Tesla is suing the State of Louisiana over a law that restricts its ability to sell EVs directly to customers which violate its constitutional rights, The Wall Street Journal reported. Tesla is also fighting for the freedom of not just me but all Louisiana consumers. Currently, we have one service center in New Orleans and it almost got shut down.
Last year, the Louisiana Motor Vehicle Commission, appointed by Governor John Bel Edwards, was trying to stop Tesla from providing warranty repairs at the New Orleans service center which would have forced Louisianans to travel out of state for warranty service. This also would have led to the shutdown of Tesla’s only service center in our state.
Today, it was announced that Tesla is suing the Louisiana Automobile Dealers Association, multiple officials on the Louisiana Motor Vehicle Commission, and some dealerships in the state for conspiring to bring our current laws and regulations into place. According to Tesla,
“Louisiana consumers’ freedom is being unduly restricted by protectionist, anti-competitive, and inefficient state regulation and laws.”
@elonmusk, anything I can do to help? I flew to New Jersey and San Diego to pick up both of my Tesla. The drive back was so worth it, but most people would not want to travel to pick up a car.
— Price Sicard (@ThePriceSicard) August 29, 2022
A friend of mine from Louisiana who is also active in the Tesla Twitter community, Price Sicard, had to fly to New Jersey to pick up his Tesla. He later flew to San Diego to pick up another Tesla and he drove back both times.
“The drive back was so worth it but most people would not want to travel to pick up a car,” Price said.
He also told me that he learned the hard way that buying a Tesla in California was different from purchasing a car.
“I paid sales tax on the Tesla in California and Louisiana. It wasn’t as much in Louisiana. But I did pay more in taxes.”
My 2.5¢
Naturally, I have some thoughts about this. These laws hurt consumers. You shouldn’t have to pay sales tax twice on a new car.
As a Louisiana resident, I can tell you that some of our laws are just nuts. And although I don’t drive, I do want to learn and eventually own a Tesla someday. However, our state leaders really don’t care about the ‘little people’ as they say.
Although it’s unrelated, I want to point out that what is happening to the residents of New Orleans as a result of politics. It shows the mentality of our state’s leaders.
The Louisiana State Bond Commission has voted twice to delay the approval of a $39 million line of credit that would pay for New Orleans to run its drainage pumps and protect its residents from flooding. This funding is critical. However, our state leaders are so pro-life that they are fine with residents being flooded out of their homes.
Even though it was the city’s officials and not the over 300,000 residents who made that choice, Louisiana is punishing its people for the choices that they had no control over. If our state leaders are willing to do this to their own people, then they will fight Tesla to keep it from selling EVs to its consumers directly.
Whether or not you’re for or against abortion isn’t the issue here. The issue is there are innocent people are vulnerable to flooding which happens often. It’s rained almost every day here since July and I’ve lost power 3 or 4 times due to the summer storms.
And if another hurricane like Ida comes along, it would be bad for those who can’t evacuate.
Again, these two topics are unrelated but I just wanted to emphasize the mentality of our state’s leaders. And I really hope that Tesla wins. Tesla has customers here in Louisiana who would love to not have to deal with the hassles that these backward laws bring.
Note: Johnna is a Tesla shareholder and supports its mission.
Your feedback is important. If you have any comments, or concerns, or see a typo, you can email me at johnna@teslarati.com. You can also reach me on Twitter @JohnnaCrider1
Elon Musk
Tesla Giga Berlin growth could stall if not “free from external influences”: Elon Musk
The comments were delivered in a pre-recorded video discussion.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk has reportedly warned that future expansion of Gigafactory Berlin could be jeopardized if the site does not remain “free from external influences.”
Musk’s comments were delivered in a pre-recorded video discussion with employees and came at a sensitive moment for the facility, where union representation has been a recurring issue.
According to reports from Handelsblatt and Der Spiegel, citing participants at the event, Musk suggested that if Giga Berlin is no longer “free from external influences,” further expansion would become unlikely. He did not, however, hint that the plant would shut down.
While Musk did not name IG Metall directly, his remarks were widely interpreted as referencing the union, which is currently the largest faction on the works council but does not hold a majority, as noted in an electrive report.
The video conversation was conducted between Musk in Austin and Grünheide plant manager André Thierig, then played back to the workforce in Germany. Works council elections are scheduled for early March, heightening the tension between management and organized labor.
The CEO has previously voiced concerns that stronger union influence could limit Tesla’s operational flexibility and long-term strategy in Germany.
Despite the warning on expansion, Musk praised the Giga Berlin site during the same address, describing it as one of the most advanced factories worldwide and highlighting its cleanliness and team culture.
The discussion also reportedly touched on battery cell production. According to attendees cited in German media, Musk indicated that Tesla has begun ramping cell production at the site. That would mark a notable shift from earlier expectations that large-scale cell manufacturing in Brandenburg would not begin until 2027.
Elon Musk
Tesla Full Self-Driving’s newest behavior is the perfect answer to aggressive cars
According to a recent video, it now appears the suite will automatically pull over if there is a tailgater on your bumper, the most ideal solution for when a driver is riding your bumper.
Tesla Full Self-Driving appears to have a new behavior that is the perfect answer to aggressive drivers.
According to a recent video, it now appears the suite will automatically pull over if there is a tailgater on your bumper, the most ideal solution for when a driver is riding your bumper.
With FSD’s constantly-changing Speed Profiles, it seems as if this solution could help eliminate the need to tinker with driving modes from the person in the driver’s seat. This tends to be one of my biggest complaints from FSD at times.
A video posted on X shows a Tesla on Full Self-Driving pulling over to the shoulder on windy, wet roads after another car seemed to be following it quite aggressively. The car looks to have automatically sensed that the vehicle behind it was in a bit of a hurry, so FSD determined that pulling over and letting it by was the best idea:
Tesla appears to be implementing some sort of feature that will now pull over if someone is tailgating you to let the car by
Really cool feature, definitely get a lot of this from those who think they drive race cars
— TESLARATI (@Teslarati) February 26, 2026
We can see from the clip that there was no human intervention to pull over to the side, as the driver’s hands are stationary and never interfere with the turn signal stalk.
This can be used to override some of the decisions FSD makes, and is a great way to get things back on track if the semi-autonomous functionality tries to do something that is either unneeded or not included in the routing on the in-car Nav.
FSD tends to move over for faster traffic on the interstate when there are multiple lanes. On two-lane highways, it will pass slower cars using the left lane. When faster traffic is behind a Tesla on FSD, the vehicle will move back over to the right lane, the correct behavior in a scenario like this.
Perhaps one of my biggest complaints at times with Full Self-Driving, especially from version to version, is how much tinkering Tesla does with Speed Profiles. One minute, they’re suitable for driving on local roads, the next, they’re either too fast or too slow.
When they are too slow, most of us just shift up into a faster setting, but at times, even that’s not enough, see below:
What has happened to Mad Max?
At one point it was going 32 in a 35. Traffic ahead had pulled away considerably https://t.co/bjKvaMVTNX pic.twitter.com/aaZSWmLu5v
— TESLARATI (@Teslarati) January 24, 2026
There are times when it feels like it would be suitable for the car to just pull over and let the vehicle that is traveling behind pass. This, at least up until this point, it appears, was something that required human intervention.
Now, it looks like Tesla is trying to get FSD to a point where it just knows that it should probably get out of the way.
Elon Musk
Tesla Megapack powers $1.1B AI data center project in Brazil
By integrating Tesla’s Megapack systems, the facility will function not only as a major power consumer but also as a grid-supporting asset.
Tesla’s Megapack battery systems will be deployed as part of a 400MW AI data center campus in Uberlândia, Brazil. The initiative is described as one of Latin America’s largest AI infrastructure projects.
The project is being led by RT-One, which confirmed that the facility will integrate Tesla Megapack battery energy storage systems (BESS) as part of a broader industrial alliance that includes Hitachi Energy, Siemens, ABB, HIMOINSA, and Schneider Electric. The project is backed by more than R$6 billion (approximately $1.1 billion) in private capital.
According to RT-One, the data center is designed to operate on 100% renewable energy while also reinforcing regional grid stability.
“Brazil generates abundant energy, particularly from renewable sources such as solar and wind. However, high renewable penetration can create grid stability challenges,” RT-One President Fernando Palamone noted in a post on LinkedIn. “Managing this imbalance is one of the country’s growing infrastructure priorities.”
By integrating Tesla’s Megapack systems, the facility will function not only as a major power consumer but also as a grid-supporting asset.
“The facility will be capable of absorbing excess electricity when supply is high and providing stabilization services when the grid requires additional support. This approach enhances resilience, improves reliability, and contributes to a more efficient use of renewable generation,” Palamone added.
The model mirrors approaches used in energy-intensive regions such as California and Texas, where large battery systems help manage fluctuations tied to renewable energy generation.
The RT-One President recently visited Tesla’s Megafactory in Lathrop, California, where Megapacks are produced, as part of establishing the partnership. He thanked the Tesla team, including Marcel Dall Pai, Nicholas Reale, and Sean Jones, for supporting the collaboration in his LinkedIn post.
Tesla Giga Berlin growth could stall if not “free from external influences”: Elon Musk
Tesla Full Self-Driving’s newest behavior is the perfect answer to aggressive cars
