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Tesla begins Supercharger CCS upgrade ahead of Model 3 rollout in Europe

(Photo: Hans Noordsij)

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It is still a couple of months before Model 3 deliveries in Europe are expected to begin, but Tesla is already starting the rollout of dual-charge CCS Superchargers in the region. The company confirmed last month that the Model 3 will be getting a CCS plug for Europe, while a CCS adapter will be introduced for the Model S and X. During its announcement for the Model 3’s charging standard for the region, Tesla noted that it would be “retrofitting our existing Superchargers with dual charge cables to enable Model 3, which will come with a CCS Combo 2 charge port, to use the Tesla Supercharger network.”

Tesla’s adoption of CCS (Combined Charging System) is a notable step for the electric car maker. CCS, after all, is prevalent in the region, being preferred by several European carmakers including BMW, Volkswagen and the Daimler group. The system combines the Type 2 design, which is used for slower AC charging at home or work, as well as with two large DC pins for rapid charging. CCS competes with the CHAdeMO rapid charging standard, which is being used by companies such as Nissan, Mitsubishi and Subaru.

Tesla owner-enthusiast Hans Noordsij visited the site of Tesla’s first dual charge Supercharger station, where he was able to take photos and meet Tesla staff who were working on the updated charging stall. Several details of the upgraded Supercharger were evident from Hans’ images, including a sign indicating that the new stations are “Model 3 Priority.”

One of Tesla’s first dual-charge, CCS-compatible Superchargers in Europe. (Photo: Hans Noordsij)

Speaking to Teslarati after his trip to the Supercharger, Hans noted that Tesla was testing the connection of a Model 3 to the dual charge station when he arrived. Tesla’s staff reportedly informed him that they were aiming to add CCS connectors to every Supercharger in the Netherlands sometime in January.

We reached out to Tesla for more information about its first dual charge CCS Supercharger in Europe. The electric car maker noted that the first upgraded stations are located at the Badhoevedorp Supercharger near the Corendon Village Hotel, just outside Amsterdam. The site currently has 20 Superchargers, and Tesla is installing 8 more stalls on the site, each of which is fitted with both a CCS and a Type 2 connector. When completed, 8 out of the 28 stalls in the location would be compatible with the Model 3, S, and X, while the remaining 20 would be compatible with the flagship sedan and SUV.

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Tesla plans to fully retrofit Europe’s Supercharger Network with its dual charge CCS system, allowing the Model 3 to have access to Tesla’s expansive charging infrastructure. While Tesla is in the process of retrofitting its Superchargers with CCS plugs, though, Model 3 owners in the region could expect their vehicles to smartly suggest charging stations that are fitted with the necessary connectors. The location, as well as the availability of these CCS stalls, would be displayed on the Model 3’s display.

A Tesla Model 3 gets connected to one of Tesla’s first dual-charge, CCS-compatible Superchargers in Europe. (Photo: Hans Noordsij)

Europe is a pivotal part of Tesla’s strategy for the Model 3, considering that the premium sedan segment is twice as big in the region as it is in the United States. The Model 3 is already performing well in the US, despite the country being enamored by SUVs and pickup trucks. In a market where sedans are prevalent such Europe, the Model 3’s potential is vast.

Considering that Tesla is now rolling out CCS plugs on its European Supercharger Network, the idea of Tesla sharing its charging infrastructure with other electric cars emerges once more. Tesla’s head of global charging infrastructure, Drew Bennett, addressed this in an interview with Auto Express UK, where he noted that several EV makers have already reached out to Tesla about sharing the Supercharger Network.

“We’re definitely open to talking to other car manufacturers who want to have access to the network. Capacity is a driver for our investment; it’s new routes, new markets and then capacity. A lot of car makers have spoken to us about it, but we haven’t had any conclusive discussions on it. They’re still trying to figure out what they would need in a network, but we’re a couple of years ahead of them in terms of embracing the investment required to transition to EVs,” Bennett said.

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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’s Cybercab fleet jumped 8x in a month, with Dallas up next

Tesla confirms its first official Cybercab fleet number as Austin scales fast and Dallas looms.

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Tesla says more than 300 Cybercabs are now serving Austin, the first time the company has put an official number on its active Cybercab fleet. The figure came from the Robotaxi account on X on Saturday, which wrote that one month after launch the service had “scaled to 300+ Cybercabs serving Austin – an 8x increase in 30 days.”

Ashok Elluswamy, Tesla’s head of AI software, quoted the post with a line that carried the bigger news. “Two years since the 10/10 Cybercab WeRobot event, the cabs are everywhere in Austin now. Dallas soon,” he wrote. It is the first time Tesla has named the next city for public Cybercab rides.

Tesla opened Cybercab rides to the public in Austin on September 4, as Teslarati reported, a day after an invite only launch event. The ramp since then has been steep. Our September 28 report had the fleet at well over 100 units after availability jumped from 58 to 125 in a single week. On Thursday, Tesla added 150 Cybercabs to the Texas automated vehicle registry, lifting its registered count to 319 from 169. The first seven appeared on the registry on August 31.

RobotaxiTracker, a community site that counts vehicles from sightings and state records, listed 275 vehicles in unsupervised service in Austin on Saturday, 105 of them Cybercabs, which is well below Tesla’s figure. Tracker counts can lag official numbers, though Sawyer Merritt noted that Cybercab wait times in Austin stayed short on Saturday evening even with more than 2,000 fans in town for X Takeover.

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Regulators are watching the rollout. NHTSA opened an audit query into Tesla’s certification that the Cybercab meets federal safety standards, and sworn answers are due October 30. Tesla reports third quarter earnings on October 21, which gives the company a natural venue to define its fleet numbers and put a date on Dallas.

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Elon Musk roasts India’s billionaire Mukesh Ambani as Starlink fight heats up

Elon Musk sarcastically calls Mukesh Ambani ‘Prime Minister’ as the Starlink India standoff escalates again.

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Elon Musk escalated his public fight over Starlink’s launch in India on Friday, addressing Reliance chairman Mukesh Ambani as “Prime Minister Ambani” in a sarcastic post on X. “Please accept my humble apologies for not realizing that you are the real boss of India,” Musk wrote, before accusing Ambani of “monopolistic exploitation” and asking whether he would “consider allowing Starlink to compete.” In follow up posts, he said Starlink has proven essential during natural disasters and would help parts of India with no internet access.

The post came two days into a fight that Musk sparked up on Wednesday, when he said Starlink was “being blocked by certain oligarchs in order to maintain their monopolistic chokehold on the Indian people.” He called it “a crime against the people of India” and left the names out, adding only, “You can guess who they are.” Jio and Airtel together hold more than 80% of India’s telecom market. On Thursday, Musk asked whether Ambani is “the real boss of India” and said Starlink has spent five years complying with “every single law and requirement” of the Indian government.

India’s government has pushed back each time. The Ministry of Communications called the suggestion that its framework is unfair or discriminatory “baseless and misconceived.” Communications Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia said Friday that three companies hold satcom licenses: Starlink, Jio Satellite Communications, and Bharti backed Eutelsat OneWeb. Amazon’s Kuiper, now Amazon Leo, is still going through the process. None can launch until regulators finalize satellite spectrum pricing and the Home Ministry signs off on each company’s security compliance. Scindia said the telecom regulator and the Department of Telecommunications are close to a decision on pricing, The Hindu reported. Bharti chairman Sunil Mittal also said OneWeb is still waiting on approvals.

Starlink received its operator license in 2025 after a three year wait, and the space regulator IN-SPACe granted what industry executives called the last approval needed in July. The holdup since then centers on security, particularly concern that foreign operators could bypass Indian gateways.

Musk and Ambani have been on opposite sides of this before. In late 2024, Ambani argued for auctioning satellite spectrum, which Musk criticized as out of step with the rest of the world, and India chose administrative allocation instead. By March 2025, the two sides had signed a deal to sell Starlink devices in Reliance stores, and Starlink secured its telecom license that June. That partner is now also a competitor. Jio is reportedly weighing a constellation of 1,600 to 1,650 satellites costing an estimated $10 billion to $15 billion, while Akash Ambani has told shareholders Jio plans to lease capacity from global providers to move quickly.

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Elon Musk’s surprise addition to the X Takeover lineup has fans talking

Elon Musk will join Saturday’s X Takeover at Giga Texas for a live virtual interview.

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Credit: Tesla Owners Silicon Valley
Credit: Tesla Owners Silicon Valley

Elon Musk will join X Takeover at Giga Texas on Saturday for a live virtual interview, according to Sawyer Merritt, who shared the news late Thursday. Musk will not be on stage in Austin. The conversation is set to stream for free on the @teslaownersSV account on X.

Organizers had kept expectations in check. In a September update, Tesla Owners Silicon Valley said Musk had appeared at the event twice before but was not promising a third appearance, even as fans hoped he would walk the Giga Texas grounds in person. A virtual spot matches 2024, when Musk gave a surprise interview of about an hour to the crowd in San Luis Obispo, as Teslarati reported at the time.

This year’s edition is a first in several ways. It is the first X Takeover held outside California and the first at a Tesla facility, with tickets selling out in eight days. Tesla provides the venue, but the event is produced independently by Tesla Owners Silicon Valley. The main event runs from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. CT, followed by a drone and light show at 9 p.m. Maye Musk is the keynote speaker, Franz von Holzhausen is set for a virtual keynote, and Nicki Minaj is the special guest. Joe Tegtmeyer, whose drone footage Teslarati used to track the Optimus factory steel frame at Giga Texas, is also on the speaker list.

Musk’s interview topics have not been revealed, but the backdrop is busy. Tesla doubled its Cybercab fleet in Austin in late September, and last week Musk explained why Robotaxi hours only moved from 10 p.m. to 11 p.m.. Merritt also reported Thursday that Texas DMV records now show 319 registered Cybercabs, up from 169. NHTSA’s deadline for Tesla’s sworn answers on Cybercab certification is October 30, and Tesla reports third quarter earnings on October 21.

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Fans who cannot make it to Austin can watch the livestream on X. Musk tends to say more in unscripted settings than he does in prepared remarks, which is the reason this one is worth having open on Saturday.

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