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Tesla lands Semi truck order from Norwegian grocery wholesaler

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One of Norway’s most prominent wholesale chains, ASKO, has officially joined the ranks of other companies with large supply chains such as PepsiCo and Walmart, after ordering a batch of 10 Tesla Semi trucks for its operations in the country. ASKO’s order was confirmed by Norway-based news site E24, which published its findings in a recent report.

With an order of 10 Tesla Semi trucks, ASKO has placed itself at the forefront of sustainable trucking in the region. The grocery wholesaler’s commitment to reducing the environmental impact of its fleet seems to be quite evident, as ASKO’s order came not long after Tesla opened reservations for the all-electric truck in Europe.

While ASKO’s order of 10 Tesla Semi trucks is quite admirable, the firm has actually been embracing green technology for years. In a statement to E24, ASKO CEO Tore Bekken stated that the wholesale grocery firm is already exploring the use of electric trucks in its lineup of delivery vehicles. According to the CEO, however, the Tesla Semi does seem a lot more advanced than their current electric truck.

“We have an electric truck today from a Dutch company, which we have had for almost two years. So, we think that Tesla is the one who has come the furthest with the technology so far. Therefore, we chose to book ten trucks from them,” Bekken said, according to an E24 report.

Bekken, however, asserted that ASKO would first need to ensure that the Tesla Semi is in full compliance with regulations in the country before it is deployed. Nevertheless, he believes that the time is right to commit to Tesla’s next-generation trucking technology.

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“We are working towards an ambition, and we think that electric and hydrogen-powered cars are what will come in the future. Although there are some unanswered questions, ASKO wants to be out early. The cars must, of course, meet the demands made for efficient and reliable use. You cannot wait for important decisions.”

ASKO’s CEO is quite optimistic about the delivery dates of the Norwegian wholesale chain’s electric trucks, with Bekken stating that he is hoping for a 2019 delivery.

“We do not think we will have the trucks before they start deliveries in the United States. We believe deliveries could start in 2020, but we hope we can get them in 2019.” said Bekken.

ASKO joins several high-profile companies that have begun ordering large batches of Tesla’s electric truck. Among the enterprises that have committed to the big rig are UPS, J.B. Hunt, Anheuser-Busch, Sysco, PepsiCo, Walmart, and now, of course, ASKO Norway.

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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.

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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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