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Tesla’s sole ownership of Giga Shanghai is a silver bullet amid China’s anti-combustion engine initiative

(Credit: Tesla)

Published

5 years ago

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It may seem almost unremarkable today, but the fact that Tesla holds sole ownership of Gigafactory Shanghai is nothing to scoff at. This is especially notable as China implements a strong push against the internal combustion engine, as highlighted by the country’s new rules that make it extremely difficult to establish a factory producing gas-powered cars starting 2021.

In September 2019, a top Chinese industry official announced during an automobile conference that the country was planning on phasing out fossil fuel-powered vehicles. Few details were shared during the time, but recent updates from China show just how serious the initiative would be.

At a press conference on Tuesday, the National Development and Reform Commission, the country’s top economic planner, noted that China will no longer allow new companies that make fossil fuel-powered vehicles to be set up in the country. The new rules, which were published last week, came after the commission announced notable changes to China’s auto industry investment policies earlier this year.

(Credit: Wu Wa/YouTube)

China has taken a very supportive stance for its new energy vehicle segment, which comprises battery-electric, hybrid, and fuel-cell cars. Currently, the country stands as the world’s largest market for electric vehicles, and it has implemented programs that are aimed at discouraging car buyers from purchasing fossil fuel-burning cars. Among these are restrictions for ICE cars in cities to notable subsidies for new energy vehicles.

With China’s updated rules in place, even existing carmakers that have already established a presence in the country will find it difficult to expand their manufacturing operations for gas-powered cars. If an automaker wishes to establish an ICE vehicle factory, the company would have to meet several strict requirements.

These include proving that their manufacturing efficiencies are higher than the industry average. Companies that produce ICE cars must also make more new energy vehicles than the industry average. Automakers must spend at least 3% of their revenue on NEV research and development as well, among other requirements.

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China’s update sets the bar for carmakers so high that only a few companies are expected to meet it, such as Geely and SAIC, an automaker that is state-owned and based in Shanghai. Both companies currently stand among China’s top automakers, as per data from the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers, an organization that is affiliated with the government.

(Credit: Chen Zhengbao/Shine.cn)

Amidst these developments, Tesla’s Gigafactory Shanghai could effectively ramp without being weighed down by restrictions from the Chinese government. Tesla’s sole ownership of the expansive facility also means that the electric car maker will stand to benefit immensely from the facility’s expansion and growth. This could be a massive edge or even a silver bullet of sorts for Tesla next year when the Made-in-China Model Y begins its rollout.

Tesla may only be an emerging carmaker in China today, but the company has received some notable support from the government over the years. Prior to Gigafactory Shanghai’s groundbreaking event, Tesla was able to secure low-interest loans from local banks without any issues. The bidding process for the land where the China-based factory also proved smooth for Tesla, with the electric car maker strangely being the only company that placed a bid for the site.

Open support for Tesla was also shown by high-ranking government officials such as Chinese Premier Li Keqiang, who personally hosted CEO Elon Musk in the Tower of Violet Light, a site usually reserved for foreign dignitaries, following Gigafactory Shanghai’s groundbreaking ceremony. During their meeting, Li proved optimistic about Tesla’s future in China, at one point even offering Musk a “Chinese Green Card” so that he could pursue his projects in the country.

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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.

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Elon Musk reveals when SpaceX will perform first-ever Starship catch

“Starship catch is probably flight 13 to 15, depending on how well V3 flights go,” Musk said.

Published

8 hours ago

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August 28, 2025

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Credit: SpaceX

Elon Musk revealed when SpaceX would perform the first-ever catch attempt of Starship, its massive rocket that will one day take life to other planets.

On Tuesday, Starship aced its tenth test flight as SpaceX was able to complete each of its mission objectives, including a splashdown of the Super Heavy Booster in the Gulf, the deployment of eight Starlink simulators, and another splashdown of the ship in the Indian Ocean.

It was the first launch that featured a payload deployment:

SpaceX Starship Flight 10 was so successful, it’s breaking the anti-Musk narrative

SpaceX was transparent that it would not attempt to catch the Super Heavy Booster, something it has done on three previous occasions: Flight 5 on October 13, 2024, Flight 7 on January 16, and Flight 8 on March 6.

This time, it was not attempting to do so. However, there are bigger plans for the future, and Musk detailed them in a recent post on X, where he discussed SpaceX’s plans to catch Starship, which would be a monumental accomplishment.

Musk said the most likely opportunities for SpaceX to catch Starship itself would be Flight 13, Flight 14, and Flight 15, but it depends on “how well the V3 flights go.”

The Starship launched with Flight 10 was a V2, which is the same size as the subsequent V3 rocket but has a smaller payload-to-orbit rating and is less powerful in terms of initial thrust and booster thrust. Musk said there is only one more V2 rocket left to launch.

V3 will be the version flown through 2026, as V4, which will be the most capable Starship build SpaceX manufactures, is likely to be the first company ship to carry humans to space.

Musk said that SpaceX planned to “hopefully” attempt a catch of Starship in 2025. However, it appears that this will likely be pushed back to 2026 due to timing.

SpaceX will take Starship catch one step further very soon, Elon Musk confirms

SpaceX would need to launch the 11th and 12th test flights by the end of the year in order to get to Musk’s expected first catch attempt of Flight 13. It’s not unheard of, but the company will need to accelerate its launch rate as it has only had three test flights this year.

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Tesla Robotaxi rival Waymo confirms massive fleet expansion in Bay Area

New data from the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) said Waymo had 1,429 vehicles operating in California, and 875 of them were “associated with a terminal in San Francisco,” according to The SF Examiner.

Published

10 hours ago

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August 28, 2025

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Credit: Uber

Tesla Robotaxi rival Waymo has confirmed that it has expanded its fleet of driverless ride-sharing vehicles in the Bay Area of California massively since its last public disclosure.

It is perhaps one of the most important metrics in the race for autonomous supremacy, along with overall service area. Tesla has seemed to focus on the latter, while expanding its fleet slowly to maintain safety.

Waymo, on the other hand, is bringing its fleet size across the country to significant levels. In March, it told The SF Examiner that there were over 300 Waymos in service in the San Francisco area, which was not a significant increase from the 250 vehicles on the road it reported in August 2023.

In May, the company said in a press release that it had more than 1,500 self-driving Waymos operating nationwide. More than 600 were in the San Francisco area.

Tesla analyst compares Robotaxi to Waymo: ‘The contrast was clear’

However, new data from the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) said Waymo had 1,429 vehicles operating in California, and 875 of them were “associated with a terminal in San Francisco,” according to The SF Examiner.

CPUC data from March 2025 indicated that there were a total of 1,087 Waymo vehicles in California, with 762 located in San Francisco. Some were test vehicles, others were deployed to operate as ride-sharing vehicles.

The company’s August update also said that it deploys more than 2,000 commercial vehicles in the United States. That number was 1,500 in May. There are also roughly 400 in Phoenix and 500 in Los Angeles.

While Waymo has done a good job of expanding its fleet, it has also been able to expand its footprint in the various cities it is operating in.

Most recently, it grew its geofence in Austin, Texas, to 90 square miles. This outpaced Tesla for a short period before the company expanded its Robotaxi service area earlier this week to roughly 170 square miles.

Tesla one-ups Waymo once again with latest Robotaxi expansion in Austin

The two companies have drastically different approaches to self-driving, as Waymo utilizes LiDAR, while Tesla relies solely on cameras for its suite. Tesla CEO Elon Musk has made no mistake about which he believes to be the superior solution to autonomy.

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Tesla launches Full Self-Driving in a new region

Today, Tesla launched Full Self-Driving in Australia for purchase by car buyers for $10,100, according to Aussie automotive blog Man of Many, which tried out the suite earlier this week.

Published

12 hours ago

on

August 28, 2025

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Credit: Tesla

Tesla has launched its Full Self-Driving suite in a new region, marking a significant step in the company’s progress to expand its driver assistance suite on a global scale.

It is also the first time Tesla has launched FSD in a right-hand-drive market.

Today, Tesla launched Full Self-Driving in Australia for purchase by car buyers for $10,100, according to Aussie automotive blog Man of Many, which tried out the suite earlier this week.

Previously, Basic and Enhanced Autopilot suites were available, but the FSD capability now adds Traffic Light and Stop Sign Control, along with all the features of the previous two Autopilot suites.

It is the first time Tesla has launched the suite by name in a region outside of North America. In China, Tesla has “City Autopilot,” as it was not permitted to use the Full Self-Driving label for regulatory reasons.

However, Tesla still lists Full Self-Driving (Supervised) as available in the U.S., Canada, China, Mexico, and Puerto Rico.

The company teased the launch of the suite in Australia earlier this week, and it appeared to have been released to select media members in the region earlier this week:

Tesla FSD upcoming Australia release seemingly teased bv media

The rollout of Full Self-Driving in the Australian market will occur in stages, as Model 3 and Model Y vehicles with Hardware 4 will receive the first batch of FSD rollouts in the region.

TechAU also reported that “the initial deployment of FSDs in Australia will roll out to a select number of people outside the company, these people are being invited into Tesla’s Early Access Program.”

Additionally, the company reportedly said it is “very close” to unlocking FSD in customer cars:

Each new Tesla sold will also come with a 30-day free trial of the suite.

Australia is the sixth country to officially have Full Self-Driving available to them, following the United States, Canada, China, Mexico, and Puerto Rico.

Here’s the first look at the suite operating in Australia:

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