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Tesla Supercharger buildout seemingly underway in Gigafactory 3 site

(Credit: Chao Zhou/Twitter)

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6 years ago

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Recent flyovers of Tesla’s Gigafactory 3 site in Shanghai, China reveal that several other structures surrounding the main general assembly building are now being built. Interestingly, one of these appears to be a Supercharger station, which would allow Tesla owners to charge their vehicles when visiting the electric car production facility. 

Images of the apparent Supercharger buildout were shared by Tesla community member and local resident Chao Zhou, who has been monitoring the site since its early days. A formal confirmation of the buildout being a charging station has not been released by Tesla China yet, though it should be noted that the outline of the structure is very similar to a number of Superchargers found in the United States. 

https://twitter.com/realChaoZhou/status/1161967060533907457?s=20

Tesla is currently rolling out its next-generation charging infrastructure in the US. Simply dubbed as the V3 Superchargers, the new stations are capable of supporting peak rates of up to 250 kW or around 1,000 mph per vehicle. This allows a car such as the Long Range Model 3 RWD to recharge 75 miles in just 5 minutes. In comparison, V2 Superchargers used to have peak rates of ~120 kW per vehicle, though recent updates from the carmaker have raised this to 150 kW per car. 

Considering that Gigafactory 3 represents the best and latest innovations of Tesla in terms of Model 3 production, there is a pretty good chance that the Supercharger under construction in the site will be fitted with V3 chargers as well. Elon Musk, after all, has previously expressed his intention for Tesla to roll out more Supercharger V3 stations across the globe. With this in mind, perhaps Gigafactory 3 could have the honor of being one of the first foreign locations that will be graced by the company’s most advanced charging technology to date. 

Tesla’s Gigafactory 3 will only be producing affordable versions of the Model 3 and Model Y for the local Chinese market. Both vehicles are designed to tap into the country’s growing mainstream EV segment, which has seen notable growth over the years as the country started adopting a more supportive stance on electric cars. 

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Production of the Model 3 in Gigafactory 3 is expected to begin sometime later this year, with Elon Musk noting during the facility’s groundbreaking ceremony last January that the first electric cars would likely roll out of the site by the end of 2019. Local reports have hinted at more aggressive targets than Musk’s estimate, with some reports stating that trial production runs of the Model 3 could begin as early as September. Once operational, Gigafactory 3 is estimated to adopt an annual run rate of 150,000 vehicles initially, before ramping to a rate of about 500,000 electric cars per year.

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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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Cybertruck

Tesla clears the air on Cybertruck ‘deactivation’ video that is obviously fake

Tesla has cleared the air on the viral video, stating it is fake.

Published

7 hours ago

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August 11, 2025

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Credit: Cybertruck | X

Tesla has cleared the air regarding a video that has been circulating, where the owner claims his Cybertruck was “deactivated” by the company while he was driving.

The video was shared on X and showed a driver pulled over on the side of the road, claiming his Cybertruck had been deactivated by Tesla in the middle of traffic. It is very obviously fake to those who know the company, but these kinds of things have a tendency to pick up steam.

The video shows a screen that says:

“Tesla Cybertruck De-Activated. Critical Issue Detected | Contact Customer Service, Comply with Cease & Desist to Re-Activate. Update Failed, Return to Dealer.”

The same person who posted the video also shared an image of what appears to be a Cease and Desist letter from Tesla, but it is also likely fake:

The company finally responded to the video on Monday afternoon, stating that the video is, in fact, fake, reiterating that it will not disable vehicles remotely for any reason.

It is a shame that these types of things happen, especially as people are prone to believe anything they see on the internet. As there is so much misinformation circulating surrounding Tesla and its CEO Elon Musk, it is no surprise that someone would leverage the situation for their own benefit.

If that Cease and Desist letter is not real, perhaps the next one might be. These types of things can truly cause damage to a company’s reputation, and someone getting an idea that Tesla would remotely deactivate a car could prevent them from buying one.

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Elon Musk

Elon Musk is stepping up for Tesla Service in a big way

Elon Musk has stepped up to resolve a handful of customer issues regarding vehicle service.

Published

8 hours ago

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August 11, 2025

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tesla service
Credit: Tesla

Elon Musk is stepping up to help customers in a big way, especially when they are having issues with Tesla’s Service.

Perhaps one of the biggest advantages Tesla owners have is access to Musk through X, his social media platform. Over the years, we’ve seen Tesla add features, refine its cars’ performance, and more, all through asking Musk directly through a post.

Now, Musk is stepping up in another way by resolving a few Service complaints that customers had.

The first occurred last week when a recall on a Tesla battery was not honored by Service. The company sought $30,000 for a replacement and labor, which was not right. Musk responded that he would personally investigate the matter. The vehicle was fixed at no cost as it was a recall, and was ready for pickup the next day.

It also revealed a new strategy Tesla is using to combat service communication issues:

Tesla creates clever solution to simplify and improve its Service

The next occurred with a Cybertruck owner who was in Japan. Their car was parked at an airport in the U.S. and had lost a vast majority of its state of charge, leaving them just fifty miles of range at the time.

Musk reached out to the owner and said Service will take care of the car and will investigate the cause of the battery drain:

There are not too many companies out there where the CEO will get involved with individual issues like these. It’s pretty exclusive to Tesla, as Musk has commonly stepped up to resolve complaints with vehicles or to confront features that some owners might find useful.

Service has been a weak point of the company for some time, but it has worked to refine and resolve customer complaints by building more Service Centers across the world that can handle these issues.

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Elon Musk

Tesla CEO Elon Musk confirms Robotaxi is opening to the public: here’s when

Anyone will be able to request a Tesla Robotaxi in September, Elon Musk said this morning.

Published

10 hours ago

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August 11, 2025

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Credit: Joe Tegtmeyer | X

Tesla CEO Elon Musk has confirmed that the company’s Robotaxi platform is opening to the public, and he even gave a timeline for when anyone will be able to access one for a ride.

Tesla’s Robotaxi platform launched to a small group on June 22 in Austin, Texas. The company has continued to expand the number of riders and its geofence over the past month and a half.

Tesla officially launches Robotaxi service with no driver

Additionally, it launched rides in the Bay Area of California, but it differs slightly, as the Texas Robotaxi platform does not utilize a Safety Monitor in the driver’s seat. In California, the monitor sits in the driver’s seat.

As the geofence, service areas, and testing populations expand, Tesla fans are awaiting their elusive emails that enable their ability to use the Robotaxi platform. It now seems that the email will come soon, as Musk said Tesla will open up public access to Robotaxi next month:

Tesla has been prioritizing safety over anything else with the launch of the Robotaxi platform, which is why it has been slow to push invitations to new riders. It is confident in the abilities of the platform and its Full Self-Driving suite, which has been proven with data.

However, even a single accident could set Tesla back years in terms of its development of self-driving cars. It is not a risk it is willing to take.

Musk said during the recent Q2 Earnings Call:

“We need to make sure it works when the vehicles are fully under our control. It’s kind of one step at a time here. We don’t want to jump the gun. As I said, we’re being paranoid about safety. But I guess next year is I’d say confidently next year. I’m not sure when next year, but confidently next year, people would be able to add or subtract their car to the Tesla, Inc. fleet.”

As the platform will expand in Austin and the Bay Area for anyone, Tesla still continues to reiterate that Robotaxi will be available for everyone sometime next year, as Musk said in the quote above.

Things will continue to improve over time, and Tesla will likely expand its geofence in both regions in the coming weeks. It has already done that in Austin twice, with about a doubling in size occurring both times.

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