News
Tesla dominates China’s EV exports with 14,174 Model 3 on top of 25,845 local sales
Following a blockbuster March that saw Tesla China selling an impressive 35,478 vehicles domestically, the EV maker continued to hit its rhythm in April 2021. This was evident in Tesla’s total sales of 40,019 vehicles, comprised of 25,845 units sold domestically and 14,174 exported to other territories. With these results, Tesla China effectively dominated the country’s EV exports for April 2021.
The data, which was released recently by the China Passenger Car Association (CPCA), shows that Tesla could maintain its strength in the market despite a wave of controversies and negative media coverage. Tesla China was embroiled in a series of issues last month, the most notable of which was a high-profile protest at the Shanghai Auto Show and rumors that the company’s vehicles had faulty brakes. These rumors were later debunked by the real-world performance of Tesla’s brakes in multi-vehicle accidents.
Top 3 wholesale volumes of new energy passenger vehicles in April in China (data from CPCA):
1. SAIC-GM-Wuling: 30,602
2. #Tesla China: 25,845
3. BYD: 25,450Top 3 exporters:
1. $TSLA China: 14,174
2. SAIC Motors: 2,378
3. AIWAYS: 335 pic.twitter.com/wwP2vVYiap— 42HOW (@42how_) May 11, 2021
That being said, Tesla China’s domestic sales did drop 27% compared to March 2021, though this is likely not due to a lack of demand. Instead, the notable drop in Tesla’s domestic sales was most due to the 14,174 vehicles that were exported to other territories. Without the exported cars from March, Tesla China might have broken its domestic sales records in March.
But even with its 27% drop in domestic sales, Tesla China’s local numbers are still up 611% year-over-year. That’s impressive growth either way, especially considering that Gigafactory Shanghai has only just begun the production ramp of the Made-in-China Model Y. Considering that the Model Y is expected to outsell the already-formidable Model 3 due to its crossover design, there is a good chance that Tesla China’s numbers over the next few months would likely be even more impressive.
New Energy Vehicles seem to be hitting their stride in China. Just like Tesla, companies like NIO have seen strong year-over-year growth. Earlier this month, NIO reported that it had delivered 7,102 vehicles in April, a 125.1% increase YoY. Xpeng Motors, on the other hand, delivered 5,147 cars last month, an increase of 285% year-over-year. Li Auto, another up-and-coming player in China’s EV space, reported sales of 5,539 units in April, an increase of 111.3% YoY.
Exports-wise, however, the race was not even close. Tesla’s 14,174 vehicles sent to other countries stood unrivaled at the top. Its closest challenger was SAIC Motors, which exported 2,378 vehicles in April, and third place is Aichi Auto, which exported 335 EVs over the month.
The China Passenger Car Association’s April sales report could be viewed here.
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Elon Musk
Brazil Supreme Court orders Elon Musk and X investigation closed
The decision was issued by Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes following a recommendation from Brazil’s Prosecutor-General Paulo Gonet.
Brazil’s Supreme Federal Court has ordered the closure of an investigation involving Elon Musk and social media platform X. The inquiry had been pending for about two years and examined whether the platform was used to coordinate attacks against members of the judiciary.
The decision was issued by Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes following a recommendation from Brazil’s Prosecutor-General Paulo Gonet.
According to a report from Agencia Brasil, the investigation conducted by the Federal Police did not find evidence that X deliberately attempted to attack the judiciary or circumvent court orders.
Prosecutor-General Paulo Gonet concluded that the irregularities identified during the probe did not indicate fraudulent intent.
Justice Moraes accepted the prosecutor’s recommendation and ruled that the investigation should be closed. Under the ruling, the case will remain closed unless new evidence emerges.
The inquiry stemmed from concerns that content on X may have enabled online attacks against Supreme Court justices or violated rulings requiring the suspension of certain accounts under investigation.
Justice Moraes had previously taken several enforcement actions related to the platform during the broader dispute involving social media regulation in Brazil.
These included ordering a nationwide block of the platform, freezing Starlink accounts, and imposing fines on X totaling about $5.2 million. Authorities also froze financial assets linked to X and SpaceX through Starlink to collect unpaid penalties and seized roughly $3.3 million from the companies’ accounts.
Moraes also imposed daily fines of up to R$5 million, about $920,000, for alleged evasion of the X ban and established penalties of R$50,000 per day for VPN users who attempted to bypass the restriction.
Brazil remains an important market for X, with roughly 17 million users, making it one of the platform’s larger user bases globally.
The country is also a major market for Starlink, SpaceX’s satellite internet service, which has surpassed one million subscribers in Brazil.
Elon Musk
FCC chair criticizes Amazon over opposition to SpaceX satellite plan
Carr made the remarks in a post on social media platform X.
U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Brendan Carr criticized Amazon after the company opposed SpaceX’s proposal to launch a large satellite constellation that could function as an orbital data center network.
Carr made the remarks in a post on social media platform X.
Amazon recently urged the FCC to reject SpaceX’s application to deploy a constellation of up to 1 million low Earth orbit satellites that could serve as artificial intelligence data centers in space.
The company described the proposal as a “lofty ambition rather than a real plan,” arguing that SpaceX had not provided sufficient details about how the system would operate.
Carr responded by pointing to Amazon’s own satellite deployment progress.
“Amazon should focus on the fact that it will fall roughly 1,000 satellites short of meeting its upcoming deployment milestone, rather than spending their time and resources filing petitions against companies that are putting thousands of satellites in orbit,” Carr wrote on X.
Amazon has declined to comment on the statement.
Amazon has been working to deploy its Project Kuiper satellite network, which is intended to compete with SpaceX’s Starlink service. The company has invested more than $10 billion in the program and has launched more than 200 satellites since April of last year.
Amazon has also asked the FCC for a 24-month extension, until July 2028, to meet a requirement to deploy roughly 1,600 satellites by July 2026, as noted in a CNBC report.
SpaceX’s Starlink network currently has nearly 10,000 satellites in orbit and serves roughly 10 million customers. The FCC has also authorized SpaceX to deploy 7,500 additional satellites as the company continues expanding its global satellite internet network.
Energy
Tesla Energy gains UK license to sell electricity to homes and businesses
The license was granted to Tesla Energy Ventures Ltd. by UK energy regulator Ofgem after a seven-month review process.
Tesla Energy has received a license to supply electricity in the United Kingdom, opening the door for the company to serve homes and businesses in the country.
The license was granted to Tesla Energy Ventures Ltd. by UK energy regulator Ofgem after a seven-month review process.
According to Ofgem, the license took effect at 6 p.m. local time on Wednesday and applies to Great Britain.
The approval allows Tesla’s energy business to sell electricity directly to customers in the region, as noted in a Bloomberg News report.
Tesla has already expanded similar services in the United States. In Texas, the company offers electricity plans that allow Tesla owners to charge their vehicles at a lower cost while also feeding excess electricity back into the grid.
Tesla already has a sizable presence in the UK market. According to price comparison website U-switch, there are more than 250,000 Tesla electric vehicles in the country and thousands of Tesla home energy storage systems.
Ofgem also noted that Tesla Motors Ltd., a separate entity incorporated in England and Wales, received an electricity generation license in June 2020.
The new UK license arrives as Tesla continues expanding its global energy business.
Last year, Tesla Energy retained the top position in the global battery energy storage system (BESS) integrator market for the second consecutive year. According to Wood Mackenzie’s latest rankings, Tesla held about 15% of global market share in 2024.
The company also maintained a dominant position in North America, where it captured roughly 39% market share in the region.
At the same time, competition in the energy storage sector is increasing. Chinese companies such as Sungrow have been expanding their presence globally, particularly in Europe.
Brazil Supreme Court orders Elon Musk and X investigation closed
FCC chair criticizes Amazon over opposition to SpaceX satellite plan
