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Tesla restarts Fremont production under Elon Musk orders, ‘If anyone is arrested, I ask that it only be me’

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Tesla CEO Elon Musk has confirmed that vehicle production at the Fremont factory has resumed today despite orders from Alameda County health officials.

Musk has opted to take a bold stance by directly going against the orders of Alameda County health officials, though he emphasized in his tweet that he is responsible for any repercussions that may result from the Fremont factory’s reopening today. Musk added that if an arrest were to be made due to the factory’s reopening, he is the only one that should be apprehended.

“Tesla is restarting production today against Alameda County rules. I will be on the line with everyone else. If anyone is arrested, I ask that it only be me,” Musk wrote.

Prior to Musk’s tweet, reports emerged stating that Tesla’s Fremont factory is already up and running. The factory’s parking lot appears to be nearly full. Reporters in the area noted that the number of vehicles on the plant’s lot is comparable to that of a regular shift.

CBS Bay Area affiliate KPIX reported that shift workers were seen funneling in and out of the building with personal protective equipment. Tesla has utilized the same technique at its production facility in Shanghai, China, which has been fully operational since February 10.

Another Bay Area news station, Fox affiliate KTVU, reported the lot was full of cars by the time the sun rose over Northern California on Monday. An employee called into the news station on Monday morning and stated he had been at work from 6 P.M. Sunday until 6 A.M. Monday.

Late last week, Tesla CEO Elon Musk sent an email to Fremont employees stating the company would begin production at the plant during the evening hours of Friday, May 8. However, this idea was shot down by Alameda County representatives who stated that Tesla would not be permitted to reopen the factory.

Musk immediately mentioned that Tesla would be opening a lawsuit against the County, stating that the closure was “inexplicable” and ignored an order that Governor Gavin Newsom had issued earlier. Newsom noted that manufacturing businesses were able to resume operation on Friday.

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Following the opening of the lawsuit, Musk stated that Tesla would be moving its headquarters from California to Nevada or Texas. This claim was in response to the enforced closure of the Fremont plant from Alameda County officials. Tesla also released a 38-page Return to Work playbook detailing its plan to reopen the Fremont facility safely.

Tesla’s Fremont factory employs half of the 20,000 people who work for the electric automaker in the Bay Area of California. The facility produces the Model S, Model X, Model 3, and Model Y.

Joey has been a journalist covering electric mobility at TESLARATI since August 2019. In his spare time, Joey is playing golf, watching MMA, or cheering on any of his favorite sports teams, including the Baltimore Ravens and Orioles, Miami Heat, Washington Capitals, and Penn State Nittany Lions. You can get in touch with joey at joey@teslarati.com. He is also on X @KlenderJoey. If you're looking for great Tesla accessories, check out shop.teslarati.com

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SpaceX reaches incredible milestone with Starlink program

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Credit: SpaceX

SpaceX reached an incredible milestone with its Starlink program with a launch last night, as the 3,000th satellite of the year was launched into low Earth orbit.

On Monday, SpaceX also achieved its 32nd flight with a single Falcon 9 rocket from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center.

The mission was Starlink 6-92, and it utilized the Falcon 9 B1067 for the 32nd time this year, the most-used Falcon booster. The flight delivered SpaceX’s 3000th Starlink satellite of the year, a massive achievement.

There were 29 Starlink satellites launched and deployed into LEO during this particular mission:

SpaceX has a current goal of certifying its Falcon boosters for 40 missions apiece, according to Spaceflight Now.

The flight was the 350th orbital launch from the nearby SLC-40, and the 3,000 satellites that have been successfully launched this year continue to contribute to the company’s goal of having 12,000 satellites contributing to global internet coverage.

There are over five million users of Starlink, the latest data shows.

Following the launch and stage separation, the Falcon 9 booster completed its mission with a perfect landing on the ‘Just Read the Instructions’ droneship.

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The mission was the 575th overall Falcon 9 launch, highlighting SpaceX’s operational tempo, which continues to be accelerated. The company averages two missions per week, and underscores CEO Elon Musk’s vision of a multi-planetary future, where reliable connectivity is crucial for remote work, education, and emergency response.

As Starlink expands and works toward that elusive and crucial 12,000 satellite goal, missions like 6-92 pave the way for innovations in telecommunications and enable more internet access to people across the globe.

With regulatory approvals in over 100 countries and millions of current subscribers, SpaceX continues to democratize space, proving that reusability is not just feasible, but it’s also revolutionary.

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Tesla expands new Full Self-Driving program in Europe

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Credit: Tesla Europe & Middle East/X

Tesla expanded its new Full Self-Driving program, which gives people the opportunity to experience the company’s suite, in Europe.

Tesla recently launched an opportunity for Europeans to experience Full Self-Driving, not in their personal vehicles, but through a new ride-along program that initially launched in Italy, France, and Germany back in late November.

People could experience it by booking a reservation with a local Tesla showroom, but timeslots quickly filled up, making it difficult to keep up with demand. Tesla expanded the program and offered some additional times, but it also had its sights set on getting the program out to new markets.

It finally achieved that on December 9, as it launched rides in Denmark and Switzerland, adding the fourth and fifth countries to the program.

Tesla confirmed the arrival of the program to Denmark and Switzerland on X:

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The program, while a major contributor to Tesla’s butts in seats strategy, is truly another way for the company to leverage its fans in an effort to work through the regulatory hurdles it is facing in Europe.

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Tesla has faced significant red tape in the region, and although it has tested the FSD suite and been able to launch this ride-along program, it is still having some tremendous issues convincing regulatory agencies to allow it to give it to customers.

CEO Elon Musk has worked with regulators, but admitted the process has been “insanely painful.”

The most recent development with FSD and its potential use in Europe dealt with the Dutch approval authority, known as the RDW.

Tesla says Europe could finally get FSD in 2026, and Dutch regulator RDW is key

Tesla said it believes some regulations are “outdated and rules-based,” which makes the suite ineligible for use in the European jurisdiction.

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The RDW is working with Tesla to gain approval sometime early next year, but there are no guarantees. However, Tesla’s angle with the ride-along program seems to be that if it can push consumers to experience it and have a positive time, it should be easier for it to gain its footing across Europe with regulatory agencies.

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Tesla ramps hiring for Roadster as latest unveiling approaches

Tesla published three new positions for the Roadster this week, relating to Battery Manufacturing, General Manufacturing, and Vision Engineering.

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Tesla Roadster at Tesla Battery Day 2020 Credit: @BLKMDL3 | Twitter

Tesla is ramping up hiring for positions related to the Roadster program, the company’s ultra-fast supercar that has been teased to potentially hover by CEO Elon Musk.

The company seems to be crossing off its last handful of things before it plans to unveil the vehicle on April Fool’s Day, just about four months away.

Tesla published three new positions for the Roadster this week, relating to Battery Manufacturing, General Manufacturing, and Vision Engineering. All three are located in Northern California, with two being at the Fremont Factory and the other at the company’s Engineering HQ in Palo Alto.

Technical Program Manager, Battery Manufacturing

Located in Fremont, this role specifically caters to the design of the Roadster to factory operations. It appears this role will mostly have to do with developing and engineering the Roadster’s battery pack and establishing the production processes for it:

“You will foster collaboration across design engineering, manufacturing, quality, facilities, and production to align with company priorities. Additionally, you will understand project opportunities, challenges, and dependencies; translate scattered information into concise, complete messages; and communicate them to every team member. As the business process development lead, you will develop, maintain, and implement tools and processes to accelerate battery manufacturing execution, achieve cross-functional alignment, and deliver highly efficient systems.”

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Manufacturing Engineer, Roadster

Also located in Fremont, this role also has to deal with the concept development and launch of battery manufacturing equipment. Tesla says:

“In this role, you will take large-scale manufacturing systems for new battery products and architectures from the early concept development stage through equipment launch, optimization, and handover to local operations teams.”

Manufacturing Vision Engineer, Battery Vision

This position is in Palo Alto at Tesla’s Engineering Headquarters, and requires the design and scale of advanced inspection and control systems to next-generation battery products:

“You’ll work on automation processes that directly improve battery performance, quality, and cost, collaborating with world-class engineers in a fast-paced, hands-on environment.”

Developing and deploying 2D and 3D vision and measurement systems from proof-of-concept to deployment on high-volume battery manufacturing lines is part of the job description.

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Roadster Unveiling

Tesla plans to unveil the Roadster on April 1, and although it was planned for late this year, it is nice to see the company put out a definitive date.

Musk said on the Joe Rogan Experience Podcast in late October:

“Whether it’s good or bad, it will be unforgettable. My friend Peter Thiel once reflected that the future was supposed to have flying cars, but we don’t have flying cars. I think if Peter wants a flying car, he should be able to buy one…I think it has a shot at being the most memorable product unveil ever.”

Production should begin between 12 to 18 months after unveiling, so we could see it sometime in 2027.

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