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Tesla builds energy trading team as solar sources gain popularity worldwide
Recently, Tesla posted a job position calling for a Senior Energy Trading Analyst in Palo Alto, California. The job listing reveals Tesla’s plans for an energy trading team and its future as an electricity provider.
“We are looking for a Senior Energy Trading Analyst to drive continual performance improvements of the largest fleet of battery storage projects in the world. This includes Tesla’s utility-scale battery fleet (i.e., transmission level) and virtual power plants (i.e., aggregation of residential batteries at the distribution level),” said Tesla about the new job position.
“Using Tesla’s in-house automated trading platform, Autobidder, you will be responsible for bidding batteries into multiple wholesale energy markets, ensuring the assets meet contractual obligations, and complying with market rules,” the role’s description noted.
Tesla Energy’s progress doesn’t usually garner much attention even though it has steadily gained traction in countries like Australia. In Q2 2021, Tesla solar and battery storage deployments tripled year-over-year. The surge in energy deployments was mainly thanks to Tesla’s Megapack ramp.
However, the Powerwall proved popular as well, with deployments doubling YoY. Earlier this year, Tesla announced that all its solar and solar roof products would come with a Powerwall.
“I think we have a chance of hitting an annualized rate of a million units of Powerwall next year, maybe toward on the order of 20,000 a week,” Elon Musk said during the last earnings call. “But again, dependent on cell supply and semiconductors. But in terms of demand, I think there’s probably demand for in excess of a million Powerwalls per year. And actually just a vast amounts of the Megapacks for utilities.”
Tesla strongly believes that battery storage systems are necessary as nations start transitioning to renewable power sources. In a White Paper shared with Australia’s Energy Security Board (ESB), Tesla Energy argued that battery storage can replace essential services provided by thermal plants. Tesla has been very involved in the ESB’s efforts to design a more robust and lower emissions power system for Australians.
Tesla Energy takes the next step
Besides distributing solar products and battery storage systems, Tesla Energy made moves to become an electricity provider in several countries, including Australia, Texas, and the United States. Last month, Tesla Energy Ventures, LLC submitted an application for a REP Certificate in Texas to become a retail energy provider.
The move to become a retail electricity provider in Texas seems timely as the transition to a renewable-dominant grid becomes viable. President Biden’s almost $1 trillion infrastructure bill calls for changes nationwide, including US electrical grids.
According to the Solar Futures study from the US Department of Energy’s (DOE) National Renewable Energy Laboratory, even without policies pushing for renewable grids, the transition to clean energy sources like solar will increase with time. The study found that installed solar capacity increases by almost a factor of 7 by 2050 compared to 2005, without clean energy policies. It also found that grid emissions could decline by 45% by 2035 and 61% by 2050, relative to 2005 levels.
With an energy trading team, its leading solar and battery storage technology, Tesla could head another growing market.
See Tesla’s application to the Public Utility Commission of Texas below!
Tesla Energy Ventures Texas by Maria Merano on Scribd
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Tesla has launched a new Model Y configuration in the “Premium” trim, and it comes with three highly requested features that have launched in markets outside of the U.S. and in other trims.
Tesla announced on Monday night that it has officially launched the Model Y Premium in a seven-seat configuration, which also comes standard with a 16″ touchscreen and black headliner, both of which are featured in the Model Y Performance trim.
The seven-seat configuration is highly requested by consumers and helps fill out the more spacious SUV offering that the lineup has missed outside of the Model X, which prices out many consumers. This new upgrade only costs $2,500 extra for all three features, bringing the cash price to $48,990.
This also comes with the larger 16” touchscreen! pic.twitter.com/aiAxWUTKZa
— TESLARATI (@Teslarati) January 13, 2026
The move to add the seven-seat configuration with the black headliner and additional screen size is a welcome addition, as many Tesla fans have asked the company to come out with an SUV with more seating capacity. Although it is not a full-size SUV, the additional seating will certainly attract some buyers with bigger families.
It appears the third row is slightly more spacious than the past iteration of the seven-seat Model Y, which was available in the previous design pre-Juniper:
Credit: Tesla
However, it definitely still appears to be pretty cramped in terms of legroom. It will definitely be a seating arrangement for smaller passengers, mostly reserved for children.
The other two upgrades are the black headliner, which was launched in other markets and in the Model Y Performance. Many owners have wanted this change, and Tesla listened, but is only offering it with the seven-seat configuration. It also has a larger 16″ touchscreen, also present in the Model Y Performance exclusively:
Credit: Tesla
It is a nice touch to add these highly requested features to the all-electric crossover, which was the best-selling vehicle in the world for the third consecutive year.
Tesla has expanded its branded ‘For Business’ Supercharger program that it launched last year, as yet another company is using the platform to attract EV owners to its business and utilize a unique advertising opportunity.
Francis Energy of Oklahoma is launching four Superchargers in Norman, where the University of Oklahoma is located. The Superchargers, which are fitted with branding for Francis Energy, will officially open tomorrow.
It will not be the final Supercharger location that Francis Energy plans to open, the company confirmed to EVWire.
Back in early September, Tesla launched the new “Supercharger for Business” program in an effort to give businesses the ability to offer EV charging at custom rates. It would give their businesses visibility and would also cater to employees or customers.
“Purchase and install Superchargers at your business,” Tesla wrote on a page on its website for the new program. “Superchargers are compatible with all electric vehicles, bringing EV drivers to your business by offering convenient, reliable charging.”
The first site opened in Land O’ Lakes, Florida, which is Northeast of Tampa, as a company called Suncoast launched the Superchargers for local EV owners.
Tesla launches its new branded Supercharger for Business with first active station
The program also does a great job at expanding infrastructure for EV owners, which is something that needs to be done to encourage more people to purchase Teslas and other electric cars.
Francis Energy operates at least 14 EV charging locations in Oklahoma, spanning from Durant to Oklahoma City and nearly everywhere in between. Filings from the company, listed by Supercharge.info, show the company’s plans to convert some of them to Tesla Superchargers, potentially utilizing the new Supercharger for Business program to advertise.
Moving forward, more companies will likely utilize Tesla’s Supercharger for Business program as it presents major advantages in a variety of ways, especially with advertising and creating a place for EV drivers to gain range in their cars.
Tesla Cybercab is perhaps the most highly-anticipated project that the company plans to roll out this year, and as it is undergoing its testing phase in pre-production currently, there are some things to work through with it.
Over the weekend, an image of the Cybercab being loaded onto a tow truck started circulating on the internet, and people began to speculate as to what the issue could be.
Hmmmmmm… https://t.co/L5hWcOXQkb pic.twitter.com/OJBDyHNTMj
— TESLARATI (@Teslarati) January 11, 2026
The Cybercab can clearly be seen with a Police Officer and perhaps the tow truck driver by its side, being loaded onto, or even potentially unloaded from, the truck.
However, it seems unlikely it was being offloaded, as its operation would get it to this point for testing to begin with.
It appears, at first glance, that it needs assistance getting back to wherever it came from; likely Gigafactory Texas or potentially a Bay Area facility.
The Cybercab was also spotted in Buffalo, New York, last week, potentially undergoing cold-weather testing, but it doesn’t appear that’s where this incident took place.
It is important to remember that the Cybercab is currently undergoing some rigorous testing scenarios, which include range tests and routine public road operation. These things help Tesla assess any potential issue the vehicle could run into after it starts routine production and heads to customers, or for the Robotaxi platform operation.
This is not a one-off issue, either. Tesla had some instances with the Semi where it was seen broken down on the side of a highway three years ago. The all-electric Semi has gone on to be successful in its early pilot program, as companies like Frito-Lay and PepsiCo. have had very positive remarks.
The Cybercab’s future is bright, and it is important to note that no vehicle model has ever gone its full life without a breakdown. It happens, it’s a car.
Nevertheless, it is important to note that there has been no official word on what happened with this particular Cybercab unit, but it is crucial to remember that this is the pre-production testing phase, and these things are more constructive than anything.
Tesla Model Y gets fresh configuration with three highly requested features
Tesla expands its branded ‘For Business’ Superchargers
