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Tesla Battery Day vs. Volkswagen Power Day: How Wall Street reacted
Tesla’s Battery Day and Volkswagen’s Power Day were two similar events that showed how the two automakers plan to combat electric vehicle prices within the next few years. Despite the similarities in the events, Wall Street reacted quite differently to both, with Tesla (NASDAQ: TSLA) seeing a minimal effect on its stock in the days following. However, Volkswagen’s stock (OTCMKTS: VWAGY) is soaring over 12% on the day after the event.
Tesla Battery Day
Tesla’s Battery Day was a marquee event for the electric automaker. While the previous year’s focus was Autonomy, 2020 saw battery cells as Tesla’s main concentration. During the event, CEO Elon Musk revealed how Tesla would combat battery prices by continuing to source cells from third-party suppliers, but also by developing its own 4680 cells that are produced by the company in-house. Additionally, new structural battery packs are being used to house the cells and also provide a more robust crash response in the event of an accident. The rigidity of the new structural battery intends to take Tesla’s safety ratings through the roof, where they already reside.
Tesla also revealed plans for a $25,000 car, a blueprint to manufacture 20 million cars per year, and a roadmap to massive cuts in battery cell production costs.
LIVE BLOG: Tesla Battery Day and Annual Shareholder Meeting 2020 updates
Despite the developments, Tesla didn’t receive a big boost on Wall Street. Interestingly, despite the massive developments and plans that Tesla had revealed during the Battery Day event on September 22nd, 2020, the stock closed at $424.23. The day following saw an 11% drop in the stock, as it closed at $380.36.
Many didn’t understand the reason for the drop. Tesla bull and investor Jim Cramer, who was at one time bearish on the automaker’s stock, stated that the stock fell simply because Tesla didn’t announce what some were expecting. “They’re just bummed the things they hyped didn’t happen,” Cramer said. “Tesla rolls out a plan to create an electric car for the masses and greeted with a yawn because Musk didn’t roll out a magic battery. This is what happens when you let expectations get out of control.”
Volkswagen Power Day
Volkswagen’s Power Day was, in effect, the German automaker’s version of Tesla’s Battery Day. The company held an event outlining their plans for cell cost reductions, along with plans for six total production plants across Europe. VW also has established several partnerships with European energy companies to roll out an expansive charging infrastructure, among many other developments.
“We aim to reduce the cost and complexity of the battery and at the same time increase its range and performance,” Volkswagen Group Board Member for Technology Thomas Schmall said. “We will use our economies of scale to the benefit of our customers when it comes to the battery too. On average, we will drive down the cost of battery systems to significantly below €100 per kilowatt-hour. This will finally make e-mobility affordable and the dominant drive technology.”
Volkswagen’s Power Day: Six new cell plants, new unified battery cell, charging network partnerships
Volkswagen stock began Monday’s trading session at $28.38. After the developments that VW announced, the stock shot up $1.38, a boost of 4.86%. However, the German company’s stock is enjoying massive gains today, just one day after the big event. After closing at $29.76 yesterday, VW stock has increased another 3.48% at the time of writing, for a total gain of 11.69% as of 2:30 PM EST.
The differences in the presentations and how Wall Street has responded to them are unknown. However, the sheer size of Volkswagen’s production figures could be the main reason for the increased investor response. While Tesla’s rollout of 500,000 vehicles in 2020 was a company best, Volkswagen delivered 9.3 million vehicles last year. For context, VW has also been around since 1937, while Tesla has only produced a mass-market vehicle since 2017.
Tesla is undoubtedly the leader in electric vehicles. Volkswagen, while still working out software kinks, could be considered second-place by some because of the successful adaptation of the ID. family of vehicles in Europe so far. However, it is still admittedly ironing out some software issues with its MEB platform, and it seems somewhat odd that VW’s stock received such a healthy boost in the day following its Power Day event.
What do you think? What is the reasoning for the substantial difference in Wall Street’s reaction? Let us know in the comments below, or Tweet me directly.
Disclosure: Joey Klender is a TSLA Shareholder.
SpaceX (NASDAQ: SPCX) will report its second public earnings call today since its IPO earlier this year, and there are a few things we expect to hear about, as well as Wall Street analysts, who have already outlined their expectations for the call.
Wall Street analysts have a consensus of $12.72 billion in revenue and an earnings per share (EPS) of $0.13. These are broken down into three sectors: Space, Connectivity, and AI/SI, which are perceived in this way:
- Space: $1.41 billion
- Connectivity: $4.84 billion
- AI/SI: $6.47 billion
Other outlets cluster near $12.8 or $12.9 billion in revenue and $0.14 – $0.15 EPS. This implies a roughly 65 percent sequential growth from Q2’s $7.81 billion, driven mostly by AI/SI, with the first post-IPO positive EPS expected.
Here are the three things to watch for on the call:
AI Revenue Ramp and the $100B+ ARR target
AI is truly the swing factor for SpaceX, and analysts expect it to roughly double from Q2’s $2.56 billion and become about half of total revenue. Management previously guided to a $100 billion+ annualized run rate by December, including the Cursor acquisition, which was $60 billion, to close the quarter.
Listen for updates on SpaceX’s compute capacity, especially pertaining to its contracts with Google, Anthropic, and others, revenue per watt, any new deals, and Cursor’s early contribution.
Starlink/Connectivity Metrics and Mobile Expansion
Connectivity remains a main profit engine for SpaceX. Subscriber additions will be something to pay attention to, as Q2 ended at 12 million and previews are looking at 14 million for this quarter. Additionally, ARPU trends, enterprise and government growth, and any commentary on Starlink Mobile will be something to pay attention to, especially following the recent low-band spectrum deal and FCC-related constellation approvals.
Capex Trajectory, Cash Burn/FCF, and Starship/Operational Updates
Q2 capex of roughly $18.4 billion weighed on the stock. Investors will look to scrutinize Q3 spending levels, any guidance on the pace into Q4/2027, free cash flow, backlog, and liquidity. Operational color on Starship (Flight 14 milestones and Flight 15 timing/reusability progress), Falcon cadence, and government/NASA contracts are also in focus.
Of course, there will also be some speculation on the potential Tesla-SpaceX merger, but there was nothing mentioned in the company’s proxy it sent earlier this week.
SpaceX will report earnings after market close today and will stream the call on X.
Watch live as SpaceX discusses our Q3 2026 earnings at 3:30pm CT today → https://t.co/Qrb0qeVG15
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) October 20, 2026
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SpaceX just launched its secret Starfall saucer again
SpaceX launched its Starfall capsule again on Bandwagon-5, this time listed openly beside rideshare customers.
SpaceX launched its Starfall reentry capsule for the second time on Tuesday morning, flying it as the payload of the Bandwagon-5 rideshare mission. Falcon 9 lifted off from Space Launch Complex 40 in Florida at 7:04 a.m. ET with 32 payloads, and the first stage booster, on its 19th flight, landed on the droneship A Shortfall of Gravitas about nine minutes later.
Starfall was scheduled to separate last, 2 hours and 48 minutes after liftoff. The final customer satellite on SpaceX’s mission timeline comes off the upper stage about an hour and nine minutes in, which left a long gap before the capsule was due to be released alone. SpaceX later posted that the payload deployment sequence is complete. At liftoff, the company said Starfall “enables affordable, routine access to a microgravity environment, providing unique opportunities for on-orbit manufacturing, scientific research, and testing.”
Starfall enables affordable, routine access to a microgravity environment, providing unique opportunities for on-orbit manufacturing, scientific research, and testing https://t.co/y8kJg3QDor
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) October 20, 2026
As Teslarati reported before the first Starfall flight, SpaceX made no public announcement about the vehicle then, and nearly everything known came from FAA and FCC filings. This time Starfall is an item name on the official mission page, listed beside paying rideshare customers. SpaceX has still not said what, if anything, is aboard this Starfall, Spaceflight Now noted.
The FAA’s environmental assessment from May describes a disk about 10.2 feet wide and 2.5 feet tall that weighs roughly 4,600 pounds and can bring 2,200 pounds of payload back to Earth.
Interestingly, the same rocket also carries a competitor’s hardware. Varda Space Industries launched its W-Series 7 capsule on Bandwagon-5, a spacecraft about three times smaller than Starfall that will test whether microgravity can improve the solubility of a cancer drug called Protac. It is Varda’s ninth reentry capsule, and W-8 and W-9 launched earlier this month on Transporter-18. SpaceX has been Varda’s launch provider since the company’s first Falcon 9 rideshare contract in 2021.
SpaceX has not published where or how this Starfall will come down. The preview we ran in June described a recovery from the Pacific Ocean, and the company has not said whether this flight follows the same plan. The launch also arrives hours before SpaceX posts its third quarter results after the market closes, a report we previewed earlier this week.
Elon Musk
The Boring Company’s latest Tesla tunnel truck mod “fits like a glove”
The Boring Company has modified a Tesla powered tunnel truck to carry freight containers underground.
The Boring Company has found a second job for the Tesla hardware it already runs underground. In a post on X, Elon Musk’s tunneling company showed its latest Prufrock Liner Truck modified to carry a standard 20 foot shipping container. “Using TBC tunnels to transport freight,” the company wrote. “The latest Prufrock Liner Truck (using Tesla Model 3 batteries and drive units) has been modified to carry a standard 20′ shipping container. Fits like a glove!”
The photo shows a red container sitting on a long, low white chassis parked outside, with drive hardware visible at one end. The Boring Company did not say where or when freight hauling would start, which customers it has in mind, or how many trucks it is converting.
Using TBC tunnels to transport freight.
The latest Prufrock Liner Truck (using Tesla Model 3 batteries and drive units) has been modified to carry a standard 20’ shipping container.
Fits like a glove! https://t.co/VV0phWK4fc
— The Boring Company (@boringcompany) October 19, 2026
Until now, the liner trucks have hauled concrete. Teslarati reported in August on Liner Truck 3, which uses Model 3 battery packs and drive units to move more than 22,000 pounds of precast tunnel segments to the boring machine. It has 28 miles of range, tops out at 12 mph, and is piloted remotely from the company’s operations center in Texas. The freight version appears to be the same platform with a different bed, and The Boring Company has not said whether it will also be remotely piloted.
Freight has been on the company’s menu for years. When TBC updated its product lineup in 2021, its freight tunnel was described as sized to fit a standard shipping container, “barely.” The company later used the idea at Tesla’s own factory, where Prufrock 3 dug a tunnel to Giga Texas that now moves finished Cybertrucks away from the production line.
The Boring Company closed a $3 billion Series D in September at a $23 billion valuation, and Teslarati has covered how that money is tied to a UAE tunneling push and a faster Nashville build. In Nashville, Prufrock MB1 and MB2 are mining at the same time, and a third machine is expected to launch in late October. Each machine needs a steady supply of liner trucks, so any design that works for segments and containers alike gives the company more use out of the same Tesla parts.
The Vegas Loop remains the only Boring Company system open to the public, and it moves passengers in Tesla vehicles. A freight service would be a separate product, and the post gave no indication that one is close to launch. For now, it is a truck, a container and a short caption saying they fit together.
SpaceX reports its second earnings today: here’s what to expect
SpaceX just launched its secret Starfall saucer again
The Boring Company’s latest Tesla tunnel truck mod “fits like a glove”
SpaceX reveals how its 1 Million AI satellite network will work and prevent space collisions
Tesla Roadster: Three configs, one can fly, 0-60 in 0.8 seconds
