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Tesla design head reflects on over 16 years with the company
Designing for the future with Tesla’s Franz von Holzhausen.
Tesla’s Senior Design Executive Franz von Holzhausen was interviewed in the 500th episode of the Ride the Lightning podcast over the weekend, talking about topics from the new Model Y Performance to Optimus, and even sharing what has kept him coming back for over 16 years.
In the interview, host Ryan McCaffrey asks von Holzhausen a handful of questions about the executive’s design decisions, what can be expected on upcoming releases, and his own reaction to seeing increasing numbers of Tesla vehicles on the road. When asked about what has kept him at Tesla for so long, however, the design lead points to the company’s mission, noting that his young self would be “shocked” if he saw what he was working on today and how much he has learned.
“The thing that keeps me coming here is the potential for the future and what we’re able to create, and how we’re able to… in a way, we’ve proven that we can steer the future a little bit,” von Holzhausen says.
When asked if it was common for designers to stay at one company for so long, he also says that it “sure doesn’t seem like it,” pointing out that he had previously been on a roughly-four-year rotation prior to starting with Tesla, and adding that he thought he would stay on that path. The design head’s past employers were Mazda, General Motors (GM), and Volkswagen.
He also explains that some of the exciting projects he’s been able to work on, including vehicles, autonomous robotaxis, and humanoid robots, to name a few, are a major part of what keeps him there, in addition to Tesla’s original mission.
“I wouldn’t be here if we didn’t have the mission,” von Holzhausen says of the company’s mission to accelerate the world’s transition to sustainable energy.
“In the early days, the mission was the same, and we didn’t know if we could make an impact. The mission is something that you aim for, right? And we kept aiming for it and kept getting better, and then we subsequently started to see the impact of what we were producing and what we were creating having an impact that was steering, ultimately steering the rest of the world, in this direction.
“And once you realize the impact, you’re like ‘Wow, we can really steer the future for the better.’ And now, we like owe it to ourselves and to everybody and the rest of the world to continue on that path.”
While McCaffrey suggests that the designer might be the second-longest-tenured employee besides the CEO, von Holzhausen says there actually at least “a handful of other people” who have been with the company for longer. However, he says they would also likely agree about how quickly the time has gone to bring the automaker to this point.
The conversation spans over an hour long, and von Holzhausen goes on to talk about how seeing his own vehicles on the road makes him continually self-critique his work as he aims to make things better and develop the next thing. He also talks about the importance of making great products, and how he and Tesla expect that approach to win customers over, no matter what kind of fear, uncertainty and doubt may be floating around about the company.
Listen to the 500th episode of McCaffrey’s Ride the Lightning podcast below, featuring Tesla’s Chief Designer Franz von Holzhausen for his third appearance on the show. You can also see a photo of the two below, as shared in a post on X from McCaffrey.
Credit: Ryan McCaffrey | X
READ MORE ON TESLA’S FRANZ VON HOLZHAUSEN: Tesla redesigned this crucial piece of hardware on the new Model Y
In the podcast, von Holzhausen also talks about speculation that the company’s Glacier Blue could eventually make it to the U.S., as well as if Tesla plans to discontinue Midnight Cherry Red—though he says he can’t comment directly on either.
The executive’s appearance on the podcast also comes after McCaffrey last week interviewed Tesla’s Vice President of Vehicle Engineering, Lars Moravy. It also comes as the latest of appearances from both executives, who were last month featured in a video from Tesla about the new Model Y, along with talking to Jay Leno about the refreshed vehicle.
The two executives also confirmed in the former video that Tesla will indeed be launching a Model Y Performance later this year, along with a seven-seat configuration.
In December, von Holzhausen also shared some details about the design for the recently unveiled Cybercab, noting in another video with Pedersen Auto Museum that the gold color is a shout-out to New York City’s yellow taxi cabs.
Tesla makes a decision on the future of its flagship Model S and Model X
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Tesla Supercharger network delivers record 6.7 TWh in 2025
The network now exceeds 75,000 stalls globally, and it supports even non-Tesla vehicles across several key markets.
Tesla’s Supercharger Network had its biggest year ever in 2025, delivering a record 6.7 TWh of electricity to vehicles worldwide.
To celebrate its busy year, the official @TeslaCharging account shared an infographic showing the Supercharger Network’s growth from near-zero in 2012 to this year’s impressive milestone.
Record 6.7 TWh delivered in 2025
The bar chart shows steady Supercharger energy delivery increases since 2012. Based on the graphic, the Supercharger Network started small in the mid-2010s and accelerated sharply after 2019, when the Model 3 was going mainstream.
Each year from 2020 onward showed significantly more energy delivery, with 2025’s four quarters combining for the highest total yet at 6.7 TWh.
This energy powered millions of charging sessions across Tesla’s growing fleet of vehicles worldwide. The network now exceeds 75,000 stalls globally, and it supports even non-Tesla vehicles across several key markets. This makes the Supercharger Network loved not just by Tesla owners but EV drivers as a whole.
Resilience after Supercharger team changes
2025’s record energy delivery comes despite earlier 2024 layoffs on the Supercharger team, which sparked concerns about the system’s expansion pace. Max de Zegher, Tesla Director of Charging North America, also highlighted that “Outside China, Superchargers delivered more energy than all other fast chargers combined.”
Longtime Tesla owner and FSD tester Whole Mars Catalog noted the achievement as proof of continued momentum post-layoffs. At the time of the Supercharger team’s layoffs in 2024, numerous critics were claiming that Elon Musk was halting the network’s expansion altogether, and that the team only remained because the adults in the room convinced the juvenile CEO to relent.
Such a scenario, at least based on the graphic posted by the Tesla Charging team on X, seems highly implausible.
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Tesla targets production increase at Giga Berlin in 2026
Plant manager André Thierig confirmed the facility’s stable outlook to the DPA, noting that Giga Berlin implemented no layoffs or shutdowns amid challenging market conditions.
Tesla is looking positively toward 2026 with plans for further growth at its Grünheide factory in Germany, following steady quarterly increases throughout 2025.
Plant manager André Thierig confirmed the facility’s stable outlook to the Deutsche Presse-Agentur (DPA), noting that Giga Berlin implemented no layoffs or shutdowns despite challenging market conditions.
Giga Berlin’s steady progress
Thierig stated that Giga Berlin’s production actually rose in every quarter of 2025 as planned, stating: “This gives us a positive outlook for the new year, and we expect further growth.” The factory currently supplies over 30 markets, with Canada recently being added due to cost advantages.
Giga Berlin’s expansion is still underway, with the first partial approval for capacity growth being secured. Preparations for a second partial approval are underway, though the implementation of more production capacity would still depend on decisions from Tesla’s US leadership.
Over the year, updates to Giga Berlin’s infrastructure were also initiated. These include the relocation of the Fangschleuse train station and the construction of a new road. Tesla is also planning to start battery cell production in Germany starting 2027, targeting up to 8 GWh annually.
Resilience amid market challenges
Despite a 48% drop in German registrations, Tesla maintained Giga Berlin’s stability. Thierig highlighted this, stating that “We were able to secure jobs here and were never affected by production shutdowns or job cuts like other industrial sites in Germany.”
Thierig also spoke positively towards the German government’s plans to support households, especially those with low and middle incomes, in the purchase and leasing of electric vehicles this 2026. “In our opinion, it is important that the announcement is implemented very quickly so that consumers really know exactly what is coming and when,” the Giga Berlin manager noted.
Giga Berlin currently employs around 11,000 workers, and it produces about 5,000 Model Y vehicles per week, as noted in an Ecomento report. The facility produces the Model Y Premium variants, the Model Y Standard, and the Model Y Performance.
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Tesla revamped Semi spotted, insane 1.2 MW charging video releases
These developments highlight Tesla’s ongoing refinements to the vehicle’s design and infrastructure.
Tesla is gearing up for high-volume Semi production in 2026, with the Class 8 all-electric truck’s revamped variant being spotted in the wild recently. Official footage from Tesla also showed the Semi achieving an impressive 1.2 MW charging rate on a charger.
These developments highlight Tesla’s ongoing refinements to the vehicle’s design and infrastructure.
Revamped Tesla Semi sighting
Tesla Semi advocate @HinrichsZane, who has been chronicling the progress of the vehicle’s Nevada factory, recently captured exclusive drone footage of the refreshed Class 8 truck at a Megacharger stall near Giga Nevada. The white unit features a full-width front light bar similar to the Model Y and the Cybercab, shorter side windows, a cleared fairing area likely for an additional camera, and diamond plate traction strips on the steps.
Overall, the revamped Semi looks ready for production and release. The sighting marks one of the first real-life views of the Class 8 all-electric truck’s updated design, with most improvements, such as potential 4680 cells and enhanced internals, being hidden from view.
1.2 MW charging speed and a new connector
The official Tesla Semi account on X also shared an official video of Tesla engineers hitting 1.2 MW sustained charging on a Megacharger, demonstrating the vehicle’s capability for extremely rapid charging. Tesla Semi program lead Dan Priestley confirmed in a later post on X that the test occurred at a dedicated site, noting that chargers at the Semi factory in Nevada are also 1.2 MW capable.
The short video featured a revamped design for the Semi’s charging port, which seems more sleek and akin to the NACS port found in Tesla’s other vehicles. It also showed the Tesla engineers cheering as the vehicle achieved 1.2 MW during its charging session. Dan Priestley explained the Semi’s updated charging plug in a post on X.
“The connector on the prior Semi was an early version (v2.4) of MCS. Not ‘proprietary’ as anyone could have used it. We couldn’t wait for final design to have >1MW capability, so we ran with what had been developed thus far. New Semi has latest MCS that is set to be standard,” the executive wrote in a post on X.
Check out the Tesla Semi’s sighting at the Nevada factory in the video below.
Tesla Supercharger network delivers record 6.7 TWh in 2025
Tesla targets production increase at Giga Berlin in 2026
