Tesla is set to get two new contracts for its Megapack grid-scale batteries, this time detailing plans for two large energy storage projects in Australia.
Two Tesla Megapack projects with 200MW/400MWh of capacity each have been proposed by utility provider Ausgrid, set to be constructed near Sydney and in Newcastle, both in New South Wales, according to Renew Economy. The Sydney location will be in the suburb of Homebush, and both will be constructed on land that Ausgrid is already in ownership of.
In Newcastle, the Megapack projects will be built out at the Steel River industrial complex, while the Homebush site is going into an empty lot zoned for electrical supply projects. The utility provider also says that it will begin construction on the project in mid- to late-2025.
The news comes as the latest of Tesla’s many Megapack-backed battery energy storage systems (BESS) across Australia, including a newly operational project in Western Australia with 219MW/877MWh of capacity.
In New South Wales, Tesla is also backing a 415MW/1660MWh battery project in the Central West Orana Renewable Energy Zone (REZ), marking one of the world’s largest four-hour battery projects at this time. Last October, another New South Wales project launched on Wiradjuri land sporting 150MW/300MWh, as is being managed by Shell Energy, Edify Energy, and the Federation Asset Management.
Tesla Energy is deploying Megapacks like crazy, with the company’s factory in Lathrop, California recently surpassing a milestone of building 10,000 Megapacks to date. With these and several other BESS projects being proposed and going live around the world this year, it’s no surprise that Tesla has been seeing high margins on its energy products, or that it’s currently working on a second factory dedicated to producing the Megapack in China.
During Tesla’s recent Q3 earnings call, the company highlighted that its energy division reported a record gross profit margin of 30.5 percent during the quarter, along with reporting a production level of roughly 200 Megapacks per week
Tesla Energy posts record 9.4 GWh of battery storage deployed in Q2 2024
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Elon Musk
Elon Musk commends Tesla team on successful Robotaxi launch
Tesla CEO Elon Musk commended the company on the successful launch of Robotaxi.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk commented on the company’s launch of the Robotaxi platform, which officially went live to a small group on Sunday in Austin, Texas.
It is the first time Tesla has offered driverless rides through the ride-hailing platform it has worked to activate for several years, and it was overwhelmingly successful based on early reviews.
The launch was coupled with the release of the first-ever looks at the Tesla Robotaxi app, which does more than allow riders to summon vehicles for transportation. It also allows the rider to adjust climate settings in the car before it arrives for a comfortable ride, and it will sync entertainment and streaming settings to keep occupants entertained.
Tesla Robotaxi riders tout ‘smooth’ experience in first reviews of driverless service launch
The first rides are being performed with a safety monitor in the passenger’s seat. These monitors have no control over the vehicle, and are there just to ensure smooth operation.
The first reviews called rides “smooth” and “comfortable,” and commended Tesla for its hard work over the past few years to make this happen. Many were impressed with the cars’ ability to keep pedestrians safe, avoid congested parking lots, and the efficiency of the rides, as the time from the ride request to the Robotaxi accepting the ride was extremely fast.
Musk has been at the forefront of this operation for a decade, as Tesla has been working to release a version of the Robotaxi through the development of Full Self-Driving. This has been an effort that included seeking top-tier engineering talent and taking incredible leaps of faith, including switching to a Vision-only approach for Full Self-Driving.
Musk commended the Tesla team for its hard work:
Super congratulations to the @Tesla_AI software & chip design teams on a successful @Robotaxi launch!!
Culmination of a decade of hard work.
Both the AI chip and software teams were built from scratch within Tesla.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 22, 2025
It’s truly an incredible accomplishment, as many considered Robotaxi a “failure” despite it not even being rolled out. In May, we reported on media outlets calling the Robotaxi rollout a total failure, despite Tesla always maintaining the launch would happen in June:
Tesla Robotaxi deemed a total failure by media — even though it hasn’t been released
Hundreds of rides have already been taken, and there have not been many complaints. It’s an incredible jump forward for Tesla.
Elon Musk
Tesla Robotaxi riders tout ‘smooth’ experience in first reviews of driverless service launch
The first reviews of Tesla Robotaxi are in, and those riders are impressed and astounded with the smooth and comfortable nature of the service.

Tesla Robotaxi riders are touting their awesome experiences in their first rides using the automaker’s new driverless ride-hailing service, which launched to a limited number of people yesterday for the first time.
On Sunday, Tesla officially launched Robotaxi, its driverless ride-hailing service, in downtown Austin. A select group of people were chosen to receive early access to the program, as well as the new Robotaxi app, which is used to request a ride and will sync everything from climate preferences to streaming settings with each pickup.
Teslarati gained access to the Early Access riders program and the Robotaxi app, giving us a first-hand look at the experience. We will be in Austin soon to test out the Robotaxi fleet for ourselves.
However, those who were there for the initial rides on Sunday had nothing but great things to say. Hundreds of rides were taken during the first hours of the Robotaxi program, and neither the company nor the riders reported any issues.
Here’s what people said about their experiences:
- “Extremely smooth stops,” and great awareness of road conditions, including pedestrians, speed bumps, and busy parking lots, were all handled with ease:
Robotaxi slows down really nice for speed bumps. Extremely smooth stops as well pic.twitter.com/H8R2pXllWB
— Zack (@BLKMDL3) June 22, 2025
- Safe navigation around pedestrians who walked just off the sidewalk into the road:
Tesla Robotaxi stops for a man who veered off the sidewalk and onto the road as @JoeTegtmeyer and I were approaching Zilker Park earlier today. The stop was smooth and our Tesla Robotaxi allowed him to get back on the sidewalk and continue with our journey. This man is likely… pic.twitter.com/fozP6A7esK
— JC Christopher (@JohnChr08117285) June 23, 2025
- “Just as good as it is during the daytime” at night. There were no changes to report by riders who took rides during the day and evening:
Here is my experience in one of the first public nighttime @Tesla Robotaxi rides. It was smooth, comfortable and just as good as it is during the daytime. pic.twitter.com/7bDvVaWf3A
— Sawyer Merritt (@SawyerMerritt) June 23, 2025
- Avoided expensive and stressful parking at local tourist hotspots like Terry Black’s Barbeque:
Here’s a huge benefit of Tesla Robotaxi-
Dropped us off in front of Terry Blacks, crazy hard to find parking here, yesterday it took me almost 30 minutes to find a spot and today, I got dropped off right in front.
Didn’t have to pay for parking either. Game changing. @robotaxi pic.twitter.com/yZjQ8u4s8X
— Zack (@BLKMDL3) June 22, 2025
- “Comfortable and similar to existing Tesla cars with FSD,” intuitive and “surreal” experience:
My thoughts after 3 Robotaxi rides:
– Very smooth and comfortable. Similar to existing Tesla cars with FSD.
– App UI is intuitive but can use a couple upgrades (placing a pin anywhere, change trip while in car)
– It is completely and totally surreal.As a Tesla owner and…
— Farzad (@farzyness) June 22, 2025
- The app is quicker than other ride-sharing services. When a destination is chosen, Robotaxi is already on the way to your location:
My thoughts after 13 Robotaxi rides.
-Driving is very comfortable. It feels similar to our FSD, but braking is even better.
-The app is super fast, pick a destination and the robotaxi is simultaneously on the way.
-Yes our cars do well on FSD, but no one in the driver seat,… pic.twitter.com/pkuaXVxuMP
— Dirty Tesla (@DirtyTesLa) June 23, 2025
News
Tesla Robotaxi rollout proves that Elon Musk still delivers, even if it’s late
Tesla is also still the company that makes the impossible feel late.

It took a long time, but Tesla has finally successfully rolled out its dedicated Robotaxi service in Austin this weekend. The initial rollout only involved a small fleet of cars operating in a small geofenced area in Texas, but it is still significant.
It does, if any, prove that Elon Musk is still capable of delivering on his promises, even if they are late. Tesla is also still the company that makes the impossible feel late.
Finally, a Rollout
Elon Musk has been predicting a Robotaxi rollout for years, so much so that even avid Tesla supporters have grown quite wary of his constant predictions. After a while, Elon Musk himself admitted that he has become the boy who cried FSD, though he still maintained that self-driving was really just around the corner.
This past weekend, Musk’s predictions finally came true. Actual paying customers used Tesla’s dedicated Robotaxi service for a small flat fee of $4.20 per ride. Elon Musk seemed quite happy with the Robotaxi’s initial launch, as evidenced by his congratulatory message to the Tesla AI team on X.
No More Tesla Vision Debates
One thing that is evident in Tesla’s initial Robotaxi rollout in Austin was the fact that the debate surrounding Tesla’s vision-only approach is completely gone now. With actual Robotaxis operating around Austin, there are no more questions about whether cars can navigate city streets on their own using only AI and cameras. They can, and safely too, at least based on Tesla’s initial fleet of Robotaxis.
The Beauty of Normalcy
The Robotaxi rides from Tesla owners who were fortunate enough to experience the first driverless rides from the EV maker’s fleet were quite uneventful. Comments on social media platforms such as X observed that the Robotaxis operated safely and cautiously, and their driving was actually smoother than some human drivers.
That may not sound very exciting at all, but that’s the beauty of it. Tesla’s Robotaxi service is designed to look and feel natural to people. And so far, it appears that Tesla is accomplishing this with its Robotaxi rollout.
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