News
Tesla Giga Berlin Update: Roads closed around build site for blasting of WWII bombs
Roads near the build site of Tesla’s Giga Berlin will be closed at specific times Sunday as clearing teams detonate World War II bombs found in the area.
Environmental Minister Axel Vogel announced that certain roads on a 600-meter portion of the Berliner Ring will be closed to traffic in 15 to 30 segments between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. local time to give way to the blasting of about 187 pounds of vintage bombs unearthed in the industrial property where Tesla’s first car factory in Europe will be built, reported the German publication Berliner Morgen Post.
According to local authorities, the Federal Highway 10 between Freienbrink and Erkner will be blocked as needed, as well as Landstrasse 38 in Grunheide.
Earlier this week, the Interior Ministry of Brandenburg reported that seven vintage bombs were recovered from almost 60 hectares of land that have been explored by the clearing team. Unexploded bombs are often discovered in different German cities. In fact, a 500 kg WWII bomb was discovered in Cologne last week. Experts in the country are well-trained in defusing unexploded ordnance and evacuate locals as necessary to ensure safety and avoid any unwanted incident.
09:30 EST #GigaBerlin
Controlled blasting of the aircraft Unexploded ordnance.💣
All access roads to Tesla Forest closed, police, fire department on site, no closer approach,🤔" being watched by the police "😯 pic.twitter.com/eceRgZoVoT
— Gigafactory Berlin News (@Gf4Tesla) January 26, 2020
Meanwhile, protests against the building of Tesla’s Giga Berlin lost momentum this weekend as groups demonstrating against the construction project upon discovering that right-wing leaning group. Locals do not want to be exploited and want to focus on the environmental impact concerns that they have been raising in the past weeks.
We won 🥳🥳🥳, the opponents broke up and the Anti-Tesla demonstration didn't take place https://t.co/FU2n7podoq
— Emil Senkel (@EmilSenkel) January 25, 2020
The Giga Berlin build site has been declared off-limits recently to make sure teams can focus on the operations, avoid unwanted incidents, and avoid further delays. Tesla is on a tight schedule and wants to begin construction by mid-March. The electric carmaker is building access roads to make logistics easier while concurrently clearing trees, moving animals living in the forest, and scanning for vintage bombs.
The board of directors approved the purchase agreement for the man-made forest where Giga Berlin will be built. The initial deal is for 40.91 million euros or about $45 million, but there is a provision that will allow adjustment of the price of the property following a second appraisal by an independent party.
The Giga Berlin is set to begin production by next year with a goal to produce about 150,000 Model Ys during its initial phase and up that number to 500,000 units per year in the future. The car factory is also expected to generate around 8,000 jobs for locals and workers from neighboring countries.
Elon Musk
Tesla Full Self-Driving’s newest behavior is the perfect answer to aggressive cars
According to a recent video, it now appears the suite will automatically pull over if there is a tailgater on your bumper, the most ideal solution for when a driver is riding your bumper.
Tesla Full Self-Driving appears to have a new behavior that is the perfect answer to aggressive drivers.
According to a recent video, it now appears the suite will automatically pull over if there is a tailgater on your bumper, the most ideal solution for when a driver is riding your bumper.
With FSD’s constantly-changing Speed Profiles, it seems as if this solution could help eliminate the need to tinker with driving modes from the person in the driver’s seat. This tends to be one of my biggest complaints from FSD at times.
A video posted on X shows a Tesla on Full Self-Driving pulling over to the shoulder on windy, wet roads after another car seemed to be following it quite aggressively. The car looks to have automatically sensed that the vehicle behind it was in a bit of a hurry, so FSD determined that pulling over and letting it by was the best idea:
Tesla appears to be implementing some sort of feature that will now pull over if someone is tailgating you to let the car by
Really cool feature, definitely get a lot of this from those who think they drive race cars
— TESLARATI (@Teslarati) February 26, 2026
We can see from the clip that there was no human intervention to pull over to the side, as the driver’s hands are stationary and never interfere with the turn signal stalk.
This can be used to override some of the decisions FSD makes, and is a great way to get things back on track if the semi-autonomous functionality tries to do something that is either unneeded or not included in the routing on the in-car Nav.
FSD tends to move over for faster traffic on the interstate when there are multiple lanes. On two-lane highways, it will pass slower cars using the left lane. When faster traffic is behind a Tesla on FSD, the vehicle will move back over to the right lane, the correct behavior in a scenario like this.
Perhaps one of my biggest complaints at times with Full Self-Driving, especially from version to version, is how much tinkering Tesla does with Speed Profiles. One minute, they’re suitable for driving on local roads, the next, they’re either too fast or too slow.
When they are too slow, most of us just shift up into a faster setting, but at times, even that’s not enough, see below:
What has happened to Mad Max?
At one point it was going 32 in a 35. Traffic ahead had pulled away considerably https://t.co/bjKvaMVTNX pic.twitter.com/aaZSWmLu5v
— TESLARATI (@Teslarati) January 24, 2026
There are times when it feels like it would be suitable for the car to just pull over and let the vehicle that is traveling behind pass. This, at least up until this point, it appears, was something that required human intervention.
Now, it looks like Tesla is trying to get FSD to a point where it just knows that it should probably get out of the way.
Elon Musk
Tesla Megapack powers $1.1B AI data center project in Brazil
By integrating Tesla’s Megapack systems, the facility will function not only as a major power consumer but also as a grid-supporting asset.
Tesla’s Megapack battery systems will be deployed as part of a 400MW AI data center campus in Uberlândia, Brazil. The initiative is described as one of Latin America’s largest AI infrastructure projects.
The project is being led by RT-One, which confirmed that the facility will integrate Tesla Megapack battery energy storage systems (BESS) as part of a broader industrial alliance that includes Hitachi Energy, Siemens, ABB, HIMOINSA, and Schneider Electric. The project is backed by more than R$6 billion (approximately $1.1 billion) in private capital.
According to RT-One, the data center is designed to operate on 100% renewable energy while also reinforcing regional grid stability.
“Brazil generates abundant energy, particularly from renewable sources such as solar and wind. However, high renewable penetration can create grid stability challenges,” RT-One President Fernando Palamone noted in a post on LinkedIn. “Managing this imbalance is one of the country’s growing infrastructure priorities.”
By integrating Tesla’s Megapack systems, the facility will function not only as a major power consumer but also as a grid-supporting asset.
“The facility will be capable of absorbing excess electricity when supply is high and providing stabilization services when the grid requires additional support. This approach enhances resilience, improves reliability, and contributes to a more efficient use of renewable generation,” Palamone added.
The model mirrors approaches used in energy-intensive regions such as California and Texas, where large battery systems help manage fluctuations tied to renewable energy generation.
The RT-One President recently visited Tesla’s Megafactory in Lathrop, California, where Megapacks are produced, as part of establishing the partnership. He thanked the Tesla team, including Marcel Dall Pai, Nicholas Reale, and Sean Jones, for supporting the collaboration in his LinkedIn post.
Elon Musk
Starlink powers Europe’s first satellite-to-phone service with O2 partnership
The service initially supports text messaging along with apps such as WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, Google Maps and weather tools.
Starlink is now powering Europe’s first commercial satellite-to-smartphone service, as Virgin Media O2 launches a space-based mobile data offering across the UK.
The new O2 Satellite service uses Starlink’s low-Earth orbit network to connect regular smartphones in areas without terrestrial coverage, expanding O2’s reach from 89% to 95% of Britain’s landmass.
Under the rollout, compatible Samsung devices automatically connect to Starlink satellites when users move beyond traditional mobile coverage, according to Reuters.
The service initially supports text messaging along with apps such as WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, Google Maps and weather tools. O2 is pricing the add-on at £3 per month.
By leveraging Starlink’s satellite infrastructure, O2 can deliver connectivity in remote and rural regions without building additional ground towers. The move represents another step in Starlink’s push beyond fixed broadband and into direct-to-device mobile services.
Virgin Media O2 chief executive Lutz Schuler shared his thoughts about the Starlink partnership. “By launching O2 Satellite, we’ve become the first operator in Europe to launch a space-based mobile data service that, overnight, has brought new mobile coverage to an area around two-thirds the size of Wales for the first time,” he said.
Satellite-based mobile connectivity is gaining traction globally. In the U.S., T-Mobile has launched a similar satellite-to-cell offering. Meanwhile, Vodafone has conducted satellite video call tests through its partnership with AST SpaceMobile last year.
For Starlink, the O2 agreement highlights how its network is increasingly being integrated into national telecom systems, enabling standard smartphones to connect directly to satellites without specialized hardware.