups from competition. If the people of Texas knew how bad this was, they would be up in arms, because they are getting ripped off by the auto dealers as a result (not saying they are all bad – there a few good ones, but many are extremely heinous).
2. The next couple quotes get back to the pure joy of Model S ownership. This is Musk talking about how his service centers will resemble a F1 pit stop crew back in July.
Musk: So instead of having one person per bay, the car gets slowly worked on over several days, it actually comes in and a team attacks it, and we’re constantly improving the tools and the metrics to say, how can we get the car perfect as fast as possible. We actually bring in people from Formula One to help with the training on this. And I think there’s a real opportunity to revolutionize the way service works.”
1. This quote is from the onstage introduction of the P85D at the All About D and “something else” event in October:
Musk: It’s (P85D) like your own personal rollercoaster that you can use at anytime. The target we had for performance (of this car) was to try and meet the acceleration of one of the greatest super cars of all time, the McLaren F1. We’re able to actually achieve a 3.2 second 0 to 60. [Audience: Woooohooo.] Yeah, it’s mad. We’re going to have an option in the options settings…you’re going to have three options: normal, sport and insane. It will actually say insane. It’s true.
Yep, it’s true. This American company is the living embodiment of “true grit” and here’s to more of it in 2015!
“But our trip was different. It was a classic affirmation of everything right and true and decent in the national character. ~HST “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas.”
Elon Musk
Starlink achieves major milestones in 2025 progress report
Starlink wrapped up 2025 with impressive growth, adding more than 4.6 million new active customers and expanding service to 35 additional countries, territories, and markets.
Starlink wrapped up 2025 with impressive growth, adding more than 4.6 million new active customers and expanding service to 35 additional countries, territories, and markets. The company also completed deployment of its first-generation Direct to Cell constellation, launching over 650 satellites in just 18 months to enable cellular connectivity.
SpaceX highlighted Starlink’s impressive 2025 progress in an extensive report.
Key achievements from Starlink’s 2025 Progress
Starlink connected over 4.6 million new customers with high-speed internet while bringing service to 35 more regions worldwide in 2025. Starlink is now connecting 9.2 million people worldwide. The service achieved this just weeks after hitting its 8 million customer milestone.
Starlink is now available in 155 markets, including areas that are unreachable by traditional ISPs. As per SpaceX, Starlink has also provided over 21 million airline passengers and 20 million cruise passengers with reliable high-speed internet connectivity during their travels.
Starlink Direct to Cell
Starlink’s Direct to Cell constellation, more than 650 satellites strong, has already connected over 12 million people at least once, marking a breakthrough in global mobile coverage.
Starlink Direct to Cell is currently rolled out to 22 countries and 6 continents, with over 6 million monthly customers. Starlink Direct to Cell also has 27 MNO partners to date.
“This year, SpaceX completed deployment of the first generation of the Starlink Direct to Cell constellation, with more than 650 satellites launched to low-Earth orbit in just 18 months. Starlink Direct to Cell has connected more than 12 million people, and counting, at least once, providing life-saving connectivity when people need it most,” SpaceX wrote.
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Giga Nevada celebrates production of 6 millionth drive unit
To celebrate the milestone, the Giga Nevada team gathered for a celebratory group photo.
Tesla’s Giga Nevada has reached an impressive milestone, producing its 6 millionth drive unit as 2925 came to a close.
To celebrate the milestone, the Giga Nevada team gathered for a celebratory group photo.
6 million drive units
The achievement was shared by the official Tesla Manufacturing account on social media platform X. “Congratulations to the Giga Nevada team for producing their 6 millionth Drive Unit!” Tesla wrote.
The photo showed numerous factory workers assembled on the production floor, proudly holding golden balloons that spelled out “6000000″ in front of drive unit assembly stations. Elon Musk gave credit to the Giga Nevada team, writing, “Congrats on 6M drive units!” in a post on X.
Giga Nevada’s essential role
Giga Nevada produces drive units, battery packs, and energy products. The facility has been a cornerstone of Tesla’s scaling since opening, and it was the crucial facility that ultimately enabled Tesla to ramp the Model 3 and Model Y. Even today, it serves as Tesla’s core hub for battery and drivetrain components for vehicles that are produced in the United States.
Giga Nevada is expected to support Tesla’s ambitious 2026 targets, including the launch of vehicles like the Tesla Semi and the Cybercab. Tesla will have a very busy 2026, and based on Giga Nevada’s activities so far, it appears that the facility will be equally busy as well.
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Tesla Supercharger network delivers record 6.7 TWh in 2025
The network now exceeds 75,000 stalls globally, and it supports even non-Tesla vehicles across several key markets.
Tesla’s Supercharger Network had its biggest year ever in 2025, delivering a record 6.7 TWh of electricity to vehicles worldwide.
To celebrate its busy year, the official @TeslaCharging account shared an infographic showing the Supercharger Network’s growth from near-zero in 2012 to this year’s impressive milestone.
Record 6.7 TWh delivered in 2025
The bar chart shows steady Supercharger energy delivery increases since 2012. Based on the graphic, the Supercharger Network started small in the mid-2010s and accelerated sharply after 2019, when the Model 3 was going mainstream.
Each year from 2020 onward showed significantly more energy delivery, with 2025’s four quarters combining for the highest total yet at 6.7 TWh.
This energy powered millions of charging sessions across Tesla’s growing fleet of vehicles worldwide. The network now exceeds 75,000 stalls globally, and it supports even non-Tesla vehicles across several key markets. This makes the Supercharger Network loved not just by Tesla owners but EV drivers as a whole.
Resilience after Supercharger team changes
2025’s record energy delivery comes despite earlier 2024 layoffs on the Supercharger team, which sparked concerns about the system’s expansion pace. Max de Zegher, Tesla Director of Charging North America, also highlighted that “Outside China, Superchargers delivered more energy than all other fast chargers combined.”
Longtime Tesla owner and FSD tester Whole Mars Catalog noted the achievement as proof of continued momentum post-layoffs. At the time of the Supercharger team’s layoffs in 2024, numerous critics were claiming that Elon Musk was halting the network’s expansion altogether, and that the team only remained because the adults in the room convinced the juvenile CEO to relent.
Such a scenario, at least based on the graphic posted by the Tesla Charging team on X, seems highly implausible.
Starlink achieves major milestones in 2025 progress report
Giga Nevada celebrates production of 6 millionth drive unit
