News
Tesla Giga Berlin Update: Foundational Work and Fire Protection continues
Tesla’s Giga Berlin production facility made leaps late last week into the weekend as construction crews continued foundational work in the drive unit facility and installed fire protection infrastructure in the paint shop area. The property also received its second cement mixing plant as crews on site are preparing to install flooring for the facility soon.
Giga Berlin is sitting about a year away from its first production push of the Model Y. Now that the construction crews responsible for the project have been implementing foundational work for a few weeks at the drive unit portion of the facility, the structure of Giga Berlin could start taking shape soon.
A video from @Gf4Tesla on Twitter shows an ariel view of the Giga Berlin property.
July 17 / 2020
++weekend update++
Major construction progress on the GF4.
-Second cement mixing plant in place.
-New fire protection walls set in the paint shop. ( PT )
-Foundation work in the (DU) drive unit area continues.
👍👷♂️📈@elonmusk pic.twitter.com/GI6kG09tRr— Gigafactory Berlin News (@Gf4Tesla) July 17, 2020
Tesla has a knack for producing vehicles earlier than their timetable initially indicates. For example, the Model Y had an expected delivery date of Summer 2020. However, Tesla was able to begin delivering its all-electric crossover to reservation holders in mid-March, nearly 3 months ahead of schedule.
There is always a possibility of Tesla beginning deliveries of the Model Y in Europe ahead of schedule. If the company’s contracted construction crews can continue to expedite the process, European citizens could be receiving Model Y vehicles sooner than expected.
Additionally, fire protection walls at the paint facility are being constructed and will surround Tesla’s new, world-class shop at Giga Berlin. CEO Elon Musk announced that the German facility would be home to a new paint shop that would revolutionize the way automotive colors appear to the human eye.
In April, Musk revealed details about Giga Berlin’s new paint facility and what the company’s unique colors would be capable of. “Giga Berlin will have world’s most advanced paint shop, with more layers of stunning colors that subtly change with curvature,” Musk tweeted. He also indicated that both Fremont and Shanghai would eventually receive these updates, but retrofitting an operating paint facility is difficult while it is in use.
This past weekend, Musk indicated that the new paint facility would produce a new “Deep Crimson” color for vehicles built at the plant located in Grünheide. The addition of the new color would give owners six total paint options instead of five. Currently, Tesla offers Pearl White Multi-Coat, Solid Black, Midnight Silver Metallic, Deep Blue Metallic, and Red Multi-Coat are all available for additional charges.
Paint has always been a weak point of Tesla’s, and Musk has recognized that in the past. However, the CEO wants to improve the aesthetic appearance of the company’s vehicles, and it starts with quality colors and world-class paint.
Giga Berlin is expected to produce the Model Y starting in July 2021, and other models will be available after the facility gets its first few production runs under its belt.
News
Tesla back on top as Norway’s EV market surges to 98% share in February
Tesla became Norway’s top-selling brand with 1,210 registrations, representing a 16.6% share.
Tesla reclaimed the top spot in Norway’s auto market in February as electric vehicles captured more than 98% of all new car registrations.
The rebound follows a sharp January slump triggered by VAT rule changes, which prompted numerous car buyers to advance their purchases into late 2025.
As per data from the Norwegian Road Traffic Information Council (OFV), 7,127 new electric vehicles were registered in February, representing a 98.01% market share. Fossil-fuel vehicles and hybrids accounted for just 2% of total new registrations.
Total new car registrations reached 7,272 units in February, hinting at a rapid recovery after January sales fell nearly 75% year-over-year following VAT adjustments.
OFV Director Geir Inge Stokke noted that similar patterns were observed after previous VAT changes in 2022, with demand temporarily weakening before normalizing, as noted in an Allt Om Elbil report.
“We are now seeing signs that the market is returning to a more normal level of activity, which we also experienced after the VAT change in 2022. At that time, changes in demand led to a weak start to 2023. We have seen the same pattern this year,” he said.
Amidst this trend, the Tesla Model Y made a strong comeback in the domestic market. After an unusually weak January that saw the Tesla Model Y drop to seventh place, the model returned to the top of Norway’s sales chart in February.
The Model Y recorded 1,073 registrations, giving it a 14.8% market share for the month. Tesla also became Norway’s top-selling brand with 1,210 registrations, representing a 16.6% share. Toyota followed with 941 registrations, while Volkswagen, Volvo, and Skoda rounded out the top five brands.
The February data suggests that Tesla’s January dip was tied more to timing effects around VAT adjustments than to structural demand shifts. It would then be interesting to see how the rest of the year unfolds for Tesla, particularly as the company pushes for the release of its Full Self-Driving (Supervised) system to Europe this year.
News
Tesla arson suspect pleads guilty, faces up to 70 years in prison
The update was announced by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Nevada.
A Las Vegas man has pleaded guilty to federal arson charges tied to a March 2025 attack on a Tesla Collision Center in Nevada.
The update was announced by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Nevada.
According to court documents, on March 18, 2025, Paul Hyon Kim spray-painted the word “RESIST” on the front entrance of the Tesla Collision Center before damaging the facility and multiple vehicles.
Federal prosecutors stated that Kim used a PA-15 multi-caliber firearm equipped with a .300 BLACKOUT upper receiver and a 7.62mm silencer to shoot out surveillance cameras. He then fired multiple rounds into Tesla vehicles on the property.
Authorities stated that Kim later threw three Molotov cocktails into three separate Tesla vehicles. Two of the devices exploded and ignited the vehicles, while a third did not detonate. In total, five Tesla vehicles were damaged in the incident.
Kim pleaded guilty to two counts of arson of property used in interstate commerce, one count of attempted arson of property used in interstate commerce, and one count of unlawful possession of an unregistered firearm classified as a destructive device.
The mandatory minimum sentence for the charges is five years in federal prison, though the total maximum statutory penalty is 70 years, as per a release from the United States Attorney’s Office of the District of Nevada.
Sentencing is scheduled for May 27, 2026, before U.S. District Judge Jennifer A. Dorsey. A federal judge will determine the final sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The case was investigated by the FBI, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, with assistance from the Clark County Fire Department.
Elon Musk
SpaceX pursues 5G-level connectivity with Starlink Mobile V2 expansion
SpaceX noted that the upcoming Starlink V2 satellites will deliver up to 100 times the data density of the current first-generation system.
SpaceX has previewed a major upgrade to Starlink Mobile, outlining next-generation satellites that aim to deliver significantly higher capacity and full 5G-level connectivity directly to mobile phones.
The update comes as Starlink rebrands its Direct-to-Cell service to Starlink Mobile, positioning the platform as a scalable satellite-to-mobile solution that’s integrated with global telecom partners.
SpaceX noted that the upcoming Starlink V2 satellites will deliver up to 100 times the data density of the current first-generation system. The company also noted that the new V2 satellites are designed to provide significantly higher throughput capability compared to its current iteration.
“The next generation of Starlink Mobile satellites – V2 – will deliver full cellular coverage to places never thought possible via the highest performing satellite-to-mobile network ever built.
“Driven by custom SpaceX-designed silicon and phased array antennas, the satellites will support thousands of spatial beams and higher bandwidth capability, enabling around 20x the throughput capability as compared to a first-generation satellite,” SpaceX wrote in its official Starlink Mobile page.
Thanks to the higher bandwidth of Starlink Mobile, users should be able to stream, browse the internet, use high-speed apps, and enjoy voice services comparable to terrestrial cellular networks.
In most environments, Starlink says the upgraded system will enable full 5G cellular connectivity with a user experience similar to existing ground-based networks.
The satellites function as “cell towers in space,” using advanced phased-array antennas and laser interlinks to integrate with terrestrial infrastructure in a roaming-like architecture.
“Starlink Mobile works with existing LTE phones wherever you can see the sky. The satellites have an antenna that acts like a cellphone tower in space, the most advanced phased array antennas in the world that connect seamlessly over lasers to any point in the globe, allowing network integration similar to a standard roaming partner,” SpaceX wrote.
Starlink Mobile currently operates with approximately 650 satellites in low-Earth orbit and is active across more than 32 countries, representing over 1.7 billion people through partnerships with mobile network operators. Starlink Mobile’s current partnerships span North America, Europe, Asia, Africa, and Oceania, allowing reciprocal access across participating nations.