News
Tesla to unlock extended range for vehicles affected in CA wildfires
Tesla owners living in areas affected by the ongoing CA wildfires will be able to tap into the maximum range offered by their vehicles, even if they purchased trims that feature a software-limited battery pack. The update was confirmed by CEO Elon Musk on Twitter Monday morning.
With this update, owners of electric cars such as the Model S 40, Model S 60, and Model S 70 will be able to gain extra range for their electric cars. This is made possible by Tesla equipping the vehicles with a larger battery pack that is software-locked. The Model S 40, for example, is equipped with a 60 kWh battery that’s software-limited to 40 kWh, while the Model S 60 and Model S 70 are fitted with 75 kWh batteries that’s locked to 60 and 70 kWh. This was done to allow Tesla to sell the vehicles at lower prices, particularly during the early days of the Model S.
Owners of these vehicles were then given the option to unlock the full battery capacity of their vehicles as an aftersales upgrade. Yet, as Tesla has consistently shown, the additional range that is locked in these vehicles will be accessible in times of need, as evidenced by the company’s temporary range upgrade during calamities like Hurricane Michael last year, or this year’s ongoing CA fires.
Tesla is yet to confirm if the Standard Range Model 3 will also have its full battery capacity unlocked, though Elon Musk’s recent announcement suggests that this will be the case. This would greatly help owners of the $35,000 Model 3, as their vehicles could essentially tap into the range offered by the slightly more expensive Model 3 Standard Range Plus. Musk’s recent tweet seems to confirm that free unlimited Supercharging will also be enabled for owners in areas that are affected by the ongoing CA wildfires.
The Bay Area, among other places, is currently being threatened by a massive wildfire that broke out early Monday morning. Due to strong winds, the fire spread faster, burning along a major freeway west of downtown and putting hundreds of homes near the Getty Center at risk. The LA fire department has noted that the Getty Fire had already burned 400 acres, and several neighborhoods have already been given evacuation orders.
Other fires in the state, such as the Kincade Fire, currently the largest blaze in the state, continue to burn as well. The Kincade Fire had grown to 66,000 acres, destroying 96 structures and damaging 16 more. The fire, which had injured two firefighters so far, was only 5% contained as of Sunday. Apart from the Getty and Kincade Fires, about 10 more are burning across the state.
Elon Musk
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.
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.
“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.
News
Tesla Giga Nevada celebrates production of 6 millionth drive unit
To celebrate the milestone, the Giga Nevada team gathered for a celebratory group photo.
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.
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.
News
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.
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.
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.
Starlink achieves major milestones in 2025 progress report
Tesla Giga Nevada celebrates production of 6 millionth drive unit
