News
Tesla generated $44.4 million of economic activity for CA every day in 2021: IHS Markit
A recent post from Tesla has outlined a number of key insights about the electric vehicle maker’s footprint in California. While Tesla currently lists Gigafactory Texas as its headquarters, the Golden State will always be the place where the company grew and hit its momentum. And based on a report, Tesla has provided substantial economic activity for California over the past few years, generating $44.4 million of economic activity every day in 2021.
Tesla was founded in San Carlos, California, 20 years ago, and since then, the company has grown into the world’s undeniable leader in electric vehicles and the state’s largest manufacturing employer. As noted by Tesla in its recent post, its California footprint today is comprised of “Megapack production and vehicle castings in Lathrop, hardware and software engineering in Palo Alto, vehicle and battery manufacturing in Fremont, battery development and testing in San Diego and vehicle design in Hawthorne.”
These facilities have had a large impact on California’s employment, wages, gross state product, and taxes. This became particularly notable over the past decade, with Tesla-supported jobs in the state increasing by 40% from 2018 to 2021. Tesla’s 2021 wages also exceeded the state average by 50%, a notable number considering the narrative painted against the company due to its non-unionized workforce.
As per a report from IHS Markit, Tesla’s contributions to the California economy can be summarized in the following section:
Supported an average of 59,440 jobs from 2018 to 2020, rising to 80,484 jobs in 2021
- In 2021, this represented 0.5% of California employment or 1 out of every 208 jobs
- For every 100 direct Tesla jobs, 50 more were supported in the supply chain and 68 by follow-on consumer activity
Stimulated economic activity (sales) of $16.6 billion in 2021 was 40% higher than the 2018 to 2020 average of $11.9 billion
- This was equivalent to generating $44.4 million of economic activity every day in 2021
- Tesla’s direct sales rose from $5.7 billion in 2018 to $7.4 billion in 2021
- Tesla directly spent over $1.6 billion with California suppliers in 2021, which triggered another $900 million in supply chain sales activity
Contributed $10.4 billion or 0.3% of California’s gross state product (GSP) in 2021
- This was 42% higher than Tesla’s 2018 to 2020 average GSP contribution of $7.2 billion.
On average, $1.0 million of Tesla’s revenue in California converts to $1.5 million in GSP
Stimulated an average annual wage of $128.6K in California during 2021
- This was 50% higher than the CA average annual wage of $85.7K
Approximately 30% of the economic contributions were stimulated by the local consumer spending of Tesla and its suppliers’ employees
Generated a total of $1.5 billion in California state & local taxes plus federal $2.5 billion in federal taxes from 2018 through 2021
Last year, Tesla’s economic contributions to California were still impressive, with the company growing its headcount to 47,000 employees in the state. That’s still a significant number, considering that California is no longer the state that hosts the electric vehicle maker’s headquarters. That being said, Tesla executives have noted in the past that despite Tesla’s expansion, the company would continue to grow in California, just as revealed in IHS Markit’s report.
IHS Markit’s report on Tesla’s impact on California’s economy from 2018 to 2021 can be viewed below.
Tesla California Economic Impact Final Report October 2022 by Simon Alvarez on Scribd
Don’t hesitate to contact us with news tips. Just send a message to simon@teslarati.com to give us a heads up.
Elon Musk
Starlink achieves major milestones in 2025 progress report
Starlink wrapped up 2025 with impressive growth, adding more than 4.6 million new active customers and expanding service to 35 additional countries, territories, and markets.
Starlink wrapped up 2025 with impressive growth, adding more than 4.6 million new active customers and expanding service to 35 additional countries, territories, and markets. The company also completed deployment of its first-generation Direct to Cell constellation, launching over 650 satellites in just 18 months to enable cellular connectivity.
SpaceX highlighted Starlink’s impressive 2025 progress in an extensive report.
Key achievements from Starlink’s 2025 Progress
Starlink connected over 4.6 million new customers with high-speed internet while bringing service to 35 more regions worldwide in 2025. Starlink is now connecting 9.2 million people worldwide. The service achieved this just weeks after hitting its 8 million customer milestone.
Starlink is now available in 155 markets, including areas that are unreachable by traditional ISPs. As per SpaceX, Starlink has also provided over 21 million airline passengers and 20 million cruise passengers with reliable high-speed internet connectivity during their travels.
Starlink Direct to Cell
Starlink’s Direct to Cell constellation, more than 650 satellites strong, has already connected over 12 million people at least once, marking a breakthrough in global mobile coverage.
Starlink Direct to Cell is currently rolled out to 22 countries and 6 continents, with over 6 million monthly customers. Starlink Direct to Cell also has 27 MNO partners to date.
“This year, SpaceX completed deployment of the first generation of the Starlink Direct to Cell constellation, with more than 650 satellites launched to low-Earth orbit in just 18 months. Starlink Direct to Cell has connected more than 12 million people, and counting, at least once, providing life-saving connectivity when people need it most,” SpaceX wrote.
News
Tesla Giga Nevada celebrates production of 6 millionth drive unit
To celebrate the milestone, the Giga Nevada team gathered for a celebratory group photo.
Tesla’s Giga Nevada has reached an impressive milestone, producing its 6 millionth drive unit as 2925 came to a close.
To celebrate the milestone, the Giga Nevada team gathered for a celebratory group photo.
6 million drive units
The achievement was shared by the official Tesla Manufacturing account on social media platform X. “Congratulations to the Giga Nevada team for producing their 6 millionth Drive Unit!” Tesla wrote.
The photo showed numerous factory workers assembled on the production floor, proudly holding golden balloons that spelled out “6000000″ in front of drive unit assembly stations. Elon Musk gave credit to the Giga Nevada team, writing, “Congrats on 6M drive units!” in a post on X.
Giga Nevada’s essential role
Giga Nevada produces drive units, battery packs, and energy products. The facility has been a cornerstone of Tesla’s scaling since opening, and it was the crucial facility that ultimately enabled Tesla to ramp the Model 3 and Model Y. Even today, it serves as Tesla’s core hub for battery and drivetrain components for vehicles that are produced in the United States.
Giga Nevada is expected to support Tesla’s ambitious 2026 targets, including the launch of vehicles like the Tesla Semi and the Cybercab. Tesla will have a very busy 2026, and based on Giga Nevada’s activities so far, it appears that the facility will be equally busy as well.
News
Tesla Supercharger network delivers record 6.7 TWh in 2025
The network now exceeds 75,000 stalls globally, and it supports even non-Tesla vehicles across several key markets.
Tesla’s Supercharger Network had its biggest year ever in 2025, delivering a record 6.7 TWh of electricity to vehicles worldwide.
To celebrate its busy year, the official @TeslaCharging account shared an infographic showing the Supercharger Network’s growth from near-zero in 2012 to this year’s impressive milestone.
Record 6.7 TWh delivered in 2025
The bar chart shows steady Supercharger energy delivery increases since 2012. Based on the graphic, the Supercharger Network started small in the mid-2010s and accelerated sharply after 2019, when the Model 3 was going mainstream.
Each year from 2020 onward showed significantly more energy delivery, with 2025’s four quarters combining for the highest total yet at 6.7 TWh.
This energy powered millions of charging sessions across Tesla’s growing fleet of vehicles worldwide. The network now exceeds 75,000 stalls globally, and it supports even non-Tesla vehicles across several key markets. This makes the Supercharger Network loved not just by Tesla owners but EV drivers as a whole.
Resilience after Supercharger team changes
2025’s record energy delivery comes despite earlier 2024 layoffs on the Supercharger team, which sparked concerns about the system’s expansion pace. Max de Zegher, Tesla Director of Charging North America, also highlighted that “Outside China, Superchargers delivered more energy than all other fast chargers combined.”
Longtime Tesla owner and FSD tester Whole Mars Catalog noted the achievement as proof of continued momentum post-layoffs. At the time of the Supercharger team’s layoffs in 2024, numerous critics were claiming that Elon Musk was halting the network’s expansion altogether, and that the team only remained because the adults in the room convinced the juvenile CEO to relent.
Such a scenario, at least based on the graphic posted by the Tesla Charging team on X, seems highly implausible.
Starlink achieves major milestones in 2025 progress report
Tesla Giga Nevada celebrates production of 6 millionth drive unit
