Connect with us

News

Tesla’s ‘Roadrunner’ cell production facility is taking form ahead of Battery Day

(Credit: Living with Intent/YouTube)

Published

on

Tesla’s Battery Day is only a few weeks away, and as the electric vehicle community eagerly waits for the highly-anticipated event, the company’s pilot battery production line appears to be well on its way to being completed, and perhaps even ramped. This was hinted at by a recent drone flyover of Tesla’s building at Kato Road, located close to the company’s Fremont factory.  

Footage taken by a Tesla enthusiast who runs the Living with Intent channel on YouTube shows that the expansion of the Kato Road facility is well on its way. Based on the short video taken of the site, it appears that much work is being done inside the building, as hinted at by the massive amount of materials that are seemingly waiting to be taken inside the facility. The extra floor that Tesla has been constructing is also showing progress since it was initially photographed early last month. 

Tesla is a disruptive company that moves fast, and thus, sightings of facilities with ongoing improvements are not really new. However, the Kato Road building is quite unique in the way that it is expected to house the pilot line for Tesla’s own battery production system. Elon Musk has been pretty open about his enthusiasm for Battery Day, stating that the event will likely blow people’s minds. At the same time, the CEO also suggested that the event will include a tour of Tesla’s in-house battery cell production setup. 

This cell production system is the first of its kind, as Tesla has partnered with other battery firms in the past. Panasonic is a key partner in Gigafactory Nevada, while LG Chem and CATL are partners for Gigafactory Shanghai. But while Tesla reportedly continues to work with its partners to make better batteries, the company is also hard at work developing its own cell production capabilities. This was hinted at during the 2019 Annual Shareholder Meeting, when company executives described the effort as a step towards Tesla becoming the master of its own “destiny.” 

Filings to the City of Fremont suggest that Tesla’s Kato Road facilities will be utilized for the “Roadrunner” project, which refers to the company’s own custom battery cell production line. Tesla’s “Roadrunner” cells have not been discussed in depth by the company yet, but speculations and reports suggest that the batteries are next-generation lithium-ion cells that are capable of lasting a million miles. Such batteries could make a big difference for Tesla’s flagship products like the Plaid Model S and the Megapack. 

Advertisement

Once completed, the Kato Road facility is expected to house about 45 research and development employees and up to 425 manufacturing workers that are spread through several shifts from Monday to Friday. This may allow the pilot cell production line to produce enough batteries for low-volume vehicles, perhaps like the Plaid Model S and the new Roadster. Tesla has since opened a number of job openings related to cell manufacturing that are seemingly for the Kato Road location as well. Among these job listings are Cell Engineers, Production Process Engineers, and Controls Engineers, all of which were listed as based in Fremont, California. 

Watch a recent footage of Tesla’s “Roadrunner” site in the video below.

H/T JPR007.

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

News

Tesla Supercharger access has proven to be a challenge for one company

Interestingly, it seems to be the Volkswagen brand specifically that is having issues with compatibility with Tesla Superchargers. Other brands under the VW umbrella, like Audi and Porsche, have already gained access to the charging network.

Published

on

Credit: MarcoRP | X

Tesla Supercharger access has proven to be quite the challenge for one company, as it continues to delay the date that it will enable its owners to charge at the most expansive network in the world.

Tesla Superchargers have been opening up to other brands for well over a year, and many car companies that are manufacturing electric vehicles now have access to the vast network that has over 70,000 locations worldwide.

Tesla to launch Supercharger access for VW owners later this year

However, one brand has experienced some issues with what it is calling “technical challenges,” specifically failing to enable cross-compatibility between its vehicles and Tesla Superchargers.

Volkswagen has had to delay its ability to enable customers to charge at Superchargers because there have been some difficulties getting things to run smoothly. A report from PCMag cites a quote from a Volkswagen spokesperson who said there are still plans to deliver this year, but there have been some delays:

“Volkswagen looks forward to making it possible for ID. Buzz and ID.4 vehicle owners to gain access to the Tesla NACS Partner Superchargers. The timeline has been delayed by technical challenges, and we ask for customers’ patience. We still expect to deliver access this year.”

Interestingly, it seems to be the Volkswagen brand specifically that is having issues with compatibility with Tesla Superchargers. Other brands under the VW umbrella, like Audi and Porsche, have already gained access to the charging network.

Volkswagen EV owners will need to use an official VW adapter to access the Tesla Supercharger Network once the issues are resolved. It still plans to launch access to its owners later this year, but its spokesperson did not announce any planned timeline.

Continue Reading

News

Tesla Giga Berlin makes big move amid strong sales and demand

“We currently have very good sales figures and have therefore revised our production plans for the third and fourth quarters upwards.”

Published

on

Credit: Tesla Manufacturing

Tesla is making a big move at its factory in Germany, known as Giga Berlin, as managers at the plant have indicated the company plans to increase its production rate for the remainder of the year.

Giga Berlin is responsible for manufacturing Model Y vehicles for several markets worldwide, including those outside of Europe. It was opened in March 2022, and it recently built its 500,000th Model Y in March and its 100,000th new Model Y just three weeks ago.

Due to some encouraging sales figures in the markets it provides vehicles for, Tesla said it is planning to increase production at the factory for the remainder of the year.

Andrè Thierig, plant manager at Giga Berlin, said to German news outlet DPA on Sunday that market data has encouraged a move to be made regarding the production at the factory:

“We currently have very good sales figures and have therefore revised our production plans for the third and fourth quarters upwards.”

It is interesting to see this kind of narrative from Thierig, especially as data has shown Tesla has struggled in various markets, including Germany, this year.

Sales drops have been reported, but other markets are holding strong, especially those in Northern Europe, such as Norway, where the Model Y saw a nearly 39 percent increase in sales in August compared to the same month the previous year.

Tesla Model Y leads sales rush in Norway in August 2025

Gigafactory Berlin supplies vehicles for other markets, such as Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, which are strategically important to avoid tariffs. It also builds cars for the Middle East.

Thierig reiterated this point during the interview with DPA:

“We supply well over 30 markets and definitely see a positive trend there.”

Continue Reading

Elon Musk

Tesla analyst says Musk stock buy should send this signal to investors

“With Musk’s (Tesla stock) purchase, combined with the upward momentum for delivery expectations and robotaxi rollout, we are becoming more bullish.”

Published

on

(Credit: Tesla)

Tesla CEO Elon Musk purchased roughly $1 billion in Tesla shares on Friday, and analysts are now breaking down the move as the stock is headed upward.

One of them is William Blair analyst Jed Dorsheimer, who said in a new note to investors on Monday that Musk’s move should send a signal of confidence to stock buyers, especially considering the company’s numerous catalysts that currently exist.

Elon Musk just bought $1 billion in Tesla stock, his biggest purchase ever

Dorsheimer said in the note:

“With Musk’s (Tesla stock) purchase, combined with the upward momentum for delivery expectations and robotaxi rollout, we are becoming more bullish. This purchase is Musk’s first buy since 2020. To us, this sends a strong signal of confidence in the most important part of Tesla’s future business, robotaxi.”

Musk putting an additional $1 billion back into the company in the form of more stock ownership is obviously a huge vote of confidence.

He knows more than anyone about the progress Tesla has made and is making on the Robotaxi platform, as well as the company’s ongoing efforts to solve vehicle autonomy. If he’s buying stock, it is more than likely a good sign.

Tesla has continued to expand its Robotaxi platform in a number of ways. The project has gotten bigger in terms of service area, vehicle fleet, and testing population. Tesla has also recently received a permit to test in Nevada, unlocking the potential to expand into a brand-new state for the company.

In the note, Dorsheimer also touched on Musk’s recent pay package, revealing that William Blair recently met with Tesla’s Board of Directors, who gave the firm some more color on the situation:

“We recently participated in a meeting with Tesla’s board of directors to discuss the details of Musk’s performance package. The board is confident of its position in the Delaware case and anticipates a verdict by end of year. It does not expect a similar situation to occur under new Texas jurisdiction. Musk has the board’s full support, and we expect he’ll get more than enough shareholder support for this to pass with flying colors.”

Tesla stock is up over 6 percent so far today, trading at $421.50 at the time of publication.

Continue Reading

Trending