

News
Tesla China pushes back MIC Model 3 deliveries amid coronavirus outbreak
As the novel coronavirus outbreak continues in China, Tesla has opted to postpone MIC Model 3 deliveries scheduled for February, at least until the situation in the country improves. The update was related by Tesla China VP for External Affairs Grace Tao Lin, who noted on Weibo that MIC Model 3 deliveries will likely be pushed back, perhaps as far back as the third quarter of 2020.
Giga Shanghai currently has a run rate of 3,000 Model 3s per week and is poised to hit an annual production rate of 150,000 vehicles. The company has also launched the Model Y program in the country. With these in mind, the recently-announced delays will likely set back the ramp of the locally-made Model 3, while potentially pushing back the Model Y program in the country.
Interestingly enough, Tesla has noted that it does not expect a big financial hit in China due to the coronavirus outbreak. This is because the MIC Model 3 only represents a small fraction of the company’s quarterly profits, according to Tesla’s finance chief Zach Kirkhorn during the company’s Q4 2019 earnings call.
Analysts currently expect markets to underperform because of the ongoing coronavirus outbreak. However, Tesla seems to be defying the odds so far. This week, the Tesla stock continued to soar, with the Silicon Valley-based electric carmaker surpassing the current valuation of Volkswagen and BMW combined on Monday. Tesla’s price per share hit past $900 and settled at $887.06 when the market closed on Tuesday
The real impact of production delays and supply chain issues might be felt soon though if the closure of factories across China will be stretched to mid-March. Automotive research firm IHS Markit estimates that carmakers may lose about 1.7 million units during the first quarter of 2020. This corresponds to a 32.3% decline from the firm’s initial estimates.
“In this scenario, we might expect the potential of a China-wide supply chain disruption caused by parts shortages from Hubei, a major component hub — and adjacent province closures for the majority of the month of February as a result,” IHS Markit wrote in a press release.
The Shanghai government has ordered the shutdown of companies in the city, including Giga Shanghai, amid the coronavirus outbreak. Government and private companies are not allowed to resume operations before Feb. 9. Prior to the suspension of work, the government has also extended the Lunar New Year holidays to help control the spread of the 2019-nCOV that started in Wuhan, a city about 9 hours away by car from Shanghai.
Tesla is not the sole automaker that is being affected by the ongoing outbreak. Hyundai, Toyota, Ford, Nissan, Volkswagen, Daimler, and Continental have also shut down their respective factories in China due to the virus.
Based on the latest updates, there are more than 24,000 people infected by the coronavirus that causes fever, serious respiratory illness, impaired liver function, and kidney failure. As of Wednesday local time, there have been 490 deaths reported in connection to the virus. The World Health Organization has declared the outbreak, which has infected people in 25 countries, a public health emergency. The United States and several countries have also implemented travel bans to and from China.
In response to the coronavirus outbreak, Tesla China has offered local customers free Supercharging for an indefinite time to make traveling easier for drivers who reside in areas affected by the outbreak.
Amid the public health scare, Tesla has continued to provide customer support through Douyin, China’s version of TikTok. Tesla sales staff from certain experience centers live-streamed tours of the Made-in-China Model 3 and entertained questions from potential buyers. The company has also posted schedules of the live streams that interested consumers can join via Douyin.
Meanwhile, Tesla owners in China united to raise 123,000 yuan or about $17,500 to purchase N95 masks, surgical masks, and sets of protective clothing that they plan to donate to different hospitals treating patients infected by the coronavirus. Tesla has also donated 5 million yuan or more than $700,000 to assist the government and other institutions involved in disease control.
The recent news from China appears to have weighed down on Tesla stock. As of writing, TSLA stock is trading
News
Tesla cleared in Canada EV rebate investigation
Tesla has been cleared in an investigation into the company’s staggering number of EV rebate claims in Canada in January.

Canadian officials have cleared Tesla following an investigation into a large number of claims submitted to the country’s electric vehicle (EV) rebates earlier this year.
Transport Canada has ruled that there was no evidence of fraud after Tesla submitted 8,653 EV rebate claims for the country’s Incentives for Zero-Emission Vehicles (iZEV) program, as detailed in a report on Friday from The Globe and Mail. Despite the huge number of claims, Canadian authorities have found that the figure represented vehicles that had been delivered prior to the submission deadline for the program.
According to Transport Minister Chrystia Freeland, the claims “were determined to legitimately represent cars sold before January 12,” which was the final day for OEMs to submit these claims before the government suspended the program.
Upon initial reporting of the Tesla claims submitted in January, it was estimated that they were valued at around $43 million. In March, Freeland and Transport Canada opened the investigation into Tesla, noting that they would be freezing the rebate payments until the claims were found to be valid.
READ MORE ON ELECTRIC VEHICLES: EVs getting cleaner more quickly than expected in Europe: study
Huw Williams, Canadian Automobile Dealers Association Public Affairs Director, accepted the results of the investigation, while also questioning how Tesla knew to submit the claims that weekend, just before the program ran out.
“I think there’s a larger question as to how Tesla knew to run those through on that weekend,” Williams said. “It doesn’t appear to me that we have an investigation into any communication between Transport Canada and Tesla, between officials who may have shared information inappropriately.”
Tesla sales have been down in Canada for the first half of this year, amidst turmoil between the country and the Trump administration’s tariffs. Although Elon Musk has since stepped back from his role with the administration, a number of companies and officials in Canada were calling for a boycott of Tesla’s vehicles earlier this year, due in part to his association with Trump.
News
Tesla Semis to get 18 new Megachargers at this PepsiCo plant
PepsiCo is set to add more Tesla Semi Megachargers, this time at a facility in North Carolina.

Tesla partner PepsiCo is set to build new Semi charging stations at one of its manufacturing sites, as revealed in new permitting plans shared this week.
On Friday, Tesla charging station scout MarcoRP shared plans on X for 18 Semi Megacharging stalls at PepsiCo’s facility in Charlotte, North Carolina, coming as the latest update plans for the company’s increasingly electrified fleet. The stalls are set to be built side by side, along with three Tesla Megapack grid-scale battery systems.
The plans also note the faster charging speeds for the chargers, which can charge the Class 8 Semi at speeds of up to 1MW. Tesla says that the speed can charge the Semi back to roughly 70 percent in around 30 minutes.
You can see the site plans for the PepsiCo North Carolina Megacharger below.

Credit: PepsiCo (via MarcoRPi1 on X)

Credit: PepsiCo (via MarcoRPi1 on X)
READ MORE ON THE TESLA SEMI: Tesla to build Semi Megacharger station in Southern California
PepsiCo’s Tesla Semi fleet, other Megachargers, and initial tests and deliveries
PepsiCo was the first external customer to take delivery of Tesla’s Semis back in 2023, starting with just an initial order of 15. Since then, the company has continued to expand the fleet, recently taking delivery of an additional 50 units in California. The PepsiCo fleet was up to around 86 units as of last year, according to statements from Semi Senior Manager Dan Priestley.
Additionally, the company has similar Megachargers at its facilities in Modesto, Sacramento, and Fresno, California, and Tesla also submitted plans for approval to build 12 new Megacharging stalls in Los Angeles County.
Over the past couple of years, Tesla has also been delivering the electric Class 8 units to a number of other companies for pilot programs, and Priestley shared some results from PepsiCo’s initial Semi tests last year. Notably, the executive spoke with a handful of PepsiCo workers who said they really liked the Semi and wouldn’t plan on going back to diesel trucks.
The company is also nearing completion of a higher-volume Semi plant at its Gigafactory in Nevada, which is expected to eventually have an annual production capacity of 50,000 Semi units.
Tesla executive teases plan to further electrify supply chain
News
Tesla sales soar in Norway with new Model Y leading the charge
Tesla recorded a 54% year-over-year jump in new vehicle registrations in June.

Tesla is seeing strong momentum in Norway, with sales of the new Model Y helping the company maintain dominance in one of the world’s most electric vehicle-friendly markets.
Model Y upgrades and consumer preferences
According to the Norwegian Road Federation (OFV), Tesla recorded a 54% year-over-year jump in new vehicle registrations in June. The Model Y led the charge, posting a 115% increase compared to the same period last year. Tesla Norway’s growth was even more notable in May, with sales surging a whopping 213%, as noted in a CNBC report.
Christina Bu, secretary general of the Norwegian EV Association (NEVA), stated that Tesla’s strong market performance was partly due to the updated Model Y, which is really just a good car, period.
“I think it just has to do with the fact that they deliver a car which has quite a lot of value for money and is what Norwegians need. What Norwegians need, a large luggage space, all wheel drive, and a tow hitch, high ground clearance as well. In addition, quite good digital solutions which people have gotten used to, and also a charging network,” she said.
Tesla in Europe
Tesla’s success in Norway is supported by long-standing government incentives for EV adoption, including exemptions from VAT, road toll discounts, and access to bus lanes. Public and home charging infrastructure is also widely available, making the EV ownership experience in the country very convenient.
Tesla’s performance in Europe is still a mixed bag, with markets like Germany and France still seeing declines in recent months. In areas such as Norway, Spain, and Portugal, however, Tesla’s new car registrations are rising. Spain’s sales rose 61% and Portugal’s sales rose 7% last month. This suggests that regional demand may be stabilizing or rebounding in pockets of Europe.
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