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Tesla Sweden customers criticize IF Metall as strike escalates

(Credit: Tesla)

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Tesla customers in Sweden have criticized the IF Metall union as its strike against the car company escalates. 

The President of Tesla Owners Club Sweden, Tibor Blomhäll, commented that the strike is not affecting the car maker but is now hitting Tesla vehicle owners the most. A few days ago, the Tesla strike in Sweden expanded to all ports nationwide, affecting customers waiting for car deliveries. 

Recently, IF Metall’s strike against Tesla gained support from Seko, which promised to stop delivering packages to the company’s workshops and offices. The blockade on shipments to Tesla’s workshops has significantly hit Tesla owners across the country. One Model 3 owner stated that one of a few approved Tesla body repair shops in Sweden in Werksta has already been affected by Seko’s blockade.

“I accidentally hit a large rock in a parking lot, damaging the metal plates underneath the right-hand door in July. I scheduled my car for repairs at Werksta on October 30th. I drove my car to the repair shop and completed the necessary documentation to proceed with the repairs. 

“However, later that evening, I received a call informing me that I needed to retrieve my car. Werksta had decided to join the strike and would not be repairing any Tesla vehicles. This situation is incredibly unfortunate. I attempted to reach out to the Tesla team, but they closed the case, stating they couldn’t do anything,” the Model 3 owner told Teslarati. 

IF Metall’s contract secretary, Veli-Pekka Säikkälä, responded to the criticism by Tesla owners. He commented that preventing outsiders from being affected by the Tesla strike in Sweden is impossible.

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“It is unfortunately the case that strikes often affect third parties. This has also been the case when nurses have gone on strike. I’m sorry. But it is not true that the strike does not affect Tesla. Werksta buys spare parts from Tesla, then they bring money into the Tesla system.

“It’s sad. People will certainly be angry with us. Sure, from Tesla, too. But the best way to take care of your customers is to write a collective agreement and not say no like a petulant child without stating what is wrong with the agreement,” responded Säikkälä.

What do you think about the Tesla strike in Sweden affecting Tesla owners? Please share them with me at maria@teslarati.com or via X @Writer_01001101.

Maria--aka "M"-- is an experienced writer and book editor. She's written about several topics including health, tech, and politics. As a book editor, she's worked with authors who write Sci-Fi, Romance, and Dark Fantasy. M loves hearing from TESLARATI readers. If you have any tips or article ideas, contact her at maria@teslarati.com or via X, @Writer_01001101.

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Elon Musk was right all along about Tesla’s rivals and EV subsidies

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Credit: @Gf4Tesla/Twitter

With the loss of the $7,500 Electric Vehicle Tax Credit, it looks as if Tesla CEO Elon Musk was right all along.

As the tax credit’s loss starts to take effect, car companies that have long relied on the $7,500 credit to create sales for themselves are starting to adjust their strategies for sales and their overall transition to electrification.

On Tuesday, General Motors announced it would include a $1.6 billion charge in its upcoming quarterly earnings results from its EV investments.

Ford said in late September that it expects demand for its EVs to be cut in half. Stellantis is abandoning its plan to have only EVs being produced in Europe by 2030, and Chrysler, a brand under the Stellantis umbrella, is bailing on lofty EV sales targets here in the U.S.

How Tesla could benefit from the ‘Big Beautiful Bill’ that axes EV subsidies

The tax credit and EV subsidies have achieved what many of us believed they were doing: masking car companies from the truth about their EV demand. Simply put, their products are not priced attractively enough for what they offer, and there is no true advantage to buying EVs developed by legacy companies.

These tax credits have helped companies simply compete with Tesla, nothing more and nothing less. Without them, their products likely would not have done as well as they have. That’s why these companies are now suddenly backtracking.

It’s something Elon Musk has said all along.

Back in January, during the Q4 and Full Year 2024 Earnings Call, Musk said:

“I think it would be devastating for our competitors and for Tesla slightly. But, long term, it probably actually helps Tesla, that would be my guess.”

In July of last year, Musk said on X:

“Take away all the subsidies. It will only help Tesla.”

Over the past few years, Tesla has started to lose its market share in the U.S., mostly because more companies have entered the EV manufacturing market and more models are being offered.

Nobody has been able to make a sizeable dent in what Tesla has done, and although its market share has gotten smaller, it still holds nearly half of all EV sales in the U.S.

Tesla’s EV Market Share in the U.S. By Year

    • 2020 – 79%
    • 2021 – 72%
    • 2022 – 62%
    • 2023 – 55%
    • 2024 – 49%

As others are adjusting to what they believe will be tempered demand for their EVs, Tesla has just reported its strongest quarter in company history, with just shy of half a million deliveries.

Will Tesla thrive without the EV tax credit? Five reasons why they might

Although Tesla benefited from the EV tax credit, particularly last quarter, some believe it will have a small impact since it has been lost. The company has many other focuses, with its main priority appearing to be autonomy and AI.

One thing is for sure: Musk was right.

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Tesla ownership without home charging: Here’s how it’s done

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Credit: Tesla

I bought a Tesla without having perhaps the biggest advantage of owning an electric vehicle: home charging.

People told me it could be done, others said it eliminated the purpose of owning an EV. I knew I wanted a Tesla, and I knew I could probably get away with not having access to charging at home.

I traded my ICE vehicle for a Tesla Model Y: here’s how it went

The strategy I planned to use without having home charging was pretty simple: there’s a Supercharger a few miles away, and there’s also low-level charging at my local grocery store. The Model Y also came with a Mobile Connector, so there was another way I could charge in a pinch.

There are also some distinct advantages I have over others, including the fact that I do not commute to and from work, and I’m also situated only a handful of miles from things like the store and shopping, and most of my errands can be completed without driving more than 15 miles back and forth.

A common misconception about being reliant on Supercharging is the cost. Many believe that Supercharging is so expensive that it costs about the same as buying gas.

However, there are many workarounds for that, some of which I have used weekly to save money and increase convenience.

Here’s how I’ve made it work, and how I suggest you can too:

Charge During Off-Peak Hours as Much as Possible

The biggest tip I have for those who choose to buy an EV but do not have access to at-home charging is the advantage that is off-peak rates.

At my local Supercharger, it costs $0.47 from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m., and just $0.18 from 10 p.m. to 8 a.m.

That means if you can wake up a little earlier or go to bed a little bit later, you’ll save nearly three times the money. This is not to say that I never charge during peak hours, but I try to save the longer charges for off-peak hours, and it’s been a huge advantage for me.

One morning recently, I was at 9 percent and I charged to 90 percent. It only cost me about $11. Charging during peak hours, that same charge would have been roughly $26.

Tesla Supercharger access has proven to be a challenge for one company

In my Bronco Sport, going from 40 miles to a full tank, roughly 400 miles, would have cost me well over $40.

It’s not so bad either. The Supercharger I use is located at a Sheetz, so I’m able to go in, grab a coffee and a breakfast sandwich, charge, watch YouTube in the car, and sometimes, I even get to enjoy a nice sunrise on the way home.

If I have to go at night, my Fiancè and I usually use the opportunity to spend time together. We’ll run over to the Supercharger, grab snacks, and watch whatever we’re binging on Netflix (right now, it’s Narcos).

Many people said that Supercharging would cost me more than filling up my gas car. According to my Tesla app, that simply isn’t the case.

While I have been forced to charge during peak hours at times for about a month and a half, in about fifteen charging sessions, I’ve saved about $70. Over the course of a year, that would equate to over $800.

Utilize Other Charging Solutions

Although my Charging Stats above show that I’ve only used it 1 percent of the time, I have the advantage of free charging at my grocery store.

It is a Shell Recharge EV charging station, and there are two of them at the store. I used my J1772 adapter to charge, and it charges slowly at 11.5 kW.

However, it is great if you’re doing your shopping for the week and you’re stuck at the store for an hour or two. If you have one or two of these at your grocery store, just remember to be courteous and charge until you have a reasonable amount of range.

What I’ll Do Moving Forward

One ongoing effort has been pushing my leasing office to install a few EV chargers in our neighborhood. Because we rent, we are truly at the mercy of what the leasing office will allow and what they’ll do to make the lives of EV owners easier.

I’m hoping to continue pushing the management company to a point that will eventually get EV chargers in the neighborhood, especially while I live here and for those who will live here after we leave.

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Tesla widens rollout of new Full Self-Driving suite to more owners

Tesla started rolling out Full Self-Driving v14 nearly two weeks ago, but it was a very controlled release that made its way to only a small group of owners who are part of the EAP.

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(Credit: Tesla)

Tesla is widening its rollout of the new Full Self-Driving suite to more owners, after it had been confined to those in the Early Access Program (EAP) for a couple of weeks.

Tesla started rolling out Full Self-Driving v14 nearly two weeks ago, but it was a very controlled release that made its way to only a small group of owners who are part of the EAP.

It seemed logical to keep things tight; v14 was Tesla’s first major FSD release in a year, and it featured a handful of new features, including a new, slower driving profile known as “Sloth,” and the ability to park in an area at the destination that was designated by the driver.

There were also other improvements, including parking garage navigation, yielding for emergency vehicles, better recognition and handling for road debris, and a more refined ride experience overall. So far, it has been the best FSD suite Tesla has rolled out, capable of more than any previous release.

However, it has only been available to that small group of EAP Tesla owners. Now, it appears Tesla is starting to roll out Full Self-Driving v14 to more owners for the first time with v14.1.2:

Tesla rolled out FSD v14.1.2 for the first time last night, introducing further refinements to the initial two v14 iterations that were made available to owners, as well as the new Mad Max Speed Profile, which offers higher speeds during travel and more lane changes.

Tesla launches ‘Mad Max’ Full Self-Driving Speed Profile, its fastest yet

The first reviews of the Mad Max Speed Profile have been raving with positivity. Owners praise its ability to handle congestion and heavy traffic, as well as its decisiveness and reduced hesitation, which other Profiles have been noted for in the past two v14 releases.

The expansion of the FSD suite, especially with this new version, will make so many owners happy, as the release has been slow, controlled, and exclusive. Now that it is making its way to more Tesla owners, we will see more refinements and features in the coming weeks.

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