News
Tesla signs lease on massive Los Angeles facility near Silicon Beach
Tesla has reportedly signed a lease for a massive 131,000 square feet creative office facility that’s located in an area of Los Angeles best known as Silicon Beach.
Surrounded by the tech hub of Playa Vista where technology giants including Google, Facebook, Microsoft, among a slew of emerging startups that have made Southern California their home, and Venice Beach that has given birth to unicorns like Tinder, The Honest Company, and Snapchat; Tesla’s new location at 4755 Alla Road in Marina Del Rey gives the company presence in one of the hottest real estate markets on the westside.
But it’s not the location’s proximity to Silicon Beach that Tesla finds value in. Rather, the facility’s direct access to state highway 90 and its ample lot size that can support upwards of 400 parked vehicles, likely became the motivating factor for Tesla’s commitment to the $30 million and minimum seven year lease deal. The location could also serve as much needed support for Tesla’s Los Angeles Service Center on Centinela Ave. that has been on double-duty as a delivery center for Model S, Model X, and recent Model 3 deliveries.
Teslarati obtained the following photos of the massive facility on Monday, a day before the new tenant’s official move-in date.
- Tesla Marina Del Rey facility front entrance gate
- Tesla Marina Del Rey facility along Alla Rd.
- Tesla Marina Del Rey facility expansive front parking lot
- Artist rendering of
- Facility is located next to a public park with tennis courts
Though Tesla did not provide comment on the reported lease agreement, a document filed on September 19, 2017 with the Los Angeles Department of City Planning identify Tesla as the company that requested a “coastal exemption permit” for an illuminated wall sign that reads “TESLA” for the building at 4755 Alla Road.
Requested Entitlement: NEW ILLUMINATED WALL SIGN FOR ”TESLA”
COASTAL EXEMPTION PERMIT FOR NEW WALL SIGN, 24 FEET 3 INCHES BY 2 FEET 3 INCHES, REVERSE CHANNEL HALO LIT ILLUMINATION, READING ”TESLA”. SIGN IS APPROXIMATELY 17 FEET FROM FINISHED GRADE.
Applicant: [ Company: TESLA]
The gated main entry to the facility boasts an expansive parking lot that’s large enough to hold at least one-hundred vehicles. In addition, the building has a secured subterranean parking garage with entry on the east end of the building along Alla Road. The north end of the building, where the loading docks reside, is adjacent to a community park that’s separated by a chain-link fence. Presumably, another hundred or more vehicles can park in the lot running the length of the building, as well as behind it.
- Artist rendering of the facility
- North end of the building with loading docks.
- North end of the building
- Side entrance along Alla Road leading to a subterranean garage.
- Subterranean parking for 58 vehicles.
According to the building description as seen in past property listings, the facility features a 22′ clear-height ceiling with exposed beams and ideal for creative office space use. It’s not clear what Tesla might be using this facility for, but one could argue that the facility would be best suited for use as a second service and delivery center in Los Angeles. This is especially the case as the company aims to support the thousands of new Model 3 vehicles being purchased and soon delivered to Southern Californians.
News
Tesla seeks approval to test FSD Supervised in new Swedish city
Tesla has applied to conduct local Full Self-Driving (Supervised) testing in the city of Jönköping, Sweden.
Tesla has applied to conduct local Full Self-Driving (Supervised) testing in the city of Jönköping, Sweden.
As per local outlet Jönköpings-Posten, Tesla has contacted the municipality with a request to begin FSD (Supervised) tests in the city. The company has already received approval to test its Full Self-Driving (Supervised) software in several Swedish municipalities, as well as on the national road network.
Sofia Bennerstål, Tesla’s Head of Public Policy for Northern Europe, confirmed that an application has been submitted for FSD’s potential tests in Jönköping.
“I can confirm that we have submitted an application, but I cannot say much more about it,” Bennerstål told the news outlet. She also stated that Tesla is “satisfied with the tests” in the region so far.
The planned tests in Jönköping would involve a limited number of Tesla-owned vehicles. Trained Tesla safety drivers would remain behind the wheel and be prepared to intervene if necessary.
Tesla previously began testing in Nacka municipality after receiving local approval. At the time, the company stated that cooperation between authorities, municipalities, and industry enables technological progress and helps integrate future transport systems into real-world traffic conditions, as noted in an Allt Om Elbil report.
If approved, Jönköping would become the latest Swedish municipality to allow local Full Self-Driving (Supervised) testing.
Tesla’s Swedish testing program is part of the company’s efforts to validate its supervised autonomous driving software in everyday traffic environments. Municipal approvals allow Tesla to gather data in urban settings that include roundabouts, complex intersections, and mixed traffic conditions.
Sweden has become an increasingly active testing ground for Tesla’s driver-assistance software in Europe, with regulatory coordination between local authorities and national agencies enabling structured pilot programs.
Elon Musk
Microsoft partners with Starlink to expand rural internet access worldwide
The update was shared ahead of Mobile World Congress.
Microsoft has announced a new collaboration with Starlink as part of its expanding digital access strategy, following the company’s claim that it has extended internet connectivity coverage to more than 299 million people worldwide.
The update was shared ahead of Mobile World Congress, where Microsoft detailed how it surpassed its original goal of bringing internet access to 250 million people by the end of 2025.
In a blog post, Microsoft confirmed that it is now working with Starlink to expand connectivity in rural and hard-to-reach regions.
“Through our collaboration with Starlink, Microsoft is combining low-Earth orbit satellite connectivity with community-based deployment models and local ecosystem partnerships,” the company wrote.
The partnership is designed to complement Microsoft’s existing work with local internet providers and infrastructure companies across Africa, Latin America, and India, among other areas. Microsoft noted that traditional infrastructure alone cannot meet demand in some regions, making low-Earth orbit satellite connectivity an important addition.
Kenya was cited as an early example. Working with Starlink and local provider Mawingu Networks, Microsoft is supporting connectivity for 450 community hubs in rural and underserved areas. These hubs include farmer cooperatives, aggregation centers, and digital access facilities intended to support agricultural productivity and AI-enabled services.
Microsoft stated that 2.2 billion people globally remain offline, and that connectivity gaps risk widening as AI adoption accelerates.
Starlink’s expanding constellation, now numbering more than 9,700 satellites in orbit, provides near-global coverage, making it one of the few systems capable of delivering broadband to remote regions without relying on terrestrial infrastructure.
Starlink is expected to grow even more in the coming years as well, especially as SpaceX transitions its fleet to Starship, which is capable of carrying significantly larger payloads compared to its current workhorse, the Falcon 9.
Elon Musk
Tesla expands US LFP battery supply with LG Energy Solution deal: report
The report was initially published by TheElec, citing industry sources.
LG Energy Solution (LGES) will manufacture lithium iron phosphate (LFP) energy storage system (ESS) batteries for Tesla at its Lansing, Michigan facility.
The report was initially published by TheElec, citing industry sources.
LG Energy Solution’s Lansing plant, formerly known as Ultium Cells 3, was previously operated as a joint venture with General Motors. LGES acquired GM’s stake in May 2025 and now fully owns the site. With a production capacity of 50 GWh per year, it is one of the company’s largest facilities in North America.
LG Energy Solution is converting part of the Lansing factory to produce LFP batteries for energy storage systems. Equipment orders for the new lines have already been placed, and mass production is reportedly expected to begin in the second half of next year.
Last July, LG Energy Solution disclosed a 5.94 trillion won battery supply agreement running from August 2027 to July 2030. While the company did not name the customer, industry sources pointed to Tesla as the buyer.
Tesla has primarily used CATL’s prismatic batteries for its Megapack systems. The move to source prismatic LFP cells from LG Energy Solution’s U.S. plant could then be seen as part of Tesla’s efforts to bolster its North American supply base for its energy storage business.
For the Lansing conversion, LG Energy Solution reportedly plans to use electrode equipment originally ordered under its Ultium Cells venture with General Motors. Suppliers reportedly include CIS and Hirano Tecseed for electrode systems, TSI for mixing equipment, CK Solution for heat exhaust systems, A-Pro for formation equipment, and Shinjin Mtech for assembly kits.
Tesla currently manufactures energy storage products at facilities in California and Shanghai, though another Megafactory that produces the Megapack is also expected to be built in Texas. As per recent reports, the Texas Megafactory recently advanced with a major property sale.












