Connect with us
tesla china model y tesla china model y

News

Tesla opens Model Y orders in Taiwan, vehicles expected to be imported from Giga Berlin

Credit: Tesla Greater China/Twitter

Published

on

Reports have emerged from the Tesla community that Model Y orders have been opened in Taiwan. Interestingly enough, the all-electric crossovers will reportedly be imported from Gigafactory Berlin. 

Posts about Model Y orders in Taiwan were shared on Twitter by Tesla Owners Taiwan founder Michael Hsu, a veteran electric vehicle owner who’s been looking to complete Tesla’s S3XY lineup in his garage. The longtime Tesla driver was reportedly informed that Model Y units imported into Taiwan would be made in Germany, and they would be equipped with CCS2 charging plugs. 

First deliveries of the all-electric crossover are expected to start around the fourth quarter of 2022. Two variants of the Model Y are offered in the country: the Model Y Long Range, which costs NTD 2,299,900 (around $72,200), and the Model Y Performance, which costs NTD 2,599,900 (around $81,700). 

While it may seem quite strange that Taiwan will be receiving its Model Y from Giga Berlin instead of the much closer Gigafactory Shanghai, the geopolitics between Taiwan and China have resulted in carmakers like Tesla opting for workarounds. Due to restrictions on the export and import of cars between China and Taiwan, for example, the country has received its Model 3 sedans from the Fremont Factory instead. 

As noted by longtime industry watcher Troy Teslike, the Model Y imports from Germany could be the start of a greater change in Tesla’s export strategy for countries like South Korea, which impose import tariffs on vehicles from China. It would then be no surprise if countries like South Korea also end up receiving Teslas from Gigafactory Berlin instead of the Fremont Factory in the United States in the future. 

Advertisement

With Giga Berlin taking care of the Fremont Factory’s exports, the California-based electric car plant could have some breathing room. This bodes well for Tesla, especially considering that the Fremont Factory is already, as previously mentioned by Elon Musk, jammed to the gills. Tesla has also expressed its intentions to upgrade the Fremont Factory, so having Giga Berlin take care of exports should help the EV maker focus on its California plant’s optimizations a bit more. 

Don’t hesitate to contact us with news tips. Just send a message to simon@teslarati.com to give us a heads up.

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.

Advertisement
Comments

Elon Musk

Tesla engineer explains why Elon Musk deserves new pay package

“When Elon is motivated, it also motivates us, especially in this fork of humanity. I would not be staying in Tesla this long unless he is still leading.”

Published

on

Elon Musk giving YouTube tech reviewer Marques Brownlee a tour of the Fremont factory. (Credit: MKBHD/YouTube)

A Tesla engineer took to X to explain why he believes Elon Musk deserved the new 96 million share, $29 billion pay package that the company awarded to him yesterday.

Yun-Ta Tsai, a Senior Staff Engineer in the Autopilot program at Tesla, has worked at the company for five years. He has been in his current position for two years and three months.

Tesla rewards CEO Elon Musk with massive, restricted stock package

Tsai posted a lengthy statement in response to Tesla announcing its new pay package for Musk, which the company’s Board of Directors announced yesterday. He was fully in support of his boss getting paid, especially considering Musk “came to work every day” without being paid for eight years.

Tsai said:

“8 years without pay, but Elon still came to work everyday despite hitting all the milestones.

Most founders, even being paid much better, would simply abandon ships or being “zucked”.

I often joked my annual comp was higher than Elon but it was true.

When Elon is motivated, it also motivates us, especially in this fork of humanity. I would not be staying in Tesla this long unless he is still leading.

Hopefully Elon gets his first paycheck soon after 8 years of grinding in hell. It is time.”
It’s no secret that Musk has the reputation of someone who is incredibly driven, motivated, and determined to come through on his personal and professional goals. In times of need at the company, Musk sleeps at the office and works seven days a week.

Recently, it came to the surface that he nearly missed his brother’s wedding years ago because of work.

Musk’s attitude toward work is what has made Tesla, SpaceX, Neuralink, and other entities so successful.

Musk’s new pay package

Tesla announced the new pay package for Musk yesterday, under the following terms:

  • 96 million restricted shares of stock, subject to Elon paying a purchase price upon meeting a two-year vesting term, to be delivered after receipt of antitrust regulatory approval
  • The purchase price will be equal to the split-adjusted exercise price of the stock options awarded to Elon under the 2018 CEO Performance Award ($23.34 per share)
  • A requirement that Elon serve continuously in a senior leadership role at Tesla during the two-year vesting term
  • A pledging allowance to cover tax payments or the purchase price
  • A mandatory holding period of five years from the grant date, except to cover tax payments or the purchase price (with any sales for such purposes to be conducted through an orderly disposition in coordination with Tesla); and
  • If the Delaware courts fully reinstate the 2018 CEO Performance Award, this interim award will be forfeited or returned or a portion of the 2018 CEO Performance Award will be forfeited. To put it simply, there cannot be any “double dip.” Elon will not be able to keep this new award in addition to the options he will be awarded under the 2018 CEO Performance Award, should the courts rule in our favor

The board added a statement that said it believed now would be an ideal time “to take decisive action to recognize the extraordinary value that Elon created for Tesla shareholders.”

Continue Reading

News

Tesla Cybertruck leftovers are the main course at the Supercharger Diner

Tesla is using recycled steel from Cybertruck manufacturing for the Supercharger Diner in Los Angeles.

Published

on

Credit: Tesla

Tesla Cybertruck panels that are leftover from manufacturing became the main course at the Supercharger Diner, contributing to the futuristic restaurant’s unique exterior design.

The Supercharger Diner was an idea of Tesla CEO Elon Musk’s in 2018, and in July 2025, it officially opened for business, serving a variety of interesting dishes in a futuristic setting that pays homage to the 1950s restaurant experience.

The design of the Diner is what truly sets it apart: it is reminiscent of the stainless exterior that Tesla used for the Cybertruck. It turns out that’s exactly what it is.

tesla diner supercharger in los angeles california at night

Credit: Tesla

Tesla Chief Designer Franz von Holzhausen revealed in an interview with Tesla Owners Club Austria that the company used recycled panels from Cybertruck manufacturing as siding on the epic diner.

Here’s what he said:

Tesla sourced its stainless steel for the exoskeleton of the Cybertruck from Steel Dynamics Inc. and its plant in Sinton, Texas. The company confirmed this through various outlets, including exhibit descriptions at the Petersen Automotive Museum. The steel is refined through a third party before it is used.

Credit: Cybertruck Owners Club

It also uses the same steel for SpaceX Starship.

It’s pretty interesting that Tesla chose to use the stainless steel for the exterior of the diner in Los Angeles, but it also makes sense considering how durable it has proven to be.

Continue Reading

Elon Musk

Tesla ‘activist shareholders’ sue company and Elon Musk for Robotaxi rollout

Tesla’s activist shareholders are coming after the company, claiming it misled investors about the Robotaxi rollout.

Published

on

Credit: Joe Tegtmeyer | X

Tesla’s “activist shareholders” seem to be one of the biggest threats to the company and its CEO, Elon Musk, who has spoken extensively about them in recent times. They’re up to their latest bit of work against the company, suing both Tesla and Musk, accusing them of securities fraud by alleging they concealed “significant risk” over the Robotaxi launch in Austin, Texas.

On Monday night, a group of shareholders sued Tesla and Musk in a proposed class action lawsuit in Texas federal court. They claim Tesla misled investors about the safety of the vehicles used in the Robotaxi rollout in Austin, which started on June 22.

The suit indicates that videos show the vehicles “speeding, exhibiting sudden braking, driving over a curb, entering the wrong lane, and dropping passengers off in the middle of multilane roads.” Reuters first reported on the lawsuit.

The plaintiffs are seeking damages for shareholders between April 19, 2023, and June 22, 2025.

Tesla’s Robotaxi platform has been operating for less than two months, and the company has already expanded its geofence in Austin twice.

In the roughly six weeks that Robotaxi has been operational, Tesla has only had one incident reported to the Austin Government, and it was a “Safety Concern” in June 2025. Since July 2023, which is when autonomous vehicle operation began in Austin, 130 incidents have been reported. AV Ride, Cruise, Waymo, and Zoox also operate in Austin.

Waymo has the most incidents with 73. Its first was in June 2024 when a unit blocked traffic.

Activist Shareholders

Musk has warned that activist shareholders are potentially dangerous to both Tesla and his position as CEO. He recently spoke about them during the Q2 Earnings Call regarding his stake in the company:

“That is a major concern for me, as I’ve mentioned in the past. I hope that is addressed at the upcoming shareholders meeting. But, yeah, it is a big deal. I want to find that I’ve got so little control that I can easily be ousted by activist shareholders after having built this army of humanoid robots. I think my control over Tesla, Inc. should be enough to ensure that it goes in a good direction, but not so much control that I can’t be thrown out if I go crazy.”

Tesla’s Board yesterday made an attempt to help secure Musk’s stake by offering him a massive 96 million share pay package of restricted stock. It will only help his stake in the company bump up slightly to 14.6 percent from 12.9 percent.

Continue Reading

Trending