For the first time in about a year, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk is scheduled to present an official update on the company’s next-generation Starship rocket.
The venue: the National Academies’ first virtual Space Studies Board. Vaguely titled “SpaceX Starship Discussion,” the CEO’s presentation – scheduled at 6pm EST on November 17th – will likely be his first Starship-specific update since September 2020 and, most importantly, it will be streamed live.
Since Musk’s last partial update, SpaceX has made a spectacular amount of progress, leaving no shortage of topics for the CEO to cover. In September 2020, Starship prototype SN6 had just completed SpaceX’s third 150m (~500 ft) hop test in South Texas, while the company was also close to finishing the first higher-altitude prototype (SN8). Three months later, after completing a range of preflight tests and having its nose section installed at the launch pad, Starship SN8 would nearly ace SpaceX’s first 10+ kilometer (~6 mi) launch and landing test, only failing seconds before touchdown after an otherwise successful 6+ minute flight.
SpaceX then proceeded to rapidly build and fly four more prototypes in about as many months, culminating in Starship SN15’s near-perfect launch, descent, and soft landing in May 2021. Following SN15’s success, SpaceX oddly hasn’t launched once in the six months since and prior to the last four weeks had only performed a single static fire test with Super Heavy Booster 3 (B3).
Finally, after sitting at the launch pad for six weeks, SpaceX began a slow but steady stream of tests of Starship S20, its first orbital-class prototype. On September 29th, Ship 20 passed its first cryogenic proof test. On October 19th, the Starship completed its first Raptor preburner test and then aced two back-to-back static fires just two days later on the 21st. After another extremely unusual three weeks of inactivity, Ship 20 again fired up twice on November 12th, becoming the first Starship prototype to fire up six Raptor engines at once.
For unknown reasons, the pace of SpaceX Starship and Super Heavy assembly and testing has been exceptionally slow over the last few months, causing the company to sail past a number of schedule predictions made by Musk himself. With any luck, as well as celebrating SpaceX’s undeniable successes in the same period and sketching out the company’s next steps for Starship, Musk will also be able to shed some light on the last few months of activity in Starbase and why some of those activities appear to have slowed down.
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Tesla Semis to get 18 new Megachargers at this PepsiCo plant
PepsiCo is set to add more Tesla Semi Megachargers, this time at a facility in North Carolina.

Tesla partner PepsiCo is set to build new Semi charging stations at one of its manufacturing sites, as revealed in new permitting plans shared this week.
On Friday, Tesla charging station scout MarcoRP shared plans on X for 18 Semi Megacharging stalls at PepsiCo’s facility in Charlotte, North Carolina, coming as the latest update plans for the company’s increasingly electrified fleet. The stalls are set to be built side by side, along with three Tesla Megapack grid-scale battery systems.
The plans also note the faster charging speeds for the chargers, which can charge the Class 8 Semi at speeds of up to 1MW. Tesla says that the speed can charge the Semi back to roughly 70 percent in around 30 minutes.
You can see the site plans for the PepsiCo North Carolina Megacharger below.

Credit: PepsiCo (via MarcoRPi1 on X)

Credit: PepsiCo (via MarcoRPi1 on X)
READ MORE ON THE TESLA SEMI: Tesla to build Semi Megacharger station in Southern California
PepsiCo’s Tesla Semi fleet, other Megachargers, and initial tests and deliveries
PepsiCo was the first external customer to take delivery of Tesla’s Semis back in 2023, starting with just an initial order of 15. Since then, the company has continued to expand the fleet, recently taking delivery of an additional 50 units in California. The PepsiCo fleet was up to around 86 units as of last year, according to statements from Semi Senior Manager Dan Priestley.
Additionally, the company has similar Megachargers at its facilities in Modesto, Sacramento, and Fresno, California, and Tesla also submitted plans for approval to build 12 new Megacharging stalls in Los Angeles County.
Over the past couple of years, Tesla has also been delivering the electric Class 8 units to a number of other companies for pilot programs, and Priestley shared some results from PepsiCo’s initial Semi tests last year. Notably, the executive spoke with a handful of PepsiCo workers who said they really liked the Semi and wouldn’t plan on going back to diesel trucks.
The company is also nearing completion of a higher-volume Semi plant at its Gigafactory in Nevada, which is expected to eventually have an annual production capacity of 50,000 Semi units.
Tesla executive teases plan to further electrify supply chain
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Tesla sales soar in Norway with new Model Y leading the charge
Tesla recorded a 54% year-over-year jump in new vehicle registrations in June.

Tesla is seeing strong momentum in Norway, with sales of the new Model Y helping the company maintain dominance in one of the world’s most electric vehicle-friendly markets.
Model Y upgrades and consumer preferences
According to the Norwegian Road Federation (OFV), Tesla recorded a 54% year-over-year jump in new vehicle registrations in June. The Model Y led the charge, posting a 115% increase compared to the same period last year. Tesla Norway’s growth was even more notable in May, with sales surging a whopping 213%, as noted in a CNBC report.
Christina Bu, secretary general of the Norwegian EV Association (NEVA), stated that Tesla’s strong market performance was partly due to the updated Model Y, which is really just a good car, period.
“I think it just has to do with the fact that they deliver a car which has quite a lot of value for money and is what Norwegians need. What Norwegians need, a large luggage space, all wheel drive, and a tow hitch, high ground clearance as well. In addition, quite good digital solutions which people have gotten used to, and also a charging network,” she said.
Tesla in Europe
Tesla’s success in Norway is supported by long-standing government incentives for EV adoption, including exemptions from VAT, road toll discounts, and access to bus lanes. Public and home charging infrastructure is also widely available, making the EV ownership experience in the country very convenient.
Tesla’s performance in Europe is still a mixed bag, with markets like Germany and France still seeing declines in recent months. In areas such as Norway, Spain, and Portugal, however, Tesla’s new car registrations are rising. Spain’s sales rose 61% and Portugal’s sales rose 7% last month. This suggests that regional demand may be stabilizing or rebounding in pockets of Europe.
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Tesla to open first India experience center in Mumbai on July 15
The event is scheduled for July 15 at the Bandra Kurla Complex, a premier business district in Mumbai.

Tesla is officially entering India with the opening of its first showroom and experience center in Mumbai next week. The event is scheduled for July 15 at the Bandra Kurla Complex, a premier business district in Mumbai.
Tesla imports to India signal an early-stage market entry strategy
According to Indian customs data, Tesla has imported approximately $1 million worth of vehicles, charging equipment, and merchandise into the country between January and June. The shipments include six Model Y comprised of five standard variants valued at $32,500 each and one long-range model valued at $46,000. Several Superchargers and related accessories were also imported into the country, as noted in a Yahoo Finance report.
These vehicles are expected to serve as display models and test units as Tesla gauges interest and navigates India’s high import duties, which hover around 70% on fully built vehicles. Despite the significant tariffs in the country, Tesla has opted to begin its India expansion with imported cars.
An invitation to the Tesla India launch event has been making the rounds online. As could be seen in the document, Tesla noted that July 15 would be the launch of Tesla in India through the opening of a Tesla experience centre at Bandra Kurla Complex in Mumbai.
Tesla India’s hiring and expansion efforts are underway
Tesla has filled a number of key roles from the 30+ positions it advertised earlier this year. Recent hires include store managers, service executives, and sales staff, while ongoing recruitment is focused on supply chain engineers and vehicle operators to support the company’s Autopilot program.
Indian officials have been open about their intention to encourage Tesla to establish a manufacturing hub in the country. Tesla does seem open to the idea, at least, with reports last year hinting that Elon Musk was set to visit the country to discuss or even potentially announce a domestic project. The trip, however, was ultimately canceled.
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