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Tesla had a year filled with achievements in 2022 Tesla had a year filled with achievements in 2022

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Tesla had a year filled with achievements in 2022

Credit: Tesla

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Tesla has had quite a phenomenal year in 2022. As the year comes to a close and we move into 2023, it’s great to step back and take a look at Tesla’s progress. Tesla shared a thread on Twitter thanking its supporters, employees, and customers for helping to make 2022 a good year for EVs.

Although Tesla shared its long list, we are highlighting a few of those key moments for Tesla.

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Tesla started the new year by moving full speed ahead after delivering almost one million vehicles in 2021. In total last year, Tesla delivered 936,172 electric vehicles.

In March, Elon Musk danced as he and Tesla handed over the first made-in-Germany vehicles produced at the newly opened Giga Berlin, which opened in the fall of 2021. At this event, Elon Musk gave a passionate speech about how Giga Berlin would be the gemstone for Europe and the world. He said:

“I’m incredibly excited to hand over the first production cars from our incredible team here at Giga Berlin Brandenburg. This is a great day for the factory, and I just like to thank everyone who helped. Thank you, thank you very much. It really made a big difference.”

“And to the community, Tesla will make sure that this is a gem — a gemstone for the area, for Germany, for Europe, and for the world.”

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“Every vehicle that we make will be another step in the direction of a sustainable energy future. We will also make battery storage. So this is going to be very important for storing renewable energy — so, for solar and wind. Because it’s intermittent, it needs to be stored, but we’re extremely confident that the world will transition to a sustainable energy future with the combination of solar, plus battery storage, and electric vehicles.”

“If you have those three legs of the stool, then you can create a sustainable energy future for as long as the sun shines and the wind blows.”

“I want to be clear that sometimes people are sad about the future or they think, well, ‘will we solve sustainable energy?’ and ‘maybe the climate issue is too late’ or something like that. I really want to assure everyone that you can have hope in the future.”

“You should have hope in the future. This problem will be solved. And this factory is a major step in that direction. And so, believe in the future.”

In the following month, Tesla held its grand opening Cyber Rodeo event at Giga Texas. Event goers were invited to tour the factory and see how Tesla manufactured its made-in-Texas Model Y vehicles. I attended and spot-interviewed one of Tesla’s employees, Kyle Wozniak. Tesla displayed its Tesla Semi, Cybertruck, and the next-gen Roadster.

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In June, Tesla’s US Energy Markets Policy Lead, Arushi Sharma Frank, gave public comments to the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT), which paved the way for Tesla owners to participate in virtual power plants (VPPs) later this year. On December 15, Tesla officially launched its Tesla Electric for Tesla as a result of the tireless efforts of Frank and her team.

Tesla opened its Megafactory in Lathrop, California, this year also. It broke ground in August, and  provided a sneak peek into the Megafactory in October as it ramped up hiring. Tesla held its second AI Day in September and unveiled a working prototype of the Optimus Bot and shared a video of the bot doing work around the office. “Our goal is to make a useful humanoid robot as soon as possible,” Elon Musk said.

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In December, Tesla delivered its first Semi to PepsiCo and FritoLay, and following the deliveries, FritoLay showcased one of the trucks in the Modesto Christmas parade. Pepsi announced plans to deploy 100 of the Tesla Semis it purchased in 2023, and the vehicles will deliver products to customers such as Walmart and Kroger.

Although these are not all of Tesla’s achievements for 2022, the highlights show just how much progress it’s made toward accelerating the world’s transition to sustainable energy.

Disclosure: Johnna is a $TSLA shareholder and believes in Tesla’s mission.  

Your feedback is welcome. If you have any comments or concerns or see a typo, you can email me at johnna@teslarati.com. You can also reach me on Twitter at @JohnnaCrider1.

Teslarati is now on TikTok. Follow us for interactive news & more. Teslarati is now on TikTok. Follow us for interactive news & more. You can also follow Teslarati on LinkedInTwitter, Instagram, and Facebook.

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Johnna Crider is a Baton Rouge writer covering Tesla, Elon Musk, EVs, and clean energy & supports Tesla's mission. Johnna also interviewed Elon Musk and you can listen here

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SpaceX wants to catch Starship for launch 14, Elon Musk says

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Credit: SpaceX

Just hours after Starship Flight 13 achieved a successful soft splashdown of its upper stage in the Indian Ocean on July 24, Elon Musk announced an ambitious next step for the company’s next launch of the rocket.

“Unless we discover problems after mission data review, SpaceX will attempt to catch the ship with the tower on [the] next flight,” the SpaceX CEO posted on X on Friday.

That “next flight” is expected to be Flight 14. The plan involves returning the Starship upper stage, commonly called the “ship,” to the Starbase launch tower in Texas and catching it mid-air using the same mechanical “chopsticks” arms that have already proven themselves with the Super Heavy booster.

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A successful catch would mark the first time an orbital-class upper stage has been recovered this way, advancing SpaceX’s goal of full and rapid reusability for the entire vehicle.

SpaceX has already demonstrated the tower-catch technique multiple times with Super Heavy. The first successful catch came on Flight 5 in October 2024, when Booster 12 was plucked from the sky by the Mechazilla arms. Subsequent flights, including those involving Boosters 14 and 15, repeated the feat. Several of those recovered boosters were later inspected, refurbished, and flown again, proving the system’s viability for quick turnaround.

Traditional reusable rockets, such as SpaceX’s own Falcon 9 or Blue Origin’s New Shepard, land on legs either on land or droneships. Rocket Lab has recovered its small Electron first stages by helicopter, but those are far lighter vehicles.

SpaceX Starship just nailed something it’s never done before

The China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology (CALT), a subsidiary of the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corp. (CASC), completed a catch of its booster on July 10. They are the only entity besides SpaceX to attempt and complete the feat.

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Flight 13 provided encouraging data. The ship executed a controlled reentry, flipped, and soft-landed intact in the ocean after deploying Starlink satellites, offering the first clear post-splashdown views of an undamaged heat shield. The Super Heavy booster, meanwhile, experienced a harder splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico.

Musk has previously stressed that ship catches would only follow multiple successful soft ocean landings to minimize risk of debris over land.

If Flight 14 succeeds, SpaceX would take a major stride toward routine, rapid reuse of both stages—critical for lowering launch costs and supporting ambitious plans for lunar and Mars missions. For now, teams are reviewing the Flight 13 data. Should everything check out, the next Starship flight could deliver one of the most spectacular recoveries in aerospace history.

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Tesla to open source Model S and Model X designs and software

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Credit: Tesla

In a move echoing its earlier commitment to open innovation, Tesla CEO Elon Musk announced recently that the company plans to make the design and software of its Model S and Model X fully open source.

This follows the same approach Tesla took with its original Roadster, releasing all available design, engineering, and diagnostic materials in November 2023 so that “whatever we have, you now have.”

The Model S, introduced in 2012, was Tesla’s first mass-produced vehicle and a groundbreaking luxury electric sedan. It offered impressive range, rapid acceleration, and over-the-air software updates that redefined expectations for electric cars.

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The Model X, launched in 2015, built on that foundation as a high-performance electric SUV notable for its distinctive falcon-wing doors, spacious interior, and advanced safety features. Both models served as flagships that helped establish Tesla as a leader in the EV industry and popularized long-range battery-electric vehicles.

Production of the Model S and Model X was wound down earlier in 2026, with manufacturing ending in the second quarter. Tesla redirected the Fremont factory space previously used for these vehicles toward higher-priority projects, including Optimus humanoid robots and the Cybercab autonomous vehicle.

By the time of Musk’s open-source announcement, custom orders had closed and only remaining inventory was available.

Open-sourcing the designs and software offers several clear advantages. Owners of these aging but still capable vehicles gain better access to technical documentation, diagnostic tools, and software resources, making independent repairs and modifications easier and more affordable.

Independent repair shops and third-party specialists can support the large existing fleet without relying solely on Tesla’s service network. Enthusiasts and engineers can study real-world implementations of Tesla’s battery, powertrain, and software systems, potentially accelerating broader industry progress in electric mobility.

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The step aligns with Tesla’s 2014 patent pledge and its overall mission to advance sustainable transport by sharing hard-won knowledge rather than locking it behind proprietary walls.

By releasing these materials now that the models have left production, Tesla ensures continued support for its early adopters while freeing internal resources for future technologies. The open-source release of the original Roadster already enabled simulations, community projects, and deeper technical understanding.

Extending that practice to the Model S and Model X should deliver similar benefits on a larger scale, helping keep these influential vehicles relevant and repairable for years to come

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Tesla flexes incredible Robotaxi metric that skeptics will hate

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Credit: Tesla

Tesla flexed one incredible Robotaxi metric during the Q2 Earnings Call that skeptics have to hate to hear. The company’s platform has already driven more than 380,000 miles of unsupervised ride-hailing across several states with no notable incidents.

During the company’s Q2 Earnings Call on Wednesday, Vice President of AI, Ashok Elluswamy, said:

“First of all, I’d like to state that the Robotaxi program has been operating extremely well. Especially in terms of safety, the program has had an impeccable safety record. We have driven more than 380,000 miles of unsupervised Robotaxi, now across six cities in two different states. We have had zero notable incidents. Any reports have been of other actors impacting us when we were stationary. I like to emphasize how safe the operation has been so far. Zero notable incidents over 380,000 miles.”

Elluswamy’s claim over Robotaxi miles is a significant milestone for Tesla in the grand scheme, especially considering this is a sizeable number of miles without any incident.

Tesla’s self-driving approach is much different than that of other companies. Tesla has maintained that vision is the only thing needed to have a solid and effective self-driving suite. Many self-driving companies utilize things like LiDAR, sensors, and other elements to improve performance, but Elluswamy sent a jab at those who believe it’s needed.

“Historically, the so-called experts have always claimed that you need LiDARs, radars, HD maps, and the entire kitchen sink to drive safely. Here we show that such is not true. You can have safe, comfortable, and affordable autonomy with just cameras. This record should be a huge validation of Tesla’s entire AI approach.”

The feat of accumulating this many miles without any driver behind the wheel is impressive. The thing is, Tesla is also doing this across several different locations, with varying traffic rules, pedestrian levels, weather patterns, and other important factors.

While Tesla is not ready to roll out an unsupervised platform completely, it is a slow but steady indication that the company is well on its way to figuring things out.

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The company’s attitude toward expansion is slow, safe, and controlled, and despite this huge milestone, it will still be some time until we see Tesla truly unleash unsupervised rides more aggressively.

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