Connect with us

News

Tesla gains formidable, state-owned ally for Gigafactory 3 construction

(Credit: Chao Zhao/Twitter)

Published

on

Tesla recently gained a formidable ally that will help the company meet its ambitious timelines for Gigafactory 3’s construction, with the state-owned Shanghai Construction Group (SCG) announcing that it will be fully cooperating with Tesla to ensure that the upcoming car factory gets built as quickly as possible.

Speaking to local news media, Xu Jiandong, a vice-president at SCG, stated that the government-owned firm will be building the first phase of Gigafactory 3. The update was a follow-up to reports back in December, which indicated that the SCG was one of the construction companies bidding on the high-profile project. News of Xu’s confirmation came from the Shanghai Observer, which is operated by the Jiefang Daily newspaper, which is, in turn, run by China’s ruling Communist Party’s Shanghai committee.

The involvement of a government-owned construction firm in Gigafactory 3’s buildout is all but an assurance that China’s workforce will be able to meet the ambitious timelines set by Tesla CEO Elon Musk, who estimated that the facility could be finished this summer and that initial production of the Model 3 can begin by the end of the year. With the Shanghai Construction Group officially in the picture, Elon Musk’s arguably optimistic estimates will most likely be more than feasible.

Chen Mingbo, deputy to the National People’s Congress, even noted recently that Gigafactory 3’s vehicle assembly shop could be completed as early as this coming May. The official also estimated that electric car assembly lines for the facility are on track to be fully set up by the end of 2019. “I can tell you that Tesla GF3 construction has been going smoothly. It is expected that assembly shop will be completed in May this year, & some production lines will be officially put into operation at the end of 2019,” he said.

Recent drone flyovers and footage taken of the Gigafatory 3 site reveal that China’s workforce has been fully mobilized for the buildout of the upcoming facility. Numerous heavy equipment and large numbers of workers have also been deployed on the site, pointing to a flurry of continuous activity as the construction of Gigacatory 3 moves forward.

Advertisement
-->

Following are recent footage of Gigafactory 3’s site.

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.

Advertisement
Comments

Elon Musk

Starlink achieves major milestones in 2025 progress report

Starlink wrapped up 2025 with impressive growth, adding more than 4.6 million new active customers and expanding service to 35 additional countries, territories, and markets.

Published

on

Credit: Starlink/X

Starlink wrapped up 2025 with impressive growth, adding more than 4.6 million new active customers and expanding service to 35 additional countries, territories, and markets. The company also completed deployment of its first-generation Direct to Cell constellation, launching over 650 satellites in just 18 months to enable cellular connectivity.

SpaceX highlighted Starlink’s impressive 2025 progress in an extensive report.

Key achievements from Starlink’s 2025 Progress

Starlink connected over 4.6 million new customers with high-speed internet while bringing service to 35 more regions worldwide in 2025. Starlink is now connecting 9.2 million people worldwide. The service achieved this just weeks after hitting its 8 million customer milestone.

Starlink is now available in 155 markets, including areas that are unreachable by traditional ISPs. As per SpaceX, Starlink has also provided over 21 million airline passengers and 20 million cruise passengers with reliable high-speed internet connectivity during their travels.

Starlink Direct to Cell

Starlink’s Direct to Cell constellation, more than 650 satellites strong, has already connected over 12 million people at least once, marking a breakthrough in global mobile coverage.
Starlink Direct to Cell is currently rolled out to 22 countries and 6 continents, with over 6 million monthly customers. Starlink Direct to Cell also has 27 MNO partners to date.

Advertisement
-->

This year, SpaceX completed deployment of the first generation of the Starlink Direct to Cell constellation, with more than 650 satellites launched to low-Earth orbit in just 18 months. Starlink Direct to Cell has connected more than 12 million people, and counting, at least once, providing life-saving connectivity when people need it most,” SpaceX wrote.

starlinkProgressReport_2025 by Simon Alvarez

Continue Reading

News

Tesla Giga Nevada celebrates production of 6 millionth drive unit

To celebrate the milestone, the Giga Nevada team gathered for a celebratory group photo. 

Published

on

Tesla’s Giga Nevada has reached an impressive milestone, producing its 6 millionth drive unit as 2925 came to a close.

To celebrate the milestone, the Giga Nevada team gathered for a celebratory group photo. 

6 million drive units

The achievement was shared by the official Tesla Manufacturing account on social media platform X. “Congratulations to the Giga Nevada team for producing their 6 millionth Drive Unit!” Tesla wrote. 

The photo showed numerous factory workers assembled on the production floor, proudly holding golden balloons that spelled out “6000000″ in front of drive unit assembly stations. Elon Musk gave credit to the Giga Nevada team, writing, “Congrats on 6M drive units!” in a post on X.

Giga Nevada’s essential role

Giga Nevada produces drive units, battery packs, and energy products. The facility has been a cornerstone of Tesla’s scaling since opening, and it was the crucial facility that ultimately enabled Tesla to ramp the Model 3 and Model Y. Even today, it serves as Tesla’s core hub for battery and drivetrain components for vehicles that are produced in the United States.

Advertisement
-->

Giga Nevada is expected to support Tesla’s ambitious 2026 targets, including the launch of vehicles like the Tesla Semi and the Cybercab. Tesla will have a very busy 2026, and based on Giga Nevada’s activities so far, it appears that the facility will be equally busy as well.

Continue Reading

News

Tesla Supercharger network delivers record 6.7 TWh in 2025

The network now exceeds 75,000 stalls globally, and it supports even non-Tesla vehicles across several key markets.

Published

on

tesla-diner-supercharger
Credit: Tesla

Tesla’s Supercharger Network had its biggest year ever in 2025, delivering a record 6.7 TWh of electricity to vehicles worldwide. 

To celebrate its busy year, the official @TeslaCharging account shared an infographic showing the Supercharger Network’s growth from near-zero in 2012 to this year’s impressive milestone.

Record 6.7 TWh delivered in 2025

The bar chart shows steady Supercharger energy delivery increases since 2012. Based on the graphic, the Supercharger Network started small in the mid-2010s and accelerated sharply after 2019, when the Model 3 was going mainstream. 

Each year from 2020 onward showed significantly more energy delivery, with 2025’s four quarters combining for the highest total yet at 6.7 TWh.

This energy powered millions of charging sessions across Tesla’s growing fleet of vehicles worldwide. The network now exceeds 75,000 stalls globally, and it supports even non-Tesla vehicles across several key markets. This makes the Supercharger Network loved not just by Tesla owners but EV drivers as a whole.

Advertisement
-->

Resilience after Supercharger team changes

2025’s record energy delivery comes despite earlier 2024 layoffs on the Supercharger team, which sparked concerns about the system’s expansion pace. Max de Zegher, Tesla Director of Charging North America, also highlighted that “Outside China, Superchargers delivered more energy than all other fast chargers combined.”

Longtime Tesla owner and FSD tester Whole Mars Catalog noted the achievement as proof of continued momentum post-layoffs. At the time of the Supercharger team’s layoffs in 2024, numerous critics were claiming that Elon Musk was halting the network’s expansion altogether, and that the team only remained because the adults in the room convinced the juvenile CEO to relent.

Such a scenario, at least based on the graphic posted by the Tesla Charging team on X, seems highly implausible. 

Continue Reading