Update:
Earlier this month, Teslarati reached out to the Canadian office for a comment on the possibility of a Tesla Gigafactory in Canada.
Minister Champagne’s spokesperson didn’t comment directly on the possibility of a Tesla Gigafactory in Canada. However, she emphasized that Canada was working to ensure its auto industry’s future.
“We know how important the auto industry is to the Canadian economy and to the hundreds of thousands of Canadian workers in this sector. That’s why Minister Champagne has worked tirelessly to secure the future of Canada’s auto industry, including bringing more companies to Canada and the entire electric vehicle ecosystem. This includes announcements with LGES / Stellantis in Ontario, GM / POSCO and BASF in Quebec, Umicore, GM and Brightdrop, and many others,” she told Teslarati reporter Johnna Crider.
“It is good to see that our government’s investments are attracting the attention of automakers and companies from around the world. We will continue to do everything to ensure that Canadians can benefit from the global transition to electric vehicles.”
One of these investments includes Stellantis’ plans to invest $3.8 billion CAD in its Windsor and Brampton (Ontario) assembly plants. BASF also has plans for its battery materials and recycling facility in Bécancour, Quebec.
Original Article Below:
Tesla talked with Canada’s Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry Francois-Philippe Champagne (FPC) about its potential supply chain expansion plans in the country.
The Canadian Minister visited Tesla’s facility in Markham for the talk. Champagne also took a tour and test drive at Tesla Canada’s Markham site. In a tweet, he also revealed that all Tesla cars have “a piece of Canada” in them.
Minister Champagne was talking about Tesla’s Markham facility and how it contributes to the company’s manufacturing efforts. Tesla Canada’s Markham site produces some machines installed in the company’s gigafactories worldwide. According to Mayor Frank Scarpitti of Markham, Tesla Canada makes “state-of-the-art manufacturing equipment” for Tesla gigafactories “in the production of batteries.”
Tesla Canada Gigafactory
There’s been a lot of talk lately about a Tesla Canada Gigafactory. In June, Tesla was reportedly considering locations in North America for its next plant. It was looking at options in Canada, Mexico, and the United States.
At the recent 2022 Shareholders Roundup, Elon Musk announced that Tesla might announce the location of its next gigafactory later this year. Musk asked the crowd where they thought Tesla should build a factory, and Canada seemed to be a top choice.
“I’m half Canadian, so maybe I should,” Musk jokingly told the crowd.
Tesla and the Inflation Reduction Act
Given Minister Champagne’s tweet, Tesla might plan to strike a supply chain deal for battery production in Canada. According to Natural Resources Canada (NRCAN)—a government department—the country “is a key global producer of copper, nickel, and cobalt.” Canada also hosts advanced mineral projects for lithium, graphite, and vanadium.
U.S. President Joe Biden recently signed the Inflation Reduction Act, which will go into effect on December 31, 2022. The law includes battery requirements the EV automakers must meet to qualify for EV tax credits. In the short term, the law requires at least 40% of materials used in batteries to be sourced from North America or a U.S. trading partner by 2024. The requirement will increase to 100% by 2029.
Currently, Tesla does not qualify for EV tax credits because it hit the 200,000 cap under the old system. However, once the Inflation Reduction Act takes effect, some Tesla vehicles would qualify for the EV tax credits—provided that the company follows the battery requirements.
The Teslarati team would appreciate hearing from you. If you have any tips, contact me at maria@teslarati.com or via Twitter @Writer_01001101.
News
Tesla Model Y and Model 3 named safest vehicles tested by ANCAP in 2025
According to ANCAP in a press release, the Tesla Model Y achieved the highest overall weighted score of any vehicle assessed in 2025.
The Tesla Model Y recorded the highest overall safety score of any vehicle tested by ANCAP in 2025. The Tesla Model 3 also delivered strong results, reinforcing the automaker’s safety leadership in Australia and New Zealand.
According to ANCAP in a press release, the Tesla Model Y achieved the highest overall weighted score of any vehicle assessed in 2025. ANCAP’s 2025 tests evaluated vehicles across four key pillars: Adult Occupant Protection, Child Occupant Protection, Vulnerable Road User Protection, and Safety Assist technologies.
The Model Y posted consistently strong results in all four categories, distinguishing itself through a system-based safety approach that combines structural crash protection with advanced driver-assistance features such as autonomous emergency braking, lane support, and driver monitoring.

This marked the second time the Model Y has topped ANCAP’s annual safety rankings. The Model Y’s previous version was also ANCAP’s top performer in 2022.
The Tesla Model 3 also delivered a strong performance in ANCAP’s 2025 tests, contributing to Tesla’s broader safety presence across segments. Similar to the Model Y, the Model 3 also earned impressive scores across the ANCAP’s four pillars. This made the vehicle the top performer in the Medium Car category.
ANCAP Chief Executive Officer Carla Hoorweg stated that the results highlight a growing industry shift toward integrated safety design, with improvements in technologies such as autonomous emergency braking and lane support translating into meaningful real-world protection.
“ANCAP’s testing continues to reinforce a clear message: the safest vehicles are those designed with safety as a system, not a checklist. The top performers this year delivered consistent results across physical crash protection, crash avoidance and vulnerable road user safety, rather than relying on strength in a single area.
“We are also seeing increasing alignment between ANCAP’s test requirements and the safety technologies that genuinely matter on Australian and New Zealand roads. Improvements in autonomous emergency braking, lane support, and driver monitoring systems are translating into more robust protection,” Hoorweg said.
News
Tesla Sweden uses Megapack battery to bypass unions’ Supercharger blockade
Just before Christmas, Tesla went live with a new charging station in Arlandastad, outside Stockholm, by powering it with a Tesla Megapack battery.
Tesla Sweden has successfully launched a new Supercharger station despite an ongoing blockade by Swedish unions, using on-site Megapack batteries instead of traditional grid connections. The workaround has allowed the Supercharger to operate without direct access to Sweden’s electricity network, which has been effectively frozen by labor action.
Tesla has experienced notable challenges connecting its new charging stations to Sweden’s power grid due to industrial action led by Seko, a major Swedish trade union, which has blocked all new electrical connections for new Superchargers. On paper, this made the opening of new Supercharger sites almost impossible.
Despite the blockade, Tesla has continued to bring stations online. In Malmö and Södertälje, new Supercharger locations opened after grid operators E.ON and Telge Nät activated the sites. The operators later stated that the connections had been made in error.
More recently, however, Tesla adopted a different strategy altogether. Just before Christmas, Tesla went live with a new charging station in Arlandastad, outside Stockholm, by powering it with a Tesla Megapack battery, as noted in a Dagens Arbete (DA) report.
Because the Supercharger station does not rely on a permanent grid connection, Tesla was able to bypass the blocked application process, as noted by Swedish car journalist and YouTuber Peter Esse. He noted that the Arlandastad Supercharger is likely dependent on nearby companies to recharge the batteries, likely through private arrangements.
Eight new charging stalls have been launched in the Arlandastad site so far, which is a fraction of the originally planned 40 chargers for the location. Still, the fact that Tesla Sweden was able to work around the unions’ efforts once more is impressive, especially since Superchargers are used even by non-Tesla EVs.
Esse noted that Tesla’s Megapack workaround is not as easily replicated in other locations. Arlandastad is unique because neighboring operators already have access to grid power, making it possible for Tesla to source electricity indirectly. Still, Esse noted that the unions’ blockades have not affected sales as much.
“Many want Tesla to lose sales due to the union blockades. But you have to remember that sales are falling from 2024, when Tesla sold a record number of cars in Sweden. That year, the unions also had blockades against Tesla. So for Tesla as a charging operator, it is devastating. But for Tesla as a car company, it does not matter in terms of sales volumes. People charge their cars where there is an opportunity, usually at home,” Esse noted.
Elon Musk
Elon Musk’s X goes down as users report major outage Friday morning
Error messages and stalled loading screens quickly spread across the service, while outage trackers recorded a sharp spike in user reports.
Elon Musk’s X experienced an outage Friday morning, leaving large numbers of users unable to access the social media platform.
Error messages and stalled loading screens quickly spread across the service, while outage trackers recorded a sharp spike in user reports.
Downdetector reports
Users attempting to open X were met with messages such as “Something went wrong. Try reloading,” often followed by an endless spinning icon that prevented access, according to a report from Variety. Downdetector data showed that reports of problems surged rapidly throughout the morning.
As of 10:52 a.m. ET, more than 100,000 users had reported issues with X. The data indicated that 56% of complaints were tied to the mobile app, while 33% were related to the website and roughly 10% cited server connection problems. The disruption appeared to begin around 10:10 a.m. ET, briefly eased around 10:35 a.m., and then returned minutes later.

Previous disruptions
Friday’s outage was not an isolated incident. X has experienced multiple high-profile service interruptions over the past two years. In November, tens of thousands of users reported widespread errors, including “Internal server error / Error code 500” messages. Cloudflare-related error messages were also reported.
In March 2025, the platform endured several brief outages spanning roughly 45 minutes, with more than 21,000 reports in the U.S. and 10,800 in the U.K., according to Downdetector. Earlier disruptions included an outage in August 2024 and impairments to key platform features in July 2023.