News
Tesla Cybertruck will equip 800v architecture for faster charging times, better margins
Tesla Cybertruck will equip an 800-volt architecture when it begins deliveries on November 30, an announcement that is still fresh from the company’s Earnings Call earlier this week.
For EV newbies, the 800-volt architecture may not be much of a head-turner. However, to those who have been following the industry at all, 800v architectures are the way of the future for the EV industry, especially as more electric cars are on the road, charging times continue to be a concern to some, and heavier all-electric cars are becoming more available throughout the various automakers.
On Wednesday, Tesla confirmed what many believed for a long time: the Cybertruck would equip an 800-volt architecture.
What are the strengths of an 800-volt architecture? It comes down to charging times, efficiency, margins, and weight, all things that are important to the company and its products, as well as its financial status.
Tesla Cybertruck and Semi are candidates for 800-volt architecture
From a macro standpoint, Tesla’s financials are still strong. But Musk and Co. were not shy about warning investors and analysts about the upcoming economic headwinds it would encounter.
It’s a market-wide issue and not just a Tesla issue. As Tesla plans to launch the Cybertruck, interest rates are high, discouraging consumers from wanting to finance anything. Additionally, Musk confirmed it may take 18 months for the Cybertruck to be a positive cash flow contributor to Tesla’s financials.
The 800-volt architecture will improve margins on the vehicle instead of other EV architectures that may have been considered. It said explicitly in its Q3 Shareholder Deck:
“For very heavy vehicles, a high voltage powertrain architecture brings notable cost savings, which is why Cybertruck will adopt an 800-volt architecture.”
From a cost perspective, 800-volt architectures are void of as much copper throughout the vehicle, which reduces weight. Weight reductions improve performance and range.
Earlier today, we reported on the Cybertruck VIN Decoder, which was released by the NHTSA. It revealed the Cybertruck has two weight classifications:
“…the vehicle’s gross weight has two classes: G, which would be between 8,001 and 9,000 pounds, and H, which is between 9,001 and 10,000 pounds.”
800-volt architectures have greater efficiency because they allow electricity to move from the battery to the wheels with a lower current. This ultimately reduces the amount of power that is lost to heat, and higher voltage – lower current architectures can move the same amount of power with thinner wires, which relates to the reduction in copper that was mentioned previously.
800-volt architectures are big for the future of EVs, even outside of Teslas. Tesla EVs are far from the first cars on the market to equip an 800-volt architecture, as the Porsche Taycan had an 800v build back in 2018 when the German company unveiled the specs for its introductory EV.
Faster charging is the biggest advantage, as they can handle greater outputs from Superchargers. The V4 Supercharger from Tesla, for example, has a 350 kW output, enabled by increased amperage and current ratings.
This will keep EV owners at the Superchargers for less time, making charging more efficient and allowing more people to access chargers by decreasing congestion.
I’d love to hear from you! If you have any comments, concerns, or questions, please email me at joey@teslarati.com. You can also reach me on Twitter @KlenderJoey, or if you have news tips, you can email us at tips@teslarati.com.
News
Tesla dispels reports of ‘sales suspension’ in California
“This was a “consumer protection” order about the use of the term “Autopilot” in a case where not one single customer came forward to say there’s a problem.
Sales in California will continue uninterrupted.”
Tesla has dispelled reports that it is facing a thirty-day sales suspension in California after the state’s Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) issued a penalty to the company after a judge ruled it “misled consumers about its driver-assistance technology.”
On Tuesday, Bloomberg reported that the California DMV was planning to adopt the penalty but decided to put it on ice for ninety days, giving Tesla an opportunity to “come into compliance.”
Tesla enters interesting situation with Full Self-Driving in California
Tesla responded to the report on Tuesday evening, after it came out, stating that this was a “consumer protection” order that was brought up over its use of the term “Autopilot.”
The company said “not one single customer came forward to say there’s a problem,” yet a judge and the DMV determined it was, so they want to apply the penalty if Tesla doesn’t oblige.
However, Tesla said that its sales operations in California “will continue uninterrupted.”
It confirmed this in an X post on Tuesday night:
This was a “consumer protection” order about the use of the term “Autopilot” in a case where not one single customer came forward to say there’s a problem.
Sales in California will continue uninterrupted.
— Tesla North America (@tesla_na) December 17, 2025
The report and the decision by the DMV and Judge involved sparked outrage from the Tesla community, who stated that it should do its best to get out of California.
One X post said California “didn’t deserve” what Tesla had done for it in terms of employment, engineering, and innovation.
Tesla has used Autopilot and Full Self-Driving for years, but it did add the term “(Supervised)” to the end of the FSD suite earlier this year, potentially aiming to protect itself from instances like this one.
This is the first primary dispute over the terminology of Full Self-Driving, but it has undergone some scrutiny at the federal level, as some government officials have claimed the suite has “deceptive” naming. Previous Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg was vocally critical of the use of the name “Full Self-Driving,” as well as “Autopilot.”
News
New EV tax credit rule could impact many EV buyers
We confirmed with a Tesla Sales Advisor that any current orders that have the $7,500 tax credit applied to them must be completed by December 31, meaning delivery must take place by that date. However, it is unclear at this point whether someone could still claim the credit when filing their tax returns for 2025 as long as the order reflects an order date before September 30.
Tesla owners could be impacted by a new EV tax credit rule, which seems to be a new hoop to jump through for those who benefited from the “extension,” which allowed orderers to take delivery after the loss of the $7,500 discount.
After the Trump Administration initiated the phase-out of the $7,500 EV tax credit, many were happy to see the rules had been changed slightly, as deliveries could occur after the September 30 cutoff as long as orders were placed before the end of that month.
However, there appears to be a new threshold that EV buyers will have to go through, and it will impact their ability to get the credit, at least at the Point of Sale, for now.
Delivery must be completed by the end of the year, and buyers must take possession of the car by December 31, 2025, or they will lose the tax credit. The U.S. government will be closing the tax credit portal, which allows people to claim the credit at the Point of Sale.
🚨UPDATE: $7,500 Tax Credit Portal “Closes By End of Year”.
This is bad news for pending Tesla buyers (MYP) looking to lock in the $7,500 Tax Credit.
“it looks like the portal closes by end of the year so there be no way for us to guarantee the funds however, we will try our… pic.twitter.com/LnWiaXL30k
— DennisCW | wen my L (@DennisCW_) December 15, 2025
We confirmed with a Tesla Sales Advisor that any current orders that have the $7,500 tax credit applied to them must be completed by December 31, meaning delivery must take place by that date.
However, it is unclear at this point whether someone could still claim the credit when filing their tax returns for 2025 as long as the order reflects an order date before September 30.
If not, the order can still go through, but the buyer will not be able to claim the tax credit, meaning they will pay full price for the vehicle.
This puts some buyers in a strange limbo, especially if they placed an order for the Model Y Performance. Some deliveries have already taken place, and some are scheduled before the end of the month, but many others are not expecting deliveries until January.
Elon Musk
Elon Musk takes latest barb at Bill Gates over Tesla short position
Bill Gates placed a massive short bet against Tesla of ~1% of our total shares, which might have cost him over $10B by now
Elon Musk took his latest barb at former Microsoft CEO Bill Gates over his short position against the company, which the two have had some tensions over for a number of years.
Gates admitted to Musk several years ago through a text message that he still held a short position against his sustainable car and energy company. Ironically, Gates had contacted Musk to explore philanthropic opportunities.
Elon Musk explains Bill Gates beef: He ‘placed a massive bet on Tesla dying’
Musk said he could not take the request seriously, especially as Gates was hoping to make money on the downfall of the one company taking EVs seriously.
The Tesla frontman has continued to take shots at Gates over the years from time to time, but the latest comment came as Musk’s net worth swelled to over $600 billion. He became the first person ever to reach that threshold earlier this week, when Tesla shares increased due to Robotaxi testing without any occupants.
Musk refreshed everyone’s memory with the recent post, stating that if Gates still has his short position against Tesla, he would have lost over $10 billion by now:
Bill Gates placed a massive short bet against Tesla of ~1% of our total shares, which might have cost him over $10B by now
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 17, 2025
Just a month ago, in mid-November, Musk issued his final warning to Gates over the short position, speculating whether the former Microsoft frontman had still held the bet against Tesla.
“If Gates hasn’t fully closed out the crazy short position he has held against Tesla for ~8 years, he had better do so soon,” Musk said. This came in response to The Gates Foundation dumping 65 percent of its Microsoft position.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk sends final warning to Bill Gates over short position
Musk’s involvement in the U.S. government also drew criticism from Gates, as he said that the reductions proposed by DOGE against U.S.A.I.D. were “stunning” and could cause “millions of additional deaths of kids.”
“Gates is a huge liar,” Musk responded.
It is not known whether Gates still holds his Tesla short position.
Tesla dispels reports of ‘sales suspension’ in California
New EV tax credit rule could impact many EV buyers
