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Tesla Gigafactory 3 in China to finish initial construction in summer after groundbreaking event

(Photo: 烏瓦/YouTube)

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Elon Musk has arrived in China for the groundbreaking ceremony of Gigafactory 3. Set to be built in Shanghai’s Lingang Industrial Zone, the upcoming facility is expected to produce both batteries and electric cars for the Chinese market. Vehicles that would be produced in Gigafactory 3 include the Model 3 sedan and the Model Y SUV.

Clues about Tesla’s Gigafactory 3 groundbreaking event emerged this weekend, ironically after Tesla’s critics shared information about the route of Elon Musk’s private airplane. By late Sunday (early Monday morning in China), invitations for the event emerged online. Tesla owner-enthusiast @vincent13031925, for one, shared an image of an invitation for the Gigafactory 3 groundbreaking event, forwarded by a Shanghai Tesla Owner’s Group member.

As could be seen in the event’s invitation, guests for the Gigafactory 3 groundbreaking event can check-in as early as 14:30 local time. The event itself is expected to begin around 15:00-15:30 local time.

An invitation for Gigafactory 3. (Photo: vincent13031925/Twitter)

On late Sunday US time, Elon Musk confirmed his presence in China, stating that he was looking forward to the Gigafactory 3 groundbreaking ceremony. Musk also provided some details on the project’s timeline, stating that Tesla is aiming to complete the facility’s initial construction this summer, followed by Model 3 production beginning at the end of the year. High-volume Model 3 production in Gigafactory 3 is expected to start sometime next year. In a follow-up tweet, Musk added that the Model 3 and Model Y produced in the facility would serve the greater China region.  

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Prior to Elon Musk’s arrival, Gigafactory 3’s site, an 864,885-square meter plot of land in Shanghai’s Lingang Industrial Zone, has already been seeing a lot of activity. Last month, for example, a perimeter fence around the massive site was completed, paving the way for more work to be done. Shanghai Mayor Ying Yong and Vice Mayor Wu Qing also met with Tesla and its construction partners to encourage them to expedite the buildout of the battery and electric car factory.

Earlier this month, documents were shared online pointing to Tesla acquiring a construction permit to start building facilities for Gigafactory 3. Granted by the Shanghai Municipal Government, the permit is good for two stages of construction and effective for 180 days, beginning on December 29, 2018. The contractor listed for the project was China Construction Third Engineering Bureau Co., Ltd., a subsidiary of China Construction, a government-owned construction firm.

Interest in Gigafactory 3 appears to be high among China’s upstart workers. During a job fair that Tesla held for the facility at the Lingang Industrial Zone, the company ended up overwhelmed with applications that it was forced to extend its hiring hours. Some applicants interviewed by local media even revealed that they were from faraway cities, and they traveled hours just to get an opportunity to apply for one of the open positions for the upcoming facility.

Stay tuned for more updates as we follow this developing story.

Update on 1:55 p.m., Monday local time (8:55 p.m. Sunday PST). Elon Musk appears to have arrived at Gigafactory 3’s location.

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Simon is an experienced automotive reporter with a passion for electric cars and clean energy. Fascinated by the world envisioned by Elon Musk, he hopes to make it to Mars (at least as a tourist) someday. For stories or tips--or even to just say a simple hello--send a message to his email, simon@teslarati.com or his handle on X, @ResidentSponge.

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Here’s where Waymo is launching autonomous robotaxis next

Waymo has its sights set on three new U.S. cities in the months to come.

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Credit: Waymo

Google parent company Waymo has announced plans to bring its self-driving robotaxis to yet another U.S. city, adding to the list of those it plans to deploy the service to in the next several months.

On Tuesday, Waymo announced in a press release that it will be bringing its autonomous ride-hailing vehicles to Washington D.C. in 2026, after it recently announced plans to start deploying the services in Atlanta, Georgia, and Miami, Florida, sometime in 2025. The D.C. services will utilize the Waymo One app, unlike some of the cities which will roll out through a partnership agreement.

“Waymo One is making fully autonomous driving a reality for millions of people across the U.S.” said Tekedra Mawakana, Waymo Co-CEO. “We’re excited to bring the comfort, consistency, and safety of Waymo One to Washingtonians, those who work and play in the city every day, and the millions of people from around the world who travel to the District every year.”

The company says it plans to continue working closely with legislators on regulations needed to operate driverless vehicles in D.C. Additionally, Waymo says it’s currently operating over 200,000 fully autonomous, paid driverless ride-hails per week, as Tesla and others aim to enter the commercial robotaxi space in the coming months.

READ MORE ON WAYMO: Ex-Waymo CEO dismisses Tesla, Cybercab: ‘They’re a car company with a driver-assist system’

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“I’ve experienced firsthand how safely the Waymo Driver operates around pedestrians, cyclists, and other vulnerable road users,” writes Jonathan Adkins, the CEO of the Governors Highway Safety Association. “Waymo has worked with GHSA and our first responder network as they’ve expanded their service, always putting safety first. As someone who walks to work almost every day, I’m excited to share the road with Waymo in Washington, D.C.”

Waymo also recently launched its robotaxi services will deploy in a partnership with Uber in Austin, Texas, where Tesla also has a so-called Gigafactory and plans to roll out its own robotaxi services later this year. The company currently operates paid driverless ride-hailing or early testing in the following cities, primarily in the U.S.:

The news also comes as Tesla aims to roll out its first unsupervised drives with its in-house Full Self-Driving (FSD) software this summer, along with rolling out initial robotaxi ride-hailing services. While the company doesn’t currently operate any paid ride-hailing like Waymo One, the company’s vehicles can generate real-time training data from drivers with FSD Supervised engaged.

Waymo study analyzes collisions with vulnerable road users

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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.

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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.

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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.

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Tesla CEO Elon Musk’s simple message to vandals

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Justin Pacheco, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

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.”

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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:

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“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.

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.

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