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Tesla in talks with potential Gigafactory 3 battery supplier for China’s Model 3: report
Tesla is reportedly looking into China-based Contemporary Amperex Technology Co Ltd (CATL) as a potential battery partner for Gigafactory 3, which is expected to start producing electric cars by the end of the year. CATL is among China’s most prominent battery suppliers, and it is on track to become the nation’s biggest manufacturer of lithium-ion batteries.
Bloomberg notes that the update was provided by people familiar with the discussions, who asked to remain anonymous due to the talks still being private. According to the publication’s sources, the two companies are discussing the possibility of a partnership for Gigafactory 3, but there is no guarantee yet that an agreement will be met.
Tesla has been showing signs that it is in the process of looking for battery suppliers for the upcoming facility, which is expected to produce both the Model 3 and Model Y for the local Chinese market. The company did mention a “fully qualified” vendor in its latest annual report, though Tesla also highlighted that it is working on adding more. This “qualified vendor” appears to be referenced by the recent report’s sources, who note that CATL is already discussing the required specifications of the battery cells with Tesla.
This is not the first time that rumors emerged about Tesla’s potential battery partner for Gigafactory 3. Last January, reports emerged pointing to Tesla allegedly signing a preliminary agreement with China’s Tianjin Lishen for the Shanghai-based factory’s batteries. The rumor was short-lived, with Tesla stating that no preliminary arrangements have been reached. It remains to be seen if the electric car maker will respond similarly to the recent CATL reports.
Having a formidable battery partner is a necessity for Tesla’s expansion plans in China. For the company to saturate the country’s electric car market, it should be able to manufacture affordable, high-volume vehicles that leave no compromises in terms of quality. For this to happen, Tesla must be able to make premium battery packs at scale. This is something that the company’s Chinese battery partner must keep in mind, as Panasonic, Tesla’s partner that supplies the cells for the Model S, 3, and X, admitted last year that some of the slowdowns in Gigafactory 1’s production could be blamed on its inability to meet the electric car maker’s demand. “The bottleneck for Model 3 production has been our batteries,” Panasonic’s automotive business head Yoshio Ito said.
Tesla’s Gigafactory 3 is showing a notable amount of progress over the past months, with recent statements from a Shanghai official estimating that the facility will be completed by May. Just as initially scheduled, tooling of the factory is expected to commence immediately after, allowing Tesla to produce its first locally-made Model 3 by the end of 2019.
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Tesla’s Sweden standoff draws UAW support as unions widen pressure campaign
In a post shared on social media, the United Auto Workers stated that it stands with IF Metall workers who are striking against Tesla Sweden.
The United Auto Workers (UAW) has publicly expressed solidarity with Swedish union IF Metall as its strike against Tesla continues, adding international attention to the extended labor dispute in the European country.
UAW supports IF Metall’s strike
In a post shared on social media, the United Auto Workers stated that it stands with IF Metall workers who are striking against Tesla Sweden. UAW Region 8 Director Tim Smith stated that the union fully supports IF Metall’s efforts to secure a collective bargaining agreement with the automaker.
“UAW stands with IF Metall workers on strike against Tesla, fighting for a collective bargaining agreement. UAW Region 8 Director Tim Smith pledged the UAW’s full support and solidarity,” the UAW International Union stated in its post.
IF Metall launched its strike against Tesla Sweden in late 2023 over the electric car maker’s refusal to sign a collective agreement. The action has since been supported by other unions through sympathy strikes affecting ports, logistics, and service operations.
Tesla Sweden has maintained that it complies with Swedish labor laws and offers competitive pay and benefits, though the company has not publicly commented on the UAW’s latest show of support.
Tesla owners get union attention
Pro-union groups in Sweden have recently expanded their outreach beyond Tesla’s facilities and workforce. Activists have begun distributing informational leaflets against the EV maker directly on Tesla vehicles parked across Stockholm, as per a report from Swedish outlet Dagens Arbete.
The yellow slips, designed to resemble parking notices, urge regular Tesla owners to pressure the company into signing a collective agreement. Organizers involved in the effort have argued that the leaflets are intended to simply inform consumers rather than single out individual owners. When owners are present, however, activists stated that they explain the dispute verbally.
Tesla has not issued a public response regarding the leaflet distribution campaign as of writing.
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Starlink goes mainstream with first-ever SpaceX Super Bowl advertisement
SpaceX used the Super Bowl broadcast to promote Starlink, pitching the service as fast, affordable broadband available across much of the world.
SpaceX aired its first-ever Super Bowl commercial on Sunday, marking a rare move into mass-market advertising as it seeks to broaden adoption of its Starlink satellite internet service.
Starlink Super Bowl advertisement
SpaceX used the Super Bowl broadcast to promote Starlink, pitching the service as fast, affordable broadband available across much of the world.
The advertisement highlighted Starlink’s global coverage and emphasized simplified customer onboarding, stating that users can sign up for service in minutes through the company’s website or by phone in the United States.
The campaign comes as SpaceX accelerates Starlink’s commercial expansion. The satellite internet service grew its global user base in 2025 to over 9 million subscribers and entered several dozen additional markets, as per company statements.
Starlink growth and momentum
Starlink has seen notable success in numerous regions across the globe. Brazil, in particular, has become one of Starlink’s largest growth regions, recently surpassing one million users, as per Ookla data. The company has also expanded beyond residential broadband into aviation connectivity and its emerging direct-to-cellular service.
Starlink has recently offered aggressive promotions in select regions, including discounted or free hardware, waived installation fees, and reduced monthly pricing. Some regions even include free Starlink Mini for select subscribers. In parallel, SpaceX has introduced AI-driven tools to streamline customer sign-ups and service selection.
The Super Bowl appearance hints at a notable shift for Starlink, which previously relied largely on organic growth and enterprise contracts. The ad suggests SpaceX is positioning Starlink as a mainstream alternative to traditional broadband providers.
Tesla engineers deflected calls from Apple on a daily basis while the tech giant was developing its now-defunct electric vehicle program, which was known as “Project Titan.”
Back in 2022 and 2023, Apple was developing an EV in a top-secret internal fashion, hoping to launch it by 2028 with a fully autonomous driving suite.
However, Apple bailed on the project in early 2024, as Project Titan abandoned the project in an email to over 2,000 employees. The company had backtracked its expectations for the vehicle on several occasions, initially hoping to launch it with no human driving controls and only with an autonomous driving suite.
Apple canceling its EV has drawn a wide array of reactions across tech
It then planned for a 2028 launch with “limited autonomous driving.” But it seemed to be a bit of a concession at that point; Apple was not prepared to take on industry giants like Tesla.
Wedbush’s Dan Ives noted in a communication to investors that, “The writing was on the wall for Apple with a much different EV landscape forming that would have made this an uphill battle. Most of these Project Titan engineers are now all focused on AI at Apple, which is the right move.”
Apple did all it could to develop a competitive EV that would attract car buyers, including attempting to poach top talent from Tesla.
In a new podcast interview with Tesla CEO Elon Musk, it was revealed that Apple had been calling Tesla engineers nonstop during its development of the now-defunct project. Musk said the engineers “just unplugged their phones.”
Musk said in full:
“They were carpet bombing Tesla with recruiting calls. Engineers just unplugged their phones. Their opening offer without any interview would be double the compensation at Tesla.”
Interestingly, Apple had acquired some ex-Tesla employees for its project, like Senior Director of Engineering Dr. Michael Schwekutsch, who eventually left for Archer Aviation.
Tesla took no legal action against Apple for attempting to poach its employees, as it has with other companies. It came after EV rival Rivian in mid-2020, after stating an “alarming pattern” of poaching employees was noticed.
Tesla’s Sweden standoff draws UAW support as unions widen pressure campaign
Starlink goes mainstream with first-ever SpaceX Super Bowl advertisement
