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Tesla India: The Three Directors leading Tesla into new lands

Credit: Reddit | u/Coolioj

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Tesla has officially received a business license in India that will allow the automaker to function as a full-fledged car manufacturer in one of the world’s most populous countries. Without a team of highly-experienced executives who are versed in international business, financials, and manufacturing, Tesla wouldn’t have a chance at being successful anywhere, let alone in India. Therefore, the company has called upon three executives to start the operation as they have been listed on India’s Ministry of Corporate Affairs website as the three Directors who will lead Tesla into India, an unfamiliar territory.

Tesla has had India in its plans for corporate expansion for several years. Musk met with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2015, where the politician expressed his support for Tesla’s mission and it’s all-electric products. But since then, Tesla has been met with nothing but roadblocks and delays. It has finally made some headway in its effort to establish a production facility or Research and Development center in the country.

Because of import taxes, Tesla’s vehicles are a rarity in India. Nearly doubling the cost of the vehicle due to getting it into the country from Fremont, California, Teslas are only driven around by the extremely wealthy. With limited charging options available in the country, it makes them even less appealing. However, the coming expansion incites consumer excitement among Indian fans of the electric carmaker, who have pushed for Elon Musk to attempt to drive his company into their country. Now it’s finally happening.

Tesla gains India business license, stock soars over 6%

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David Feinstein

David Feinstein has been with Tesla for 8 years and 9 months, according to his LinkedIn page. His job title has always been related to Global and International business. When he started with Tesla in 2012, he was the Manager of Global Trade Compliance for its supply chain. After that, Feinstein became the Senior Manager of Global Trade, then the Director of Global Trade & New Markets. He was appointed to the Senior Director of Global Trade & New Markets in February 2020, and now his biggest project yet has been passed onto him: getting Tesla up and running in India.

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Feinstein’s global trade experience will be beneficial for Tesla’s entrance into the market. Since India is one of the few countries with such a heavy import tax, which has really neutralized Tesla’s presence in the country until now, it will be interesting to see what he can do moving forward.

Vaibhav Taneja

Vaibhav Taneja is the Chief Accounting Officer for Tesla, and he has held that position for 1 year and 11 months. He started with Tesla four years ago in February 2017 as the Assistant Corporate Controller and then moved to the Corporate Controller position. Controllers are responsible for the accuracy and timeliness of a company’s accounting department. They control the company’s cash flow and oversee the production of financial reports.

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Prior to Tesla, Taneja acted as the VP and Corporate Controller of Solar City until Tesla absorbed the company, his LinkedIn states. He also has close ties with India, as he is a graduate of Delhi University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Commerce. He also attended the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India and is a Certified Public Accountant.

Taneja will likely work to solve financial challenges as Tesla moves forward with its Indian inclusion. His proven track record with Tesla makes him a great fit for the job, and his roots in India certainly don’t hurt, either.

Venkatrangam Sreeram

Venkatrangam Sreeram is the co-founder of ClearQuote, an app that uses computer vision to assess car damage. Before that, he was Managing Director of Xenon Automotive and spent nearly two years as a Project manager for Tesla’s China operation from July 2012 to May 2014. As a Project Manager, he states that he was involved in the set up of wholesales in retail operations in the country. He had automotive experience before his post at Tesla. He worked as a Project Manager and a VP of Sales Operations for Jaguar Land Rover, and an Assistant General Manager for Tata Motors in Mumbai and London.

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Venkat, as he is referred to, is based in Karnataka as well, the southwest state in India that will be home to Tesla’s Indian initiative.

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What do you think? Leave a comment down below. Got a tip? Email us at tips@teslarati.com or reach out to me at joey@teslarati.com

Joey has been a journalist covering electric mobility at TESLARATI since August 2019. In his spare time, Joey is playing golf, watching MMA, or cheering on any of his favorite sports teams, including the Baltimore Ravens and Orioles, Miami Heat, Washington Capitals, and Penn State Nittany Lions. You can get in touch with joey at joey@teslarati.com. He is also on X @KlenderJoey. If you're looking for great Tesla accessories, check out shop.teslarati.com

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Tesla Cybercab gets huge nod of support from Texas DOT official

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Credit: Tesla

The Tesla Cybercab got a huge nod of support from a Texas Department of Transportation official, who said the all-electric ride-hailing vehicle is “a tangible example of how quickly our transportation system is evolving.”

The Cybercab was present at the Texas Department of Transportation’s Texas Innovation Invitational, an event held each year that allows innovative companies to showcase advancements in transportation.

Tesla Cybercab specs revealed: range, curb weight, range ratings, and more

Marc Williams, the Texas Department of Transportation’s Executive Director, sat in a Cybercab and shared his thoughts in an extensive post on LinkedIn.

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Williams’s comments show how Tesla, with its Cybercab, is leading the charge of passenger travel and how it’s changing so rapidly. He notes the absence of traditional driving controls as a telltale sign that the Cybercab is a catalyst for major automotive change, taking controls from drivers and turning them into full-time passengers.

“Observing this vehicle firsthand–from its design and butterfly doors to the cargo trunk configuration–provides a tangible example of how quickly our transportation system is evolving. Sitting inside the cabin, the complete absence of traditional driver controls underscores a significant shift in mobility and vehicle design. No steering wheel, no accelerator, no brake. Only a single touchscreen monitor.”

Tesla has had a great relationship with the State of Texas, especially with its Robotaxi ambitions. Currently, Texas has Tesla Robotaxi operating in multiple cities: Dallas, Austin, San Antonio, and Houston. The company’s main manufacturing plant is also located just outside Austin, and Tesla moved its headquarters to the state several years ago.

The Cybercab is a purpose-built, fully autonomous, two-passenger Robotaxi vehicle designed specifically for ride-hailing services. Tesla has said for years it would be built without a steering wheel or pedals present, although there is still quite a bit of debate among the community regarding that potential.

Earlier this week, we received official word that the EPA had provided the Cybercab with a Certificate of Conformity, giving Tesla permission to enter the vehicle into the chain of public commerce. It is officially ready for roads.

The big question for Tesla remains: Can it solve self-driving before the steering-wheel-less Cybercab officially enters production?

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The Boring Company just doubled its tunneling power in Nashville

The Boring Company’s Prufrock MB2 is commissioned and ready to mine beneath Nashville’s streets.

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The Boring Company’s second tunnel boring machine, Prufrock MB2, is officially ready to dig in Nashville. The company confirmed the news on X, posting: “Prufrock-MB2 is ready to mine in Nashville! MB2 commissioning is complete, including the brief 11 rpm rotation shown here. Will MB2 catch up to MB1, who had quite the head start? And Prufrock-MB3 ships in August!”

MB2 arrives with meaningful improvements over its predecessor. Lessons learned from the launch and operation of MB1 have already been applied to MB2 to improve efficiency and prepare the machine for launch.

Traditional tunnel boring machines operate in a stop-and-go cycle, digging roughly five feet, halt, erect precast concrete segments to line the tunnel wall, then resume. That repeated interruption is one of the main reasons conventional tunneling is slow and expensive. Prufrock is designed to install the tunnel liner simultaneously with mining, eliminating the need to stop every five feet. The machine also skips the need for excavated launch pits. Prufrock arrives on a truck, tilts down, and launches into the ground within 24 hours. And when the tunnel is complete, it emerges from the ground and drives to its next launch site on a trailer, eliminating the need for expensive cranes or pit excavation. The machine is also fully electric and runs with zero people in the tunnel during normal operations, controlled remotely from a surface operations center.

It won’t be long before we hear of another major update on The Boring Company’s Music City Loop project – a planned underground transit network beneath Nashville that would move passengers in electric vehicles through a series of tunnels at highway speeds, and bypassing surface traffic entirely. Nashville was selected in part because of its strong rock conditions that suits the Prufrock machines well, and relatively less regulatory hurdles.

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Progress has been steady on multiple fronts. All 37 permits and approvals required ahead of tunneling have been obtained, out of 45 total. Key wins include a fully executed TDOT tunnel permit authorizing 25 miles of tunnel, unanimous airport authority approval for a Nashville International Airport station, and the city’s first residential station agreement serving downtown tower residents.

With MB1 already tunneling, MB2 now commissioned, and MB3 shipping in August, Nashville is becoming something of a live proving ground for scaled tunnel boring. The broader ambition is not limited to one city. The Boring Company’s stated goal is to make underground transportation a practical alternative to surface roads across major metro areas. Nashville is one of many cities, including a successful Las Vegas tunnel system, where that idea is being put to the test at real speed.

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Tesla urges New Jersey owners to oppose new bill that could block Robotaxi

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Credit: Grok

Tesla has launched a direct campaign targeting its customers in New Jersey, sending emails that warn of pending legislation that could effectively block true driverless technology in the state.

The email focuses on Senate Bill S.1677 and Assembly Bill A.3968, measures intended to create a three-year autonomous vehicle pilot program but laden with requirements that Tesla argues make unsupervised Robotaxis impossible.

According to the email, the bills impose “restrictions so severe that true driverless deployment would remain illegal.” Specific hurdles include mandates for human safety drivers during operations, multimillion-dollar insurance minimums, reportedly $5 million, and thresholds like 100,000 miles of demonstrated safe autonomous driving before any driverless approval.

Tesla contends these are arbitrary barriers that ignore real-world performance data and favor entrenched competitors over innovative technologies like its Full Self-Driving (FSD) system.

The push comes as Tesla has started expanding Robotaxi operations in states like Texas, where unsupervised vehicles are already providing rides in several cities. New Jersey, by contrast, risks falling behind. The company highlights in the email communication that more than 94 percent of serious crashes result from human error, meaning impairment, distraction, or fatigue. These are all problems that Robotaxis eliminate entirely.

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In 2025, New Jersey recorded 582 traffic deaths, underscoring the human cost of delayed adoption.

Tesla’s outreach stresses the transformative potential of robotaxis. For families, they could offer safer school runs without drowsy or distracted drivers. For seniors and people with disabilities, robotaxis promise independence and reliable mobility.

In areas with limited public transit, they could deliver affordable, on-demand transportation, reducing congestion, emissions, and overall transportation costs. Economically, the company warns that restrictive rules could cost New Jersey jobs, innovation investment, and billions in potential growth as autonomous ride-hailing scales elsewhere.

Supporters of the legislation, including Sen. Andrew Zwicker, describe the pilot as a cautious framework with strong safety oversight, including incident reporting, expert task forces, and restrictions in sensitive zones like school areas. They view it as balancing innovation with public protection.

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Tesla and pro-AV advocates counter that the bill lacks technology neutrality, creates insurmountable entry barriers for commercial deployment, and prioritizes process over outcomes — effectively functioning as a de facto ban on services like Robotaxi.

This latest clash echoes Tesla’s past battles in New Jersey over direct vehicle sales. The email directs owners to Tesla’s advocacy platform, where they can send customized messages to legislators calling for amendments: outcome-based safety standards, open competition, and clear pathways for fully driverless commercial operations.

As hearings approach, Tesla’s campaign frames the issue as a choice between protecting the status quo and embracing life-saving progress. With robotaxi technology already proving itself in permissive states, New Jersey owners are being asked to ensure their state doesn’t lock out the future of transportation.

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