Connect with us

News

Tesla dominates Germany’s February EV registrations — even before Giga Berlin opens

Credit: Miete Deinen Tesla

Published

on

Tesla sales in Germany are going strong, with the Model 3 sedan and Model Y crossover commanding a lead in the country’s electric vehicle segment. This is quite an impressive accomplishment for Tesla, especially considering that its local EV production facility, Gigafactory Berlin, is yet to commence operations.

Monthly sales data from the Federal Motor Transport Authority (KBA) for February 2022 revealed that Tesla saw 3,690 Model 3 registrations last month, making it the most popular electric vehicle in Germany. Its stablemate, the Tesla Model Y crossover, on the other hand, saw 2,254 registrations in February 2022, putting it in second place. Tesla’s numbers are particularly noteworthy since the Model 3 and Model Y held a considerable lead over the 3rd-best-selling EV in the country, the more affordable Fiat 500, which saw 1,392 registrations over the month.

Credit: KBA data via nextmove

It should be noted that the Fiat 500 is a popular vehicle in Germany in its own right. The Fiat 500 was the top EV in the country back in January, a month when Tesla was still transporting its vehicles to Germany. As per KBA data from January 2022, Tesla only saw 277 Model 3 registrations and 142 Model Y registrations during the first month of the year. This is unsurprising as Tesla Germany, at least for now, is fully dependent on vehicle exports from China and the United States.

The fact that Tesla is already able to top the country’s EV rankings despite having a limited supply of electric cars is a positive sign — one that suggests that there is substantial demand for EVs in the country. Gigafactory Berlin could then ensure that the following months would be far better for Tesla Germany, as it would have a steady stream of locally-produced Model Y.

Tesla, for its part, has started sending out invitations for Gigafactory Berlin’s Model Y delivery event, which will be held on March 22, 2022. As per invitations that Tesla Germany has sent out to customers, the event will commence around 9 am to 10 am, with registrations running until 11 am. Factory tours will be held from 11 am to 1 pm, followed by actual Model Y handovers to customers from 1:30 pm to 2:30 pm. After some photoshoots at 3 pm, Tesla notes that there will be “celebrations” in the Giga Berlin complex until 9 pm.

Advertisement

Tesla’s Giga Berlin Model Y delivery event seems to be rife with a number of fun gimmicks and flourishes that would make the day memorable. For example, customers of the Model Ys being delivered on March 22 could choose their vehicles’ exit music when they leave the factory. This should provide some additional fun factor to Gigafactory Berlin’s formal opening –and hint at what is likely to come in the following months as the facility ramps its capability to increase its Model Y production output.

Don’t hesitate to contact us with news tips. Just send a message to simon@teslarati.com to give us a heads up.

Simon is an experienced automotive reporter with a passion for electric cars and clean energy. Fascinated by the world envisioned by Elon Musk, he hopes to make it to Mars (at least as a tourist) someday. For stories or tips--or even to just say a simple hello--send a message to his email, simon@teslarati.com or his handle on X, @ResidentSponge.

Advertisement
Comments

Cybertruck

Tesla drops latest hint that new Cybertruck trim is selling like hotcakes

According to Tesla’s Online Design Studio, the new All-Wheel-Drive Cybertruck will now be delivered in April 2027. Earlier orders are still slated for early this Summer, but orders from here on forward are now officially pushed into next year:

Published

on

(Credit: Tesla)

Tesla’s new Cybertruck offering has had its delivery date pushed back once again. This is now the second time, and deliveries for the newest orders are now pushed well into 2027.

According to Tesla’s Online Design Studio, the new All-Wheel-Drive Cybertruck will now be delivered in April 2027. Earlier orders are still slated for early this Summer, but orders from here on forward are now officially pushed into next year:

Just three days ago, the initial delivery date of June 2026 was pushed back to early Fall, and now, that date has officially moved to April 2027.

The fact that Tesla has had to push back deliveries once again proves one of two things: either Tesla has slow production plans for the new Cybertruck trim, or demand is off the charts.

Judging by how Tesla is already planning to raise the price based on demand in just a few days, it seems like the company knows it is giving a tremendous deal on this spec of Cybertruck, and units are moving quickly.

That points more toward demand and not necessarily to slower production plans, but it is not confirmed.

Tesla Cybertruck’s newest trim will undergo massive change in ten days, Musk says

Tesla is set to hike the price on March 1, so tomorrow will be the final day to grab the new Cybertruck trim for just $59,990.

It features:

  • Dual Motor AWD w/ est. 325 mi of range
  • Powered tonneau cover
  • Bed outlets (2x 120V + 1x 240V) & Powershare capability
  • Coil springs w/ adaptive damping
  • Heated first-row seats w/ textile material that is easy to clean
  • Steer-by-wire & Four Wheel Steering
  • 6’ x 4’ composite bed
  • Towing capacity of up to 7,500 lbs
  • Powered frunk

Interestingly, the price offering is fairly close to what Tesla unveiled back in late 2019.

Continue Reading

Elon Musk

Elon Musk outlines plan for first Starship tower catch attempt

Musk confirmed that Starship V3 Ship 1 (SN1) is headed for ground tests and expressed strong confidence in the updated vehicle design.

Published

on

Credit: SpaceX/X

Elon Musk has clarified when SpaceX will first attempt to catch Starship’s upper stage with its launch tower. The CEO’s update provides the clearest teaser yet for the spacecraft’s recovery roadmap.

Musk shared the details in recent posts on X. In his initial post, Musk confirmed that Starship V3 Ship 1 (SN1) is headed for ground tests and expressed strong confidence in the updated vehicle design.

“Starship V3 SN1 headed for ground tests. I am highly confident that the V3 design will achieve full reusability,” Musk wrote.

In a follow-up post, Musk addressed when SpaceX would attempt to catch the upper stage using the launch tower’s robotic arms. 

Advertisement

“Should note that SpaceX will only try to catch the ship with the tower after two perfect soft landings in the ocean. The risk of the ship breaking up over land needs to be very low,” Musk clarified. 

His remarks suggest that SpaceX is deliberately reducing risk before attempting a tower catch of Starship’s upper stage. Such a milestone would mark a major step towards the full reuse of the Starship system.

SpaceX is currently targeting the first Starship V3 flight of 2026 this coming March. The spacecraft’s V3 iteration is widely viewed as a key milestone in SpaceX’s long-term strategy to make Starship fully reusable. 

Starship V3 features a number of key upgrades over its previous iterations. The vehicle is equipped with SpaceX’s Raptor V3 engines, which are designed to deliver significantly higher thrust than earlier versions while reducing cost and weight. 

Advertisement

The V3 design is also expected to be optimized for manufacturability, a critical step if SpaceX intends to scale the spacecraft’s production toward frequent launches for Starlink, lunar missions, and eventually Mars. 

Continue Reading

News

Tesla FSD (Supervised) could be approved in the Netherlands next month: Musk

Musk shared the update during a recent interview at Giga Berlin.

Published

on

Credit: Tesla

Tesla CEO Elon Musk shared that Full Self-Driving (FSD) could receive regulatory approval in the Netherlands as soon as March 20, potentially marking a major step forward for Tesla’s advanced driver-assistance rollout in Europe.

Musk shared the update during a recent interview at Giga Berlin, noting that the date was provided by local authorities.

“Tesla has the most advanced real-world AI, and hopefully, it will be approved soon in Europe. We’re told by the authorities that March 20th, it’ll be approved in the Netherlands,’ what I was told,” Musk stated

“Hopefully, that date remains the same. But I think people in Europe are going to be pretty blown away by how good the Tesla car AI is in being able to drive.”

Advertisement

Tesla’s FSD system relies on vision-based neural networks trained on real-world driving data, allowing vehicles to navigate using cameras and AI rather than traditional sensor-heavy solutions. 

The performance of FSD Supervised has so far been impressive. As per Tesla’s safety report, Full Self-Driving Supervised has already traveled 8.3 billion miles. So far, vehicles operating with FSD Supervised engaged recorded one major collision every 5,300,676 miles. 

In comparison, Teslas driven manually with Active Safety systems recorded one major collision every 2,175,763 miles, while Teslas driven manually without Active Safety recorded one major collision every 855,132 miles. The U.S. average during the same period was one major collision every 660,164 miles.

If approval is granted on March 20, the Netherlands could become the first European market to greenlight Tesla’s latest supervised FSD (Supervised) software under updated regulatory frameworks. Tesla has been working to secure expanded FSD access across Europe, where regulatory standards differ significantly from those in the United States. Approval in the Netherlands would likely serve as a foundation for broader EU adoption, though additional country-level clearances may still be required.

Advertisement
Continue Reading