Update: 4/29 6:02 pm est – Added comment from Troy Teslike, starts para. 4
The volume of Tesla inventory vehicles in Europe has spiked to its highest point this year, indicating the potential for another price cut.
Tesla has been finding a lot of success in the European market ever since it introduced its Model Y SUV to the continent, which has quickly become not only Tesla’s top seller in the region but the top-sold vehicle in many of Europe’s largest economies. Despite this success, Tesla saw a slight but noticeable decline in sales in the European market during the year’s first quarter. Now, trouble seems to continue for the American EV brand, which now sees a record number of inventoried vehicles in Europe.
The revelation regarding Tesla’s European inventory spike was posted on Twitter by Troy Teslike, who tracks Tesla sales and production.
Here is a chart that shows Tesla’s inventory in Europe over time (cars listed for sale on Tesla’s website): https://t.co/xbjD6sh8wm Supply is not an issue anymore. Therefore Q2 sales should give us a clear picture of demand
Europe sales:
• 94,819 in Q4 2022
• 93,784 in Q1 2023 pic.twitter.com/BxQm2bJX4P— Troy Teslike (@TroyTeslike) April 28, 2023
The results posted on Twitter show that Tesla has reached well above its record high for the year, primarily with units of Model 3s and Model Ys. However, a surprising number of Model Ss and Model Xs also seem to be accumulating.
In a comment to Teslarati, Troy Teslike laid out a couple of reasons Tesla may be experiencing a buildup of units in Europe. “I think the inventory buildup in Europe suggests a shift from being production-limited to demand-limited,” Teslike begins. “However, this doesn’t mean deliveries will be affected. It just means production exceeds demand.”
Teslike then points out that, thanks to Tesla’s continuing massive production ramp, a buildup of inventoried units has been slowly but surely creeping up on the automaker. “Tesla’s global production was higher than deliveries in the last four quarters. That resulted in an increase in inventory. Most of that inventory build-up happened in Europe.”
Tesla’s inventory at the end of Q1 was equal to 15 days of supply based on page 6 of Tesla’s shareholder letter https://t.co/n3wXWLqrHl Here is how that compares to other quarters.
Production was higher than deliveries in the last 4 quarters. pic.twitter.com/s5zc5s9Kgp
— Troy Teslike (@TroyTeslike) April 28, 2023
Concluding his statement, Teslike points to a specific source, Tesla Giga Shanghai. Thanks to Shanghai’s incredible production output, and Tesla’s uphill battle in China, excess units are ending up in Europe, but, according to Teslike, this may not be a bad thing. With added volume on the continent, the American automaker will be able to address demand quicker than ever, the only question is, will it be able to garner the necessary demand?
This strange inventory anomaly has attracted countless analysts besides Teslike, looking to find the stem of the issue. Does it stem from slowing demand for Tesla vehicles? Is it indicative of a slowing EV segment more generally? Is this issue just a symptom of more significant regional macroeconomic problems? Or, for the optimists, is this sudden spike even something worthy of concern?
It goes without saying that Europe, much like many other Western markets, has seen a good deal of economic turbulence in the first half of the year, including persistent high living costs, high inflation, and even the potential for bank collapse, however considering the success of other EV makers, this factor is unlikely the sole contributor.
Furthermore, with the dramatic uptick in EV sales seen at brands like Porsche, BMW, and Mercedes, it would be hard to believe that Tesla’s offerings suffer from a lack of affordability, especially as they already undercut these competitors by a substantial margin.
It should be noted that competition within the EV market, particularly in Europe, has gotten quite fierce with the entrance of countless new offerings, not only from the aforementioned luxury competitors of Tesla but also from Volkswagen, Renault, Peugeot, and Ford; brands that are all reasonably successful within the European affordable vehicle market outside of EV sales.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk has made it clear that Tesla’s pricing strategy, attempting to continue to lower prices to attract more customers, will continue well into the future. However, considering the current round of price cuts has still resulted in a record spike in inventory, it remains unclear if this will be the fix Tesla is looking for.
What do you think of the article? Do you have any comments, questions, or concerns? Shoot me an email at william@teslarati.com. You can also reach me on Twitter @WilliamWritin. If you have news tips, email us at tips@teslarati.com!
News
Tesla exec hints at a wild fix for Robotaxi’s biggest weather problem
Tesla VP Lars Moravy says focused lasers could keep robotaxi cameras clear instead of wipers.
Tesla may one day use lasers instead of wiper blades to keep its robotaxi cameras clear. Lars Moravy, Tesla’s Vice President of Vehicle Engineering, floated the idea in a new episode of Jay Leno’s Garage released Monday, where he and design chief Franz von Holzhausen walked Leno through the Model Y L.
“If you fire them in a focused area, you can clean the sheet of water and create a barrier,” Moravy said. “When you think about autonomy, it might be a good solution to only clean the area where the camera is.” He added that clearing an entire windshield would take too many lasers to be practical.
🚨 Jay Leno has released a new episode breaking down the Model Y L. You can watch it here: https://t.co/umMp85UEaB — TESLARATI (@Teslarati) November 9, 2026
The comment brings back one of Tesla’s stranger patents. The company filed for “Pulsed Laser Cleaning of Debris Accumulated on Glass Articles in Vehicles and Photovoltaic Assemblies” in May 2019, and the U.S. Patent Office granted it in September 2021. An updated divisional version was granted on March 31, 2026. The system detects debris on the glass, identifies what it is, and pulses the laser at a calibrated rate so the beam never penetrates deeper than the glass itself. The filing names windshields, side windows, camera lenses and solar panels as possible targets.
Lasers were once rumored for the Cybertruck, which appeared at its November 2019 unveiling with no wipers at all. Tesla eventually settled on a single oversized blade, and Elon Musk admitted the wiper was the part of the truck that troubled him the most. That production line is now scheduled to shut down around mid 2027 to make room for more Cybercab output.
What has changed since then is who is in the vehicle. A privately owned car has a driver who can notice a smeared windshield and do something about it. A Cybercab heading to its next pickup has nobody on board to check. Tesla has been chipping away at that problem with conventional hardware. Model Y Robotaxis in Austin were spotted with washers on their side repeater cameras in January, and a lens cleaning patent granted in May describes a fluid and wiper assembly for vehicle cameras and Optimus’ eyes. A laser would remove the fluid and the blades, both of which need regular replacement across a fleet.
The same episode gave Leno his first ride on Full Self-Driving (Supervised). The Model Y L pulled over on its own when an ambulance approached with its sirens on. “We got it on self-driving mode! I’m not touching anything,” Leno said. Moravy and von Holzhausen also explained that owners remain responsible while using FSD (Supervised), while Tesla takes responsibility for Robotaxi rides because it acts as the operator. Tesla launched the Model Y L in the U.S. in July at $61,990.
Moravy gave no timeline, and he described the laser setup as something Tesla is considering rather than a confirmed feature. The fleet it would serve keeps getting bigger, though. Tesla launched unsupervised Robotaxi service in San Antonio on Monday, its eighth city, and expanded its Austin service area to roughly 443 square miles on the same day. Several of those markets, including Houston, Miami and Tampa, see heavy seasonal rain.
Tesla launched unsupervised Robotaxi service in San Antonio, Texas, on November 9, 2026, with the first rides beginning at 5 a.m. local time.
The company’s official Robotaxi account on X posted the announcement just after midnight, sharing a map that outlines a large operational zone covering much of the city. The geofence is roughly 274 to 275 square miles, making it Tesla’s largest day-one Robotaxi service area to date.
🚨 Tesla just announced that Robotaxi is available in San Antonio, TX
First rides at 5am local time! https://t.co/azck6NlD8H
— TESLARATI (@Teslarati) November 9, 2026
The zone centers on downtown, covers nearly everything inside Loop 410, and extends north to Loop 1604 between Interstate 10 and U.S. 281, with further reach west past State Highway 151, east beyond I-35, and south toward I-37. This area encompasses about one million residents and hundreds of thousands of jobs.
San Antonio International Airport lies inside the geofence, though Tesla is not currently offering airport pickups or drop-offs. This hopefully will happen soon, as ride-sharing to and from the airport can be expensive.
The launch makes San Antonio Tesla’s eighth unsupervised Robotaxi city and its fifth in Texas, joining Austin, Houston, Dallas, and Fort Worth. Florida markets in Miami, Orlando, and Tampa are also live.
🚨 Here’s every active geofence, by size (not including the Bay Area geofence):
• Austin: 435 sq mi (first ride Jun 22, 2025) · Cybercabs live, expanded today • San Antonio: ~275 sq mi (first ride Nov 9, 2026) • Houston: 254 sq mi (Apr 18, 2026) • Fort Worth: 143 sq mi (Nov 2, 2026) • Dallas: 81 sq mi (Apr 18, 2026) • Miami: 31 sq mi (Jul 3, 2026) • Orlando: 26 sq mi (Jul 21, 2026) • Tampa: 24 sq mi (Jul 21, 2026)
— TESLARATI (@Teslarati) November 9, 2026
Service uses modified Model Y vehicles operating without a safety driver in the vehicle, consistent with recent unsupervised expansions. Cybercab two-seaters remain limited primarily to Austin for now. It’s worth noting that Dept. of Transportation officials in Texas have already ok’d the Cybercab’s operation in Austin, and one official called it “a tangible example of how quickly our transportation system is evolving.”
San Antonio was previously listed among near-term targets in Tesla’s October 2026 Robotaxi safety materials, alongside Las Vegas, Phoenix, and Jacksonville. The rapid Texas rollout follows Fort Worth’s unsupervised debut on November 2 and builds on Austin’s original launch in June 2025.
The 274-square-mile debut remains substantially larger than Waymo’s local footprint and marks continued progress in Tesla’s unsupervised autonomy efforts after starting the year with no such rides. The company has stated ambitions for broader 24/7 operations by the end of 2026 as vehicle counts and software reliability improve.
Tesla has started to perform earthworks engineering on the roughly 3,000-acre site in Fort Bend County, Texas, advancing the massive $10 billion Project Crystal Sun plan to build a vertically integrated solar manufacturing complex.
Flyover drone footage from S.E. Robinson, Jr. released this morning shows the location under development. Tesla has crews on site performing large clearings, but you can also see equipment staging areas, the use of an existing homestead, and active leveling across a substantial portion of the property.
Tesla has started construction on Project Crystal Sun, its $10B vertically integrated solar factory near Houston, Texas.
The plant will make everything from silicon ingots and wafers to finished cells and panels, with operations targeted for Q1 2029.
@SERobinsonJr with a great flyover of the facility:
— TESLARATI (@Teslarati) November 9, 2026
Public filings first submitted in July under Texas’s Jobs, Energy, Technology and Innovation Act describe a plant that would manufacture the full solar chain: everything from silicon ingots, wafers, coated cells, and finished modules.
Tesla projects 9,712 permanent jobs by 2033, ramping from roughly 1,900 positions in the first year of operations, plus a peak of about 1,147 construction jobs. Construction is targeted for 2026–2028, with commercial production beginning in the first quarter of 2029. An accompanying economic analysis estimates the project could add roughly $107 billion to Texas GDP over several decades.
Local incentives have cleared major hurdles. Lamar Consolidated Independent School District unanimously approved school-tax limitations in September, and Fort Bend County commissioners approved a package of abatements and related agreements in late October that could extend equipment tax breaks for as long as 35 years.
Tesla had previously indicated it was evaluating a competing out-of-state location.
The effort fits broader statements by Musk that Tesla and SpaceX are each working toward 100 gigawatts of annual U.S. solar manufacturing capacity. If built as described, Project Crystal Sun would stand as one of the largest domestic attempts to create a fully integrated solar supply chain on American soil.
While Tesla has not issued a formal groundbreaking announcement, the visible site preparation and high-profile social media activity represent a concrete step forward for a project that has moved from confidential filings to active earthworks in a matter of months.
Tesla exec hints at a wild fix for Robotaxi’s biggest weather problem
Tesla Robotaxi enters its newest city, reaching San Antonio
