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Sightings of Tesla Supercharger expansions taking place worldwide

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Tesla recently announced that it would be doubling the size of its Supercharging network by the end of this year, as the automaker continues to set record vehicle deliveries each quarter and prepares for volume production of its highly anticipated Model 3.

“It is extremely important to us and our mission that charging is convenient, abundant, and reliable for all owners, current and future.” said Tesla early last month when the electric car maker assured existing owners of its Model S, Model X and Model 3 reservation holders that they would “never wait to charge“.

Tesla has announced an aggressive plan to mitigate Supercharger Apocalypse by way of a 3-pronged approach. First, Tesla will double the number of charging stations in its Supercharging network in 2017. Second, it is pushing to quadruple the number of destination chargers for drivers to use at hotels, retail locations and similar points of interests around the world. Third, it has implemented a cap on free lifetime Supercharging which limits owners that purchased a Model S or Model X after January 15, 2017 to 400 kWh of free Supercharger use per year, or roughly 1,200 miles of driving.

Evidence is mounting in support of Tesla’s efforts to expand existing Supercharger sites, after photos posted by Tesla drivers from around the world reveal new construction taking place at popular Supercharger locations.

The Culver City Supercharger which serves a critical hub in the greater Los Angeles is seeing its first expansion from 12 stalls to a reported  18 stalls. It’s a busy site frequented by ride sharing services and Model S and Model X drivers that are passing through Los Angeles’ infamous 405 freeway.

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Construction taking place at the Culver City Supercharger. All stalls were full and a queue of 6 cars were waiting in line to Supercharge reports Redditor ajcadoo who took the photo.

Another busy Supercharger location at Harris Ranch, California which services weary travelers between Los Angeles and San Francisco is also getting a much needed upgrade from Tesla. Jack Bowers tweeted a photo showing the arrival of a larger PG&E transformer at the site to support the expansion of the 13-stall Supercharger station to 18 charging stalls. Crews were on site working on the expansion when the photo was taken.

Another popular Southern California charging location, the Redondo Beach Supercharger, is also getting an expansion.

Maienfeld, Switzerland is getting a Supercharger of its own. The country has been a world leader in the transition to electrified transportation and is the only nation in the world with a fully electrified train system. Photos by Redditor pilif.

Swinging back to the midwestern United States and the Bolingbrook, Illinois Supercharger is almost ready to open. Bolingbrook is strategically located just west of Chicago and will service travelers in and around the greater Chicago area. Photo by Redditor pazdan.

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Finally, the grand opening of the Arlington, Texas Supercharger was on May 13th and was captured on video by Insolation Station over on YouTube. They capture the Supercharger opening ceremony which incidentally appears to be playing out all over the world, by the week.

I'm passionate about clean technology, sustainability and life. I've worked in manufacturing, IT, project management and environmental...and enjoy unpacking complex topics in layman's terms. TSLA investor. Find more of my words on my website or follow me on Twitter for all the latest. Tesla Referral link: http://ts.la/kyle623

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Tesla Diner to transition to full-service restaurant as Chef heads for new venture

“I am leaving the Tesla Diner project to focus on the opening of Mish, my long-desired Jewish deli. Projects like Mish and the Tesla Diner require a sharpness of focus and attention, and my focus and attention is now squarely on Mish.”

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Credit: Tesla

Tesla Diner, the all-in-one Supercharging and dining experience located in Los Angeles, will transition to a full-service restaurant in January, staff said, as Chef Eric Greenspan said he would take on a new project.

A report from the Los Angeles Times says Greenspan confirmed through a text that he would leave the Diner and focus on the opening of his new Jewish deli, Mish.

Greenspan confirmed to the paper:

“I am leaving the Tesla Diner project to focus on the opening of Mish, my long-desired Jewish deli. Projects like Mish and the Tesla Diner require a sharpness of focus and attention, and my focus and attention is now squarely on Mish.”

Greenspan took on the job at the Tesla Diner and curated the menu back in March, focusing on locally-sourced ingredients and items that would play on various company products, like Cybertruck-shaped boxes that hold burgers.

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Tesla Cybertruck leftovers are the main course at the Supercharger Diner

The Tesla Diner has operated as somewhat of a self-serve establishment, where Tesla owners can order directly from their vehicles through the center touchscreen. It was not exclusive to Tesla owners. Guests could also enter and order at a counter, and pick up their food, before sitting at a booth or table.

However, the report indicates Tesla is planning to push it toward a sit-down restaurant, full of waiters, waitresses, and servers, all of which will come to a table after you are seated, take your order, and serve your food.

It will be more of a full-featured restaurant experience moving forward, which is an interesting move from the company, but it also sounds as if it could be testing for an expansion.

We know that Tesla is already considering expanding locations, as it will be heading to new areas of the country. CEO Elon Musk has said that Tesla will be considering locations in Palo Alto near the company’s Engineering HQ, and in Austin, where its HQ and Gigafactory Texas are located.

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Musk said that the Diner has been very successful in its first few months of operation.

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Tesla adds new surprising fee to Robotaxi program

“Additional cleaning was required for the vehicle after your trip. A fee has been added to your final cost to cover this service. Please contact us if you have any questions.”

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Credit: Grok

Tesla has added a new and somewhat surprising fee to the Robotaxi program. It’s only surprising because it was never there before.

Tesla shocked everyone when it launched its Robotaxi platform and offered riders the opportunity to tip, only to tell them they do not accept tips. It was one of the company’s attempts at being humorous as it rolled out its driverless platform to people in Austin.

As it has expanded to new cities and been opened to more people, as it was yesterday to iOS users, Tesla has had to tweak some of the minor details of the Robotaxi and ride-hailing platforms it operates.

First Look at Tesla’s Robotaxi App: features, design, and more

With more riders, more vehicles, and more operational jurisdictions, the company has to adjust as things become busier.

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Now, it is adjusting the platform by adding “Cleaning Fees” to the Robotaxi platform, but it seems it is only charged if the vehicle requires some additional attention after your ride.

The app will communicate with the rider with the following message (via Not a Tesla App):

“Additional cleaning was required for the vehicle after your trip. A fee has been added to your final cost to cover this service. Please contact us if you have any questions.”

The cost of the cleaning will likely depend on how severe the mess is. If you spill a soda, it will likely cost less than if you lose your lunch in the back of the car because you had a few too many drinks.

This is an expected change, and it seems to be one that is needed, especially considering Tesla is operating a small-scale ride-hailing service at the current time. As it expands to more states and cities and eventually is available everywhere, there will be more situations that will arise.

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The messes in vehicles are not a new situation, especially in a rideshare setting. It will be interesting to see if Tesla will enable other fees, like ones for riders who request a ride and do not show up for it.

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Tesla Model Y sold out in China for 2025

Customers who wish to get their cars by the end of the year would likely need to get an inventory unit.

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Credit: Grok Imagine

It appears that the Model Y has been sold out for 2025 in China. This seems to be true for the four variants of the vehicle that are currently offered in the country. 

Tesla China’s order page update

A look at Tesla China’s order page for the Model Y shows a message informing customers that those who wish to guarantee delivery by the end of the year should purchase an inventory unit. This was despite the Model Y RWD and Model Y L showing an estimated delivery timeline of 4-8 weeks, and the Model Y Long Range RWD and Model Y Long Range AWD showing 4-13 weeks. 

As per industry watchers, these updates on the Model Y’s order page suggest that Tesla China’s sales capacity for the remainder of 2025 has been sold out. The fact that estimated delivery timeframes for the Model Y Long Range RWD and AWD extend up to 13 weeks also bodes well for demand for the vehicle, especially given strong rivals like the Xiaomi YU7, which undercuts the Model Y in price. 

Tesla China’s upcoming big updates

What is quite interesting is that Tesla China is still competing in the country with one hand partly tied behind its back. So far, Tesla has only been able to secure partial approval for its flagship self-driving software, FSD, in China. This has resulted in V14 not being rolled out to the country yet. Despite this, Tesla China’s “Autopilot automatic assisted driving on urban roads,” as the system is called locally, has earned positive reviews from users.

As per Elon Musk during the 2025 Annual Shareholder Meeting, however, Tesla is expecting to secure full approval for FSD in China in early 2026. “We have partial approval in China, and we hopefully will have full approval in China around February or March or so. That’s what they’ve told us,” Musk said.

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