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Tesla Giga Berlin installs reptile fences to protect endangered sand lizards

Giga Berlin Reptile Fence (Source: Tobias Lindh | Twitter)

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Tesla installed reptile fences in the Grunheide industrial property to protect lizards from migration to the Giga Berlin construction site.

As of Thursday, a double fence has been erected on the south side of the Tesla forest to protect reptiles and other animals that might cross from the nearby woods. Aside from protecting the lizards from being accidentally harmed at the construction site, sand lizards are also protected by European and construction sites must hire experts to catch each animal by snaring them and then resettling them to another location. The relocation of each sand lizard may cost up to 4,000 euros or roughly $4,500. Railway officials in Germany recently spent 15 million euros to relocate sand lizards from a transport hub in Stuttgart.

Tesla enthusiast Tobias Lindh shared on Twitter images of the completed barrier.

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GF4Tesla who has also been closely following the developments at the site of Tesla’s first Gigafactory in Europe, also shared on Twitter recent images taken at the site that show the enclosure that separates the build site from another portion of the forest.

Earlier this week, the State Environment Agency in Brandenburg gave Tesla the green light to continue with the preparation works at the Giga Berlin construction site while the complete environmental permits are still pending. The approval means Tesla can now remove the topsoil and level the 92 hectares that have been cleared for the first phase of its construction.

The construction of the reptile fences is consistent with the environmental protection plan presented by Tesla to the Brandenburg government, concerned environmental groups, and local residents. During the construction of Giga Berlin, Tesla will resettle reptiles and other animals found in the site following the recommendations of experts in the country.

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In addition to the protective fences to keep reptiles away, Tesla have also clearly marked areas where wood ant nests are located.  The wood ants are also tagged as endangered species. The ant colonies should be first resettled before leveling those specific portions of the cleared Giga Berlin property.

Trees with bats were also not uprooted to allow the animals to complete their winter hibernation. Experts assured concerned citizens that the engine noise, loud trucks, and noise created by chainsaws in the construction site will not be harmful to the bats. The endangered bats in the Grunheide forest started their hibernation in February and will likely last until the end of March as their mating season begins.

“You don’t have to worry about the animals. Bats are slowly waking up and leaving their winter accommodations,” said Peter Busse from the Working Group on Bats in Saxony-Anhalt who has been volunteering for the protection of animals for 40 years.

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In January, Tesla CEO Elon Musk assured the public that Tesla will be built with sustainability and the environment in mind.

 

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A curious soul who keeps wondering how Elon Musk, Tesla, electric cars, and clean energy technologies will shape the future, or do we really need to escape to Mars.

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Tesla CEO Elon Musk announces major update with texting and driving on FSD

“Depending on context of surrounding traffic, yes,” Musk said in regards to FSD v14.2.1 allowing texting and driving.

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Credit: carwow/YouTube

Tesla CEO Elon Musk has announced a major update with texting and driving capabilities on Full Self-Driving v14.2.1, the company’s latest version of the FSD suite.

Tesla Full Self-Driving, even in its most mature and capable versions, is still a Level 2 autonomous driving suite, meaning it requires attention from the vehicle operator.

You cannot sleep, and you should not take attention away from driving; ultimately, you are still solely responsible for what happens with the car.

The vehicles utilize a cabin-facing camera to enable attention monitoring, and if you take your eyes off the road for too long, you will be admonished and advised to pay attention. After five strikes, FSD and Autopilot will be disabled.

However, Musk announced at the Annual Shareholder Meeting in early November that the company would look at the statistics, but it aimed to allow people to text and drive “within the next month or two.”

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He said:

“I am confident that, within the next month or two, we’re gonna look at the safety statistics, but we will allow you to text and drive.”

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Today, Musk confirmed that the current version of Full Self-Driving, which is FSD v14.2.1, does allow for texting and driving “depending on context of surrounding traffic.”

There are some legitimate questions with this capability, especially as laws in all 50 U.S. states specifically prohibit texting and driving. It will be interesting to see the legality of it, because if a police officer sees you texting, they won’t know that you’re on Full Self-Driving, and you’ll likely be pulled over.

Some states prohibit drivers from even holding a phone when the car is in motion.

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It is certainly a move toward unsupervised Full Self-Driving operation, but it is worth noting that Musk’s words state it will only allow the vehicle operator to do it depending on the context of surrounding traffic.

He did not outline any specific conditions that FSD would allow a driver to text and drive.

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Tesla Semi just got a huge vote of confidence from 300-truck fleet

The confidential meeting marks a major step for the mid-sized carrier in evaluating the electric truck for its regional routes.

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Credit: Tesla

The Tesla Semi is moving closer to broader fleet adoption, with Keller Logistics Group wrapping up a key pre-production planning session with the electric vehicle maker’s team this week. 

The confidential meeting marks a major step for the mid-sized carrier in evaluating the electric truck for its regional routes.

Keller’s pre-production Tesla Semi sessions

Keller Logistics Group, a family-owned carrier with over 300 tractors and 1,000 trailers operating in the Midwest and Southeast, completed the session to assess the Tesla Semi’s fit for its operations. The company’s routes typically span 500-600 miles per day, positioning it as an ideal tester for the Semi’s day cab configuration in standard logistics scenarios. 

Details remain under mutual NDA, but the meeting reportedly focused on matching the truck to yard, shuttle and regional applications while scrutinizing economics like infrastructure, maintenance and incentives.

What Keller’s executives are saying

CEO Bryan Keller described the approach as methodical. “For us, staying ahead isn’t a headline, it’s a habit. From electrification and yard automation to digital visibility and warehouse technology, our teams are continually pressure-testing what’s next. The Tesla Semi discussion is one more way we evaluate new tools against our standards for safety, uptime, and customer ROI. We don’t chase trends, we pressure-test what works,” Keller said. 

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Benjamin Pierce, Chief Strategy Officer, echoed these sentiments. “Electrification and next-generation powertrains are part of a much broader transformation. Whether it’s proprietary yard systems like YardLink™, solar and renewable logistics solutions, or real-time vehicle intelligence, Keller’s approach stays the same, test it, prove it, and deploy it only when it strengthens service and total cost for our customers,” Pierce said. 

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Tesla extends FSD Supervised ride-alongs in Europe by three months

Needless to say, it does appear that FSD fever is starting to catch in Europe. 

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Credit: Grok Imagine

Tesla appears to be doubling down on its European Full Self-Driving (Supervised) push, with the company extending its demo ride-along program by three months until the end of March 2026. The update seems to have been implemented due to overwhelming demand. 

Needless to say, it does appear that FSD fever is starting to catch in Europe. 

Extended FSD demonstrations

Tesla EU Policy and Business Development Manager Ivan Komušanac shared on LinkedIn that the company is offering ride-along experiences in Germany, France and Italy while working toward FSD (Supervised) approval in Europe.

He noted that this provides a great feedback opportunity from the general public, encouraging participants to record and share their experiences. For those unable to book in December, Komušanac teased more slots as “Christmas presents.”

Tesla watcher Sawyer Merritt highlighted the extension on X, stating that dates now run from December 1, 2025, to March 31, 2026, in multiple cities including Stuttgart-Weinstadt, Frankfurt and Düsseldorf in Germany. This suggests that the FSD ride-along program in Europe has officially been extended until the end of the first quarter of 2026. 

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Building momentum for European approval

Replies to Merritt’s posts buzzed with excitement, with users like @AuzyMale noting that Cologne and Düsseldorf are already fully booked. This sentiment was echoed by numerous other Tesla enthusiasts on social media. Calls for the program’s expansion to other European territories have also started gaining steam, with some X users suggesting Switzerland and Finland as the next locations for FSD ride-alongs.

Ultimately, the Tesla EU Policy and Business Development Manager’s post aligns with the company’s broader FSD efforts in Europe. As per recent reports, Tesla recently demonstrated FSD’s capabilities for Rome officials. Reporters from media outlets in France and Germany have also published positive reviews of FSD’s capabilities on real-world roads. 

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