News
Tesla’s partner IDRA shares insights on the Cybertruck Giga Press’ potential
Tesla’s next generation of vehicles will be built on the back of the Giga Press, a machine capable of producing massive, single-piece casts for critical components like an electric car’s rear underbody. In a recent video, IDRA, the company building the house-sized die-casting contraptions, shared some insights on the daunting machine’s development, its advantages, and its upcoming iterations like the 8,000-ton Giga Press that will be used for the Tesla Cybertruck.
In a recently posted video, IDRA General Manager Riccardo Ferrario explained that the Giga Press is specifically designed to be as environmentally-conscious as possible. Developed over several years, the Giga Press could provide automakers with a number of key advantages, such as less investments, less handling of parts, better quality, less energy consumption, and lower CO2 emissions. Consequently, these are things that are incredibly important to a company like Tesla, which has established itself as the frontrunner in the sustainable transportation movement.
#GigaBerlin #Gigapress
An important statement from the IDRA 🇮🇹 Group General Manager.
" what is GIGAPRESS and wich are GIGAPRESS innovative goals"
2 of them are already built on the GIGABERLIN.https://t.co/IWtPOzuQhT pic.twitter.com/pscXGmqm27— Gigafactory Berlin News (@Gf4Tesla) April 1, 2021
Much like Tesla’s electric car lineup, the Giga Press family is only getting started. As explained by the executive, IDRA is still looking to expand the Giga Press family, and recently, the company was able to do just that. Just last month, Ferrario remarked that IDRA received the first order for its largest machine yet—an 8,000-ton Giga Press specifically designed to produce parts for larger vehicles like pickup trucks and SUVs.
The IDRA executive did not name its customer for the order, though all signs are pointing to Tesla, a company that has already purchased numerous 6,000-ton Giga Presses from the Italian company. Tesla CEO Elon Musk has also mentioned that the Cybertruck’s rear underbody would be produced by an 8,000-ton die-casting machine, which is significantly larger than the Giga Presses used for the Model Y.
“We have increased our range of machines to encompass also another world first—an 8,000-ton die-casting press. And it is with great pride that I can announce, we have done it. It’s no longer just a dream or drawings on paper. It’s now reality. A reality that IDRA and the team behind the Giga Press have been able to execute in a very short space of time following the very high demand of our customer from all around the world.
“The first-ever order for an 8,000-ton machine has now been received in March 2021. We are so excited about taking the idea of the Giga Press a step further and applying it directly to the SUV and truck market, which is an area, until now, not fully explored. Full electric trucks for transportation of goods used by companies such as DHL or Amazon can enlarge the market of Giga Press,” the IDRA General Manager said.
Tesla is currently putting the pedal to the metal on the construction of Gigafactory Texas, where the Cybertruck would be produced. As such, IDRA would have to put in a lot of effort to ensure that it can deliver its largest machine to date on time. If the executive’s message is any indication, however, it appears that IDRA is just as excited to push the limits of the die-casting industry just as much as Tesla is eager to push the limits of electric cars. This suggests that the 8,000-ton Cybertruck Giga Press might make it to Giga Texas at just the right time for the start of the all-electric pickup truck’s production.
Watch IDRA’s latest video on its Giga Press machines in the video below.
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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.
Elon Musk
Elon Musk shares big Tesla Optimus 3 production update
According to Musk, Tesla is in the final stages of completing Optimus 3, which he described as one of the world’s most advanced humanoid robots.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk has stated that production of Optimus 3 could begin this summer. Musk shared the update in his interview at the Abundance Summit.
According to Musk, Tesla is in the final stages of completing Optimus 3, which he described as one of the world’s most advanced humanoid robots.
“We’re in the final stages of completion of Optimus 3, which is really going to be by far the most advanced robot in the world. Nothing’s even close. In fact, I haven’t even seen demos of robots that are as good as Optimus 3,” Musk said.
He also set expectations on the pace of Optimus 3’s production ramp, stating that the initial volumes of the humanoid robot will likely be very low. Musk did, however, also state that high production rates for Optimus 3 should be possible in 2027.
“I think we’ll start production on Optimus 3 this summer, but very slow at first, like sort of this classic S-curve ramp of manufacturing units versus time. And then, probably reach high volume production around summer next year,” he said.
Interestingly enough, the CEO hinted that Tesla is looking to iterate on the robot quickly, potentially releasing a new Optimus design every year.
“We’ll have Optimus 4 design complete next year. We’ll try to release a new robot design every year,” Musk stated.
Tesla has already outlined broader plans for scaling Optimus production beyond its first manufacturing line. Musk previously stated that Optimus 4 will be built at Gigafactory Texas at significantly higher production volumes.
Initial production lines for the robot are expected to be located at Tesla’s Fremont Factory, where the company plans to establish a line capable of producing up to 1 million robots per year.
A larger production ramp is expected to occur at Gigafactory Texas, where Musk has previously suggested could eventually support production of up to 10 million robots per year.
“We’re going to launch on the fastest production ramp of any product of any large complex manufactured product ever, starting with building a one-million-unit production line in Fremont. And that’s Line one. And then a ten million unit per year production line here,” Musk said previously.
The comments suggest that while Optimus 3 will likely begin production at Fremont, Tesla’s larger-scale manufacturing push could arrive with Optimus 4 at Gigafactory Texas.
Elon Musk
Tesla showcases Optimus humanoid robot at AWE 2026 in Shanghai
Tesla’s humanoid robot was presented as part of the company’s exhibit at the Shanghai electronics show.
Tesla showcased its Optimus humanoid robot at the 2026 Appliance & Electronics World Expo (AWE 2026) in Shanghai. The event opened Thursday and featured several Tesla products, including the company’s humanoid robot and the Cybertruck.
The display was reported by CNEV Post, citing information from local media outlet Cailian and on-site staff at the exhibition.
Tesla’s humanoid robot was presented as part of the company’s exhibit at the Shanghai electronics show. On-site staff reportedly stated that mass production of the robot could begin by the end of 2026.
Tesla previously indicated that it plans to manufacture its humanoid robots at scale once production begins, with its initial production line in the Fremont Factory reaching up to 1 million units annually. An Optimus production line at Gigafactory Texas is expected to produce 10 million units per year.
Tesla China previously shared a teaser image on Weibo showing a pair of highly detailed robotic hands believed to belong to Optimus. The image suggests a design with finger proportions and structures that closely resemble those of a human hand.
Robotic hands are widely considered one of the most difficult engineering challenges in humanoid robotics. For a system like Optimus to perform complex real-world tasks, from factory work to household activities, the robot would require highly advanced dexterity.
Elon Musk has previously stated that Optimus has the capability to eventually become the first real-world example of a Von Neumann machine, a self-replicating system capable of building copies of itself, even on other planets. “Optimus will be the first Von Neumann machine, capable of building civilization by itself on any viable planet,” Musk wrote in a post on X.