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Tesla installs fire protection for the Giga Press after fire at Fremont Factory
New permits reveal that Tesla is taking supplemental precautions to avoid fires at the Fremont Factory. Following a fire that affected the massive Giga Press machine at Tesla’s Northern California factory in mid-March, the automaker is presumably taking an approach to prevent this from happening again, especially as it could affect production efforts as the company continues to expand.
Teslarati uncovered several new permits that have been submitted by Tesla to the City of Fremont’s Development Services Permitting System. One permit reveals that Tesla is planning to have fire protection companies install fire sprinklers in the Casting Building located at the Fremont Factory. The permit will take care of the “DCM Castings 2 building,” DCM referring to “die-casting machines.”
Credit: IDRA
Along with the entire sprinkler system outfitting in Fremont’s DCM Castings 2 building, Tesla also filed for two permits that will oversee the installation of new Fire Alarm Systems at both DCM 1 and DCM 2. The alarms would alert any employees near the massive IDRA casting machines in the event of a fire, which is rare even though the machines house molten aluminum for the vehicles. However, Tesla is taking every precaution necessary to avoid what happened a few weeks ago.
Interestingly, the filings say that the installation of “new fire alarm devices to canopy” hints that the old alarms could have been damaged in the fire or malfunctioning. This is unclear, but it seems new devices will be installed near both die-casting machines.
On March 11th, it was reported that Tesla’s Giga Press machines caught fire. It was later reported that the molten aluminum and hydraulic fluid that are used to operate the machine ignited, and Fremont’s local fire department contained the fire using sand, not water. There were no reported injuries, and it was unclear whether the blaze halted or delayed any production efforts.
Tesla Giga Press involved in fire at Fremont Factory, no injuries reported
While the sprinkler system and additional fire alarms are being installed, it also appears that a single stamping cell is being removed from the Fremont Factory. It is unclear whether this is the affected IDRA machine or if it is a different unit altogether. However, Tesla submitted this permit just a week after the fire at the Fremont factory, and it says that the removal of a stamping cell will be performed. However, it could be a separate machine and could simply need to be replaced after several years of high-volume vehicle production.
The Fremont Factory constantly is the subject of revisions and new additions due to Tesla’s high-volume production efforts. The installation of fire alarms and sprinkler systems seems like an ideal solution to the possible outbreak of a fire at the facility. It could save lives and keep Tesla’s production efforts up and running as the company continues to expand and grow.
News
Tesla launches new Model S and Model X, and the changes are slim
Tesla’s newest versions of its flagship vehicles have arrived with some slim changes.

Tesla has officially launched the newest versions of its flagship Model S and Model X vehicles, but the changes are pretty slim, which is something we expected when a couple cars were spotted during public testing recently.
The new “refreshed” Model S and Model X were spotted recently by The Kilowatts, and the changes appeared to be a new front camera, a new color, and only a handful of other changes.
Tesla officially announced the launch of the Model S and Model X on Thursday night, and here’s what it listed as the changes to the two vehicles:
Model S & X are now even better – launching today in the US 🇺🇸
Highlights:
– Frost Blue paint color
– Up to 410 miles of range (Model S Long Range – our longest range Tesla yet)
– Even quieter inside: less wind + road noise & more effective Active Noise Cancellation
– New… pic.twitter.com/i4PcEklOWj
— Tesla (@Tesla) June 13, 2025
- Frost Blue paint color
- Up to 410 miles of range (Model S Long Range – our longest range Tesla yet)
- Even quieter inside: less wind + road noise & more effective Active Noise Cancellation
- New wheel designs & improved aerodynamics = more range
- Front fascia camera for better visibility
- Dynamic ambient lighting that brings unique animations along the dash & doors upon entry
- An even smoother ride thanks to new bushings & suspension design
- Adaptive driving beams
- New exterior styling for Model S Plaid, optimized for high-speed stability
- More space for 3rd row occupants & cargo (Model X)
We expected most of these changes, especially the new Frost Blue paint color, as it was spotted by The Kilowatts in its initial coverage of the cars being spotted a few weeks back. Here’s what it looks like officially:
Some of the changes are familiar from the Model Y Refresh, which featured the quieter interior through acoustic-lined glass, a front fascia camera, new bushings, and suspension improvements for a smoother ride.
However, Tesla did refine the Model S Plaid’s exterior for “optimized high-speed stability.” You can see the difference between the two below:
The front-end air diffusers are much deeper, and the front end is more boxy than the previous iteration of the Plaid Model S.
Here are some more images of the Model S that Tesla released in a teaser video:
- Credit: Tesla
Tesla sells such a low volume of the Model S and Model X that it was probably less than likely that the company would put endless manpower and effort into completely redesigning it. CEO Elon Musk said a few years ago that the two cars would only stay in production for “sentimental reasons.”
While they are very special to the Tesla family, they are not incredibly important to the mission of the company.
Elon Musk
Tesla owners across the globe prepare for Robotaxi launch with this neat customization
Tesla will eventually have Robotaxis worldwide. Some owners are already preparing.

Tesla owners are already preparing for the company’s launch of the Robotaxi platform with a new, neat customization that is appearing around the world.
On Tuesday, the first Tesla Robotaxi test mule was spotted in Austin, where the company will launch the first driverless rides of this ride-hailing service. At first, it will be a limited rollout, reserved for a select few. CEO Elon Musk said public rides could occur as soon as June 22.
First Tesla driverless robotaxi spotted in the wild in Austin, TX
However, the Tesla Robotaxi platform is not one that will be confined to cities and geofenced to certain areas.
Eventually, Tesla will gain enough confidence to roll the Full Self-Driving software straight to every car in the customer fleet that paid for it. Owners will be able to generate income for themselves while they sleep, as the cars will operate as ride-hailing vehicles for people to use for transportation.
In an effort to prepare for the launch of Robotaxi, Tesla owners across the globe are installing Tesla’s ‘Robotaxi’ word art on their cars.
Here’s one in South Korea:
🚨ROBOTAXIS SPOTTED IN 🇰🇷SOUTH KOREA TOO! $TSLA
It’s not official, just vinyl wraps, but you should sell these!pic.twitter.com/mViKuIV96P pic.twitter.com/fuYpvuOjic
— Tesla Archive (@tesla_archive) June 12, 2025
Here’s another in the U.S.:
🚀 Transform your ride into a vision of the future with our Robotaxi sticker set. 🌟
Your Tesla isn’t just a car—it’s a symbol of innovation and style. Be the trendsetter you were born to be and let your vehicle spark inspiring conversations wherever you go. ✨😎
Grab yours… pic.twitter.com/wTJPmnsO1X
— TESBROS (@teslabros) June 12, 2025
Obviously, this is more of a symbol of support for the Robotaxi launch, but many owners are recognizing that Tesla’s Full Self-Driving software will extend to them the ability to use their personal cars as ride-hailing vehicles, becoming a part of the global fleet of self-driving chauffeurs.
These are unmodified Tesla cars coming straight from the factory, meaning that every Tesla coming out of our factories is capable of unsupervised self-driving! https://t.co/n94ln0Uas6
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 10, 2025
Elon Musk
Tesla sues former Optimus engineer for stealing trade secrets
Tesla is suing a former engineer who worked on Optimus after he left and immediately started a robotics company that achieved quick development of a hand.

Tesla is suing former Optimus engineer Jay Li in federal court after accusing him of stealing trade secrets and using them to enable a startup he founded after he left.
Li is accused of stealing confidential files and using them to help get his company, “Proception,” off to a rocking start. Tesla says the files Li took helped his new startup “shortcut the typical development process” for robot hands, something that took Tesla years to develop and evolve.
The company said in the complaint (via Reuters):
“Through Li’s pilfering, Defendant Proception purportedly achieved in a matter of months what it has taken Tesla over four years, hundreds of employees, and billions of dollars to achieve.”
Li was an employee at Tesla for several years, working on the Optimus sensor team from 2022 to 2024. The company says it utilized and devoted “extraordinary resources” to the development of Optimus, which has come a long way since its unveiling several years ago.
Tesla Optimus to receive hands with 22 degrees of freedom later this year
Li allegedly downloaded confidential files related to Optimus’ robotic hand movement research before departing the company. He did not work on the hands at the time. However, he left and swiftly started Proception, as the suit states the company was founded just six days after he left Tesla.
Proception was gloating about its ability to build robotic hands just five months after the company was founded. Tesla says the hands have “striking similarities” to its own design for Optimus.
The company is looking for monetary damages and a court order that would block Proception from misusing the secrets it accuses Li of taking.
This is not the first suit Tesla has filed over trade secrets and confidential information theft. Recently, it accused German-Canadian dual citizen Klaus Pflugbeil of stealing battery-related secrets. He was arrested and sentenced to two years in prison.
Men accused of selling Tesla battery secrets arrested in undercover sting
The U.S. Department of Justice used an undercover sting to arrest Pflugbeil.
Tesla is being represented by Josh Krevitt, Orin Snyder, and Angelique Kaounis of Gibson Dunn & Crutcher.
The case is Tesla Inc. v. Perception Inc., U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, No. 5:25-cv-04963.
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