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Porsche reveals details on the Taycan’s Electric Pit Stop charging system
Back in August, Otmar Bitsche, Porsche’s Director of Development Electrics, Electronics, and Electromobility outlined the idea for the Taycan’s dedicated charging solution. While speaking about the charging system that would be supporting the all-electric sedan, Bitsche mentioned the legacy automaker’s upcoming charging parks, which will host the company’s in-house charging systems.
Porsche’s charging parks are not unlike Tesla’s Supercharger Network, in the way that they would be set up in key locations that enable owners to charge their vehicles in a way that is convenient and quick. New details on this charging system were recently released, and the company has even revealed its name — the Electric Pit Stop.
Porsche’s Electric Pit Stops utilize a clever design that includes weatherproof, modular blocks called FlexBoxes. These FlexBoxes are outfitted with all the necessary components of a standard charging rack, but due to its modular structure, the units could be positioned a distance away from the PowerBox (the unit that contains the actual charging cable). True to their moniker, the FlexBoxes are pretty flexible, as Porsche could have them installed behind buildings or hedges, helping the PowerBox maintain a sleek, futuristic appearance.
The German legacy automaker notes that the charging parks also feature low operating costs, considering that the system is equipped with intelligent functions. The control server of the transformer station, for one, is capable of bringing together all the information from multiple control units of the charging hardware. Porsche notes that such a system boosts efficiency by up to 95%, making the Electric Pit Stops cheaper to maintain than comparable charging systems in the market today.
Apart from the FlexBox, Porsche also discussed the design of the ChargeBox, which is equipped with both a power unit and an additional battery storage unit that recharges when no vehicle is plugged in. Just like the FlexBoxes, Porsche’s ChargeBoxes are modular, making them ideal for areas without medium-voltage grid connections. The ChargeBox will be rolled out in two configurations — an entry-level model with a 70 kWh battery and a 160 kW charging station.
Perhaps most notable in Porsche’s recent announcement of its Electric Pit Stops is that the entire system will be compatible with all electric vehicles from every manufacturer in the future. This seems to be a direct response to Tesla’s statement back in the Q1 2018 earnings call, when Elon Musk noted that any interested electric car maker could partner with the Supercharger Network provided that they pay a fee and use an adapter.
“The idea is for electric vehicles from all manufacturers to be able to charge up here. A large, 10-inch touch display offers a wide variety of options for interacting with the customer. Altogether, this meticulously devised concept is intended to ensure that the customer’s experience of the charging process is uncomplicated and pleasant,” Porsche wrote.
Porsche’s Electric Pit Stops would likely start operations when the Taycan, the company’s first all-electric car, begins rolling out sometime next year. The company is yet to reveal the final production version of the upcoming vehicle, but it has already opened pre-orders for the all-electric car. Back in July, Porsche Managing Director Alexander Pollich noted that so far, the reception to the Taycan from the company’s customers has been incredibly encouraging.
The full details of Porsche’s Electric Pit Stops could be accessed here.
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Tesla earns top honors at MotorTrend’s SDV Innovator Awards
MotorTrend’s SDV Awards were presented during CES 2026 in Las Vegas.
Tesla emerged as one of the most recognized automakers at MotorTrend’s 2026 Software-Defined Vehicle (SDV) Innovator Awards.
As could be seen in a press release from the publication, two key Tesla employees were honored for their work on AI, autonomy, and vehicle software. MotorTrend’s SDV Awards were presented during CES 2026 in Las Vegas.
Tesla leaders and engineers recognized
The fourth annual SDV Innovator Awards celebrate pioneers and experts who are pushing the automotive industry deeper into software-driven development. Among the most notable honorees for this year was Ashok Elluswamy, Tesla’s Vice President of AI Software, who received a Pioneer Award for his role in advancing artificial intelligence and autonomy across the company’s vehicle lineup.
Tesla also secured recognition in the Expert category, with Lawson Fulton, a staff Autopilot machine learning engineer, honored for his contributions to Tesla’s driver-assistance and autonomous systems.
Tesla’s software-first strategy
While automakers like General Motors, Ford, and Rivian also received recognition, Tesla’s multiple awards stood out given the company’s outsized role in popularizing software-defined vehicles over the past decade. From frequent OTA updates to its data-driven approach to autonomy, Tesla has consistently treated vehicles as evolving software platforms rather than static products.
This has made Tesla’s vehicles very unique in their respective sectors, as they are arguably the only cars that objectively get better over time. This is especially true for vehicles that are loaded with the company’s Full Self-Driving system, which are getting progressively more intelligent and autonomous over time. The majority of Tesla’s updates to its vehicles are free as well, which is very much appreciated by customers worldwide.
Elon Musk
Judge clears path for Elon Musk’s OpenAI lawsuit to go before a jury
The decision maintains Musk’s claims that OpenAI’s shift toward a for-profit structure violated early assurances made to him as a co-founder.
A U.S. judge has ruled that Elon Musk’s lawsuit accusing OpenAI of abandoning its founding nonprofit mission can proceed to a jury trial.
The decision maintains Musk’s claims that OpenAI’s shift toward a for-profit structure violated early assurances made to him as a co-founder. These claims are directly opposed by OpenAI.
Judge says disputed facts warrant a trial
At a hearing in Oakland, U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers stated that there was “plenty of evidence” suggesting that OpenAI leaders had promised that the organization’s original nonprofit structure would be maintained. She ruled that those disputed facts should be evaluated by a jury at a trial in March rather than decided by the court at this stage, as noted in a Reuters report.
Musk helped co-found OpenAI in 2015 but left the organization in 2018. In his lawsuit, he argued that he contributed roughly $38 million, or about 60% of OpenAI’s early funding, based on assurances that the company would remain a nonprofit dedicated to the public benefit. He is seeking unspecified monetary damages tied to what he describes as “ill-gotten gains.”
OpenAI, however, has repeatedly rejected Musk’s allegations. The company has stated that Musk’s claims were baseless and part of a pattern of harassment.
Rivalries and Microsoft ties
The case unfolds against the backdrop of intensifying competition in generative artificial intelligence. Musk now runs xAI, whose Grok chatbot competes directly with OpenAI’s flagship ChatGPT. OpenAI has argued that Musk is a frustrated commercial rival who is simply attempting to slow down a market leader.
The lawsuit also names Microsoft as a defendant, citing its multibillion-dollar partnerships with OpenAI. Microsoft has urged the court to dismiss the claims against it, arguing there is no evidence it aided or abetted any alleged misconduct. Lawyers for OpenAI have also pushed for the case to be thrown out, claiming that Musk failed to show sufficient factual basis for claims such as fraud and breach of contract.
Judge Gonzalez Rogers, however, declined to end the case at this stage, noting that a jury would also need to consider whether Musk filed the lawsuit within the applicable statute of limitations. Still, the dispute between Elon Musk and OpenAI is now headed for a high-profile jury trial in the coming months.
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Tesla Giga Shanghai celebrates 5 million electric drive unit milestone
The milestone was celebrated by the company in a post on its official Weibo account.
Tesla China has reached another manufacturing milestone at Gigafactory Shanghai, rolling out the facility’s 5 millionth locally produced drive unit.
The milestone was celebrated by the company in a post on its official Weibo account. In its post, the Giga Shanghai team could be seen posing with the 5 millionth drive unit.
Giga Shanghai’s major benchmark
The milestone drive unit was produced at Gigafactory Shanghai, which produces the Model Y and the Model 3. In a release, Tesla China noted that its three-in-one integrated electric drive system combines the motor, gearbox, and inverter into a single compact assembly. This forms a powerful “heart” for the company’s electric cars.
Tesla China also noted that its drive units’ integrated design improves energy conversion efficiency while reducing overall weight and complexity, benefits that translate into stronger performance, improved handling, and longer service life for its vehicles.
The new milestone builds on earlier achievements at the same site. In July 2024, Tesla announced that its 10 millionth electric drive system globally had rolled off the line at the Shanghai plant, making it the first self-produced Tesla component to reach that volume.
More recently, the factory also produced its 4 millionth China-made vehicle, a Model Y L. The factory has also continued hitting global production milestones, rolling out Tesla’s 9 millionth EV worldwide late last year, with the landmark vehicle being a Tesla Model Y.
Tesla China’s role
Construction of Giga Shanghai began in January 2019, with production starting by the end of that year. This made it the first wholly foreign-owned automotive manufacturing project in China. The facility began delivering Model 3 vehicles locally in early 2020 and added Model Y production in 2021. The plant is now capable of producing about 1 million vehicles annually.
Throughout 2025, Giga Shanghai delivered 851,732 vehicles, representing a 7.08% year-on-year decline, according to data compiled by CNEVPost. Even so, recent months showed renewed momentum.
In December alone, Tesla China recorded wholesale sales of 97,171 vehicles, including domestic deliveries and exports, making it the company’s second-best monthly total on record, per data from the China Passenger Car Association. Retail sales during December reached roughly 94,000 units, up about 13% year over year.
Tesla earns top honors at MotorTrend’s SDV Innovator Awards
Judge clears path for Elon Musk’s OpenAI lawsuit to go before a jury
