News
Tesla Gigafactory 4 complex to include on-site train station: report
Tesla Gigafactory 4 may have its own train station, based on recent reports from Germany.
German publication Bild recently shared what appeared to be the layout of Gigafactory 4, which will be built in Brandenburg, a town roughly an hour east of Berlin. The image depicted several parts of the upcoming facility, including its battery and drivetrain assembly, seat assembly, and final assembly area. It also showed a train station and a possible Autobahn exit.
Tesla has not confirmed if Bild‘s information about Gigafactory Berlin is accurate, but if it holds water, the upcoming facility may very well prove to be one of the company’s most efficient factories yet. A train station provides the company with easy transportation of cargo and materials, while access to the Autobahn will allow easy deliveries of vehicles. Workers from nearby cities would likely find it easier to get to the facility as well.
that's interesting, a new 🚉 train station.
and a new AUTOBAHN 🚗 north of the site..😳👍#Gigafactory4 #Gruenheide pic.twitter.com/ToCerOJg9K— Gigafactory Berlin News (@Gf4Tesla) December 11, 2019
-->Below is a quick translation of the labels on the factory layout above as shared by Twitter user @xDreamCoding.
1 battery and drivetrain assembly
2 seat assembly
3 final assembly
4 paintshop
5 central supplybuilding
6 high rack warehouse
7 wastewater treatment
8 body shell
9 plastic stamping and foundry
10 new trainstation
11 test track
12 delivery and collection
13 staff parking lot— Dr Eam Co Ding (@xDreamCoding) December 11, 2019
Recent job postings hint that the electric car manufacturer may plan to produce its own battery cells in the upcoming facility. According to the listing, Tesla is looking for a senior process engineering lead who will be able to help create “novel detailed designs for a wide range of systems from electrolyte to high purity water, involving unit operations such as pump and compressor systems, reverse osmosis, distillation, heat transfer fluid systems, etc.”
-->The plans to build the Gigafactory 4 were first revealed by Tesla CEO Elon Musk in November when he visited Germany to attend the Golden Steering Wheel Awards. Latest reports suggest that Tesla will build around 500,000 units annually in the 741-acre European facility with a focus on the Model Y crossover and the Model 3 sedan.
The purchase contract for the Gigafactory Berlin site is expected to be completed before the end of the year with a meeting of the Finance Committee set to be held as early as Dec. 17 or 18, according to Katrin Lange, Finance Minister of Brandenburg. Brandenburg Mayor Arne Christiani has also welcomed the developments, stating during an interview that Gigafactory 4 is “a unique opportunity for the region and for Brandenburg.”
The local government has also formed a special task force to ensure that the project proceeds smoothly and quickly.
Local newspapers reported that the electric vehicle maker will be pouring $4.41 billion into the factory that will also help boost the country’s economy. The new facility is expected to create 3,000 jobs initially, eventually ramping all the way to 8,000.
H/T to Mikel Muller
-->
News
Tesla Model 3 named New Zealand’s best passenger car of 2025
Tesla flipped the switch on Full Self-Driving (Supervised) in September, turning every Model 3 and Model Y into New Zealand’s most advanced production car overnight.
The refreshed Tesla Model 3 has won the DRIVEN Car Guide AA Insurance NZ Car of the Year 2025 award in the Passenger Car category, beating all traditional and electric rivals.
Judges praised the all-electric sedan’s driving dynamics, value-packed EV tech, and the game-changing addition of Full Self-Driving (Supervised) that went live in New Zealand this September.
Why the Model 3 clinched the crown
DRIVEN admitted they were late to the “Highland” party because the updated sedan arrived in New Zealand as a 2024 model, just before the new Model Y stole the headlines. Yet two things forced a re-evaluation this year.
First, experiencing the new Model Y reminded testers how many big upgrades originated in the Model 3, such as the smoother ride, quieter cabin, ventilated seats, rear touchscreen, and stalk-less minimalist interior. Second, and far more importantly, Tesla flipped the switch on Full Self-Driving (Supervised) in September, turning every Model 3 and Model Y into New Zealand’s most advanced production car overnight.
FSD changes everything for Kiwi buyers
The publication called the entry-level rear-wheel-drive version “good to drive and represents a lot of EV technology for the money,” but highlighted that FSD elevates it into another league. “Make no mistake, despite the ‘Supervised’ bit in the name that requires you to remain ready to take control, it’s autonomous and very capable in some surprisingly tricky scenarios,” the review stated.
-->At NZ$11,400, FSD is far from cheap, but Tesla also offers FSD (Supervised) on a $159 monthly subscription, making the tech accessible without the full upfront investment. That’s a game-changer, as it allows users to access the company’s most advanced system without forking over a huge amount of money.
News
Tesla starts rolling out FSD V14.2.1 to AI4 vehicles including Cybertruck
FSD V14.2.1 was released just about a week after the initial FSD V14.2 update was rolled out.
It appears that the Tesla AI team burned the midnight oil, allowing them to release FSD V14.2.1 on Thanksgiving. The update has been reported by Tesla owners with AI4 vehicles, as well as Cybertruck owners.
For the Tesla AI team, at least, it appears that work really does not stop.
FSD V14.2.1
Initial posts about FSD V14.2.1 were shared by Tesla owners on social media platform X. As per the Tesla owners, V14.2.1 appears to be a point update that’s designed to polish the features and capacities that have been available in FSD V14. A look at the release notes for FSD V14.2.1, however, shows that an extra line has been added.
“Camera visibility can lead to increased attention monitoring sensitivity.”
Whether this could lead to more drivers being alerted to pay attention to the roads more remains to be seen. This would likely become evident as soon as the first batch of videos from Tesla owners who received V14.21 start sharing their first drive impressions of the update. Despite the update being released on Thanksgiving, it would not be surprising if first impressions videos of FSD V14.2.1 are shared today, just the same.
-->Rapid FSD releases
What is rather interesting and impressive is the fact that FSD V14.2.1 was released just about a week after the initial FSD V14.2 update was rolled out. This bodes well for Tesla’s FSD users, especially since CEO Elon Musk has stated in the past that the V14.2 series will be for “widespread use.”
FSD V14 has so far received numerous positive reviews from Tesla owners, with numerous drivers noting that the system now drives better than most human drivers because it is cautious, confident, and considerate at the same time. The only question now, really, is if the V14.2 series does make it to the company’s wide FSD fleet, which is still populated by numerous HW3 vehicles.
News
Waymo rider data hints that Tesla’s Cybercab strategy might be the smartest, after all
These observations all but validate Tesla’s controversial two-seat Cybercab strategy, which has caught a lot of criticism since it was unveiled last year.
Toyota Connected Europe designer Karim Dia Toubajie has highlighted a particular trend that became evident in Waymo’s Q3 2025 occupancy stats. As it turned out, 90% of the trips taken by the driverless taxis carried two or fewer passengers.
These observations all but validate Tesla’s controversial two-seat Cybercab strategy, which has caught a lot of criticism since it was unveiled last year.
Toyota designer observes a trend
Karim Dia Toubajie, Lead Product Designer (Sustainable Mobility) at Toyota Connected Europe, analyzed Waymo’s latest California Public Utilities Commission filings and posted the results on LinkedIn this week.
“90% of robotaxi trips have 2 or less passengers, so why are we using 5-seater vehicles?” Toubajie asked. He continued: “90% of trips have 2 or less people, 75% of trips have 1 or less people.” He accompanied his comments with a graphic showing Waymo’s occupancy rates, which showed 71% of trips having one passenger, 15% of trips having two passengers, 6% of trips having three passengers, 5% of trips having zero passengers, and only 3% of trips having four passengers.
The data excludes operational trips like depot runs or charging, though Toubajie pointed out that most of the time, Waymo’s massive self-driving taxis are really just transporting 1 or 2 people, at times even no passengers at all. “This means that most of the time, the vehicle being used significantly outweighs the needs of the trip,” the Toyota designer wrote in his post.
-->Cybercab suddenly looks perfectly sized
Toubajie gave a nod to Tesla’s approach. “The Tesla Cybercab announced in 2024, is a 2-seater robotaxi with a 50kWh battery but I still believe this is on the larger side of what’s required for most trips,” he wrote.
With Waymo’s own numbers now proving 90% of demand fits two seats or fewer, the wheel-less, lidar-free Cybercab now looks like the smartest play in the room. The Cybercab is designed to be easy to produce, with CEO Elon Musk commenting that its product line would resemble a consumer electronics factory more than an automotive plant. This means that the Cybercab could saturate the roads quickly once it is deployed.
While the Cybercab will likely take the lion’s share of Tesla’s ride-hailing passengers, the Model 3 sedan and Model Y crossover would be perfect for the remaining 9% of riders who require larger vehicles. This should be easy to implement for Tesla, as the Model Y and Model 3 are both mass-market vehicles.
Tesla Model 3 named New Zealand’s best passenger car of 2025
Tesla starts rolling out FSD V14.2.1 to AI4 vehicles including Cybertruck
