News
Stealth EV startup Rivian receives $50M state tax credit and praise from IL Governor
Secret electric vehicle startup Rivian Automotive continues to stride towards its goal to produce a line of self-driving cars aimed at the future. We recently reported that Rivian finalized their purchase of the massive Mitsubishi factory in Normal, IL in January with goals of starting production in 2020.
Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner met with Rivian last Wednesday to announce that the company will receive $49.5M in Edge tax credits from the state, provided they meet employment benchmarks. Edge tax credits which stands for “Economic Development for a Growing Economy” allow businesses to receive the state’s income tax revenue from employees.
Founded in 2009, Rivian has been operating in stealth mode for the last six years as the company underwent intense product development. The company was founded to create something completely different than any other competitors out there. The planned vehicle is described as, “sports-car quick, but a vehicle your whole family can fit into.”
Rivian’s founder RJ Scaringe has a doctorate from MIT’s Sloan Automotive Laboratory. Scaringe said that his interest in vehicles started at a very young age, and tinkered with cars throughout his life. While at MIT, Scaringe considered dropping out to pursue starting up his own automotive company. Eventually, after fielding a few investment offers, he decided to stay at MIT and finish up his degree.
Rivian purchased the Normal, Illinois plant for $2M in January, which doesn’t include the factory’s equipment that was purchased in a separate transaction. This strategy is very similar to one employed by Tesla when it first acquired the NUMMI plant in Fremont. Start-up manufacturers Lucid Motors and Faraday Future are heading a different route by building their factories from scratch.
“It’s essentially a new plant; it was commissioned in 1990. Mitsubishi did a great job keeping up with all of the equipment and invested massively in the early 2000’s, so the robotics are all in great shape. The paint shop is in great shape, the stamping operation is incredible. So it really is a unique facility, with millions of dollars of equipment sitting inside of it. We are really lucky we have found it!”
Governor Rauner expressed a deep interest in what the company is doing and the potential impact it could have on the state. Rivian’s deal with the state requires them to create 1,000 jobs over the next ten years, which is similar to the deal they struck with the local municipalities.
“I’ve spent 45 minutes talking with RJ, talking strategy and product development and it’s incredible what he’s doing… We are hoping to move many of their people here in Illinois, we are working with them on that, ” said Rauner in a public comment during the event at Rivian’s factory. Rauner previously founded and ran private equity firm GTCR, assets over $11B, and has a long track record of success in the business world with a net worth rumored to be above $1B.
While the company has not revealed their board of directors, former managing director of Mclaren Automotive Antony Sheriff lists himself as a member of the board on his LinkedIn. Sheriff is also on the board at Rimac Automotive and is the Executive Chairman of Princess Yachts. Scaringe said the company isn’t ready to announce how they are being funded currently but said that would eventually be revealed.
Stay tuned for more exclusive coverage from Teslarati as we learn more about Rivian’s exciting future and explore the company’s plans.
News
Tesla Australia celebrates 150k vehicles on domestic roads
The milestone was announced by the electric vehicle maker on social media platform X.
Tesla has reached a major milestone in Australia, celebrating 150,000 vehicles on local roads.
The milestone was announced by the electric vehicle maker on social media platform X.
Sustainability for all
In its post on X, Tesla Australia and New Zealand noted that the 150,000-vehicle milestone is a notable accomplishment as it accelerates “sustainable abundance for all.” The company also thanked its customers down under for supporting its vehicles over the years.
“Accelerating sustainable abundance for all. Celebrating 150k Teslas on the road. Thank you, Australia,” Tesla Australia and New Zealand wrote in its post on X.
The post was accompanied by a photo of what appeared to be a Quicksilver Model Y premium with the Sydney Opera House in the background. This is an appropriate photo for the EV maker, as the Model Y consistently ranks among Australia’s top-selling electric cars, even as the market becomes flooded with cheaper, newer, and flashier competitors.
Australia’s FSD momentum
Last month, Tesla revealed that FSD Supervised users in Australia and New Zealand have collectively driven over 1 million kilometers within two weeks of the system’s public release. The company noted that drivers are averaging around 80,000 kilometers per day with FSD Supervised active, equivalent to 67 laps around Australia or 625 trips from Auckland to Invercargill.
“In less than 2 weeks, owners have travelled 1 million kilometers on FSD Supervised in AU & NZ,” Tesla’s local account wrote.
Australia became the first right-hand-drive market to gain access to FSD Supervised, which was officially launched in the country on September 18. Coupled with the presence of FSD (Supervised) subscriptions, the adoption of FSD in Australia has been understandably quick.
Elon Musk
Elon Musk hints at when Tesla can fix this FSD complaint with v14
Tesla has worked on resolving the issue and has worked on it with subsequent rollouts, but it has only improved slightly. The company has mentioned that it is working to fix it completely, but it seems the next big Software Update to actually resolve the issue altogether will likely be 14.2.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk hinted at when the company will resolve a major complaint with the Full Self-Driving suite. This particular issue has been persistent and a common complaint within the v14 suite.
Tesla has had its v14 FSD rollout deployed for over a month, and its earliest iterations featured a vast majority of improvements from the past versions. However, one common complaint has continued to be mentioned: stuttering and hesitancy.
Tesla Full Self-Driving’s biggest improvements from v13 to v14
Most commonly, FSD users have experienced this at intersections when the Tesla is at a complete stop. The vehicle will inch forward, contemplate proceeding, and then stutter pretty significantly before ultimately moving forward.
Tesla has worked on resolving the issue and has worked on it with subsequent rollouts, but it has only improved slightly. The company has mentioned that it is working to fix it completely, but it seems the next big Software Update to actually resolve the issue altogether will likely be 14.2.
Musk confirmed that on Wednesday:
Yes
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 12, 2025
When will v14.2 rollout? It’s likely a month or more away. Currently, Tesla is rolling out v14.1.7, which is the latest version and features some minor improvements to Hardware 4 vehicles.
These cars are currently on v14.1.4, but are not receiving v14.1.5 or v14.1.6, as both of those seemed to be internal releases to company employees.
Tesla FSD v14.1.7 incoming…. pic.twitter.com/6zuMDZRVD2
— TESLARATI (@Teslarati) November 12, 2025
The stuttering issue has been a main complaint of many FSD users, and it is something that is being addressed. Musk’s confirmation that the suite is likely to receive a fix for this issue with the next major FSD release is a sign of good things to come, but we’re hopeful it comes sooner rather than later.
Overall, v14 has been an excellent improvement from v13 with the addition of the additional Speed Profiles of Mad Max and Sloth, as well as new Arrival Options that give the driver an opportunity to let the car park in a suitable location upon arriving at the destination.
@teslarati 🚨🚨 Tesla Full Self-Driving and Yap is the best driving experience #tesla #fsd #yapping ♬ I Run – HAVEN.
News
Tesla teases new market entrance with confusing and cryptic message
Tesla teased its entrance into a new market with a confusing and what appeared to be cryptic message on the social media platform X.
The company has been teasing its entrance into several markets, including Africa, which would be a first, and South America, where it only operates in Chile.
In September, Tesla started creating active job postings for the Colombian market, hinting it would expand its presence in South America and launch in a new country for the first time in two years.
The jobs were related to various roles, including Associate Sales Manager, Advisors in Sales and Delivery, and Service Technicians. These are all roles that would indicate Tesla is planning to launch a wide-scale effort to sell, manage, and repair vehicles in the market.
Last night, Tesla posted its latest hint, a cryptic video that seems to show the outline of Colombia, teasing its closer than ever to market entry:
— Tesla North America (@tesla_na) November 12, 2025
This would be the next expansion into a continent where it does not have much of a presence for Tesla. Currently, there are only two Supercharger locations on the entire continent, and they’re both in Chile.
Tesla will obviously need to expand upon this crucial part of the ownership experience to enable a more confident consumer base in South America as a whole. However, it is not impossible, as many other EV charging infrastructures are available, and home charging is always a suitable option for those who have access to it.
Surprisingly, Tesla seems to be more concerned about these middle-market countries as opposed to the larger markets in South America, but that could be by design.
If Tesla were to launch in Brazil initially, it may not be able to handle the uptick in demand, and infrastructure expansion could be more difficult. Brazil may be on its list in the upcoming years, but not as of right now.
@teslarati 🚨🚨 Tesla Full Self-Driving and Yap is the best driving experience #tesla #fsd #yapping ♬ I Run – HAVEN.
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