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Tesla Semi & Convoy Mode are a perfect fit for EU Commission’s updated mobility strategy

(Credit: teslasemi_ via Instagram)

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The Tesla Semi and its Convoy Mode feature could gain a strong foothold in Europe now that the EU Commission has released its plans to promote sustainable and smart transportation options in the region. The EU Commission released its Sustainable and Smart Mobility strategy last week.

The strategy focused on three key factors, namely sustainability, smart mobility, and resilience. It included goals for the passenger car industry, but also prominently discussed making public transportation and heavy-duty vehicles carbon neutral.

Zero-Emission Lorries and the Tesla Semi

The EU Commission plans to have at least 30 million zero-emission cars and 80,000 carbon neutral lorries, or heavy duty trucks like the Tesla Semi, in operation by 2030. It will propose a revision in CO2 standards for cars and vans in Europe by June 2021 and review carbon standards for heavy-duty vehicles by 2022. 

The EU Commission’s plans for zero-emission lorries puts the Tesla Semi in an advantageous position. Besides being carbon neutral, the Tesla Semi also aligns with the EU Parliament’s truck manufacturing law. 

(Credit: European Federation for Transport and Environment)

Last year, the EU Parliament voted for a law that required heavy-duty vehicle manufacturers to produce more aerodynamic, energy efficient trucks. Regulations in the law depicted a truck with 80-90 cm cabs and bigger windshields for a better view of the road. The European Federation for Transport and Environment released an illustration of the EU Parliament’s ideal heavy-duty vehicle design and it was very similar to the Tesla Semi. 

Between the EU Commission and EU Parliament, it seems the game has been set for Tesla. The scales seems to tip more in favor for Tesla and the Semi when the Commission’s Smart Mobility plan comes into play.

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Tesla Semi’s Convoy Mode in Europe

As for Smart Mobility, the EU Commission wants to proactively create favorable conditions for the development of new technologies. The Commission even stated that it would provide “all necessary legislative tools for their [new technologies’] validation.”

Support for autonomous vehicles is specifically mentioned in the EU Commission’s strategy, giving the Tesla Semi yet another advantage in Europe’s heavy-duty vehicle industry. Tesla’s advanced driver-assist software, Full Self-Driving, has been laid with some restrictions in Europe, but that may change in the future. 

Tesla’s autonomous software development will definitely make it to the Semi and one feature in particular could be a gamer changer in the industry–Convoy Mode. Back in 2017, when Tesla unveiled the Semi, Elon Musk shared that the company’s Class 8 truck was already capable of Convoy Mode, which would allow multiple Semis to semi-autonomously draft in close proximity with each other. Since then, Tesla’s FSD and Autopilot software have gone through vast improvements, suggesting that Convoy Mode only improved as well. 

Trucking veteran Sean Chenault was impressed by the Semi’s feature set and was particularly taken by Convoy Mode. “Having autonomous vehicles, you don’t need to pay a driver, and you don’t need to worry about hours of services,” he said. The trucking industry has been struggling with a shortage of drivers lately due mostly to safety concerns. Features like Convoy Mode have been one possible solution to solving driver shortage.

The Tesla Semi’s place in the EU Future

Chenault said the Semi was “a good thing for the trucking industry as a whole.” And it may be good for the EU Commission’s Sustainable and Smart Mobility strategy, too, specifically when it pertains to lorries. 

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Tesla’s business as an all-electric car maker would definitely benefit for the EU Commission’s new strategy. Tesla has already been gaining some more ground in Europe over the years with the Tesla Model 3. Next year could be another big year for Tesla in Europe with Giga Berlin and the release of the Model Y in the region. With the Semi in the picture, Tesla could cement itself as a key player in the region’s transportation sector. 

Maria--aka "M"-- is an experienced writer and book editor. She's written about several topics including health, tech, and politics. As a book editor, she's worked with authors who write Sci-Fi, Romance, and Dark Fantasy. M loves hearing from TESLARATI readers. If you have any tips or article ideas, contact her at maria@teslarati.com or via X, @Writer_01001101.

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Tesla AI5 chip nears completion, Elon Musk teases 9-month development cadence

The Tesla CEO shared his recent insights in a post on social media platform X.

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Credit: Tesla

Tesla’s next-generation AI5 chip is nearly complete, and work on its successor is already underway, as per a recent update from Elon Musk. 

The Tesla CEO shared his recent insights in a post on social media platform X.

Musk details AI chip roadmap

In his post, Elon Musk stated that Tesla’s AI5 chip design is “almost done,” while AI6 has already entered early development. Musk added that Tesla plans to continue iterating rapidly, with AI7, AI8, AI9, and future generations targeting a nine-month design cycle. 

He also noted that Tesla’s in-house chips could become the highest-volume AI processors in the world. Musk framed his update as a recruiting message, encouraging engineers to join Tesla’s AI and chip development teams.

Tesla community member Herbert Ong highlighted the strategic importance of the timeline, noting that faster chip cycles enable quicker learning, faster iteration, and a compounding advantage in AI and autonomy that becomes increasingly difficult for competitors to close.

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AI5 manufacturing takes shape

Musk’s comments align with earlier reporting on AI5’s production plans. In December, it was reported that Samsung is preparing to manufacture Tesla’s AI5 chip, accelerating hiring for experienced engineers to support U.S. production and address complex foundry challenges.

Samsung is one of two suppliers selected for AI5, alongside TSMC. The companies are expected to produce different versions of the AI5 chip, with TSMC reportedly using a 3nm process and Samsung using a 2nm process.

Musk has previously stated that while different foundries translate chip designs into physical silicon in different ways, the goal is for both versions of the Tesla AI5 chip to operate identically. AI5 will succeed Tesla’s current AI4 hardware, formerly known as Hardware 4, and is expected to support the company’s Full Self-Driving system as well as other AI-driven efforts, including Optimus.

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Tesla Model Y and Model 3 named safest vehicles tested by ANCAP in 2025

According to ANCAP in a press release, the Tesla Model Y achieved the highest overall weighted score of any vehicle assessed in 2025.

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Credit: ANCAP

The Tesla Model Y recorded the highest overall safety score of any vehicle tested by ANCAP in 2025. The Tesla Model 3 also delivered strong results, reinforcing the automaker’s safety leadership in Australia and New Zealand.

According to ANCAP in a press release, the Tesla Model Y achieved the highest overall weighted score of any vehicle assessed in 2025. ANCAP’s 2025 tests evaluated vehicles across four key pillars: Adult Occupant Protection, Child Occupant Protection, Vulnerable Road User Protection, and Safety Assist technologies.

The Model Y posted consistently strong results in all four categories, distinguishing itself through a system-based safety approach that combines structural crash protection with advanced driver-assistance features such as autonomous emergency braking, lane support, and driver monitoring. 

This marked the second time the Model Y has topped ANCAP’s annual safety rankings. The Model Y’s previous version was also ANCAP’s top performer in 2022.

The Tesla Model 3 also delivered a strong performance in ANCAP’s 2025 tests, contributing to Tesla’s broader safety presence across segments. Similar to the Model Y, the Model 3 also earned impressive scores across the ANCAP’s four pillars. This made the vehicle the top performer in the Medium Car category.  

ANCAP Chief Executive Officer Carla Hoorweg stated that the results highlight a growing industry shift toward integrated safety design, with improvements in technologies such as autonomous emergency braking and lane support translating into meaningful real-world protection.

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“ANCAP’s testing continues to reinforce a clear message: the safest vehicles are those designed with safety as a system, not a checklist. The top performers this year delivered consistent results across physical crash protection, crash avoidance and vulnerable road user safety, rather than relying on strength in a single area.

“We are also seeing increasing alignment between ANCAP’s test requirements and the safety technologies that genuinely matter on Australian and New Zealand roads. Improvements in autonomous emergency braking, lane support, and driver monitoring systems are translating into more robust protection,” Hoorweg said.

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Tesla Sweden uses Megapack battery to bypass unions’ Supercharger blockade

Just before Christmas, Tesla went live with a new charging station in Arlandastad, outside Stockholm, by powering it with a Tesla Megapack battery.

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Credit: Tesla Charging/X

Tesla Sweden has successfully launched a new Supercharger station despite an ongoing blockade by Swedish unions, using on-site Megapack batteries instead of traditional grid connections. The workaround has allowed the Supercharger to operate without direct access to Sweden’s electricity network, which has been effectively frozen by labor action.

Tesla has experienced notable challenges connecting its new charging stations to Sweden’s power grid due to industrial action led by Seko, a major Swedish trade union, which has blocked all new electrical connections for new Superchargers. On paper, this made the opening of new Supercharger sites almost impossible.

Despite the blockade, Tesla has continued to bring stations online. In Malmö and Södertälje, new Supercharger locations opened after grid operators E.ON and Telge Nät activated the sites. The operators later stated that the connections had been made in error. 

More recently, however, Tesla adopted a different strategy altogether. Just before Christmas, Tesla went live with a new charging station in Arlandastad, outside Stockholm, by powering it with a Tesla Megapack battery, as noted in a Dagens Arbete (DA) report. 

Because the Supercharger station does not rely on a permanent grid connection, Tesla was able to bypass the blocked application process, as noted by Swedish car journalist and YouTuber Peter Esse. He noted that the Arlandastad Supercharger is likely dependent on nearby companies to recharge the batteries, likely through private arrangements.

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Eight new charging stalls have been launched in the Arlandastad site so far, which is a fraction of the originally planned 40 chargers for the location. Still, the fact that Tesla Sweden was able to work around the unions’ efforts once more is impressive, especially since Superchargers are used even by non-Tesla EVs.

Esse noted that Tesla’s Megapack workaround is not as easily replicated in other locations. Arlandastad is unique because neighboring operators already have access to grid power, making it possible for Tesla to source electricity indirectly. Still, Esse noted that the unions’ blockades have not affected sales as much.

“Many want Tesla to lose sales due to the union blockades. But you have to remember that sales are falling from 2024, when Tesla sold a record number of cars in Sweden. That year, the unions also had blockades against Tesla. So for Tesla as a charging operator, it is devastating. But for Tesla as a car company, it does not matter in terms of sales volumes. People charge their cars where there is an opportunity, usually at home,” Esse noted. 

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