News
Tesla Giga Shanghai's Model 3 ramp is a secret weapon amidst US plants' shutdown
With a literal pandemic putting a halt to the auto industry’s momentum this year, carmakers across the market are bound to experience a challenging 2020. This is felt even among new automakers such as Tesla, whose US factories have halted operations due to the spread of the coronavirus. Yet despite the company’s headwinds in the United States, Tesla may very well have an ace-in-the-hole for the current quarter, or perhaps even the rest of the year: Gigafactory Shanghai.
It’s pretty poetic that Gigafactory Shanghai has been ignored or outright dismissed by Tesla critics. Over the past year, the massive facility has been mocked for being many things, such as a “Potemkin Village,” a “muddy field,” or an empty building where cars from Fremont are just stored and badged (to name a few). These allegations were ultimately proven false, of course, with Gigafactory 3 entering production before the year ended and conducting customer handovers by January 2020.
Gigafactory Shanghai has continued to achieve milestones, such as a production rate of 3,000 Made-in-China Model 3 per week or about 150,000 vehicles per year. This comes amidst reports that Phase 2 of the factory is already under construction, and that a new Long Range Model 3 variant is set to be released within the next few weeks. Granted, Gigafactory 3 also experienced a shutdown due to the coronavirus, but it was promptly reopened when Shanghai resumed business operations in February. So far, there have been no reports of coronavirus cases among the China factory’s workers as well.
With this in mind, it appears that Tesla China can continue moving at full speed even if the company’s operations in the United States remain in limbo due to the COVID-19 virus. This point seems to have been highlighted by the electric car maker in a recent video that was shared on Chinese social media. The clip was brief at just less than a minute and a half, but it was enough to emphasize one key point: Gigafactory Shanghai is alive, refined, and it is ready to ramp Model 3 production.
The video itself provided a good look at several of Gigafactory Shanghai’s operations, from the smooth stamping of Model 3 panels to the calibration of the all-electric sedan’s Autopilot cameras. Seemingly as a response to criticisms about Tesla’s paint quality, a noticeable portion of the clip was dedicated to Gigafactory 3’s paint shop as well. The facility’s robots were also featured extensively, hinting at the automation that is currently being adopted in the Shanghai-based plant.
If there is something that seems to be hinted at in Tesla China’s recent video, it is that Gigafactory Shanghai may very well be capable of producing over 3,000 Model 3 per week with more optimization. Considering the facility’s efficiency, it would not be surprising if Gigafactory 3 can buffer some of the production that Tesla will lose due to the shutdown of the company’s US factories. Couple this with the fact that the Model Y program has been launched in China, and GF3 might very well become Tesla’s ace-in-the-hole for 2020.
Watch Tesla China’s teaser video of Gigafactory Shanghai’s operations in the video below.
News
Tesla back on top as Norway’s EV market surges to 98% share in February
Tesla became Norway’s top-selling brand with 1,210 registrations, representing a 16.6% share.
Tesla reclaimed the top spot in Norway’s auto market in February as electric vehicles captured more than 98% of all new car registrations.
The rebound follows a sharp January slump triggered by VAT rule changes, which prompted numerous car buyers to advance their purchases into late 2025.
As per data from the Norwegian Road Traffic Information Council (OFV), 7,127 new electric vehicles were registered in February, representing a 98.01% market share. Fossil-fuel vehicles and hybrids accounted for just 2% of total new registrations.
Total new car registrations reached 7,272 units in February, hinting at a rapid recovery after January sales fell nearly 75% year-over-year following VAT adjustments.
OFV Director Geir Inge Stokke noted that similar patterns were observed after previous VAT changes in 2022, with demand temporarily weakening before normalizing, as noted in an Allt Om Elbil report.
“We are now seeing signs that the market is returning to a more normal level of activity, which we also experienced after the VAT change in 2022. At that time, changes in demand led to a weak start to 2023. We have seen the same pattern this year,” he said.
Amidst this trend, the Tesla Model Y made a strong comeback in the domestic market. After an unusually weak January that saw the Tesla Model Y drop to seventh place, the model returned to the top of Norway’s sales chart in February.
The Model Y recorded 1,073 registrations, giving it a 14.8% market share for the month. Tesla also became Norway’s top-selling brand with 1,210 registrations, representing a 16.6% share. Toyota followed with 941 registrations, while Volkswagen, Volvo, and Skoda rounded out the top five brands.
The February data suggests that Tesla’s January dip was tied more to timing effects around VAT adjustments than to structural demand shifts. It would then be interesting to see how the rest of the year unfolds for Tesla, particularly as the company pushes for the release of its Full Self-Driving (Supervised) system to Europe this year.
News
Tesla arson suspect pleads guilty, faces up to 70 years in prison
The update was announced by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Nevada.
A Las Vegas man has pleaded guilty to federal arson charges tied to a March 2025 attack on a Tesla Collision Center in Nevada.
The update was announced by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Nevada.
According to court documents, on March 18, 2025, Paul Hyon Kim spray-painted the word “RESIST” on the front entrance of the Tesla Collision Center before damaging the facility and multiple vehicles.
Federal prosecutors stated that Kim used a PA-15 multi-caliber firearm equipped with a .300 BLACKOUT upper receiver and a 7.62mm silencer to shoot out surveillance cameras. He then fired multiple rounds into Tesla vehicles on the property.
Authorities stated that Kim later threw three Molotov cocktails into three separate Tesla vehicles. Two of the devices exploded and ignited the vehicles, while a third did not detonate. In total, five Tesla vehicles were damaged in the incident.
Kim pleaded guilty to two counts of arson of property used in interstate commerce, one count of attempted arson of property used in interstate commerce, and one count of unlawful possession of an unregistered firearm classified as a destructive device.
The mandatory minimum sentence for the charges is five years in federal prison, though the total maximum statutory penalty is 70 years, as per a release from the United States Attorney’s Office of the District of Nevada.
Sentencing is scheduled for May 27, 2026, before U.S. District Judge Jennifer A. Dorsey. A federal judge will determine the final sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The case was investigated by the FBI, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, with assistance from the Clark County Fire Department.
Elon Musk
SpaceX pursues 5G-level connectivity with Starlink Mobile V2 expansion
SpaceX noted that the upcoming Starlink V2 satellites will deliver up to 100 times the data density of the current first-generation system.
SpaceX has previewed a major upgrade to Starlink Mobile, outlining next-generation satellites that aim to deliver significantly higher capacity and full 5G-level connectivity directly to mobile phones.
The update comes as Starlink rebrands its Direct-to-Cell service to Starlink Mobile, positioning the platform as a scalable satellite-to-mobile solution that’s integrated with global telecom partners.
SpaceX noted that the upcoming Starlink V2 satellites will deliver up to 100 times the data density of the current first-generation system. The company also noted that the new V2 satellites are designed to provide significantly higher throughput capability compared to its current iteration.
“The next generation of Starlink Mobile satellites – V2 – will deliver full cellular coverage to places never thought possible via the highest performing satellite-to-mobile network ever built.
“Driven by custom SpaceX-designed silicon and phased array antennas, the satellites will support thousands of spatial beams and higher bandwidth capability, enabling around 20x the throughput capability as compared to a first-generation satellite,” SpaceX wrote in its official Starlink Mobile page.
Thanks to the higher bandwidth of Starlink Mobile, users should be able to stream, browse the internet, use high-speed apps, and enjoy voice services comparable to terrestrial cellular networks.
In most environments, Starlink says the upgraded system will enable full 5G cellular connectivity with a user experience similar to existing ground-based networks.
The satellites function as “cell towers in space,” using advanced phased-array antennas and laser interlinks to integrate with terrestrial infrastructure in a roaming-like architecture.
“Starlink Mobile works with existing LTE phones wherever you can see the sky. The satellites have an antenna that acts like a cellphone tower in space, the most advanced phased array antennas in the world that connect seamlessly over lasers to any point in the globe, allowing network integration similar to a standard roaming partner,” SpaceX wrote.
Starlink Mobile currently operates with approximately 650 satellites in low-Earth orbit and is active across more than 32 countries, representing over 1.7 billion people through partnerships with mobile network operators. Starlink Mobile’s current partnerships span North America, Europe, Asia, Africa, and Oceania, allowing reciprocal access across participating nations.
Tesla back on top as Norway’s EV market surges to 98% share in February
Tesla arson suspect pleads guilty, faces up to 70 years in prison
