Polestar has announced the production start date for its new South Carolina production facility, which it will be sharing with Volvo Cars.
Polestar, much like many import brands in the United States, has faced one substantial hurdle over all others over the past year; EV incentives. While these tax incentives were previously reasonably straightforward, with the passing of the Inflation Reduction Act, things got a lot more complex, requiring EVs to be manufactured in North America (among other requirements) to qualify for incentives. Now, the Swedish automaker is poised to finally address that issue as it begins production in South Carolina.
Polestar’s “new” production facility, which currently produces Volvo vehicles, will begin production of the all-electric brand’s vehicles in 2024, according to a recent report from Reuters. This stems from Polestar’s unique connection with its parent company Volvo.
Polestar initially announced that it would begin producing vehicles at the South Carolina facility in Q4 of last year, stating that the new Polestar 3 full-size SUV would be the first vehicle to be made at its American facility. Previously, Polestar’s production has centered in China, which has been helpful as the brand took advantage of the production capabilities of its other notable parent company, Chinese automaker Geely.
Polestar will continue producing vehicles at its Chinese facilities. Still, as noted by the company’s CEO, Thomas Ingenlath, America will be its second production hub, eventually even supplying vehicles to Europe.
The production capacity of the upcoming Polestar facility has not been released, and it remains unclear how this change will affect Volvo’s existing production at the facility. Still, with an annual production target of 80,000 vehicles this year and likely well over 100,000 next year, the company will need to establish its production capabilities quickly.
While many American customers and Polestar fans are likely elated at the idea of finally being able to buy a vehicle from the brand with the help of a tax incentive, it should be noted that it remains unclear if the company’s vehicles qualify. Starting today, the Federal government has introduced two new barriers to achieving incentives, primarily regarding where battery components are sourced from and the materials within them. In short, if anything over half the value of the battery is being sourced from abroad, the vehicle won’t qualify.
On top of these battery sourcing requirements, vehicles produced at the South Carolina facility will also need to be priced under a segment-specific amount to qualify, which for SUVs, is $80,000.
It should be noted that Polestar still has a lot of time before production starts to make changes that could allow any of their vehicles to qualify, as long as they are assembled at its South Carolina facility, but this will undoubtedly be a monumental task. Luckily, Polestar certainly isn’t alone, with numerous automakers facing the same pressure, but getting the jump on its competitors could be the key to future success in the United States and around the globe.
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Tesla arson suspect pleads guilty, faces up to 70 years in prison
The update was announced by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Nevada.
A Las Vegas man has pleaded guilty to federal arson charges tied to a March 2025 attack on a Tesla Collision Center in Nevada.
The update was announced by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Nevada.
According to court documents, on March 18, 2025, Paul Hyon Kim spray-painted the word “RESIST” on the front entrance of the Tesla Collision Center before damaging the facility and multiple vehicles.
Federal prosecutors stated that Kim used a PA-15 multi-caliber firearm equipped with a .300 BLACKOUT upper receiver and a 7.62mm silencer to shoot out surveillance cameras. He then fired multiple rounds into Tesla vehicles on the property.
Authorities stated that Kim later threw three Molotov cocktails into three separate Tesla vehicles. Two of the devices exploded and ignited the vehicles, while a third did not detonate. In total, five Tesla vehicles were damaged in the incident.
Kim pleaded guilty to two counts of arson of property used in interstate commerce, one count of attempted arson of property used in interstate commerce, and one count of unlawful possession of an unregistered firearm classified as a destructive device.
The mandatory minimum sentence for the charges is five years in federal prison, though the total maximum statutory penalty is 70 years, as per a release from the United States Attorney’s Office of the District of Nevada.
Sentencing is scheduled for May 27, 2026, before U.S. District Judge Jennifer A. Dorsey. A federal judge will determine the final sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The case was investigated by the FBI, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, with assistance from the Clark County Fire Department.
Elon Musk
SpaceX pursues 5G-level connectivity with Starlink Mobile V2 expansion
SpaceX noted that the upcoming Starlink V2 satellites will deliver up to 100 times the data density of the current first-generation system.
SpaceX has previewed a major upgrade to Starlink Mobile, outlining next-generation satellites that aim to deliver significantly higher capacity and full 5G-level connectivity directly to mobile phones.
The update comes as Starlink rebrands its Direct-to-Cell service to Starlink Mobile, positioning the platform as a scalable satellite-to-mobile solution that’s integrated with global telecom partners.
SpaceX noted that the upcoming Starlink V2 satellites will deliver up to 100 times the data density of the current first-generation system. The company also noted that the new V2 satellites are designed to provide significantly higher throughput capability compared to its current iteration.
“The next generation of Starlink Mobile satellites – V2 – will deliver full cellular coverage to places never thought possible via the highest performing satellite-to-mobile network ever built.
“Driven by custom SpaceX-designed silicon and phased array antennas, the satellites will support thousands of spatial beams and higher bandwidth capability, enabling around 20x the throughput capability as compared to a first-generation satellite,” SpaceX wrote in its official Starlink Mobile page.
Thanks to the higher bandwidth of Starlink Mobile, users should be able to stream, browse the internet, use high-speed apps, and enjoy voice services comparable to terrestrial cellular networks.
In most environments, Starlink says the upgraded system will enable full 5G cellular connectivity with a user experience similar to existing ground-based networks.
The satellites function as “cell towers in space,” using advanced phased-array antennas and laser interlinks to integrate with terrestrial infrastructure in a roaming-like architecture.
“Starlink Mobile works with existing LTE phones wherever you can see the sky. The satellites have an antenna that acts like a cellphone tower in space, the most advanced phased array antennas in the world that connect seamlessly over lasers to any point in the globe, allowing network integration similar to a standard roaming partner,” SpaceX wrote.
Starlink Mobile currently operates with approximately 650 satellites in low-Earth orbit and is active across more than 32 countries, representing over 1.7 billion people through partnerships with mobile network operators. Starlink Mobile’s current partnerships span North America, Europe, Asia, Africa, and Oceania, allowing reciprocal access across participating nations.
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Tesla FSD (Supervised) fleet passes 8.4 billion cumulative miles
The figure appears on Tesla’s official safety page, which tracks performance data for FSD (Supervised) and other safety technologies.
Tesla’s Full Self-Driving (Supervised) system has now surpassed 8.4 billion cumulative miles.
The figure appears on Tesla’s official safety page, which tracks performance data for FSD (Supervised) and other safety technologies.
Tesla has long emphasized that large-scale real-world data is central to improving its neural network-based approach to autonomy. Each mile driven with FSD (Supervised) engaged contributes additional edge cases and scenario training for the system.
The milestone also brings Tesla closer to a benchmark previously outlined by CEO Elon Musk. Musk has stated that roughly 10 billion miles of training data may be needed to achieve safe unsupervised self-driving at scale, citing the “long tail” of rare but complex driving situations that must be learned through experience.
The growth curve of FSD Supervised’s cumulative miles over the past five years has been notable.
As noted in data shared by Tesla watcher Sawyer Merritt, annual FSD (Supervised) miles have increased from roughly 6 million in 2021 to 80 million in 2022, 670 million in 2023, 2.25 billion in 2024, and 4.25 billion in 2025. In just the first 50 days of 2026, Tesla owners logged another 1 billion miles.
At the current pace, the fleet is trending towards hitting about 10 billion FSD Supervised miles this year. The increase has been driven by Tesla’s growing vehicle fleet, periodic free trials, and expanding Robotaxi operations, among others.
With the fleet now past 8.4 billion cumulative miles, Tesla’s supervised system is approaching that threshold, even as regulatory approval for fully unsupervised deployment remains subject to further validation and oversight.
Tesla arson suspect pleads guilty, faces up to 70 years in prison
SpaceX pursues 5G-level connectivity with Starlink Mobile V2 expansion
