A Tesla Megapack is powering a large housing factory completely off-grid in Patterson, California, with energy from a large array of on-site, PVGraf solar panels. The factory isn’t connected to the local power grid, and this is the first time a Tesla Megapack has been deployed and running completely off-grid. The system has been operating without any issues since November.
S2A Modular, a tech company that manufactures modular homes, tiny houses, and more that run on direct-current (DC) power, owns the Tesla Megapack, and its president and cofounder, John Rowland, granted Teslarati an exclusive interview. The company is also in the business of addressing housing for the homeless as well as making luxury homes and single-family homes.
John Rowland, S2A Modular’s president, and cofounder, granted Teslarati an exclusive interview. He shared with Teslarati that the company has 35 facilities, with five currently under construction and Tesla Megapacks on order. The first one in Patterson, California, is completely off the grid, and John has been working with Tesla to monitor its progress.
The delivery and installation of the Tesla Megapack, John explained, was “very smooth.” All of the infrastructure was in place, and it only took a couple of days to install the battery.
John told Teslarati that the reason why he went with Tesla is that he is a huge fan of both Tesla and Elon Musk. Initially, he had planned to buy the Tesla PowerPacks but by the time the factory came to fruition, Tesla Megapacks were available. As a homebuilder, he wanted to build homes that run on batteries. John said that engineered and built the second off-grid Tesla-powered home in North America.
“When I built that home, I decided I wanted to scale and build homes that were meant to run on batteries because this is how that house was engineered and built. It was the lowest voltage, lowest amperage home on the planet.”
John realized that in order to scale, he would need a factory and wanted to take the same approach that he has taken to engineering and building the homes and “engineer and build a factory that was made to run off-grid.
The hundred thousand-square-foot factory has no gas, or propane, only graphene solar panels, and a Tesla Megapack. “And no connection to the electrical grid.”
John pointed out that he has had a good relationship with Tesla since 2015, and once the Megapacks were available, he ordered one for each of the facilities.
“We’ve got the first one in Patterson, California, and it’s been up and running a little over a month now. And it’s running like a champ. The whole factory’s powered off-grid, and it’s a huge success, so we’re looking to carry it over to our next facilities.”
John and his team and Tesla are monitoring the battery three times a day since it is completely off-grid. At first, there was a little hesitation on Tesla’s part for installing a completely off-grid Megapack, but John was able to win them over, and things are going smoothly.
“This is the first time that a Megapack was programmed to run off-grid. They’re set to take a trickle charge from the grid 24/7, and it took some convincing to get Tesla to allow us to do it this way. At first, they said, ‘you’re a couple of years ahead of us,’ but they finally agreed to allow us to do it, and now they’re using it as beta. They’re monitoring it just like we are.”
“One of Tesla’s head engineers that we work with told us that when we powered it up, it would take four days for our solar to charge the battery fully. We did it in seven and a half hours.”
John explained that the solar panels his company uses are made with specially manufactured graphene solar panels. “They’re the only company in the world using graphene, and they have 20 worldwide patents on it. At S2A, we paid and file our own UL( Underwriter Labs) to have our own UL-rated panel produced.”
When asked about feedback, John explained that he talks to Tesla’s engineers regularly and provides updates on the battery’s performance.
“It’s quite to our surprise It’s a 1.4-megawatt battery, and we’re able to keep it about 90% even with all of our equipment running. It’s really working better than our expectations.”
One thing John wasn’t expecting was the surplus of energy. He actually plans to connect the Megapack to the grid next year so that he can discharge the excess power and help take some of the burdens away from the local grid.
“Our inverters are shutting off every day because we’re producing more power than we can use. Our factory is actually net-positive, and we will start contributing back to the grid next year.”
“We’ve got the battery set right now–when it reaches 97% capacity, the inverter shuts down and stops producing power. We’ve been monitoring it three times a day, and it’s been shutting off every day. Even with the factory running at full speed, we still produce excess energy.”
John added that he also purchased the Tesla Semi and plans to use them to deliver homes to customers.
Disclosure: Johnna is a $TSLA shareholder and believes in Tesla’s mission.
Your feedback is welcome. If you have any comments or concerns or see a typo, you can email me at johnna@teslarati.com. You can also reach me on Twitter at @JohnnaCrider1.
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Tesla has extended its Bay Area ride-hailing service to include pickups and drop-offs at San Francisco International Airport (SFO). The update, shared via the company’s official channels on July 21, allows users in the region to request rides directly to and from one of California’s busiest airports.
The expansion builds on Tesla’s secured limousine permit for SFO operations. Public records show the permit became effective March 20, 2026, and remains active through January 31, 2027. Tesla vehicles operating the service now display authorized limousine permits issued by the City and County of San Francisco.
Our Bay Area rideshare service now goes to SFO ✈️
— Tesla AI (@Tesla_AI) July 21, 2026
Tesla’s ride-hailing program in California relies on Model Y vehicles equipped with Full Self-Driving (Supervised) technology. Human safety drivers remain present in compliance with state regulations, distinguishing the service from fully driverless operations.
The Bay Area geofence covers a broad area spanning north of San Francisco to south of San Jose, offering extensive connectivity across the region.
UPDATE: Elon Musk reveals why Tesla didn’t say ‘Robotaxi’ upon California launch
This SFO addition follows earlier progress at other Bay Area airports. Tesla previously expanded service to San Jose Mineta International Airport (SJC) in late 2025. The company had engaged with SFO, SJC, and Oakland International Airport officials as early as September 2025 to secure necessary approvals for passenger transport.
The service provides a new option for travelers seeking electric, app-based transportation integrated with Tesla’s ecosystem. Rides are booked through Tesla’s dedicated ride-hailing application, which handles matching, routing, and payments. Pricing follows standard ride-hailing models, with potential adjustments based on distance, time, and demand.
Tesla’s California ride-hailing program launched in July 2025 with an initial invite-only rollout in the Bay Area. It started alongside operations in Austin, Texas, marking the company’s second major U.S. market.
The Bay Area remains a primary focus in California, with service centered on high-demand corridors connecting residential, commercial, and now major transportation hubs. This latest airport integration represents a practical step in Tesla’s broader mobility ambitions within the state.
Tesla has officially revealed its 2026 Summer Update, which comes with a variety of crazy new features, including Navigation fixes that owners have been wanting for months.
Tesla routinely releases a larger update with the Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter updates, where it ships a variety of new features, bug fixes, and other additions to customer cars.
The 2026 Spring Update featured things like “Hey Grok” voice assistance, a redesigned self-driving app, Unreal Engine visual upgrades, and more.
🚨 TESLA’S SUMMER UPDATE FOR 2026 IS HERE:
Featuring:
✅ Self-Driving Stats in Mobile App
✅ Caraoke with Scoring
✅ Automatic Navigation
✅ Preferred Routes
✅ Set Arrival Energy from Mobile App
✅ Send Custom Wraps from Mobile App
✅ Rear Display Lock
✅ Other Improvements
🔌… https://t.co/C9IW3egEhH— TESLARATI (@Teslarati) July 21, 2026
Tesla’s Summer Release has about ten new features; we’ll show you each and detail them below:
New Grok Voice Commands
“Grok can now make phone calls, search and play music, adjust climate, open the glovebox, and answer questions about your Tesla.”
Self-Driving Stats in Mobile App
“View and share self-driving stats from the mobile app.”
Caraoke With Scoring
“Caraoke now scores your singing while in Park. High scores are saved to your Tesla profile.”
Automatic Navigation
“Automatic Navigation now adapts to your routine.
In addition to Home, Work, and upcoming calendar events, your vehicle can now suggest and route to places you visit regularly – like a school drop-off on the way to work, or the gym on the way home.”
Preferred Routes
“For a more personalized experience, navigation now prioritizes routes that you’ve taken before”
Set Arrival Energy from Mobile App
“Set your desired Arrival Energy from your phone.”
Send Custom Wraps from Mobile App
“Skip the USB drive and upload a custom wrap of your car from the mobile app. Instructions for creating a custom wrap here: https://github.com/teslamotors/custom-wraps.”
Rear Display Lock
“Kids can watch content on the rear screen, but only the front row can control it through the rear screen app.”
Other Improvements
- Find Superchargers by name when searching for a destination
- Add Apple Music songs to queue from search and artist page
- Set your preferred zoom level for the Self-Driving visualization
- Intro animations for new Model 3 and Y
Tesla’s reason for Starlink integration on Cybercab might surprise you, as the company’s Head of AI, Ashok Elluswamy, finally shed some light on the reason they are putting a satellite internet terminal on its ride-hailing-geared vehicle.
On Monday, Tesla officially confirmed that it would integrate Starlink V5 terminals into Cybercab vehicles, something many Tesla fans had figured the company would do, as the vehicle is primarily geared toward giving rides without any passenger intervention.
Starlink V5 directly integrated in Cybercab pic.twitter.com/FxzTtzjB6I
— Tesla (@Tesla) July 20, 2026
The ability to access the internet would allow riders to work or play in the car with their devices. It seemed like a more-than-reasonable feature to add to the Cybercab, which made its way off the production lines for the first time earlier this year.
Tesla reveals first vehicle model to receive Starlink integration
However, the move is not for the rider, as Elluswamy confirmed on Monday night. Instead, it’s actually for Tesla to be able to have a constant connection to the cars in the Robotaxi fleet so it can troubleshoot issues, contact riders, or resolve other issues.
Elluswamy said:
“It is still not required for safe operation of the vehicle. Connectivity is primarily meant for navigation, customer service and, in general, fleet management.”
It is still not required for safe operation of the vehicle. Connectivity is primarily meant for navigation, customer service and, in general, fleet management.
— Ashok Elluswamy (@aelluswamy) July 20, 2026
Many initially assumed the option of constant connectivity would be enabled on the Cybercab for passenger entertainment or work. With the Cybercab, passengers won’t be doing anything but enjoying the ride, so it seemed more than logical that they would be hanging out with Starlink internet access as an amenity.
However, Tesla’s primary concern with Robotaxi is safety, and nailing these first unsupervised rides is a crucial step to setting a good narrative on how effective driverless transportation can be.
Being able to get in touch with passengers or a vehicle if something is wrong is a crucial part of the overall experience, and preventative measures are being taken by Tesla to ensure a smooth process, even in the worst-case.
Tesla expands ridesharing service in California to new hotspot
Tesla reveals 2026 Summer Update with crazy fixes to Nav and more
