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Tesla Sweden employee speaks out after getting expelled from IF Metall union

(Credit: Tesla)

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Near the end of 2023, trade union IF Metall announced that it was expelling some members who refused to participate in the organization’s ongoing actions against Tesla. One of these expelled members, who currently works as a mechanic for Tesla Sweden, recently shared his thoughts about the conflict between his employer and the union. The Tesla mechanic’s comments offer a fresh view of the conflict, and they highlight the potential toll of IF Metall’s escalating efforts against the EV maker. 

In a conversation with Dagens Arbete (DA), the Tesla Sweden employee, who wished to remain anonymous, stated that worker conditions in the electric vehicle maker are good. The mechanic also noted that he has not felt much change in Tesla Sweden’s operations despite the different sympathy strikes that have been implemented by IF Metall’s allies against the electric car maker. Moreover, the mechanic shared the reason why he refused to strike against his employer. 

“The main reason is that I care about the environment and enjoy my job. And I care a lot about our customers too. I want customers to feel safe choosing Tesla,” the former IF Metall member noted. 

That being said, the Tesla Sweden mechanic admitted that his biggest stressor right now is the “harassment” from the union. When asked by the publication about his contacts with IF Metall, the expelled member noted that he had received messages and calls that sounded threatening. The mechanic admitted that he actually is quite afraid of the union. 

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“So you know, I’m terrified of IF Metall. They try to make it difficult for you, provoke, as it were, so that you feel that it is difficult to be at work. They have called and sent messages and they have really tried to explain what the strike means and why I should join, before I was then excluded. And it sounded threatening actually. They have said that I will never be able to work in a union shop in the future and no unions will represent me in the future. That’s how I understood it. That they will gang up against me,” the Tesla Sweden mechanic said.

Overall, however, the expelled IF Metall member noted that he is quite happy that he is no longer a member of the trade union since now he can “avoid the monthly fee.” When asked about what he thinks of his exclusion, the Tesla Sweden mechanic clarified that “no one asked me how I felt, what I wanted” and that “the union just runs its own race.” He also shared how his view of the union has changed over the years. 

“When I joined, I was new to the industry, and it was obvious that you should join. Then, when I got older, I realized that the membership was just an expensive subscription to a magazine,” the former IF Metall member said. 

IF Metall’s union secretary Martin Gunnarsson was asked by DA about the former member’s comments. Gunnarsson noted that it is unfortunate that someone feels afraid of the trade union, though the organization has made efforts to get ahold of all its members to inform them about the strikes against Tesla. “If this person has experienced fear, it is, of course, unfortunate; a person experiences what he experiences. But we have tried to get hold of them in order to reason. It has been necessary to find out how certain things work,” the union official said. 

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When asked about the notion of IF Metall members who do not wish to join the strike against Tesla, the union secretary noted that such employees are probably being pressured. “I am convinced that there was a lot of pressure on everyone. Those who have gone on strike and those who are inside and working, members or not. But it is not possible to make that type of judgment; we have handled it on the basis that you have been disloyal to the statutes,” Gunnarsson said. 

Don’t hesitate to contact us with news tips. Just send a message to simon@teslarati.com to give us a heads up.

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 Roadster unveiling gets pushed again, but new event details emerge

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Credit: Dan Burkland

Tesla has reportedly pushed the unveiling of the Roadster once again, but there are also evidently new details about the event that the company plans to show off.

The Information reported this morning that Tesla will now unveil, for the second time, the next-generation Roadster in August, a further delay from the multiple timeline that the company had previously stated.

The report has not been confirmed or denied by Tesla at any capacity.

It also states the unveiling event will take place in Texas, the same place that Tesla executives revealed in May would be the place of manufacture for the company’s highly-anticipated supercar, which boasts a top speed of over 250 MPH and 650 miles of range, according to its website.

Tesla is also expected to showcase the SpaceX package, which will be used for faster acceleration and potentially hovering capabilities, at the unveiling event, the report states. Musk has always planned for this to happen, but now it seems it is more realistic than ever

The Roadster has had its unveiling date and manufacturing date pushed back on many occasions. It was set to start production in 2020, but the COVID-19 pandemic crippled supply chain operations, forcing Tesla to push its timeline back considerably.

However, COVID has been over for some time, and Tesla has still not managed to successfully schedule and execute an unveiling event, which is something fans and enthusiasts, as well as those who have put down a $50,000 deposit, have been waiting for.

The vehicle was close to completion last year, but Musk truly wanted Lars Moravy and Franz von Holzhausen to push the limits of the Roadster. In July of last year, Moravy said:

“Roadster is definitely in development. We did talk about it last Sunday night. We are gearing up for a super cool demo. It’s going to be mind-blowing; We showed Elon some cool demos last week of the tech we’ve been working on, and he got a little excited.”

It is important to note two things: Tesla has not confirmed these details, and the company has regularly pushed these dates back. Until Tesla sends out formal invitations with a concrete date, taking any unveiling event reports with a grain of salt is a good idea.

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Tesla Model 3 has a tasty Supercharging incentive, but it’s ending soon

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Credit: Tesla

Tesla is offering a tasty Supercharging incentive on certain Model 3 trims, but the company has officially put a concrete end date on it, so those interested should act fast.

Tesla is offering Free Supercharging for One Year on the Model 3 Premium and Performance trims, the top two offerings of the all-electric sedan. There are three trims of the Model 3 that will have the Free Supercharging offer attached:

  • Premium Rear-Wheel-Drive – $42,490
  • Premium All-Wheel-Drive – $47,490
  • Performance – $54,990

Tesla has now announced that this offer will expire on June 15, giving potential buyers about ten days to take advantage of the incentive.

This could be an additional incentive for car buyers to transition to electric vehicles. Many states are showing gas prices well over $4 per gallon, with the national average currently sitting at $4.22, according to AAA.

Tesla Model 3 wins Edmunds’ Best EV of 2026 award

A free year of Supercharging miles would allow people to charge and travel for free, other than routine maintenance, which is already incredibly cheap compared to a gas car.

At Tesla Superchargers, peak rates, meaning prices between 8 a.m. and 10 p.m., average between $0.45 and $0.60. One year of driving at an average of 12,000 miles would cost between $1,000 and $1,500 at $0.50 per kWh. It’s a pretty good deal.

Supercharging prices have also increased recently:

Tesla has used Free Supercharging to move units in the past, and it’s a great strategy for those who plan to use the car for longer commutes, cross-country drives, or do not have reliable access to home charging.

It should be noted that Tesla recommends that Supercharging be used at a minimum to preserve the life of the battery, as fast-charging is more stressful on the cells.

However, some people might not have an option, so the Free Supercharging incentive could truly be a great reason for many people to charge their cars.

The Supercharging incentive is short-term, and it is pretty rare that Tesla utilizes it, so once this offer is gone, we probably will not see it on the Model 3 for some time.

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Ferrari CEO’s self-driving stance echoes Elon Musk’s — sort of

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Credit: Tesla | Ferrari

Ferrari CEO Benedetto Vigna revealed that the Italian automaker’s future will not involve self-driving, a point that echoes that of Tesla CEO Elon Musk’s — sort of.

You might be thinking, “Are you insane? Musk has been so incredibly hellbent on delivering self-driving vehicles to the public, so much so that he has even hinted that Tesla won’t need the ever-popular and widely-requested Model Y L in the U.S.

However, when it comes to electric supercars with high-performance specs and lofty price tags, Vigna’s stance is exactly what Musk wants for Tesla’s own hypercar project, the Tesla Roadster.

In a new interview with Australian media outlet Drive, Vigna made it clear that Ferrari’s ambitions for the future do not involve autonomy, simply because the company’s cars are not designed for anything but manual, spirited driving.

He said:

“We will not make fully autonomous cars — loud and clear. We want the people to have fun, not the [computer] chips. We want to have a steering wheel and a man or a woman behind the steering wheel. Otherwise, why do you buy a Ferrari?”

This seems to be a reasonable assertion. Ferraris are not made for daily commutes, cross-country road trips, or bumper-to-bumper traffic. They’re made for fast, spirited driving, and many of their buyers will only put a few thousand miles on them throughout their lifetime. True, exciting, fun driving is meant to be done manually.

That is not to say Full Self-Driving or other semi-autonomous suites are not “fun,” but they are meant to take the stress out of driving. They are made for the daily commutes, the rush hour traffic, and the parking lots and garages. It’s made to take the stress out of driving.

Tesla Full Self-Driving attempts 150-mile stress test: the good and the bad

Musk had stated in an interview in early 2026 that the Roadster would also be geared toward fun, manually-controlled driving. On the Moonshots podcast with Peter Diamandis, Musk said about the Roadster:

“This is not a…safety is not the main goal. If you buy a Ferrari, safety is not the number one goal. I say, if safety is your number one goal, do not buy the Roadster…We’ll aspire not to kill anyone in this car. It’ll be the best of the last of the human-driven cars. The best of the last.”

There are cars out there that simply are meant to be driven by humans, and Ferraris and Roadsters are a few of them. Ferrari has no true advantage in developing self-driving; their cars sell at low volumes with high price tags, and their performance specs and engineering are all geared toward spirited driving.

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