From Fremont, California to Shanghai, China, Tesla is establishing a production chain that is poised to grow together with the electric vehicle movement. But with CEO Elon Musk’s announcement that Tesla was scoping out locations for a new Cybertruck Gigafactory central United States, Tesla is now seemingly getting ready to enter the Heartland of the country. That’s a place where the internal combustion engine still reigns supreme, and where Teslas are still stereotyped as vehicles that are not for the mainstream.
A Gigafactory in the center of the United States serves several purposes. Logistically, an electric vehicle facility in the area would cut down on vehicle delivery times, especially for the East Coast. It would also allow for a complete focus on the Cybertruck until Model Y production also begins at the plant. But apart from these efficiencies, Tesla’s upcoming facility also has the potential to break the final stereotypes around Tesla’s vehicles once and for all.
In a way, Tesla’s presence in the middle of America establishes the company’s footing in a section of the country that has been an evident battleground for the electric carmaker. Central United States is widely perceived as an area where Silicon Valley-style solutions such as Teslas are not effective, as places where farming, agriculture, and other hard-nosed industries do not seem compatible with the sleek, streamlined electric vehicles from the company. A big part of this is the impression that Tesla’s vehicles are only for those with money, and not for the working man.
Scouting locations for Cybertruck Gigafactory. Will be central USA.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) March 11, 2020
Interestingly enough, the same people who would benefit the most from a vehicle like the Cybertruck are also stereotyped as a demographic that is far from being able to “afford a Tesla.” While Tesla prices have dropped over the past few years thanks to increased battery production and manufacturing efficiencies, there is still a pervading idea that the company’s electric cars are still out of reach for most car buyers. This is, of course, untrue, with the Model 3, Model Y, and Cybertruck priced aggressively.
It has been speculated that Tesla’s new Cybertruck will need a separate production facility to keep up with demand for the vehicle. The polarizing design of the all-electric pickup with its unmistakeable stainless steel exoskeleton has already amassed an unconfirmed half-a-million reservations. Elon Musk has mentioned in the Q4 2019 earnings call that the Cybertruck is seeing a lot of demand as well.
With Tesla producing the Cybertruck in the heart of the United States, legacy automakers may find themselves surprised once more that a disruptive company has taken hold of their longtime demographic. It could, for one, end up accelerating the efforts of legacy automakers such as Ford and GM with regards to their respective electric vehicle programs. Ford will likely not give up its most loyal customers freely to the Cybertruck, after all, and the best way the veteran carmaker could rival Tesla’s pickup would be to release the Ford F-150 Electric.
There are relatively no tell-tale signs of where the Cyber Gigafactory will be built, though rumors of Nashville being a potential site are abounding. Still, one thing remains certain: the impact of a Tesla production plant in the heart of America would break through the long-lived stereotypes that innovation is confined only in places like California. It would prove that with vehicles like the Cybertruck, the electric transition is reaching all corners of the country.
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Tesla gamifies Supercharging with new ‘Charging Passport’
It will also include things like badges for special charging spots, among other metrics that will show all of the different places people have traveled to plug in for range.
Tesla is gamifying its Supercharging experience by offering a new “Charging Passport,” hoping to add a new layer to the ownership experience.
While it is not part of the Holiday Update, it is rolling out around the same time and offers a handful of cool new features.
Tesla’s Charging Passport will be available within the smartphone app and will give a yearly summary of your charging experience, helping encapsulate your travel for that year.
It will also include things like badges for special charging spots, among other metrics that will show all of the different places people have traveled to plug in for range.
Tesla has just introduced “Charging Passport,” a new yearly summary of your charging.
• Charging badges: Iconic Charging badge (for visiting places like the Tesla Diner, Oasis Supercharger, etc), Explorer badge, green saver badge, etc.
• Total unique Superchargers visited
•… pic.twitter.com/c1DHTWXpj7— Sawyer Merritt (@SawyerMerritt) December 8, 2025
Tesla will include the following metrics within the new Charging Passport option within the Tesla app:
- Charging badges: Iconic charging badges for visiting places like the Tesla Diner, Oasis Supercharger, etc., Explorer Badge, and more
- Total Unique Superchargers Visited
- Total Charging Sessions
- Total Miles Added during Charging Sessions
- Top Charging Day
- Longest Trip
- Favorite Charging Locations
This will give people a unique way to see their travels throughout the year, and although it is not necessarily something that is needed or adds any genuine value, it is something that many owners will like to look back on. After all, things like Spotify Wrapped and Apple Music Replay have been a great way for people to see what music they listened to throughout the year.
This is essentially Tesla’s version of that.
With a handful of unique Superchargers already active, Tesla is also building some new ones, like a UFO-inspired location in New Mexico, near Roswell.
Tesla is building a new UFO-inspired Supercharger in the heart of Alien country
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Tesla launches its coolest gift idea ever just a few weeks after it was announced
“Gift one month of Full Self-Driving (Supervised), which allows the vehicle to drive itself almost anywhere with minimal intervention.”
Tesla has launched its coolest gift idea ever, just a few weeks after it was announced.
Tesla is now giving owners the opportunity to gift Full Self-Driving for one month to friends or family through a new gifting program that was suggested to the company last month.
The program will enable people to send a fellow Tesla owner one month of the company’s semi-autonomous driving software, helping them to experience the Full Self-Driving suite and potentially help Tesla gain them as a subscriber of the program, or even an outright purchase.
Tesla is going to allow owners to purchase an FSD Subscription for another owner for different month options
You’ll be able to gift FSD to someone! https://t.co/V29dhf5URj
— TESLARATI (@Teslarati) November 3, 2025
Tesla has officially launched the program on its Shop. Sending one month of Full Self-Driving costs $112:
“Gift one month of Full Self-Driving (Supervised), which allows the vehicle to drive itself almost anywhere with minimal intervention. All sales are final. Can only be purchased and redeemed in the U.S. This gift card is valued at $112.00 and is intended to cover the price of one month of FSD (Supervised), including up to 13% sales tax. It is not guaranteed to cover the full monthly price if pricing or tax rates change. This gift card can be stored in Tesla Wallet and redeemed toward FSD (Supervised) or any other Tesla product or service that accepts gift card payments.”
Tesla has done a great job of expanding Full Self-Driving access over the past few years, especially by offering things like the Subscription program, free trials through referrals, and now this gift card program.
Gifting Full Self-Driving is another iteration of Tesla’s “butts in seats” strategy, which is its belief that it can flip consumers to its vehicles and products by simply letting people experience them.
There is also a reason behind pushing Full Self-Driving so hard, and it has to do with CEO Elon Musk’s compensation package. One tranche requires Musk to achieve a certain number of active paid Full Self-Driving subscriptions.
More people who try the suite are likely to pay for it over the long term.
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Tesla expands Robotaxi app access once again, this time on a global scale
Tesla said recently it plans to launch Robotaxi in Miami, Houston, Las Vegas, Phoenix, and Dallas.
Tesla has expanded Robotaxi app access once again, but this time, it’s on a much broader scale as the company is offering the opportunity for those outside of North America to download the app.
Tesla Robotaxi is the company’s early-stage ride-hailing platform that is active in Texas, California, and Arizona, with more expansion within the United States planned for the near future.
Tesla said recently it plans to launch Robotaxi in Miami, Houston, Las Vegas, Phoenix, and Dallas.
The platform has massive potential, and Tesla is leaning on it to be a major contributor to even more disruption in the passenger transportation industry. So far, it has driven over 550,000 miles in total, with the vast majority of this coming from the Bay Area and Austin.
First Look at Tesla’s Robotaxi App: features, design, and more
However, Tesla is focusing primarily on rapid expansion, but most of this is reliant on the company’s ability to gain regulatory permission to operate the platform in various regions. The expansion plans go well outside of the U.S., as the company expanded the ability to download the app to more regions this past weekend.
So far, these are the areas it is available to download in:
- Japan
- Thailand
- Hong Kong
- South Korea
- Australia
- Taiwan
- Macau
- New Zealand
- Mexico
- U.S.
- Canada
Right now, while Tesla is focusing primarily on expansion, it is also working on other goals that have to do with making it more widely available to customers who want to grab a ride from a driverless vehicle.
One of the biggest goals it has is to eliminate safety monitors from its vehicles, which it currently utilizes in Austin in the passenger’s seat and in the driver’s seat in the Bay Area.
A few weeks ago, Tesla started implementing a new in-cabin data-sharing system, which will help support teams assist riders without anyone in the front of the car.
Tesla takes a step towards removal of Robotaxi service’s safety drivers
As Robotaxi expands into more regions, Tesla stands to gain tremendously through the deployment of the Full Self-Driving suite for personal cars, as well as driverless Robotaxis for those who are just hailing rides.
Things have gone well for Tesla in the early stages of the Robotaxi program, but expansion will truly be the test of how things operate going forward. Navigating local traffic laws and gaining approval from a regulatory standpoint will be the biggest hurdle to jump.
Tesla gamifies Supercharging with new ‘Charging Passport’
Tesla launches its coolest gift idea ever just a few weeks after it was announced
