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Tesla’s massive parts distribution center in Northern California is coming to life

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Tesla’s massive facility in Northern California has continued its rise from the dusty ground in the city of Lathrop into an 870,000 square foot facility that is moving closer to becoming operational.

A recent aerial video of the Lathrop building, located 60 miles east of Tesla’s Fremont factory, shows the completion of the facility’s outer shell and glass installed on parts of the building. While the roof and overall footprint of the building remain relatively unchanged in the last couple of months, perhaps the most noticeable progress made since December is the paving of asphalt around the perimeter of the building. Previously, these areas had only been visible as leveled ground in the underlying dirt. Part of the assumption that this building will become a parts distribution center is based on this aspect – the numerous truck-sized loading bays denote shipping activity, and the lack of expansive space for vehicles to park (as opposed to the massive lots at Gigafactory 1) indicate a comparatively small workforce.

Job postings made by the Silicon Valley-based electric carmaker also call for various positions in Tesla’s “Parts Distribution Center” in Lathrop, CA.

“Tesla is looking for a motivated and experienced Supervisor for our highly dynamic parts distribution center in Lathrop, CA. This position will provide supervision of day-to-day operations including receiving, stocking, shipping and all transactions related to said activities. The Supervisor, Parts & Service Warehouse, will also ensure efficiency and accuracy of stocking and organizing parts inventory.” reads a job description for Supervisor, Parts Distribution Center.

The upcoming parts distribution center bodes well for a company that has continued to struggle with scaling its service footprint to match the increasingly higher volume of vehicle sales and deliveries. With hundreds of thousands of Model 3 finding new owners, having a massive warehouse that can store inventory ensures faster lead times for the many Tesla Service Centers in need of parts. The end result is an overall better customer experience for Tesla owners, as parts are readily available for vehicle repairs. Having a hub located in a major corridor between Tesla’s Fremont factory and Gigafactory 1 in Sparks, Nevada also aids in streamlining supply chain logistics.

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The new Lathrop distribution facility adds to Tesla’s notable presence in the city. The company already owns a nearby 500,000 square foot building which had previously served as a Chrysler part distribution center. As with other regions with a Tesla presence, having a large manufacturer in the area offering numerous employment opportunities is not the only benefit – other businesses are attracted to potential new real estate and consumer markets. This is something that was also noted by the city’s mayor, Sonny Dhaliwal, following the announcement of Tesla’s acquisition of the Chrysler facility. “Within hours we were getting phone calls from major newspapers across the country…We’re proud that they want to do business here in Lathrop, and that’s a good thing for the city – that means additional revenue and even more jobs,” Dhaliwal said in a press conference.

Watch the drone footage taken on January 27, 2019, of Tesla’s Lathrop facility below:

Accidental computer geek, fascinated by most history and the multiplanetary future on its way. Quite keen on the democratization of space. | It's pronounced day-sha, but I answer to almost any variation thereof.

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Tesla Giga Berlin is still ramping production to meet Model Y demand: plant manager

Tesla Gigafactory Berlin has expanded to two full shifts, as per the facility’s plant manager, and a lot of it is due to Model Y demand.

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Credit: Tesla/X

Tesla Gigafactory Berlin has expanded to two full shifts, as per the facility’s plant manager, and a lot of it is due to Model Y demand. While registrations in some countries such as Sweden have fallen sharply this year, the company’s sales in other key territories have been rising. 

Giga Berlin shifts to two shifts

Giga Berlin factory manager André Thierig told the DPA that the facility has been running two shifts since September to manage a surge in global orders. And due to the tariff dispute with the United States, vehicles that are produced at Giga Berlin are now being exported to Canada. 

“We deliver to well over 30 markets and definitely see a positive trend there,” Thierig said.

Despite Giga Berlin now having two shifts, the facility’s production still needs to ramp up more. This is partly due to the addition of the Tesla Model Y Performance and Standard, which are also being produced in the Grunheide-based factory. Interestingly enough, Giga Berlin still only produces the Model Y, unlike other factories like Gigafactory Texas, the Fremont Factory, and Gigafactory Shanghai, which produce more than one type of vehicle. 

Norway’s momentum

Norway, facing an imminent tax increase on cars, has seen a historic spike in Tesla purchases as buyers rush to secure deliveries before the change takes effect, as noted in a CarUp report. As per recent reports, Tesla has broken Norway’s all-time annual sales record this month, beating Volkswagen’s record that has stood since 2016.

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What is rather remarkable is the fact that Tesla was able to achieve so much in Norway with one hand practically tied behind its back. This is because the company’s biggest sales draw, FSD, remains unavailable in the country. Fortunately, Tesla is currently hard at work attempting to get FSD approved for Europe, a notable milestone that should spur even more vehicle sales in the region.

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Tesla launches crazy Full Self-Driving free trial: here’s how you can get it

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tesla full self driving
Credit: Tesla

Tesla is launching a crazy Full Self-Driving free trial, which will enable owners who have not purchased the suite outright to try it for 30 days.

There are a handful of stipulations that will be needed in order for you to qualify for the free trial, which was announced on Thursday night.

Tesla said the trial is for v14, the company’s latest version of the Full Self-Driving suite, and will be available to new and existing Model S, Model 3, Model X, Model Y, and Cybertruck owners, who will have the opportunity to try the latest features, including Speed Profiles, Arrival Options, and other new upgrades.

You must own one of the five Tesla models, have Full Self-Driving v14.2 or later, and have an eligible vehicle in the United States, Puerto Rico, Mexico, or Canada.

The company said it is a non-transferable trial, which is not redeemable for cash. Tesla is reaching out to owners via email to give them the opportunity to enable the Full Self-Driving trial.

Those who are subscribed to the monthly Full Self-Driving program are eligible, so they will essentially get a free month of the suite.

Once it is installed, the trial will begin, and the 30-day countdown will begin.

Tesla is making a major push to increase its Full Self-Driving take rate, as it revealed that about 12 percent of owners are users of the program during its recent earnings call.

Tesla CFO Vaibhav Taneja said during the call:

“We feel that as people experience the supervised FSD at scale, demand for our vehicles, like Elon said, would increase significantly. On the FSD adoption front, we’ve continued to see decent progress. However, note that the total paid FSD customer base is still small, around 12% of our current fleet.”

Earlier today, we reported on Tesla also launching a small-scale advertising campaign on X for the Full Self-Driving suite, hoping to increase adoption.

Tesla Full Self-Driving warrants huge switch-up on essential company strategy

It appears most people are pretty content with the subscription program. It costs just $99 a month, in comparison to the $8,000 fee it is for the outright purchase.

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Tesla Full Self-Driving warrants huge switch-up on essential company strategy

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tesla side repeater camera
(Credit: Tesla)

Tesla Full Self-Driving has warranted a huge switch-up on an essential company strategy as the automaker is hoping to increase the take rate of the ADAS suite.

Unlike other automotive companies, Tesla has long been an outlier, as it has famously ditched a traditional advertising strategy in favor of organic buzz, natural word-of-mouth through its production innovation, and utilizing CEO Elon Musk’s huge social media presence to push its products.

Tesla has taken the money that it would normally spend on advertising and utilized it for R&D purposes. For a long time, it yielded great results, and ironically, Tesla saw benefits from other EV makers running ads.

Tesla counters jab at lack of advertising with perfect response

However, in recent years, Tesla has decided to adjust this strategy, showing a need to expand beyond its core enthusiast base, which is large, but does not span over millions and millions as it would need to fend off global EV competitors, which have become more well-rounded and a better threat to the company.

In 2024 and 2025, Tesla started utilizing ads to spread knowledge about its products. This is continuing, as Full Self-Driving ads are now being spotted on social media platforms, most notably, X, which is owned by Musk:

Interestingly, Tesla’s strategy on FSD advertising is present in Musk’s new compensation package, as the eleventh tranche describes a goal of achieving 10 million active paid FSD subscriptions.

Full Self-Driving is truly Tesla’s primary focus moving forward, although it could be argued that it also has a special type of dedication toward its Optimus robot project. However, FSD will ultimately become the basis for the Robotaxi, which will enable autonomous ride-sharing across the globe as it is permitted in more locations.

Tesla has been adjusting its advertising strategy over the past couple of years, and it seems it is focused on more ways to spread awareness about its products. It will be interesting to see if the company will expand its spending even further, as it has yet to put on a commercial during live television.

We wouldn’t put it out of the question, at least not yet.

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