Although Tesla Supercharger installations are going to slow down, and new projects are likely to decelerate by a considerable margin based on CEO Elon Musk’s plans, automakers that have adopted Tesla’s North American Charging Standard (NACS) have no plans to change course.
Ford, General Motors, and a handful of other car companies that have invested in electrification have plans for vehicles, a roadmap for EV tech, and billions of dollars set aside for a concerted effort in EV development. However, many of them were missing one big part: public charging.
Tesla came to the rescue, and over the past year, car companies have decided to adopt Tesla’s charging standard, known as NACS, that would enable drivers to plug in at any of Tesla’s thousands of Supercharging locations in North America.
However, uncertainty struck these plans yesterday as Tesla decided to part ways with two major executives in charge of Supercharging development and release many lower-level employees on the charging team.
It was an unforeseen circumstance, especially as public charging is still far from complete, Tesla still accepted federal funding for charging expansion, and little to no clarification was provided on the company’s stance on building new Supercharger projects.
Musk said that Tesla Supercharger expansion would still occur but at a slower pace than previously. The focus would now be put on keeping the existing stations at 100 percent uptime, and expanding existing locations.
Tesla still plans to grow the Supercharger network, just at a slower pace for new locations and more focus on 100% uptime and expansion of existing locations
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 30, 2024
The lack of new stations is an interesting strategy, especially considering so many automakers are planning to gain access to Tesla Superchargers, meaning more EVs will be fighting for a slowly growing number of stalls. The timing of Tesla’s decision baffled many.
However, despite the fact that Tesla will be building fewer new Supercharger stations, automakers like Ford and GM do not plan to abandon their current plans, according to a report from Reuters.
“We have nothing new to announce regarding our plans,” GM said in a statement. “We are continuing to monitor the situation regarding changes to the Supercharger team and the potential impacts with no further comments or updates at this time.”
Ford also stated there were no changes to their plans at the current time.
I took a Ford F-150 Lightning to Tesla Superchargers: The Good and Bad
Tesla’s decision is part of a wider cost-saving plan that has impacted 14,000 jobs across its workforce. Although there have been cuts at every level, Tesla has lost a number of executives over the past few weeks, including Senior Vice President of Powertrain Drew Baglino, Head of Policy and Business Development Rohan Patel, and Head of Investor Relations Martin Viecha.
While there appears to be a major restructuring of the higher-level employees at Tesla, there are certainly some questions as to why so many of them are choosing to leave just ahead of the Robotaxi launch and the introduction of the next-generation lineup.
I’d love to hear from you! If you have any comments, concerns, or questions, please email me at joey@teslarati.com. You can also reach me on Twitter @KlenderJoey, or if you have news tips, you can email us at tips@teslarati.com.
Elon Musk
SpaceX posts Starship booster feat that’s so nutty, it doesn’t even look real
The Super Heavy booster’s feat was so impressive that the whole maneuver almost looked like it was AI-generated.

SpaceX has shared a video of a remarkable feat achieved by Starship’s Super Heavy booster during its 11th flight test.
The Super Heavy booster’s feat was so impressive that the whole maneuver, which was captured on video, almost looked like it was AI-generated.
Super Heavy’s picture perfect hover
As could be seen in the video shared by SpaceX, Starship’s Super Heavy booster, which is nearly 400 feet tall, smoothly returned to Earth and hovered above the Gulf of America for a few seconds before it went for its soft water landing. The booster’s picture-perfect maneuver before splashing down all but capped a near-flawless mission for Starship, which is about to enter its V3 era with Flight 12.
The booster’s balance and stability were so perfect that some users on X joked that the whole thing looked AI-generated. Considering the size of Super Heavy, as well as the fact that the booster was returning from space, the hovering display all but showed that SpaceX is dead serious about keeping its dominant lead in the spaceflight sector.
Starship V2’s curtain call
As noted in a Space.com report, Flight Test 11 achieved every major goal SpaceX had set for the mission, including deploying Starlink mass simulators, relighting Raptor engines in space, and executing a stable reentry for both the Starship Upper Stage and the Super Heavy booster. The feat also marked the second time a Super Heavy booster has been reflown, a milestone in SpaceX’s quest to make the entire Starship system fully reusable.
Starship’s V2 vehicle will now give way to the upgraded Starship V3, which is designed for faster turnaround and higher payload capacity. The Starship program is expected to pursue even more aggressive targets in the coming months as well, with Elon Musk stating on social media platform X that SpaceX will attempt a tower catch for Starship Upper Stage as early as spring 2026.
Elon Musk
After moving Tesla to Texas, Elon Musk is back in the Bay Area with Neuralink expansion
The news marks a noticeable step in Musk’s expanding presence in the Bay Area, despite the move of his biggest companies, Tesla and SpaceX, to Texas.

Recent reports have indicated that Elon Musk’s brain-implant startup, Neuralink, has leased a five-story, 144,000-square-foot building in South San Francisco. At the same time, Musk’s artificial intelligence startup xAI is reportedly also looking around for a Bay Area office.
The news marks a noticeable step in Musk’s expanding presence in the Bay Area, despite the move of his biggest companies, Tesla and SpaceX, to Texas.
Neuralink’s Bay Area expansion
As noted in a report from the San Francisco Business Times, the property that Neuralink has leased is located at 499 Forbes Boulevard, and it was built by Aralon Properties before it was leased to cancer test developer InterVenn Biosciences. The site, however, had remained vacant since 2023 after InterVenn canceled its 10-year lease.
xAI, Musk’s artificial intelligence startup, is reportedly scouting for an even larger Bay Area office as well, as noted in a report from the San Francisco Chronicle. Combined, the two ventures could secure nearly 400,000 square feet of local workspace, a move seen as a symbolic return of sorts for Musk-led innovation to Silicon Valley.
Neuralink’s momentum
Founded in 2016, Neuralink develops brain-computer interfaces intended to help paralyzed patients control digital devices through thought. The company received U.S. regulatory approval in 2023 to begin human trials, with its first patient, quadriplegic Noland Arbaugh, making headlines for his stunning ability to control a computer cursor and play games using only his mind. Since receiving his implant, Arbaugh has stated that he now browses the web, plays video games like Mario Kart, studies neuroscience, and operates his smart home without lifting a finger.
Nauralink is only just getting started, with Elon Musk noting on X that the company is busy preparing its next product, Blindsight, for human trials. As per Musk, Neuralink is “aiming to restore (limited) sight to the completely blind next year,” an aggressive target for a potentially life-changing device.
News
Tesla Cybercab tests seem to be ramping up again
Elon Musk has stated that he expects the company to achieve a run rate of 2 million Cybercabs annually.

Tesla seems to be ramping the tests of its autonomous two-seater, the Cybercab, once more. This was hinted at in recent drone footage from both the Fremont Factory and Gigafactory Texas.
The fresh sightings of the Cybercab in the Fremont Factory and Giga Texas have renewed conversations about the vehicle potentially being built with manual controls today.
Fresh Cybercab tests
As noted by longtime drone operator Joe Tegtmeyer on social media platform X, he recently spotted a Cybercab driving on Giga Texas’ South River Road to the West side. Interestingly enough, the longtime Giga Texas watcher noted that this was the first Cybercab that he had seen conducting road tests in a while.
Over in the Fremont Factory, another Cybercab was spotted driving around the facility’s testing area. Similar to the Cybercab in the Giga Texas sighting, the vehicle that was spotted in the Fremont Factory seemed to be manually driven, at least based on the way it was being steered. This behavior has incited speculations among Tesla watchers that current Cybercab test units have manual controls, unlike their production version, which would have no steering wheel or pedals.
Cybercab production preparation
The sightings of Cybercabs around the Fremont Factory and Giga Texas bode well for the vehicle’s development and impending production. It does, if any, complement reports that Tesla has been busy setting up production equipment for Giga Texas’ Cybercab production line. At the same time, drone footage around the Giga Texas complex has also revealed that Tesla is stockpiling some Cybercab castings, a likely sign that initial test production of the vehicle might soon begin.
The Cybercab is expected to be Tesla’s highest volume vehicle, with CEO Elon Musk stating that he expects the company to achieve a run rate of 2 million Cybercabs annually. He also mentioned that the Cybercab will be easy to produce thanks to its Unboxed manufacturing process, so much so that its production would resemble a high-speed consumer electronics line instead of an automotive assembly line.
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