Tesla CEO Elon Musk has landed in Germany for a “technical” visit to Giga Berlin, the European production facility Tesla plans to launch later this year. During an interview with local media, Musk stated that he hopes production can begin by the end of 2021.
According to Jörg Steinbach, the Minister of Economics, Labor, and Energy for the State of Brandenburg, his team was informed by Tesla directly last week that Musk would be visiting Germany on May 14th. This meeting didn’t take place, but Musk did arrive in Germany yesterday, May 16th, according to his plane tracker. Musk left London for Berlin Brandenburg Airport and arrived in Germany after a quick, 76-minute flight.
Steinbach said the nature of the visit is “mainly technical” and that Musk has not scheduled meetings with either him or Dietmar Woidke, who is Brandenburg’s Minister-President.
We have been informed by @Tesla on Friday, May 14th, that a visit of @elonmusk of Grünheide was expected to happen. As the purpose of this visit is mainly technical in character political meetings with Ministerpräsident #Woidke or myself have not been scheduled. @Stk_Brandenburg
— Jörg Steinbach (@joergstb) May 16, 2021
After visiting Giga Berlin on Monday, Musk indicated that he hopes the site will be ready for production by the end of 2021.
“It looks like we could start production at the end of the year,” Musk said. “You can only build cars when all the parts are in place.”
Musk has visited Germany on two previous occasions, with his first appearance being in September 2020 and the second in November, where he personally interviewed engineering applicants who desired to work at Giga Berlin. The factory has encountered exceptional support from local politicians, including Steinbach and Woidke. Steinbach recently confirmed to Teslarati that the rumored production delays until early 2022 were not accurate and that he expected Tesla to begin producing vehicles in Germany as early as late-Summer.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk receives rockstar welcome in first visit to Giga Berlin
Tesla’s application for Giga Berlin continues to work its way through the approval process. Local sources indicate that it could take anywhere from 3-5 years for Tesla to gain ultimate approval, but this will not prevent the automaker from producing its vehicles at the facility. Ultimately, the deliberate process that is utilized by politicians to approve a project gives the government plenty of time to examine all of the implications of allowing a massive industrial project to operate in the region. The chances for rejection are extremely slim, even though the process will take several years to be finalized.
Musk commented on the process during the interview at the Giga Berlin site today.
“I think it would be better if there was less bureaucracy. On the other hand,” Musk continued, “more and more rules accumulate over time, and in the end, you can’t do anything.”
Elon continued
“On the other hand, more and more rules accumulate over time, and in the end you can’t do anything.”
But he is confident about Giga Berlin, “I think it will work well”
— Alex (@alex_avoigt) May 17, 2021
Tesla recently added plans for a battery cell plant to the application, increasing its production rate for the new, less expensive, but more effective 4680 battery cells. Tesla will not build this factory in time for the initial production phase in a few months and will instead depend on cells from its Kato Road cell manufacturing plant in Northern California.
Tesla said it expects Giga Berlin to begin limited production by the end of the year in its Q1 2021 Earnings Call Update Letter. Volume production at the plant is expected to begin in 2022, the company said.
Elon Musk
Tesla CEO Elon Musk announces major update with texting and driving on FSD
“Depending on context of surrounding traffic, yes,” Musk said in regards to FSD v14.2.1 allowing texting and driving.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk has announced a major update with texting and driving capabilities on Full Self-Driving v14.2.1, the company’s latest version of the FSD suite.
Tesla Full Self-Driving, even in its most mature and capable versions, is still a Level 2 autonomous driving suite, meaning it requires attention from the vehicle operator.
You cannot sleep, and you should not take attention away from driving; ultimately, you are still solely responsible for what happens with the car.
The vehicles utilize a cabin-facing camera to enable attention monitoring, and if you take your eyes off the road for too long, you will be admonished and advised to pay attention. After five strikes, FSD and Autopilot will be disabled.
However, Musk announced at the Annual Shareholder Meeting in early November that the company would look at the statistics, but it aimed to allow people to text and drive “within the next month or two.”
He said:
“I am confident that, within the next month or two, we’re gonna look at the safety statistics, but we will allow you to text and drive.”
“I am confident that, within the next month or two, we’re gonna look at the safety statistics, but we will allow you to text and drive.”
Does anyone think v14.3 will enable this? pic.twitter.com/N2yn0SK70M
— TESLARATI (@Teslarati) November 23, 2025
Today, Musk confirmed that the current version of Full Self-Driving, which is FSD v14.2.1, does allow for texting and driving “depending on context of surrounding traffic.”
Depending on context of surrounding traffic, yes
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 4, 2025
There are some legitimate questions with this capability, especially as laws in all 50 U.S. states specifically prohibit texting and driving. It will be interesting to see the legality of it, because if a police officer sees you texting, they won’t know that you’re on Full Self-Driving, and you’ll likely be pulled over.
Some states prohibit drivers from even holding a phone when the car is in motion.
It is certainly a move toward unsupervised Full Self-Driving operation, but it is worth noting that Musk’s words state it will only allow the vehicle operator to do it depending on the context of surrounding traffic.
He did not outline any specific conditions that FSD would allow a driver to text and drive.
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Tesla Semi just got a huge vote of confidence from 300-truck fleet
The confidential meeting marks a major step for the mid-sized carrier in evaluating the electric truck for its regional routes.
The Tesla Semi is moving closer to broader fleet adoption, with Keller Logistics Group wrapping up a key pre-production planning session with the electric vehicle maker’s team this week.
The confidential meeting marks a major step for the mid-sized carrier in evaluating the electric truck for its regional routes.
Keller’s pre-production Tesla Semi sessions
Keller Logistics Group, a family-owned carrier with over 300 tractors and 1,000 trailers operating in the Midwest and Southeast, completed the session to assess the Tesla Semi’s fit for its operations. The company’s routes typically span 500-600 miles per day, positioning it as an ideal tester for the Semi’s day cab configuration in standard logistics scenarios.
Details remain under mutual NDA, but the meeting reportedly focused on matching the truck to yard, shuttle and regional applications while scrutinizing economics like infrastructure, maintenance and incentives.
What Keller’s executives are saying
CEO Bryan Keller described the approach as methodical. “For us, staying ahead isn’t a headline, it’s a habit. From electrification and yard automation to digital visibility and warehouse technology, our teams are continually pressure-testing what’s next. The Tesla Semi discussion is one more way we evaluate new tools against our standards for safety, uptime, and customer ROI. We don’t chase trends, we pressure-test what works,” Keller said.
Benjamin Pierce, Chief Strategy Officer, echoed these sentiments. “Electrification and next-generation powertrains are part of a much broader transformation. Whether it’s proprietary yard systems like YardLink™, solar and renewable logistics solutions, or real-time vehicle intelligence, Keller’s approach stays the same, test it, prove it, and deploy it only when it strengthens service and total cost for our customers,” Pierce said.
News
Tesla extends FSD Supervised ride-alongs in Europe by three months
Needless to say, it does appear that FSD fever is starting to catch in Europe.
Tesla appears to be doubling down on its European Full Self-Driving (Supervised) push, with the company extending its demo ride-along program by three months until the end of March 2026. The update seems to have been implemented due to overwhelming demand.
Needless to say, it does appear that FSD fever is starting to catch in Europe.
Extended FSD demonstrations
Tesla EU Policy and Business Development Manager Ivan Komušanac shared on LinkedIn that the company is offering ride-along experiences in Germany, France and Italy while working toward FSD (Supervised) approval in Europe.
He noted that this provides a great feedback opportunity from the general public, encouraging participants to record and share their experiences. For those unable to book in December, Komušanac teased more slots as “Christmas presents.”
Tesla watcher Sawyer Merritt highlighted the extension on X, stating that dates now run from December 1, 2025, to March 31, 2026, in multiple cities including Stuttgart-Weinstadt, Frankfurt and Düsseldorf in Germany. This suggests that the FSD ride-along program in Europe has officially been extended until the end of the first quarter of 2026.
Building momentum for European approval
Replies to Merritt’s posts buzzed with excitement, with users like @AuzyMale noting that Cologne and Düsseldorf are already fully booked. This sentiment was echoed by numerous other Tesla enthusiasts on social media. Calls for the program’s expansion to other European territories have also started gaining steam, with some X users suggesting Switzerland and Finland as the next locations for FSD ride-alongs.
Ultimately, the Tesla EU Policy and Business Development Manager’s post aligns with the company’s broader FSD efforts in Europe. As per recent reports, Tesla recently demonstrated FSD’s capabilities for Rome officials. Reporters from media outlets in France and Germany have also published positive reviews of FSD’s capabilities on real-world roads.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk announces major update with texting and driving on FSD
Tesla Semi just got a huge vote of confidence from 300-truck fleet
