Tesla is planning to expand its Model Y production lines at the Fremont facility located in Silicon Valley, California.
According to two applications that were spotted on Fremont’s Public Access website, there are several planned advancements of “General Assembly 4.5,” which has been designated for Model Y production at the production facility.
In the past, GA 4.5 was also responsible for the production of the Model 3 sedan in late 2018. GA 4.5 is effectively an outdoor tent that Tesla placed outside of the main building. It currently holds five production lines, with the most recent being installed in September 2019. Tesla planned to expand GA 4.5 in April 2020 but had to find solutions to handle stormwater drainage.
The applications are named “4.5 Expansion Rev 1” and “F20-0048-F DCM2 Arch & MEP.” DCM2 could refer to a second die-cast machine in GA 4.5 that will allow the Model Y to be manufactured with a single-piece casting design.
“The current version of Model Y has basically two big high-pressure die-cast [HPDC] aluminum castings that are joined, and there’s still a bunch of other bits that are attached. Later this year. We’ll transition to the rear underbody being a single-piece casting that also integrates the rear crash rails,” CEO Elon Musk said earlier this year.
The IDRA OL6100 CS, dubbed as the “Giga Press.” (Credit: IDRA)
It was reported in early June that Tesla was planning to purchase the massive “Giga Press” for Model Y production. But now, the name of the application seems to infer that Tesla is planning to install a second die-cast machine for the Model Y to increase production volume.
Additionally, the F20-0048-F DCM2 Arch & MEP application shows Tesla’s planned expansion of a new “canopy structure” that will connect to the main assembly building.
The expansion is broken down into Mechanical, Process, and Controls.
Mechanical
“Process cooling water & natural gas piping distribution design from existing ab utility mains to new casting area outside. Industrial water to serve process equipment. New cooling tower & distribution pump added to existing ab cooling tower yard.”
Process
“Installation of soft water system with distribution piping & accessories. Installation of new compressed air header with filters, distribution & accessories. Installation of new argon and nitrogen distribution with accessories. Installation of new trade waste piping from the tie point inside the building to dcm2 area with pipes, pumps & accessories.”
Controls
“Installation of new sensors on chilled water lines to monitor & control process Installation & networking of new VFD’s to provide control of cooling tower.”
Tesla is preparing for a massive push of the Model Y crossover as demand for the company’s vehicles continues to increase. After delivering 90,650 cars in Q2 2020, the next step is to begin increasing production and delivery figures to sustain growth and increase the consecutive streak of profitable quarters for the electric automaker.
In early June, Musk indicated via email to Fremont employees that the company needed to continue to increase the production of the Model Y by stating that rectifications were to be minimized and that everyone’s effort was appreciated. “I want you to know that it really makes a difference to Tesla right now,” the Tesla frontman said in the email.
After ditching the plans to produce the Standard Range Model Y due to range deficiencies, Tesla can focus on the Long Range and Performance configurations of the vehicle, which have been widely popular within the community thus far.
Tesla’s Long Range and Performance Model Y variants are available for $49,990 and $59,990 respectively.
Investor's Corner
SpaceX IPO is coming, CEO Elon Musk confirms
However, it appears Musk is ready for SpaceX to go public, as Ars Technica Senior Space Editor Eric Berger wrote an op-ed that indicated he thought SpaceX would go public soon. Musk replied, basically confirming it.
Elon Musk confirmed through a post on X that a SpaceX initial public offering (IPO) is on the way after hinting at it several times earlier this year.
It also comes one day after Bloomberg reported that SpaceX was aiming for a valuation of $1.5 trillion, adding that it wanted to raise $30 billion.
Musk has been transparent for most of the year that he wanted to try to figure out a way to get Tesla shareholders to invest in SpaceX, giving them access to the stock.
He has also recognized the issues of having a public stock, like litigation exposure, quarterly reporting pressures, and other inconveniences.
However, it appears Musk is ready for SpaceX to go public, as Ars Technica Senior Space Editor Eric Berger wrote an op-ed that indicated he thought SpaceX would go public soon.
Musk replied, basically confirming it:
As usual, Eric is accurate
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 10, 2025
Berger believes the IPO would help support the need for $30 billion or more in capital needed to fund AI integration projects, such as space-based data centers and lunar satellite factories. Musk confirmed recently that SpaceX “will be doing” data centers in orbit.
AI appears to be a “key part” of SpaceX getting to Musk, Berger also wrote. When writing about whether or not Optimus is a viable project and product for the company, he says that none of that matters. Musk thinks it is, and that’s all that matters.
It seems like Musk has certainly mulled something this big for a very long time, and the idea of taking SpaceX public is not just likely; it is necessary for the company to get to Mars.
The details of when SpaceX will finally hit that public status are not known. Many of the reports that came out over the past few days indicate it would happen in 2026, so sooner rather than later.
But there are a lot of things on Musk’s plate early next year, especially with Cybercab production, the potential launch of Unsupervised Full Self-Driving, and the Roadster unveiling, all planned for Q1.
Tesla has added the 15th automaker to the growing list of companies whose EVs can utilize the Supercharger Network this year, as BMW is the latest company to gain access to the largest charging infrastructure in the world.
BMW became the 15th company in 2025 to gain Tesla Supercharger access, after the company confirmed to its EV owners that they could use any of the more than 25,000 Supercharging stalls in North America.
Welcome @BMW owners.
Download the Tesla app to charge → https://t.co/vnu0NHA7Ab
— Tesla Charging (@TeslaCharging) December 10, 2025
Newer BMW all-electric cars, like the i4, i5, i7, and iX, are able to utilize Tesla’s V3 and V4 Superchargers. These are the exact model years, via the BMW Blog:
- i4: 2022-2026 model years
- i5: 2024-2025 model years
- 2026 i5 (eDrive40 and xDrive40) after software update in Spring 2026
- i7: 2023-2026 model years
- iX: 2022-2025 model years
- 2026 iX (all versions) after software update in Spring 2026
With the expansion of the companies that gained access in 2025 to the Tesla Supercharger Network, a vast majority of non-Tesla EVs are able to use the charging stalls to gain range in their cars.
So far in 2025, Tesla has enabled Supercharger access to:
- Audi
- BMW
- Genesis
- Honda
- Hyundai
- Jaguar Land Rover
- Kia
- Lucid
- Mercedes-Benz
- Nissan
- Polestar
- Subaru
- Toyota
- Volkswagen
- Volvo
Drivers with BMW EVs who wish to charge at Tesla Superchargers must use an NACS-to-CCS1 adapter. In Q2 2026, BMW plans to release its official adapter, but there are third-party options available in the meantime.
They will also have to use the Tesla App to enable Supercharging access to determine rates and availability. It is a relatively seamless process.
News
Tesla adds new feature that will be great for crowded parking situations
This is the most recent iteration of the app and was priming owners for the slowly-released Holiday Update.
Tesla has added a new feature that will be great for crowded parking lots, congested parking garages, or other confusing times when you cannot seem to pinpoint where your car went.
Tesla has added a new Vehicle Locator feature to the Tesla App with App Update v4.51.5.
This is the most recent iteration of the app and was priming owners for the slowly-released Holiday Update.
While there are several new features, which we will reveal later in this article, perhaps one of the coolest is that of the Vehicle Locator, which will now point you in the direction of your car using a directional arrow on the home screen. This is similar to what Apple uses to find devices:
Interesting. The location arrow in the Tesla app now points to your car when you’re nearby. pic.twitter.com/b0yjmwwzxN
— Whole Mars Catalog (@wholemars) December 7, 2025
In real time, the arrow gives an accurate depiction of which direction you should walk in to find your car. This seems extremely helpful in large parking lots or unfamiliar shopping centers.
Getting to your car after a sporting event is an event all in itself; this feature will undoubtedly help with it:
The nice little touch that Tesla have put in the app – continuous tracking of your vehicle location relative to you.
There’s people reporting dizziness testing this.
To those I say… try spinning your phone instead. 😉 pic.twitter.com/BAYmJ3mzzD
— Some UK Tesla Guy (UnSupervised…) (@SomeUKTeslaGuy) December 8, 2025
Tesla’s previous app versions revealed the address at which you could locate your car, which was great if you parked on the street in a city setting. It was also possible to use the map within the app to locate your car.
However, this new feature gives a more definitive location for your car and helps with the navigation to it, instead of potentially walking randomly.
It also reveals the distance you are from your car, which is a big plus.
Along with this new addition, Tesla added Photobooth features, Dog Mode Live Activity, Custom Wraps and Tints for Colorizer, and Dashcam Clip details.
🚨 Tesla App v4.51.5 looks to be preparing for the Holiday Update pic.twitter.com/ztts8poV82
— TESLARATI (@Teslarati) December 8, 2025
All in all, this App update was pretty robust.
SpaceX IPO is coming, CEO Elon Musk confirms
Tesla adds 15th automaker to Supercharger access in 2025
