News
Tesla targets 2022 to finalize India manufacturing plans: analyst
Tesla’s manufacturing efforts in India could launch as soon as 2022, according to Soumen Mandal, an analyst at Counterpoint Research. Tesla has been targeting an entrance into the Indian automotive market for several years, with 2021 seeing the most progress for the electric automaker to finally begin building its cars in the country.
Mandal sees India as perhaps one of the largest beneficiaries of the ongoing EV movement globally, and the analyst believes Tesla is well aware of this fact. If this is the case, Tesla will likely want to make their mark early and often, as it could prove to be a deciding factor in whether the company tastes success in India, a risky region for the company’s growing initiative to transition the Earth to sustainable energy.
“None of the big automakers wants to leave out the opportunity to acquire a share in the India market,” Mandal said, according to a new report from Economic Times of India. “Tesla is not an exception in this case. The cheap availability of resources and lower labor cost will allow Tesla as well as other automakers to earn a higher profit if they set up a local manufacturing or assembly plant.”
Tesla CEO Elon Musk with India Prime Minister Narendra Modi (Photo: Narendra Modi/Twitter)
Tesla has sparred with government officials in India for several months, playing a game of chess to see which entity will cater to the other’s wishes. At first, Tesla planned to build a manufacturing facility in the region. However, CEO Elon Musk reasonably backtracked as he was not yet convinced that Tesla would be a good fit in India.
Instead, Musk wanted to test the demand for Tesla’s EVs in India by utilizing an import method. As Tesla has an already active production facility in Shanghai and another in Germany that will begin production imminently, there are plenty of routes for Tesla’s EVs to make it to India. The issue remains, however: import duties are doubling the price of vehicles, and Tesla won’t be able to accurately test demand in India if these taxes are not reduced.
India’s currently active political administration is undoubtedly keen on keeping manufacturing efforts at home. This means that Tesla’s requests for import duty reductions were likely scoffed at by the country’s higher-ups, who had no intentions of continuing any talks of catering to Tesla’s wishes. However, government officials once again derailed Tesla’s attempts to make headway with these requests, as officials stated India couldn’t make “company-specific incentives” a reality. Instead, Tesla would have to launch a manufacturing plant in India, which put the possibility of “Tesla India” on ice for the time being.
This wish was eventually reconsidered by some government officials. Duties do have the possibility of being pulled back. One Indian official said, “We haven’t firmed up the reduction in duties yet, but there are discussions that are ongoing.”
Tesla India: Gov’t officials ponder sizable import duty reductions for EVs
Mandal believes that India will eventually work something out with Tesla as the opportunity may be too good to pass up. “Hence, the desire to earn more profit as well as the wish to acquire a market share in one of the to-be largest auto markets is bringing Tesla to India,” the analyst said. Tesla has been the only automaker to basically avoid any production stoppages due to the global semiconductor shortage, and India must know that. “All most every automaker is currently suffering from the ongoing semiconductor shortage. While most of the automakers like Stellantis, Volkswagen, Toyota, BMW, Ford and others have cut production severely due to the ongoing chip crisis, Tesla has not been affected significantly,” Mandal said.
What do you think? Let us know in the comments below, or be sure to email me at joey@teslarati.com or on Twitter @KlenderJoey.
Elon Musk
Tesla’s Robotaxi expansion wasn’t a joke, it was a warning to competitors
Tesla might have made a joke with its first Robotaxi service area expansion, but it was truly a serious warning to its competitors.
Tesla’s Robotaxi expansion occurred for the first time on Monday, and while the shape of its new service area might be “cocky,” it surely is not a joke. It’s a warning to competitors.
Robotaxi skeptics and Tesla opponents are sitting around throwing hate toward the company’s expansion appearance. Some called it “unserious,” and others say it’s “immature.” The reality is that it has a real meaning that goes much further than the company’s lighthearted and comical attitude toward things.
Proudly unserious
— Tesla (@Tesla) July 14, 2025
For context, Tesla has routinely used the number 69 as a way to price things it sells. 420 is another, an ode to cannabis culture. A few years back, it actually priced its Model S flagship sedan at $69,420. The first rides of the Robotaxi fleet were priced at $4.20. They are now being increased to $6.90.
Some call it childish. Others call it fun. The truth is, nobody is doing it this way.
Tesla updates Robotaxi app with several big changes, including wider service area
But today’s expansion of the Robotaxi service area in Austin is different. Tesla did not expand its shape to different neighborhoods or areas of the City of Austin. It did not expand it by broadening the rectangle that was initially available. Instead, it chose a different strategy, simply because it could:
🚨 Tesla’s new Robotaxi geofence is…
Finish the sentence 🥸 pic.twitter.com/3bjhMqsRm5
— TESLARATI (@Teslarati) July 14, 2025
Tesla could have done anything. It could have expanded in any direction, in any way, but it chose this simply because it has gotten Robotaxi to the point that it can broaden its service area in any direction. It chose this shape because it could.
Other companies might not have the same ability. Of course, many companies probably would not do this even if it could, simply because of the optics. Tesla doesn’t have those concerns; it has been open about its ability to be funny, and yes, immature, at times.
But in reality, it was a stark warning to competitors. “We can go anywhere in Austin, at any time, and we’re confident enough to make a joke about it.”
Tesla’s Robotaxi geofence in Austin grows, and its shape is hard to ignore
As Tesla is already aiming to expand to new states and high-population areas, and with applications filed in Arizona and California, Robotaxi will be in new regions in the coming weeks or months.
For now, it remains in Austin, and Tesla is sending a message to other companies that it is ready to go in any direction. The driverless Robotaxi fleet, bolstered by billions of miles of data, is ready to roam without anyone at the wheel.
News
Tesla Robotaxi has already surpassed Waymo in this key metric
Tesla Robotaxi has already overtaken Waymo in Austin in one key metric, but there’s still more work to do.
Tesla Robotaxi has already surpassed Waymo in one extremely important key metric: size of service area.
Tesla just expanded its service area in Austin on Monday morning, pushing the boundaries of its Robotaxi fleet in an interesting fashion with new capabilities to the north. Yes, we know what it looks like:
🚨 Tesla’s new Robotaxi geofence is…
Finish the sentence 🥸 pic.twitter.com/3bjhMqsRm5
— TESLARATI (@Teslarati) July 14, 2025
The expansion doubled Tesla Robotaxi’s potential travel locations, which now include the University of Texas at Austin, a school with over 53,000 students.
The doubling of the service area by Tesla has already made its travel area larger than Waymo’s, which launched driverless rides in October 2024. It became available to the public in March 2025.
According to Grok, the AI agent on X, Tesla Robotaxi’s current service area spans 42 square miles, which is five square miles larger than Waymo’s service area of 37 square miles.
Tesla Robotaxi (red) vs. Waymo geofence in Austin.
Much can be said about the shape… but the Robotaxi area is now ~3.9 mi² (10 km²) larger than Waymo’s!! pic.twitter.com/dVfh2ODxJC
— Robin (@xdNiBoR) July 14, 2025
The service area is one of the most important metrics in determining how much progress a self-driving ride-hailing service is making. Safety is the priority of any company operating a ride-hailing network, especially ones that are making it a point to use autonomy to deploy it.
However, these companies are essentially racing for a larger piece of the city or cities they are in. Waymo has expanded to several different regions around the United States, including Arizona and Los Angeles.
Tesla is attempting to do the same in the coming months as it has already filed paperwork in both California and Arizona to deploy its Robotaxi fleet in states across the U.S.
As the platform continues to show more prowess and accuracy in its operation, Tesla will begin to expand to new areas, eventually aiming for a global rollout of its self-driving service.
News
Tesla Megapacks arrive for massive battery replacing coal plant
Tesla Megapacks have started arriving on-site to the Stanwell Battery Project, just as Queensland prepares to wind down the Stanwell coal plant.
The first of over 300 Tesla Megapacks have arrived to the site of a massive battery energy storage system (BESS) being built in Australia, dubbed the Stanwell Battery Project after a coal plant it’s set to replace.
In a press release last week, the Stanwell Battery Project announced that the first Tesla Megapack 2XL units had arrived to the site, which is located outside of Rockhampton in Queensland, Australia. The project will eventually feature 324 Megapack units, set to arrive in the coming months, in order to support the 300MW/1,200MWh battery project.
“The Stanwell Battery is part of the diversification of our portfolio, to include cleaner and more flexible energy solutions,” said Angie Zahra, Stanwell Central Generation General Manager. “It is just one part of the 800 MW of battery energy storage capacity we have in our pipeline.
“Capable of discharging 300 MW of energy for up to four hours (1,200 MWh), our mega battery will be one of the largest in Queensland.”
Credit: Stanwell
Did you know Tesla’s Lathrop facility churns out a Megapack every 68 minutes? That’s enough energy to power 3,600 homes for an hour per unit! ⚡️ pic.twitter.com/bG6fpHkB9O
— TESLARATI (@Teslarati) June 11, 2025
READ MORE ON TESLA MEGAPACKS: Tesla Lathrop Megafactory celebrates massive Megapack battery milestone
The state is working with government-owned company Yurika to facilitate construction, and the process is expected to create roughly 80 jobs. The project is expected to come fully online in May 2027, with initial commissioning of the Megapacks aiming for November 2025.
The Stanwell Battery is set to replace the nearby Stanwell coal generation plant, which the government is planning to wind down starting in 2026 as part of efforts to reach an 80 percent renewable energy generation ratio by 2035. Meanwhile, the government is also set to begin winding down the Tarong and Callide coal plants, while several other Megapack projects are being built or coming online. o ya
Tesla currently has two Megapack production facilities, located in Lathrop, California, in the U.S. and another that came online earlier this year in Shanghai, China. The Shanghai Megafactory shipped its first units to Australia in March, while both factories are expected to be capable of producing 10,000 Megapack units per year upon reaching volume production.
Tesla’s Robotaxi expansion wasn’t a joke, it was a warning to competitors
Tesla Robotaxi has already surpassed Waymo in this key metric
Tesla Megapacks arrive for massive battery replacing coal plant
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