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Tesla-approved body shop shares close look at Model 3 repair and restoration

(Credit: Autocraft Bodywerks/YouTube)

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A Tesla-certified body shop from Austin, TX recently provided a unique look at the work that goes behind the repair and restoration process of a Model 3 with a damaged B-Pillar. As could be seen in a time-lapse video of the Model 3’s repair, the team from the body shop spent several days refitting the electric car with OEM parts, restoring it to showroom condition before handing it over to its owner.

The team that handled the vehicle’s repair, Autocraft Bodywerks, has been fixing Teslas for years. The shop noted that the repair and restoration of a Tesla are not as simple as that of internal combustion vehicles, with the electric cars requiring specialized training in aluminum welding and adhesive and mechanical joining tech. This specialized training was in full view in the recently shared time-lapse footage, as the Autocraft team could be seen carefully working on the vehicle to return it to its original state.

The Model 3 featured in the video was a Long Range variant that was involved in a traffic accident last October. The electric car was T-boned right in the middle during the incident, damaging the left side B-Pillar, as well as the left front and left rear doors. The entire repair procedure took a considerable amount of time, from the removal of the damaged pillar to the complete reassembly of the vehicle. Reassembly was no joke either, with the Tesla-certified body shop putting back the vehicle piece by piece, from its doors to its glass roof.

Considering that the Model 3 was T-boned late last year, the entire repair process still took a considerable amount of time. Autocraft Bodywerks noted that they only used OEM parts for the vehicle’s restoration, which could have contributed to the extended repair time for the Model 3. Tesla, for its part, has been pledging to improve its vehicles’ repair times, mainly as its fleet is currently growing at an unprecedented pace due to the Model 3’s ramp.

Tesla’s vehicles are among the safest on the road, with the company’s entire lineup being awarded stellar safety ratings from agencies like the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Among the factors that contributed to these ratings are the vehicles’ bodies, which are primarily made of aluminum. Aluminum has several advantages over common materials used in cars such as steel, such as lighter weight and great energy absorption during impacts, but the material is also notoriously difficult to work with. Thus, Tesla requires body shops such as Autocraft to undergo training and certification before they were greenlighted to perform repairs on the company’s vehicles.

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Elon Musk has pledged to make the repair process of Tesla’s vehicles a lot faster and smoother, even noting that the company is aiming to achieve 24-hr turnaround times for vehicle repairs. Tesla has already accomplished these feats for minor repairs at its in-house body shops, though the program is yet to see a wide rollout. The company has also noted that it is doubling its service capacity this year to accommodate more vehicles.

Watch a Model 3 undergo a complete restoration in the time-lapse video below.

https://youtu.be/cpnTWXFT4G0

Simon is an experienced automotive reporter with a passion for electric cars and clean energy. Fascinated by the world envisioned by Elon Musk, he hopes to make it to Mars (at least as a tourist) someday. For stories or tips--or even to just say a simple hello--send a message to his email, simon@teslarati.com or his handle on X, @ResidentSponge.

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Starlink achieves major milestones in 2025 progress report

Starlink wrapped up 2025 with impressive growth, adding more than 4.6 million new active customers and expanding service to 35 additional countries, territories, and markets.

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Credit: Starlink/X

Starlink wrapped up 2025 with impressive growth, adding more than 4.6 million new active customers and expanding service to 35 additional countries, territories, and markets. The company also completed deployment of its first-generation Direct to Cell constellation, launching over 650 satellites in just 18 months to enable cellular connectivity.

SpaceX highlighted Starlink’s impressive 2025 progress in an extensive report.

Key achievements from Starlink’s 2025 Progress

Starlink connected over 4.6 million new customers with high-speed internet while bringing service to 35 more regions worldwide in 2025. Starlink is now connecting 9.2 million people worldwide. The service achieved this just weeks after hitting its 8 million customer milestone.

Starlink is now available in 155 markets, including areas that are unreachable by traditional ISPs. As per SpaceX, Starlink has also provided over 21 million airline passengers and 20 million cruise passengers with reliable high-speed internet connectivity during their travels.

Starlink Direct to Cell

Starlink’s Direct to Cell constellation, more than 650 satellites strong, has already connected over 12 million people at least once, marking a breakthrough in global mobile coverage.
Starlink Direct to Cell is currently rolled out to 22 countries and 6 continents, with over 6 million monthly customers. Starlink Direct to Cell also has 27 MNO partners to date.

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This year, SpaceX completed deployment of the first generation of the Starlink Direct to Cell constellation, with more than 650 satellites launched to low-Earth orbit in just 18 months. Starlink Direct to Cell has connected more than 12 million people, and counting, at least once, providing life-saving connectivity when people need it most,” SpaceX wrote.

starlinkProgressReport_2025 by Simon Alvarez

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Tesla Giga Nevada celebrates production of 6 millionth drive unit

To celebrate the milestone, the Giga Nevada team gathered for a celebratory group photo. 

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Tesla’s Giga Nevada has reached an impressive milestone, producing its 6 millionth drive unit as 2925 came to a close.

To celebrate the milestone, the Giga Nevada team gathered for a celebratory group photo. 

6 million drive units

The achievement was shared by the official Tesla Manufacturing account on social media platform X. “Congratulations to the Giga Nevada team for producing their 6 millionth Drive Unit!” Tesla wrote. 

The photo showed numerous factory workers assembled on the production floor, proudly holding golden balloons that spelled out “6000000″ in front of drive unit assembly stations. Elon Musk gave credit to the Giga Nevada team, writing, “Congrats on 6M drive units!” in a post on X.

Giga Nevada’s essential role

Giga Nevada produces drive units, battery packs, and energy products. The facility has been a cornerstone of Tesla’s scaling since opening, and it was the crucial facility that ultimately enabled Tesla to ramp the Model 3 and Model Y. Even today, it serves as Tesla’s core hub for battery and drivetrain components for vehicles that are produced in the United States.

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Giga Nevada is expected to support Tesla’s ambitious 2026 targets, including the launch of vehicles like the Tesla Semi and the Cybercab. Tesla will have a very busy 2026, and based on Giga Nevada’s activities so far, it appears that the facility will be equally busy as well.

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Tesla Supercharger network delivers record 6.7 TWh in 2025

The network now exceeds 75,000 stalls globally, and it supports even non-Tesla vehicles across several key markets.

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tesla-diner-supercharger
Credit: Tesla

Tesla’s Supercharger Network had its biggest year ever in 2025, delivering a record 6.7 TWh of electricity to vehicles worldwide. 

To celebrate its busy year, the official @TeslaCharging account shared an infographic showing the Supercharger Network’s growth from near-zero in 2012 to this year’s impressive milestone.

Record 6.7 TWh delivered in 2025

The bar chart shows steady Supercharger energy delivery increases since 2012. Based on the graphic, the Supercharger Network started small in the mid-2010s and accelerated sharply after 2019, when the Model 3 was going mainstream. 

Each year from 2020 onward showed significantly more energy delivery, with 2025’s four quarters combining for the highest total yet at 6.7 TWh.

This energy powered millions of charging sessions across Tesla’s growing fleet of vehicles worldwide. The network now exceeds 75,000 stalls globally, and it supports even non-Tesla vehicles across several key markets. This makes the Supercharger Network loved not just by Tesla owners but EV drivers as a whole.

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Resilience after Supercharger team changes

2025’s record energy delivery comes despite earlier 2024 layoffs on the Supercharger team, which sparked concerns about the system’s expansion pace. Max de Zegher, Tesla Director of Charging North America, also highlighted that “Outside China, Superchargers delivered more energy than all other fast chargers combined.”

Longtime Tesla owner and FSD tester Whole Mars Catalog noted the achievement as proof of continued momentum post-layoffs. At the time of the Supercharger team’s layoffs in 2024, numerous critics were claiming that Elon Musk was halting the network’s expansion altogether, and that the team only remained because the adults in the room convinced the juvenile CEO to relent.

Such a scenario, at least based on the graphic posted by the Tesla Charging team on X, seems highly implausible. 

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