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Tesla gets $133M Megapack deal to double Queensland battery size

Credit: Tesla

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Tesla has gained another Megapack contract in Australia, coming as the latest of the company’s commitments to build new energy storage sites and expand existing ones.

The contract will oversee the expansion of the recently finished Western Downs battery in Queensland, Australia, increase the energy storage site’s size to 540 MW / 1,080 MWh, as detailed in a report from Renew Economy. In total, Tesla will provide 140 Megapack units for the project, expected to be valued at about $133 million, while developers expect the second stage of the project to be operational by 2026.

The site is being operated by French renewables company Neoen, which signed a 10-year contract with AGL Energy, which is the country’s largest coal generator. The contract signs into place the addition of Megapack power from Tesla, and it will expand what is Queensland’s largest battery project—for now, at least.

Tesla Megapacks to help grow 560 MW/2,240MWh battery in Australia

“The ability to virtually charge and dispatch this battery increases the number of tools we can use to support our customers’ needs while also supporting electricity supply into the grid,” said AGL COO Markus Brokhof in a statement. “Virtual battery agreements provide flexibility within our firming portfolio without the requirement to build, operate, and maintain the physical battery.”

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Neoen CEO Xavier Barbaro has also highlighted the company’s hand in several recent battery energy storage system (BESS) projects in Australia.

“Neoen is proud to have developed the ‘virtual battery’ offer in Australia, providing a bespoke, smart, value-added product that meets the increasing needs of our customers,” Barbaro said. “Over the past seven years, Neoen has been a leading player in storage in Australia and around the world, and we will continue to design and deliver integrated solutions to accelerate the energy transition.”

Neoen now has as much as 1,925 MW / 4,709 MWh of energy storage capacity either in operation or under construction in Australia.

Despite the Western Downs site currently being the Australian state’s largest battery project, an additional expansion at the state’s Stanwell battery is expected to increase the existing energy storage system to 300MW/1,200MWh to become the state’s biggest. That expansion also gained a $448.2 million investment from the state’s government, and it’s being constructed near a coal plant that’s slated to close.

Tesla also has a large number of other Megapack projects throughout Australia, including those in New South Wales, Victoria, Western Australia, and other states, still.

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Tesla Lathrop Megafactory is all business with Megapack production as Q2 ends

What are your thoughts? Let me know at zach@teslarati.com, find me on X at @zacharyvisconti, or send your tips to us at tips@teslarati.com.

Zach is a renewable energy reporter who has been covering electric vehicles since 2020. He grew up in Fremont, California, and he currently lives in Colorado. His work has appeared in the Chicago Tribune, KRON4 San Francisco, FOX31 Denver, InsideEVs, CleanTechnica, and many other publications. When he isn't covering Tesla or other EV companies, you can find him writing and performing music, drinking a good cup of coffee, or hanging out with his cats, Banks and Freddie. Reach out at zach@teslarati.com, find him on X at @zacharyvisconti, or send us tips at tips@teslarati.com.

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Tesla Service just made a simple change for iOS users that makes a big difference

The Live Activities will now provide owners with a quick view of the service status on their vehicle, including the expected arrival time of the repair technician, the actual arrival time, and the estimated completion time.

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Credit: Tesla

Tesla has improved the transparency and communication it has with customers when their vehicles are being serviced with a very simple addition to its app.

The addition will only impact iOS users as it utilizes Apple’s Live Activities feature, which is utilized for other Tesla features, most notably during Supercharging to alert owners of their state of charge, charging rate, session cost, and time remaining.

Now, Tesla is using the Live Activities feature of iOS to alert customers of the status of a repair through Service, something that definitely improves the overall interaction between the owner and the company.

The Live Activities will now provide owners with a quick view of the service status on their vehicle, including the expected arrival time of the repair technician, the actual arrival time, and the estimated completion time.

Credit: @robkten | X

It also uses Apple’s Dynamic Island for an even more streamlined look at repair status.

The change was first noticed by Not a Tesla App. Some owners have said that the change has been available for about two months, but we had also not noticed it until now.

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Tesla has been working to improve its Service division, especially over the past few months, as Raj Jegannathan, Vice President of IT/AI-Infra, Apps, Infosec, and Vehicle Service Operations, has revealed the company is working to make things easier for owners.

It is no secret that getting in touch with Tesla Service is easier said than done. In fact, CEO Elon Musk has even had to step up on X to get some issues resolved.

Elon Musk is stepping up for Tesla Service in a big way

But Tesla has done a good job of confronting the shortcomings, especially when it comes to communication between the Service Center and owners.

It started a pilot program at select service locations that shared local and regional leader contact information so customers could reach out if they had an issue with diagnostic, warranty, or estimate issues.

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Tesla also enabled an extended in-app messaging option, which gives owners 24 hours to contact Service regarding any complaints they might have. Previously, the messaging option was only available for two hours.

The small change made to utilize Live Updates gives Tesla owners the opportunity to peek at their Service status without being overly communicative and pestering employees. It’s a small change, but it’s a good one.

Unfortunately, it is not available for Android users quite yet.

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Tesla job postings seem to show next surprise market entry

The company has several job postings for various roles, including Associate Sales Manager, Advisors in Sales and Delivery, and Service Technicians.

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Credit: Felipe Marambio | LinkedIn

Tesla’s recent job postings on its Careers website seem to show its next market entry, and it is a bit of a surprise.

Moving forward, Tesla is basically looking to expand its footprint wherever possible. It has already made a major splash in various global markets, and it has managed to make its way to several regions where things were more difficult and delayed.

Most notably, this includes India, where Tesla just recently started operations.

However, the company is now looking to expand in the Western Hemisphere, and recent job postings from Tesla show that it has its eyes set on a new South American market: Colombia.

The company has several job postings for various roles, including Associate Sales Manager, Advisors in Sales and Delivery, and Service Technicians.

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The locations include Medellin and Bogota, two of Colombia’s most populated and important regions.

Tesla’s presence in South America is extremely limited, and if it decides to launch in Colombia in the coming weeks, it will only be the second country on the continent where the company has a dedicated presence.

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Tesla has only two Supercharger locations in all of South America, both in Chile, and both are located near Santiago, a major city situated in the center of the country. One major thing Tesla will need to do after launching in more countries across South America is to establish a more dedicated charging presence.

Tesla Superchargers follow Model 3 and Model Y to South American country

It is surprising Tesla has not tried to enter Argentina or Brazil, but demand has to be there, and South America is not necessarily a hotbed for electric vehicles.

However, last year saw significant growth in the market for EV demand, with a 187 percent increase year over year, led by Brazil and Uruguay. These statistics come from Bloomberg.

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Investor's Corner

Tesla Q3 deliveries could exceed expectations: Wolfe Research

“Q3 is poised to be a strong quarter,” the firm noted.

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Credit: Tesla China

Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) could deliver a stronger-than-expected third quarter, as per Wolfe Research, which stated that the EV maker’s vehicle deliveries could reach between 465,000 and 470,000 units this Q3 2025. 

Such results would represent a 22% increase from Q2, topping consensus estimates of 445,000. “Q3 is poised to be a strong quarter,” the firm noted.

U.S. and China demand

In the U.S., Wolfe attributed part of the volume lift to consumers accelerating purchases ahead of the expiration of a $7,500 federal EV tax credit. The firm is also optimistic about China’s deliveries, which the firm noted is trending above prior expectations. Wolfe estimated 165,000–170,000 deliveries in China for the third quarter, or about 10,000 more than its earlier forecast, as noted n a Yahoo Finance report.

The firm noted that these figures do not yet include meaningful contributions from the newly launched Model Y L. “We estimate 165-170k deliveries in Q3, or ~10k above our prior est,” Wolfe stated, though these volumes “largely do not reflect the recent launch of the Model Y L.”

Earnings outlook

Wolfe noted that it expects Tesla’s Q3 earnings per share to fall between $0.55 and $0.60, which is above the current consensus of $0.49 per share. The firm forecasts automotive gross margins, excluding regulatory credits, of about 16.5% to 17%. 

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Looking ahead, Wolfe warned that Q4 could prove more challenging due to U.S. demand being pulled forward by tax incentives. Still, Wolfe suggested that factors like stronger seasonal demand in China and Europe could become tailwinds that could help the company’s volumes in the fourth quarter. The ramp and rollout of the Model Y L and upcoming affordable models could also help bolster the company’s Q4 volumes.

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