News
Live Updates: Tesla Giga Berlin final environmental permit press conference
After two years of construction, Tesla Gigafactory Berlin has secured its final environmental approval. The approval was discussed by Brandenburg Minister-President Dietmar Woidke during a press conference today.
A background of Tesla Giga Berlin, as well as the delays that hit the project along the way, have been discussed in our previous coverage from earlier today. Click here to access our backgrounder on Tesla’s Giga Berlin project.
But today, it’s all about Giga Berlin’s final environmental approval. The following were the topics discussed during the press conference, as well as some notable updates and quotes during the press conference (Quotes provided by Google Translate unless otherwise stated).
A press release has been sent out by Brandenburg about Tesla Gigafactory Berlin’s final approval. The following are some of the highlights from the document.
Potsdam/Frankfurt (Oder) – Today, Friday (March 4), the State Office for the Environment (LfU), which is responsible for immission control approval procedures, issued the approval for the Tesla factory in Grünheide (Oder-Spree district) in Brandenburg and handed it over to the project developer.
The approval notice will shortly be published in the official gazette for the state of Brandenburg, in the local daily newspapers and on the internet. The notice of approval is available for two weeks from the date of publication in the municipality of Grünheide (Mark), the town of Erkner, the Spreenhagen office and the seat of the administration of the Oder-Spree district in Beeskow as well as in the State Office for the Environment in Frankfurt (Oder) inspection off. The period of one month during which objections to the approval can be raised begins with the end of the exhibition. At the same time, the approval notice is published on the Internet on the EIA portal of the state of Brandenburg, where it can be viewed until the end of the objection period.
The project, which was approved with the 536-page decision, includes the plan for the production of up to 500,000 vehicles per year, aluminum smelting plants and an aluminum foundry, plants for surface treatment, heat generation, and storage. The facility also includes battery cell production, an operational wastewater treatment plant, a fire brigade equipment house, a high-bay warehouse, as well as laboratories and workshops.
The Tesla approval process is unusual in several ways. In a comparatively short time, the State Office for the Environment inspected and approved not just a factory, but an entire industrial area with several large-scale plants and repeated public participation.
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06:55 a.m. PST – Grunheide Mayor Arne Christiani highlights that Tesla’s work is a Herculean task. He also points out that Giga Berlin will provide opportunities, particularly jobs, in the area. Commenting on how the electric vehicle facility could benefit the region, the official stated that Tesla bringing Giga Berlin to the area is similar to “winning the lottery.”
06:52 a.m. PST – Jorg Steinbach takes the stage. He speaks about how important Giga Berlin is to the region. Brandenburg, after all, was not that prolific for high-profile investments before. With Tesla’s Gigafactory Berlin, the state is now high on the list of locations that companies are looking at for industrial projects. Tesla’s presence has already signaled the development of an entire integrated supply chain.
06:50 a.m. PST – With the final approval now secured, Tesla now has to secure its operational permit for Giga Berlin’s Model Y production. About 400 conditions and requirements have been defined in the permit, which may seem like a lot, but are really not many, according to Vogel. The permit includes 23,700 pages of applications (HT Alex Voigt).
06:49 a.m. PST – Vogel reiterates that the final permit for Gigafactory Berlin is an “intermediate step.” He also praised those who were responsible for the approval of Giga Berlin, as they did not lose sight despite all the noise surrounding the project. “Those responsible for the approval have not been deterred by the media and political attention to the project. [We] have checked the approval requirements in this process,” Vogel remarked.
06:48 a.m. PST – Alex Vogel takes the stage and discusses the meticulous process involved in the approval of Gigafactory Berlin. “It couldn’t have been done faster, but we have to say that every procedure was carried out within the framework for federal German law approval,” he said.
06:46 a.m. PST – The Minister-President did highlight, however, that while the approval of Tesla Giga Berlin is a good day for the state of Brandenburg, it should not take away from the grave situation in Ukraine, which is currently being attacked by Russia. “I very much hope that this criminal attack by Putin on Ukraine will end as quickly as possible,” Woidke said.
06:45 a.m. PST – Minister-President Woidke highlights that the approval process of Giga Berlin was a challenge for Germany. “You know (this) was also doubted across Germany at the time. Is it even possible in Germany to meet the requirements, is it possible within two years to get the third-largest automobile factory in Germany (approved)? That’s what we’re talking about there, after all, building it up and making it a success…. I learned a lot from this project, yes. I also learned that (while) planning and approval is possible in Germany, I also have to change a lot. That is a discussion that we will continue at the federal level,” the Minister-President said.
06:41 a.m. PST – Almost 3,000 Tesla employees are already working daily in Gigafactory Berlin (credit to Alex Voigt for this translation)
06:40 a.m. PST – Minister-President Woidke notes that the approval of Giga Berlin was a mammoth task for Brandenburg. “I do believe that today, this March 4th, is a big step into the future for Brandenburg… I’m firmly convinced that in 20, 30, 40 years, if you look at the history of Brandenburg, there will be a time before Tesla and a time with Tesla,” Woidke said.
06:35 a.m. PST – Minister-President Woidke confirmed that the final construction permit for Gigafactory Berlin has been issued and given to Tesla.
06:30 a.m. PST – The press conference begins. Introductions are made. Brandenburg Minister-President Dietmar Woidke’s Tesla Team are introduced. Appreciation is extended to every member of “Task Force Tesla,” as each one was pivotal in getting the facility’s approvals passed.
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Lifestyle
California hits Tesla Cybercab and Robotaxi driverless cars with new law
California just gave police power to ticket driverless cars, including Tesla’s Cybercab fleet.
California DMV formally adopted new rules on April 29, 2026 that allow law enforcement to issue “notices of noncompliance”, or in other words, ticket autonomous vehicle companies when their cars commit moving violations. The rules take effect July 1, 2026, officially closes a regulatory gap that previously let driverless cars operate on public roads with nearly no traffic enforcement consequences.
Until now, state traffic law only applied to human “drivers,” which meant that when no person was behind the wheel, police had no mechanism to issue a ticket. Officers were limited to citing driverless vehicles for parking violations only. A well-known example came in September 2025, when a San Bruno officer watched a Waymo robotaxi execute an illegal U-turn and could do nothing but notify the company.
Under the new framework, when an officer observes a violation, the autonomous vehicle company is effectively treated as the driver. Companies must report each incident to the DMV within 72 hours, or 24 hours if a collision is involved. Repeated violations can result in fleet size restrictions, operational suspensions, or full permit revocation. Local officials also gained new authority to geofence driverless vehicles out of active emergency zones within two minutes and require a live emergency response line answered within 30 seconds.
Tesla Cybercab ramps Robotaxi public street testing as vehicle enters mass production queue
California’s new enforcement rules arrive at a pivotal moment for Tesla. The company is ramping Cybercab production at Giga Texas toward hundreds of units per week, targeting at least 2 million units annually at full capacity, while simultaneously pushing to expand its Robotaxi service to dozens of U.S. cities by end of 2026. Unsupervised FSD for consumer vehicles is currently targeted for Q4 2026, and when it arrives, Tesla’s fleet may not have a human to absorb legal accountability, under the July 1 rules.
Tesla has confirmed plans to expand its Robotaxi service to seven new cities in the first half of 2026, including Dallas, Houston, Phoenix, Miami, Orlando, Tampa, and Las Vegas, with the service already running without safety drivers in Austin. Musk has said he expects robotaxis to cover between a quarter and half of the United States by end of year.
News
Tesla Model X shocks everyone by crushing every other used car in America
The Model X is one of Tesla’s flagship models, the other being the Model S. Earlier this year, Tesla confirmed it would discontinue production of both the Model S and Model X to make way for Optimus robot production at the Fremont Factory in Northern California.
The Tesla Model X was the fastest-selling used vehicle in the United States in the first quarter of the year, crushing every other used car in America.
iSeeCars data for the first quarter shows that the Model X was the fastest-selling used car, lasting just 25.6 days on the market on average, two days better than that of the second-place Lexus RX 350h. The Cybertruck, Model Y, and Model S, in seventh, ninth, and thirteenth place, respectively, also made the list.
The Model X is one of Tesla’s flagship models, the other being the Model S. Earlier this year, Tesla confirmed it would discontinue production of both the Model S and Model X to make way for Optimus robot production at the Fremont Factory in Northern California.
Tesla brings closure to flagship ‘sentimental’ models, Musk confirms
Bringing closure to these two vehicles signaled the end of the road for the cars that have effectively built Tesla’s reputation for luxury and high-end passenger vehicles.
Relying on the sales of its mass market Model Y and Model 3, as well as leaning on the success of future products like the Cybercab, is the angle Tesla has chosen to take.
Teslas are also performing extremely well as a whole on the resale market. iSeeCars data shows that, “while the average price of a 1- to 5-year-old non-Tesla EV fell 10.3% in Q1 2026 year-over-year, the average price of a used Tesla was essentially flat at 0.1% lower across the same period. Traditional gas car prices dropped 2.8% during this same period.”
Additionally, market share for gas cars has dropped nearly 3 percent since the same quarter last year. Tesla has remained level, while the non-Tesla EV market share has increased 30 percent, mostly due to more models available.
Nevertheless, those non-Tesla EVs have seen their value drop by over 10 percent, while Tesla’s values have remained level.
Executive Analyst Karl Brauer said:
“Used electric vehicles without a Tesla badge have lost more than 10% of their value in the past year. This compares to stable values for Teslas and hybrids, and a modest 2.8% drop for traditional gasoline vehicles.”
Teslas, as well as non-luxury hybrids, are displaying the strongest resistance in the face of faltering demand, the publication says. But the more impressive performance is that of the Model X alone.
Tesla’s decision to stop production of the Model X may have played some part in the vehicle’s pristine performance in Q1. With the car already placed at a premium price point, used models are already more appealing to consumers. Perhaps second-hand versions were more than enough for those who wanted a Model X, and only a Model X.
Cybertruck
Tesla Cybertruck’s head-scratching trim sold terribly, recall documents reveal
The head-scratching offering was only available for a few months, and evidently, it did not sell very well, which we all suspected. New recall documents on the vehicle from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) now reveal just how poorly it sold.
After Tesla decided to build a Rear-Wheel-Drive Cybertruck trim back in 2025, which was void of many features and only featured a small discount.
The head-scratching offering was only available for a few months, and evidently, it did not sell very well, which we all suspected. New recall documents on the vehicle from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) now reveal just how poorly it sold.
The recall deals with a potentially separating wheel stud and potentially impacts 173 Cybertruck units with the 18-inch steel wheels. The Cybertruck RWD was the only trim level to feature these, and the 173 potentially impacted units represent a portion of the population of pickups. Therefore, it’s not the entire number of RWD Cybertruck sold, but it could show how little interest it gathered.
The NHTSA document states:
“On affected vehicles, higher severity road perturbations and cornering may strain the stud hole in the wheel rotor, causing cracks to form. If cracking propagates with continued use and strain, the wheel stud could eventually separate from the wheel hub.”
Only 5 percent are expected to be impacted, meaning less than 10 units will have the issue if the NHTSA and Tesla estimates are correct. Nevertheless, the true story here is how terribly the RWD Cybertruck sold.
Tesla ended production and stopped offering the RWD Cybertruck to customers last September. For just $10,000 less than the All-Wheel-Drive trim, Tesla offered the RWD Cybertruck with just one motor, textile seats instead of leather, only 7 speakers instead of 15, no Rear Touchscreen, no Powered Tonneau Cover for the truck bed, and no 120v/240v outlets.
For just $10,000 more, at $79,990, owners could have received all of those premium features, as well as a more capable All-Wheel-Drive powertrain that featured Adaptive Air Suspension. The discount simply was not worth the sacrifices.
Orders were few and far between, and sources told us that when it was offered, sales were extremely tempered because customers could not see the value in this trim level.
Even Tesla’s most loyal supporters thought the offering was kind of a joke, and the $10,000 extra was simply worth it.
California hits Tesla Cybercab and Robotaxi driverless cars with new law
Tesla Model X shocks everyone by crushing every other used car in America
