Tesla Giga Berlin is feeling some heat from German union IG Metall after it dismissed a union-affiliated works council member.
However, Tesla’s factory in Grüheide also recently announced permanent employment for hundreds of temporary workers. This employee shuffle occurred weeks after Elon Musk learned about worker absence issues at Tesla Giga Berlin.
Tesla vs IG Metall
On Monday, October 14, 2024, Tesla Giga Berlin let go of a works council member affiliated with the IG Metall union. The German union claims that Tesla is targeting council members affiliated with it.
“This dismissal is yet another attempt to intimidate IG Metall workers at the plant,” the union stated.
According to Reuters, IG Metall claims that Tesla Berlin’s plant management has threatened every IG Metall works council member with dismissal. Tesla Giga Berlin did not reply to queries from the news outlet.
Tesla Permanently Hires 500 Temp Workers
A few days before Tesla Giga Berlin dismissed the works council member connected to IG Metall, it permanently employed 500 temporary workers. Local news outlets saw the move as a positive sign for Giga Berlin.
The 500 temporary workers will have permanent jobs at Tesla Giga Berlin by November 1, 2024.
“The current decision is an expression of an optimistic assessment of the further development of e-car production in Grünheide,” said Tesla.
Interestingly enough, works council chairwoman Michaela Schmitz had asked Tesla Berlin management to further reduce temporary workers at the factory. Whether her request was granted in the way she intended is unknown. Tesla had two ways to grant Schmitz request: 1) let go of some temporary workers or 2) hire them permanently, reducing temp workers and increasing the amount of permanent employees. Tesla chose the win-win scenario.
According to Bild, Tesla Giga Berlin claims it has provided 1,000 temp workers with permanent employment, excluding the 500 temp employees that receive permanent status in November 2024. Tesla is estimated to have more than 500 temporary workers as of this writing.
Tesla Giga Berlin Absences
In late September 2024, news reached Elon Musk that Tesla Giga Berlin management was visiting workers’ homes who had called out sick. Tesla’s actions received backlash, including from IG Metall.
Giga Berlin’s Manufacturing Director André Thierig explained that Tesla management was making sure workers were not taking advantage of German labor protection laws. According to Thierig, Tesla had identified at least 200 staff members who had not shown up for work all year but were still being paid.
After hearing about the news, Elon Musk said he would look into the matter. Given that the recent updates about Tesla Giga Berlin have been about employment, Musk might already be addressing the absence issues at Giga Berlin.
If you have any tips, contact me at maria@teslarati.com or via X @Writer_0100110.

News
Tesla Superchargers open to Hyundai’s EVs in the U.S.
Hyundai and Genesis are the latest brands to gain access to Tesla’s charging network.

Tesla’s Superchargers are now officially open to Hyundai’s electric vehicles (EVs) across the U.S., adding to the wave of auto brands that can now charge on the once-exclusive network.
In a press release on Tuesday, Hyundai announced that owners of the Kona electric, Ioniq hatchback, Ioniq 5, Ioniq 5 N, and Ioniq 6, can charge at Tesla Superchargers in the U.S. using a CCS to NACS adapter, which the company is offering complimentary to owners. The news is set to give access to roughly 20,000 Superchargers in the U.S., as Tesla continues to roll out access to non-Tesla EV brands across the industry.
Hyundai says that those who purchased their EVs prior to January 31, 2025 will begin receiving emails on how to claim the free NACS adapters starting the week of April 7. The news also comes after Hyundai was the first automaker to debut a native NACS port with the Ioniq 5, beginning late last year.
🚨 Starting today, U.S. owners of the current Hyundai KONA Electric, IONIQ Electric hatchback, IONIQ 5, and IONIQ 6 models equipped with a CCS port gain access to 20,000 Tesla Superchargers in the United States using an NACS adapter. pic.twitter.com/3xLfwCIXsc
— TESLARATI (@Teslarati) March 25, 2025
READ MORE ON HYUNDAI: Hyundai dives into the robotaxi business with TX-based startup
“Starting today, more Hyundai EV customers will have access to 20,000 Tesla Superchargers across North America, doubling their fast-charging options,” says Olabisi Boyle, Hyundai North America’s SVP of product planning and mobility strategy. “This move improves the public charging experience by giving our customers even more choice. It’s a vital part of our commitment to ease America’s transition to electric vehicle ownership.”
Currently, the news only applies to Superchargers in the U.S., though one spokesperson from the automaker told Teslarati that more details are expected to come about the launch of access in Canada later this year.
Tesla now lists Hyundai, and its subsidiary Genesis, on its website as EV brands that are able to charge at its Superchargers, along with several others which have been added in the past several months such as Polestar, Volvo, Mercedes-Benz, Lucid, and Rivian, among others.
Hyundai also had record auto sales in the U.S. in 2024, with general retail sales up 4 percent and EV sales up 13 percent year over year.
Hyundai prepares for Trump’s tariffs with billion-dollar investment in the United States
Elon Musk
Tesla CEO Elon Musk’s simple message to vandals

Tesla CEO Elon Musk had a simple and straightforward message to the vandals who continue to damage cars, showrooms, and Superchargers that the company and its owners utilize during an All-Hands meeting last week.
For the first time, Tesla and Musk broadcasted on X an All-Hands meeting the company held with its employees.
It seemed to be a justified response to skeptics and investors who have said that Musk has spent more time worrying about the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) than Tesla.
During the meeting, Musk showed the company’s roadmap for the remainder of 2025 and into 2026 and aimed to resolve any sort of skepticism regarding his commitment. He told the employees to “hang onto their stock,” and commented on Tesla’s future impact:
“It’s very difficult like for people in the stock market, especially those that look in the rearview mirror — which is most people — to imagine a future where suddenly a 10 million vehicle fleet has five to ten times the usefulness. It’s so profound and there’s no comparison with anything in the past that it does not compute. But it will compute in the future.”
However, Musk did not stop there. He also had a message for those who have gone out of their way to key, damage, and sometimes even destroy Tesla vehicles and showrooms.
Several locations have been hit with gunfire, Molotov cocktails, and other things, while owners are reporting petty vandalism like keying and slashing tires more frequently now than ever.
Musk’s message to the vandals was simple:
“This is psycho. Stop being psycho!”
He continued:
“If you read the news, it feels like, you know, Armageddon. It’s like, I can’t walk past the TV without seeing a Tesla on fire. Like, what’s going on? Some people, it’s like, listen, I understand if you don’t wanna buy our product, but you don’t have to burn it down. That’s a bit unreasonable.”
Tesla’s biggest haters have continued to spew violence toward the company and owners of its cars, with some even putting on bumper stickers that read things like “I bought this before Elon went crazy!” to hopefully divert attackers.
🚨 We spotted this Tesla with “I bought this before Elon went crazy” and “Anti-Elon Social Club” bumper stickers on.
Gimme a break.
Do you think these are legitimate beliefs or an attempt at stopping people from vandalizing their cars? pic.twitter.com/hTDFVTvAvj
— TESLARATI (@Teslarati) March 24, 2025
The company also has the help of the federal government. The FBI has already established a task force to help investigate instances of vandalism and violence against Tesla. Additionally, President Trump has said attacks against the company are being considered as domestic terrorism.
News
Tesla China seems to have overtaken Q1 2024’s registrations with new Model Y ramp
During the week of March 17-23, Tesla China saw 17,400 new vehicle registrations.

The new Model Y’s ramp is resulting in a strong comeback for Tesla in China. This was highlighted by the momentum of Tesla’s new vehicle registrations in the country.
With the new Model Y now starting deliveries, Tesla China’s year-to-date registrations appear to have surpassed the company’s 2024 numbers in the same period.
Tesla China Registrations
During the week of March 17-23, Tesla China saw 17,400 new vehicle registrations, the highest this Q1 2025 so far. This represents a 13.7% increase from the previous week. With these results, industry watchers have noted that Tesla China’s insurance registrations are now up 28.2% year-over-year.
Tesla China’s new vehicle registrations have seen a notable rise this March as the company started deliveries of the new Model Y to domestic customers. In the week ending March 2, Tesla China saw 12,400 registrations. In the week ending March 9, the number rose to 13,800, and in the week ending March 16, registrations rose once more to 15,300 vehicles.
Overtaking Q1 2024
As per industry watchers, Tesla is estimated to have seen 116,200 new vehicle registrations in China as of the week ending March 23, 2025. In the same period in 2024, Tesla China was estimated to have seen 115,900 new vehicle registrations–and that’s with the new Model Y having just a few weeks’ worth of domestic deliveries.
Time for a Comeback
The new Model Y has been making quite a big impact on China’s domestic automotive market. Previous reports indicate that the revamped all-electric crossover completely dominated the premium all-electric SUV segment in China last week with 9,451 sales, far ahead of the 1,390 units that were sold by its closest competitor, the Zeekr 7X.
In the week ending March 23, 2025, estimates suggest that Tesla China saw 10,628 registrations for the new Model Y. Such numbers could result in the vehicle ranking very well in China’s premium all-electric SUV segment once more.
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