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Tesla Giga Berlin expansion faces roadblocks, but officials determined to find solutions
Tesla’s planned expansion of its German production facility Giga Berlin faces roadblocks as the automaker will need more water and electricity for operation, which may be in short supply. However, officials are determined to find solutions to the problems.
Brandenburg Prime Minister Dietmar Woidke assured Tesla and its CEO Elon Musk that the unresolved supply issues will be solved, and the local government is committed to finding a fix.
Tesla has been such an overwhelming contributor to the economy in Brandenburg that officials are willing to do whatever it takes to assure the automaker that any issues will be met with solutions.
The company has 10,000 employees and 140 trainees, Woidke said, adding that “Tesla has become Brandenburg’s largest industrial employer in less than a year.”
Woidke said, “We are looking forward to the expansion with great anticipation,” according to a letter seen by German media outlet Moz.de, knowing that power and water are still potential issues for the planned expansion of the plant.
However, Woidke is not willing to take anything but solutions as an answer and assured Tesla that the government will remain “unchanged and as reliable as in the past” and that it would come up with solutions to support the automaker’s expansion before the Summer.
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Tesla faces criminal charges in Germany related to piles driven at Giga Berlin
Woidke’s comments follow Economic Minister Jörg Steinbach’s meeting with Tesla brass in Texas. The two sides met earlier in March. Steinbach didn’t respond to Teslarati’s request for comment on the meeting, but it appears it was to assure the company that Brandenburg is committed to the company and the expansion of Giga Berlin.
“It was important to give Tesla the reassurance of the ongoing support of the Brandenburg government for the potential expansion,” Steinbach said in a Tweet.
Visiting our friends at Austin Gigafactory. It was important to give @Tesla the reassurance of the ongoing support of the Brandenburg government for the potential extension of #giga4 at Grünheide. Thx for the hospitality. @elonmusk @MarleneMehnert @rohanspatel pic.twitter.com/7BdS5kqJDU
— Jörg Steinbach (@joergstb) March 7, 2023
The Risks: Water and Electricity
Water and electricity are the main barriers to the expansion, with water being the largest concern. Tesla, while consuming far less than the industry average, still regularly deals with pushback from local citizens and the Strausberg-Erkner water association (WSE).
The major concerns are what the factory’s water usage could potentially do to the supply for the entire region.
Tesla’s usage, which has undercut other comparable companies in Brandenburg, has caused the State Environment Agency to lift the requirement that the WSE must be involved in groundwater-related issues, a report from rbb24 said.
Political groups have also called for Tesla’s operation to be restricted and do not feel as if the company should be given preferential treatment, criticizing Woidke and Steinbach for the support they’ve given the company.
Tesla Giga Berlin Expansion
Tesla has already started preparing the land it plans to build on for an expansion of the factory. At least 170 acres will be cleared to make way for new buildings that would support annual production of between 500,000 and 1 million vehicles per year.
The increased production would likely help Tesla alleviate reliance on imports from Gigafactory Shanghai, which has sent vehicles to Europe to support demand.
Giga Berlin has not struggled with production, however, and recently reached a run rate of 4,000 vehicles per week, a goal that was hit well ahead of schedule.
Tesla still must wait for a vote from government officials to approve the expansion plans. It was scheduled for December but delayed with no new date set.
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SpaceX has achieved an incredible milestone by launching its 11,000th Starlink satellite into orbit.
This accomplishment occurred during the Starlink Group 17-50 mission, which lifted off on August 19 at 04:01 UTC from Space Launch Complex 4 East at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California.
Falcon 9 launches 24 @Starlink satellites from California pic.twitter.com/UscpmAxDls
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) August 19, 2026
A Falcon 9 rocket carried 24 Starlink V2 Mini satellites on this flight, successfully deploying them into low Earth orbit approximately one hour after liftoff. The first stage booster, identified as B1097 on its twelfth flight, landed successfully on the droneship Of Course I Still Love You in the Pacific Ocean.
According to tracking data compiled around that date, this deployment brought the total number of Starlink satellites in orbit to just over 11,000.
The Starlink program began with test satellites known as Tintin A and B, launched on February 22, 2018. The first operational batch of 60 Starlink satellites followed on May 24, 2019, when a Falcon 9 rocket lifted off from Cape Canaveral. Those initial satellites marked the start of a rapid expansion that has continued for more than seven years.
SpaceX has conducted hundreds of dedicated Starlink missions since then, routinely launching batches of 20 to 30 satellites at a time using reusable Falcon 9 rockets. By mid-2026, the company had already surpassed 12,000 total satellites launched across all versions, with continuous replacements for units that deorbit as designed to manage space debris.
Looking ahead, SpaceX continues to expand the Starlink constellation to enhance global broadband coverage, capacity, and speed. The network already serves millions of users across more than 160 countries and supports applications ranging from residential internet to maritime, aviation, and emergency services.
Future plans center on next-generation hardware, including larger V3 satellites capable of delivering substantially higher throughput, which require the increased payload capacity of the Starship vehicle currently under development and testing.
In July, SpaceX submitted an application to the Federal Communications Commission seeking authority for a Gen3 constellation of up to 100,000 satellites. These spacecraft would operate in very low Earth orbit shells at altitudes near 325 kilometers and 475 kilometers. The filing requests use of existing Ku, Ka, V, and E band spectrum along with new greenfield W and D band frequencies between 92 and 275 GHz.
SpaceX states that the expanded system aims to deliver multi-gigabit symmetrical broadband to consumers, enterprises, governments, and billions of AI-powered devices worldwide while handling a majority of global internet traffic. Approval and subsequent deployment would depend on regulatory review and the operational readiness of Starship for high-volume launches.
This ambitious scale reflects SpaceX’s ongoing commitment to providing ubiquitous high-speed connectivity from space.
Tesla has opened a new sweepstakes to allow the public to be among the first to take an initial ride in a Cybercab. This all-electric, steering-wheel-less, pedal-less vehicle is the centerpiece of the company’s autonomous ride-hailing platform, Robotaxi.
There are two ways Tesla fans can get to Austin to take part in the first public rides of the Cybercab: by riding on the Robotaxi platform by August 23, or by mailing a very specific entry to their Headquarters at Gigafactory Texas.
Tesla announced the latter portion of the sweepstakes last night:
🚨 Want to win a trip to Austin to ride in one of the first Cybercab rides ever?
Here’s how:
Tesla has opened up a new sweepstakes to ride in a Cybercab upon its public launch. Here’s the details.
There are two methods of entry into the sweepstakes, and they are as follows:… pic.twitter.com/iJRd4evuWo
— TESLARATI (@Teslarati) August 19, 2026
Tesla will give one entry into the sweepstakes if you mail a 3″ by 5″ piece of paper with your full name, mailing address, telephone number, email address, and date of birth to their address:
Tesla, Robotaxi Sweeps Event
1 Tesla Road,
Austin, TX 78725
There is a limit of one entry per stamped envelope. You can send as many as you’d like, but they must be in separate envelopes.
The company’s unique strategy to give people the opportunity to ride in a Cybercab before pretty much anyone else outside of the company is a hilarious but spot-on representation of how Tesla operates. In classic fashion, they had the perfect response to the event:
— Tesla (@Tesla) August 19, 2026
Cybercab will launch later this month, it appears, especially as it plans to announce the winners of the sweepstakes on August 25. The car has already been operating internally, as employees have been able to utilize the Cybercab for rides in some capacity, something it announced earlier this month.
Tesla weirdly confirms Cybercab employee rides, a huge milestone
Moving forward, the big goal is to get Cybercab out on the roads and integrated into the public Robotaxi fleet, one that will pick up real-world ride-hailers and give them a ride from Point A to Point B.
No matter which way you cut it, it appears Tesla is close to putting a vehicle with no steering wheel and no pedals on the road to help people travel autonomously.
You can ride along with us in our first Cybercab ride from the We, Robot event in October 2024. The video is embedded below:
🎥: Our FULL first ride in the @Tesla Cybercab pic.twitter.com/6gR7OgKRCz
— TESLARATI (@Teslarati) October 11, 2024
Tesla has revealed plans through permit submissions for a massive Robotaxi charging hub in Austin, Texas.
Tesla plans to build the Supercharger hub in multiple phases, with the second phase potentially introducing wireless induction charging, something the company has been developing for the Robotaxi fleet.
Initially, 48 Tesla Robotaxi-geared Superchargers will be built on a lot just across from the St. Elmo, Texas, Service Center. There are about 80 additional spots that will not be impacted by phase 1 of the construction process.
Filings show that the second phase of the project will turn those 80 additional spots into wireless charging for Robotaxi, but it might be an error. The Key Notes state that item 3 is listed as “V4 Charging Cabinet to Support 80 Wireless Chargers in Phase 2. However, the drawings point to V3 Cabinets that are already tied to Superchargers:
There are roughly 128 total spots in the lot, but it is unclear if they will all be used for charging based on what appears to be some sort of typo in the blueprint.
A new Robotaxi fleet charging hub is coming soon to Austin, Texas!!
Permits have been filed for the installation of 48 (V3) stalls in a vehicle storage lot across the road from Tesla’s St Elmo service center. pic.twitter.com/xwRgSWDqht
— MarcoRP (@MarcoRPi1) August 18, 2026
This is among the first Robotaxi charging hubs Tesla has started to develop, as it currently has four others planned throughout various areas: one in Phoenix, one in San Antonio, another in Irving, which will serve the Dallas-Fort Worth area, and another in Las Vegas.
These projects are necessary as Tesla expands its Robotaxi program. Now that preparations have started for the public launch of Cybercab, Robotaxi will likely be expanding aggressively, especially over the next two to three years.
Last night, The Information reported that Tesla was planning to launch Cybercab as soon as the end of August. Hours later, Tesla then announced it was launching a competition for fans to potentially ride in Cybercab during its first public rides.
Tesla’s plan to expand its charging infrastructure in the regions where Robotaxi will initially operate is great preparation for the expanding service. There is still a lot to do, including launching the Cybercab on time.
SpaceX achieves incredible milestone with Starlink program
Tesla is opening Cybercab rides to a select few
