News
Tesla Giga Berlin prepares for Model Y factory buildout with first pile driver on site
Tesla’s property in Brandenburg, Germany, where its Giga Berlin production facility will eventually stand, has received its first pile driver on-site, hinting that a groundbreaking ceremony for the facility may be close.
Tesla officially completed ground leveling and excavation work in April. The land has been under intense preparation since the first few days of January 2020, and crews are officially working their way toward building the plant that will initially produce Model Y crossovers for the European market.
Footage of the pile driver on the Giga Berlin complex was uploaded by YouTube channel Giga Berlin, who also runs the @gigafactory_4 Twitter account. The drone footage that was shared with Tesla enthusiasts shows a single pile driver operating in the massive site.
The first pile driver at #GigaBerlin deserves a 360 drone view. Thats how it looks like:
HQ long duration video at YouTube:https://t.co/L3B8rTbt1v
The first piles were driven into the ground yesterday. Also visible in the long duration video. pic.twitter.com/eeEm5H4DqP
— Giga Berlin / Gigafactory 4 (@gigafactory_4) May 14, 2020
Pile drivers are used to provide foundational support for buildings or structures. When Tesla’s Giga Shanghai facility was under its initial phases of construction, several pile driver machines were seen within the confines of the property. The devices were recently present on Tesla’s China factory as well, with the ongoing buildout of Giga Shanghai’s Phase 2.
@Gigafactory_4 speculates that the single pile driver in the Gigafactory Berlin complex may be testing the ground quality or the effect that construction could have on the area’s groundwater. This allows Tesla to come up with the best strategy possible that would allow Giga Berlin to be completed as quickly and as safely as possible.
I think its for testing the ground and the impact on groundwater..
— Gigafactory Berlin News (@Gf4Tesla) May 14, 2020
While land preparation and construction has continued in Brandenburg, the pandemic has halted other developments that are associated with Tesla’s European project. Typically before a project of this magnitude begins, residents are allowed to voice their concerns or reservations about the presence of a company in their area. However, social distancing guidelines have prevented such a public meeting from taking place.
Eventually, officials made it clear that they would handle the issues that the pandemic had caused, and the public forum would be held at a later date. The member of the German government who has been one of the most supportive of Tesla’s project is Brandenburg Economic Minister Jörg Steinbach, who recently stated he would prolong exemptions for Tesla so the electric automaker’s construction phases could stay on schedule.
Tesla plans to begin producing its electric Model Y first at Giga Berlin, which will is speculated to begin in July 2021. The facility will employ around 12,000 people and will create an estimated 500,000 vehicles every year.
News
Tesla seeks approval to test FSD Supervised in new Swedish city
Tesla has applied to conduct local Full Self-Driving (Supervised) testing in the city of Jönköping, Sweden.
Tesla has applied to conduct local Full Self-Driving (Supervised) testing in the city of Jönköping, Sweden.
As per local outlet Jönköpings-Posten, Tesla has contacted the municipality with a request to begin FSD (Supervised) tests in the city. The company has already received approval to test its Full Self-Driving (Supervised) software in several Swedish municipalities, as well as on the national road network.
Sofia Bennerstål, Tesla’s Head of Public Policy for Northern Europe, confirmed that an application has been submitted for FSD’s potential tests in Jönköping.
“I can confirm that we have submitted an application, but I cannot say much more about it,” Bennerstål told the news outlet. She also stated that Tesla is “satisfied with the tests” in the region so far.
The planned tests in Jönköping would involve a limited number of Tesla-owned vehicles. Trained Tesla safety drivers would remain behind the wheel and be prepared to intervene if necessary.
Tesla previously began testing in Nacka municipality after receiving local approval. At the time, the company stated that cooperation between authorities, municipalities, and industry enables technological progress and helps integrate future transport systems into real-world traffic conditions, as noted in an Allt Om Elbil report.
If approved, Jönköping would become the latest Swedish municipality to allow local Full Self-Driving (Supervised) testing.
Tesla’s Swedish testing program is part of the company’s efforts to validate its supervised autonomous driving software in everyday traffic environments. Municipal approvals allow Tesla to gather data in urban settings that include roundabouts, complex intersections, and mixed traffic conditions.
Sweden has become an increasingly active testing ground for Tesla’s driver-assistance software in Europe, with regulatory coordination between local authorities and national agencies enabling structured pilot programs.
Elon Musk
Microsoft partners with Starlink to expand rural internet access worldwide
The update was shared ahead of Mobile World Congress.
Microsoft has announced a new collaboration with Starlink as part of its expanding digital access strategy, following the company’s claim that it has extended internet connectivity coverage to more than 299 million people worldwide.
The update was shared ahead of Mobile World Congress, where Microsoft detailed how it surpassed its original goal of bringing internet access to 250 million people by the end of 2025.
In a blog post, Microsoft confirmed that it is now working with Starlink to expand connectivity in rural and hard-to-reach regions.
“Through our collaboration with Starlink, Microsoft is combining low-Earth orbit satellite connectivity with community-based deployment models and local ecosystem partnerships,” the company wrote.
The partnership is designed to complement Microsoft’s existing work with local internet providers and infrastructure companies across Africa, Latin America, and India, among other areas. Microsoft noted that traditional infrastructure alone cannot meet demand in some regions, making low-Earth orbit satellite connectivity an important addition.
Kenya was cited as an early example. Working with Starlink and local provider Mawingu Networks, Microsoft is supporting connectivity for 450 community hubs in rural and underserved areas. These hubs include farmer cooperatives, aggregation centers, and digital access facilities intended to support agricultural productivity and AI-enabled services.
Microsoft stated that 2.2 billion people globally remain offline, and that connectivity gaps risk widening as AI adoption accelerates.
Starlink’s expanding constellation, now numbering more than 9,700 satellites in orbit, provides near-global coverage, making it one of the few systems capable of delivering broadband to remote regions without relying on terrestrial infrastructure.
Starlink is expected to grow even more in the coming years as well, especially as SpaceX transitions its fleet to Starship, which is capable of carrying significantly larger payloads compared to its current workhorse, the Falcon 9.
Elon Musk
Tesla expands US LFP battery supply with LG Energy Solution deal: report
The report was initially published by TheElec, citing industry sources.
LG Energy Solution (LGES) will manufacture lithium iron phosphate (LFP) energy storage system (ESS) batteries for Tesla at its Lansing, Michigan facility.
The report was initially published by TheElec, citing industry sources.
LG Energy Solution’s Lansing plant, formerly known as Ultium Cells 3, was previously operated as a joint venture with General Motors. LGES acquired GM’s stake in May 2025 and now fully owns the site. With a production capacity of 50 GWh per year, it is one of the company’s largest facilities in North America.
LG Energy Solution is converting part of the Lansing factory to produce LFP batteries for energy storage systems. Equipment orders for the new lines have already been placed, and mass production is reportedly expected to begin in the second half of next year.
Last July, LG Energy Solution disclosed a 5.94 trillion won battery supply agreement running from August 2027 to July 2030. While the company did not name the customer, industry sources pointed to Tesla as the buyer.
Tesla has primarily used CATL’s prismatic batteries for its Megapack systems. The move to source prismatic LFP cells from LG Energy Solution’s U.S. plant could then be seen as part of Tesla’s efforts to bolster its North American supply base for its energy storage business.
For the Lansing conversion, LG Energy Solution reportedly plans to use electrode equipment originally ordered under its Ultium Cells venture with General Motors. Suppliers reportedly include CIS and Hirano Tecseed for electrode systems, TSI for mixing equipment, CK Solution for heat exhaust systems, A-Pro for formation equipment, and Shinjin Mtech for assembly kits.
Tesla currently manufactures energy storage products at facilities in California and Shanghai, though another Megafactory that produces the Megapack is also expected to be built in Texas. As per recent reports, the Texas Megafactory recently advanced with a major property sale.