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SpaceX fans are launching a novel effort to invest in the company [Interview]
Spaced Ventures Founder and CEO Aaron Burnett found his calling when he saw the Falcon Heavy’s two side boosters landing in perfect unison during the spacecraft’s maiden voyage. SpaceX sought to inspire people with Falcon Heavy and its spacefaring Tesla Roadster, and for Burnett, the rocket’s flight definitely did.
“That thing, that image, essentially broke my brain wide open. That’s why I got involved and started doing what we’re doing today,” he said during a conversation with Teslarati.
Spaced Ventures is, to put it simply, an equity crowdfunding platform that pools money from individual investors to buy shares in privately held aerospace companies. The company is currently attempting its most ambitious initiative yet — securing enough pledges to get SpaceX’s attention and have its community members become investors in the private space company.
Aaron Burnett, Founder and CEO of Spaced Ventures
If the initiative succeeds, Spaced Ventures will become one of the few firms that were able to get individual shareholders into SpaceX. Achieving such a feat is not easy, as Elon Musk has openly expressed his reservations about taking SpaceX public in the past. SpaceX may be spinning off some of its divisions like Starlink and making those public, but for now, investing in the private space company is still an incredibly tricky endeavor.
During his conversation with Teslarati, Burnett, whose experience included leading growth for startups and a Fortune 500 company, explained that Spaced Ventures’ attempt to invest in SpaceX was the result of the community’s wishes. The Spaced Ventures community is closing in on 13,000 users, and with this growth, the company’s leadership opted to ask the community a question.
“If we could get a big space company to do a crowdfunding round, which one would you want?”
Burnett had a feeling that SpaceX would be one of the community’s top choices, but Spaced Ventures also provided other options, such as Axiom Space and Relativity Space. The choices in the survey featured aerospace companies with lofty goals, but as the results came in, it became highly evident that Spaced Ventures’ users overwhelmingly wanted to invest in SpaceX.
About 82% of the users polled wished to invest in Elon Musk’s private space company. “It was quite decisive. We could have guessed that that would happen. But this was a very nice, decisive moment for us where we said, ‘Okay, we’ll just do that,’” Burnett said.
And with that, Spaced Ventures started gathering pledges for its SpaceX initiative. The equity crowdfunding platform is looking to secure pledges worth $25 million from its users before it approaches SpaceX, and so far, it appears that Spaced Ventures may indeed have a shot. As of writing, 1,102 community members have pledged a total of $17,657,964 for the private space company.
That’s not a small amount by any means, and it’s quite impressive considering that pledges could be as low as $100. But this is only half the story, as some community members pledged amounts that were so notable that Burnett and his team had to double-check. When Spaced Ventures did, the aspiring SpaceX investors clarified that if given a chance, they would actually be investing more.
“I think what really surprised us is there are some individuals that wanna put a million or more. I’m like, ‘Ah, this seems ridiculous.’ So I call or (contact them) by email and say, ‘Wanna verify before we go to SpaceX. This is real. It’s not a joke.’ And several of them have responded that not only were they very serious, but they would increase it beyond that if we would allow that number to go bigger.
“Those individuals surprised me. Just the general interest, I think is quite crazy to me— how much people are really passionate about it— so much that they would put significant amounts of money to essentially say, ‘Hey, SpaceX, let us in any way, shape, or form you can,’” Burnett remarked.
Ultimately, it is no surprise that Spaced Ventures’ users are willing to go all-in on SpaceX. The private space company has already proven itself over the years, and its projects, such as Starship, have the potential to practically transform humanity into a spacefaring civilization. With this in mind, the idea of SpaceX eventually hitting a valuation well into the trillions of dollars is not too farfetched.
For now, Spaced Ventures continues to accept pledges from interested parties. When $25 million has been pledged, the equity crowdfunding platform would approach SpaceX and ask the private aerospace company if the amount can be invested. It’s almost like a bet of sorts, but one that could definitely have notable returns if it is successful.
Those interested in joining Spaced Ventures’ SpaceX initiative can click here.
Don’t hesitate to contact us with news tips. Just send a message to simon@teslarati.com to give us a heads-up.
EVgo has tapped Tesla Superchargers for its most recent efforts to expand its charging presence in the United States, a move that seems logical based on the effectiveness of the automaker’s own infrastructure.
EVgo opened its first Supercharger site in Illinois, a 12-stall station near downtown Chicago at 3145 South Ashland Avenue in the Riverside Square & River’s Edge center, right beside a grocery store. This marks the start of the company’s plan to deploy hundreds of Supercharger stalls across the United States, primarily at grocery-anchored Regency Centers properties where drivers can shop, eat, or run errands while they charge.
We’ve opened our first EVgo Supercharger location in Illinois, marking the start of our plan to add hundreds of Supercharger stalls across the U.S.
Designed for both NACS and CCS vehicles with Magic Dock technology, these new sites help make fast charging more accessible and convenient for all EV drivers. Learn more: https://t.co/V92t5FDryQ
— EVgo Fast Charging Network (@evgonetwork) November 5, 2026
The new location uses Tesla’s Magic Dock technology so both NACS and CCS vehicles can plug in natively without drivers needing to carry their own adapters. Peak power reaches 325 kW at this site, with pricing set between $0.25 and $0.35 per kWh depending on the hour—the same rate for Tesla and non-Tesla drivers.
The stalls also appear in Tesla’s in-car navigation and Trip Planner, making them easy for Tesla owners to find and route to. Illinois has seen EV registrations rise nearly 60 percent over the past two years, and EVgo’s broader network has experienced more than 700 percent growth in charging demand over three years, so the timing fits the market’s trajectory.
Choosing Tesla hardware through the Supercharger for Business program turns out to have been a smart, practical move.
Tesla’s V4 stalls and cabinets deliver high, reliable power with a proven track record of strong uptime, while Magic Dock delivers true dual-standard compatibility in one package. Because the sites show up in Tesla’s navigation tools, EVgo instantly gains visibility among millions of existing Tesla drivers, which should raise utilization and help the company double its addressable market as more vehicles adopt NACS. EVgo still owns the stations and sets pricing, yet benefits from Tesla’s established hardware, longer cables, and operational support.
The result is faster, lower-risk infrastructure expansion that serves every EV driver—Tesla or otherwise—with convenient, high-power charging at everyday retail locations. For drivers, that means fewer adapters, more predictable stops, and a denser network just as electric vehicles become everyday transportation.
Tesla’s Austin Gigafactory is reportedly shifting to round-the-clock vehicle production through the end of 2026, according to longtime drone observer Joe Tegtmeyer.
In his November 2 update, Tegtmeyer, widely regarded as one of the most reliable independent sources on Giga Texas activity (we call him the Drone GOAT), stated that the plant has added a night shift, creating two 12-hour production shifts.
Tegtmeyer said in his video:
“Now, I do have some interesting news about that when it comes to the production schedule here at Giga Texas, and things are actually looking pretty good, especially when you think about what the demand is and the delivery numbers that they’re looking for and what they’re expecting. So, normally they have shifts Monday through Friday. It’s a day shift and it’s about 10 hours long or so, give or take. But now they’re on day and night shifts and they’re going to 12-hour days. So they’re going to be adding or they have another shift. They have 12 hours for both of them. In addition to that, the typical downtime that we’re going to be seeing around the holidays, specifically Thanksgiving and Christmas to the New Year time frame is actually changed. And we’re not going to see those big several day events where there is no production. At least that’s what the plan is right now. So, it’s really a great sign, I think, when we consider what they’ve done in the past and what production and the deliveries have been so far. So, maybe it’s shaping up to be a really strong quarter.”
Previously, General Assembly typically operated on a single roughly 10-hour day shift, Monday through Thursday or Friday. The new arrangement keeps General Assembly on its Monday-to-Thursday schedule while adding overnight capacity, and most other areas of the factory continue working the full week with some weekend activity.
Notably, the plant is also forgoing the multi-day shutdowns around Thanksgiving and the Christmas–New Year period that have occurred in prior years
Giga Texas currently builds the Model Y, the larger Model Y L, the Cybertruck, and the Cybercab robotaxi. Tesla has not confirmed the shift change or specified which lines will receive the extra output. Recent comments suggest Cybercab production has been constrained by the pace at which the Robotaxi fleet can absorb new vehicles, making the Model Y and Model Y L the more likely beneficiaries as the company works through order backlogs.
Tegtmeyer’s November 2 footage and commentary also highlighted broader site progress. Cortex 2 continues to expand, with additional compute coming online, a roughly 25 percent lengthening of the structure on the north end, and work on a third cooling plant.
The Boring Company tunnel site showed increased activity in the large launch pit, while the Advanced Technology Chip Fab (a SpaceX–Tesla joint R&D facility) continued steel superstructure and heavy truss installation, along with concrete pours.
The reported capacity increase arrives as Tesla aims for a strong fourth quarter following solid third-quarter results. While unconfirmed by the company, the information aligns with Tegtmeyer’s consistent track record of accurate on-site observations.
If Tesla makes the decision to sustain the all-day production plans, the dual 12-hour shifts would meaningfully raise weekly output potential at one of Tesla’s most important manufacturing hubs.
News
Tesla opens new “Cybaer” Engineering Center in Berlin
Tesla opened its Berlin Engineering Center, uniting four sites and 30 labs near Giga Berlin.
Tesla has opened a new engineering hub in Berlin, putting the teams that design and test its European parts about 30 minutes from the factory that builds them.
The Berlin Tesla Engineering Center, or BTEC, opened Wednesday in the Köpenick district. Tesla Europe said on X that the project went from permit to operational in under a year and consolidates four engineering sites and 30 labs onto a single campus. It is the company’s third hub of this kind, after Fremont and Shanghai.
“We’re combining materials, powertrain, vehicle engineering & validation under one roof, enabling a short feedback loop between development & ramp,” Tesla Europe wrote.
Berlin Tesla Engineering Center opens today From permit to operational in under a year, it brings 4 engineering sites onto 1 campus w/ 30 different labs in Köpenick, 30 minutes from Giga Berlin With our 3rd hub of this kind after Fremont & Shanghai, we’re combining materials, powertrain, vehicle engineering & validation under one roof – enabling a short feedback loop between development & ramp — Tesla Europe, Middle East & Africa (@teslaeurope) November 4, 2026
Tesla converted the former production halls of a cable factory for the site. About 250 engineers and technicians are starting there, most of them relocated from existing Tesla facilities such as Tilburg in the Netherlands. Tesla has already applied for approval of a second phase that would take the headcount to roughly 500, and it put the total investment at €100 million.
The labs cover battery cells, motors, materials and complete vehicles, and a large hall is set aside for safety testing of components, including airbags. During the opening, staff demonstrated a pedestrian leg impact test on the front of a Tesla using a catapult rig, Tagesspiegel reported. The center’s logo is a cubist Berlin bear that employees call the “Cybaer.”
Tesla said its Berlin design and engineering teams already contributed to the Model Y, Semi and Roadster, and that the work continues at BTEC. The center will handle technical problem solving for Giga Berlin in Grünheide while also developing and validating parts for vehicles built in China and the United States.
“We came here to stay,” BTEC head Brückner told dpa. “We serve all of Europe via Gigafactory Berlin-Brandenburg.” He said a site close to the plant was a priority, and that the old industrial building allowed Tesla to move quickly.
That proximity matters more now that Giga Berlin is growing again. In June, Tesla said it would raise Model Y output at the plant to 7,500 vehicles per week and hire 1,000 more workers after a record first quarter of more than 61,000 units. The factory recently built 7,000 Model Ys in a single week for the first time. Tesla also more than doubled the planned 4680 cell capacity at the site to 18 GWh per year in May, and has talked about eventually taking Grünheide to one million vehicles annually.
Sales are giving Tesla reason to invest. KBA data released the same day showed Tesla’s German registrations nearly quadrupled year over year in October to 2,932 units, bringing the total for the first ten months of 2026 to 47,742.
EVgo taps Tesla Superchargers for mass charging expansion
Tesla Giga Texas reportedly moves to 24/7 production
