It is not rare to see Tesla enthusiasts from India asking CEO Elon Musk about updates on the electric car maker’s entry into the country. This is especially notable considering that some India-based EV enthusiasts have been holding on to their Model 3 deposits for several years now. Musk, for his part, has remarked that it is quite difficult to enter India as an electric car company due to local protectionist policies. But perhaps Tesla’s entry into India does not necessarily have to be driven by its electric cars. Perhaps a more viable strategy is to enter India through Tesla Energy.
Tesla’s entry in India has pretty much been in the air for years. Back in June 2017, Elon Musk noted that Tesla was “In discussions with the government of India requesting temporary relief on import penalties/restrictions until a local factory is built.” Almost a year later, Musk posted an update on Tesla’s impending India push on Twitter, stating that while the company would love to enter the country, there are some “challenging government regulations” that need to be addressed first. The CEO then stated that Tesla will be in India as soon as then CFO Deepak Ahuja, who hails from the country, believes it’s the right time.
References to India’s challenging regulations were echoed by Musk a year later, following the 2019 SpaceX Hyperloop Pod Competition. After the competition, the Avishkar Hyperloop team from IIT Madras asked Musk when Tesla will be in India. Musk reportedly responded that the company may enter the country in about a year’s time. Since then, Musk has been quite silent about Tesla’s India push, until recently, when he apologized to an EV enthusiast from the country who has held a Model 3 reservation for four years now.
Challenging regulations aside, the idea of Tesla establishing a dedicated electric vehicle factory in India may not be the optimal idea for now. As noted by Galileo Russell in a recent livestream on his Hyperchange YouTube channel, vehicle sales in India are dominated largely by two-wheeled or three-wheeled vehicles, thanks in part to the population density of the region. There is an emerging electric vehicle market in the country, but it will likely take years before it matures enough to develop a considerable electric passenger vehicle segment.
Best-selling passenger cars in India tend to be lower-priced and smaller as well, making the market very competitive. This means that Tesla, whose smallest vehicle is a premium midsize sedan in the form of the Model 3, would likely have challenges attracting the conventional Indian car buyer. The story completely changes if Tesla has a smaller, more affordable vehicle in its lineup, of course, but the release of such a car could still be a few years out.
With this in mind, does it mean that it won’t be worth it for Tesla to enter the Indian market? Absolutely not. While India may not be a very attractive market for large premium vehicles, the country is the perfect place to ramp an energy business that’s focused on solar panels and battery storage. Fortunately, Tesla actually has an Energy department that fits this bill, and the company is hard at work in ramping it up. Tesla Energy could then be the perfect entry point in India, on account of the country’s push towards sustainability. India’s power grid is known for its areas of improvement as well, making it a good fit for Tesla’s battery storage solutions.
Provided that Tesla Energy could price its solar panels and battery storage devices competitively, the company could have a good shot at making an impact in the Indian market. Tesla already prices its solar solutions in the United States very aggressively, and with a dedicated facility in India (perhaps a Gigafactory India is in order?), the company could take over a good portion of the country’s residential and commercial market. Such would go hand in hand with Tesla’s next-generation batteries as well, which are expected to be cheaper to produce and far more durable and high powered compared to their predecessors.
Energy
Tesla Energy gains UK license to sell electricity to homes and businesses
The license was granted to Tesla Energy Ventures Ltd. by UK energy regulator Ofgem after a seven-month review process.
Tesla Energy has received a license to supply electricity in the United Kingdom, opening the door for the company to serve homes and businesses in the country.
The license was granted to Tesla Energy Ventures Ltd. by UK energy regulator Ofgem after a seven-month review process.
According to Ofgem, the license took effect at 6 p.m. local time on Wednesday and applies to Great Britain.
The approval allows Tesla’s energy business to sell electricity directly to customers in the region, as noted in a Bloomberg News report.
Tesla has already expanded similar services in the United States. In Texas, the company offers electricity plans that allow Tesla owners to charge their vehicles at a lower cost while also feeding excess electricity back into the grid.
Tesla already has a sizable presence in the UK market. According to price comparison website U-switch, there are more than 250,000 Tesla electric vehicles in the country and thousands of Tesla home energy storage systems.
Ofgem also noted that Tesla Motors Ltd., a separate entity incorporated in England and Wales, received an electricity generation license in June 2020.
The new UK license arrives as Tesla continues expanding its global energy business.
Last year, Tesla Energy retained the top position in the global battery energy storage system (BESS) integrator market for the second consecutive year. According to Wood Mackenzie’s latest rankings, Tesla held about 15% of global market share in 2024.
The company also maintained a dominant position in North America, where it captured roughly 39% market share in the region.
At the same time, competition in the energy storage sector is increasing. Chinese companies such as Sungrow have been expanding their presence globally, particularly in Europe.
Elon Musk
Elon Musk shares big Tesla Optimus 3 production update
According to Musk, Tesla is in the final stages of completing Optimus 3, which he described as one of the world’s most advanced humanoid robots.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk has stated that production of Optimus 3 could begin this summer. Musk shared the update in his interview at the Abundance Summit.
According to Musk, Tesla is in the final stages of completing Optimus 3, which he described as one of the world’s most advanced humanoid robots.
“We’re in the final stages of completion of Optimus 3, which is really going to be by far the most advanced robot in the world. Nothing’s even close. In fact, I haven’t even seen demos of robots that are as good as Optimus 3,” Musk said.
He also set expectations on the pace of Optimus 3’s production ramp, stating that the initial volumes of the humanoid robot will likely be very low. Musk did, however, also state that high production rates for Optimus 3 should be possible in 2027.
“I think we’ll start production on Optimus 3 this summer, but very slow at first, like sort of this classic S-curve ramp of manufacturing units versus time. And then, probably reach high volume production around summer next year,” he said.
Interestingly enough, the CEO hinted that Tesla is looking to iterate on the robot quickly, potentially releasing a new Optimus design every year.
“We’ll have Optimus 4 design complete next year. We’ll try to release a new robot design every year,” Musk stated.
Tesla has already outlined broader plans for scaling Optimus production beyond its first manufacturing line. Musk previously stated that Optimus 4 will be built at Gigafactory Texas at significantly higher production volumes.
Initial production lines for the robot are expected to be located at Tesla’s Fremont Factory, where the company plans to establish a line capable of producing up to 1 million robots per year.
A larger production ramp is expected to occur at Gigafactory Texas, where Musk has previously suggested could eventually support production of up to 10 million robots per year.
“We’re going to launch on the fastest production ramp of any product of any large complex manufactured product ever, starting with building a one-million-unit production line in Fremont. And that’s Line one. And then a ten million unit per year production line here,” Musk said previously.
The comments suggest that while Optimus 3 will likely begin production at Fremont, Tesla’s larger-scale manufacturing push could arrive with Optimus 4 at Gigafactory Texas.
Elon Musk
Tesla showcases Optimus humanoid robot at AWE 2026 in Shanghai
Tesla’s humanoid robot was presented as part of the company’s exhibit at the Shanghai electronics show.
Tesla showcased its Optimus humanoid robot at the 2026 Appliance & Electronics World Expo (AWE 2026) in Shanghai. The event opened Thursday and featured several Tesla products, including the company’s humanoid robot and the Cybertruck.
The display was reported by CNEV Post, citing information from local media outlet Cailian and on-site staff at the exhibition.
Tesla’s humanoid robot was presented as part of the company’s exhibit at the Shanghai electronics show. On-site staff reportedly stated that mass production of the robot could begin by the end of 2026.
Tesla previously indicated that it plans to manufacture its humanoid robots at scale once production begins, with its initial production line in the Fremont Factory reaching up to 1 million units annually. An Optimus production line at Gigafactory Texas is expected to produce 10 million units per year.
Tesla China previously shared a teaser image on Weibo showing a pair of highly detailed robotic hands believed to belong to Optimus. The image suggests a design with finger proportions and structures that closely resemble those of a human hand.
Robotic hands are widely considered one of the most difficult engineering challenges in humanoid robotics. For a system like Optimus to perform complex real-world tasks, from factory work to household activities, the robot would require highly advanced dexterity.
Elon Musk has previously stated that Optimus has the capability to eventually become the first real-world example of a Von Neumann machine, a self-replicating system capable of building copies of itself, even on other planets. “Optimus will be the first Von Neumann machine, capable of building civilization by itself on any viable planet,” Musk wrote in a post on X.
Tesla Energy gains UK license to sell electricity to homes and businesses
Elon Musk shares big Tesla Optimus 3 production update
