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LIVE BLOG: Tesla (TSLA) Q2 2020 earnings call summary

(Credit: Tesla)

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Tesla’s (NASDAQ:TSLA) second-quarter earnings call comes on the heels of an impressive quarter that saw the electric car maker posting $6.036 billion in revenue and a $451 million non-GAAP net income, beating Wall Street’s estimates.

As revealed in the company’s Q2 2020 Update Letter, Tesla currently sits on $8.6 billion in cash. The Tesla Model Y ramp is also proving faster than the Model 3 ramp, which should allow the company to increase its output at the Fremont factory in the coming quarters. Tesla Energy had some milestones as well, with the Megapack being profitable and Solar Roof installations tripling in Q2 compared to Q1.

For today’s earnings call, Tesla executives are expected to address questions surrounding the company’s plans for the coming quarters, particularly its maintained guidance of 500,000 vehicle deliveries for the year. Updates on future projects such as the Cybertruck, Semi, and Roadster may also be mentioned, as well as more details on upcoming Gigafactories, particularly in the United States.

The following are live updates from Tesla’s Q2 2020 earnings call. I will be updating this article in real-time, so please keep refreshing the page to view the latest updates on this story. The first entry starts at the bottom of the page.

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15:35 PT: And that wraps up Tesla’s second quarter earnings call! The questions this time around were pretty interesting, though it was a bit tiring to hear inquiries about demand once more. That said, it was great hearing Tesla executives’ thoughts on its upcoming products, as well as facilities that are yet to be built. Overall, an enjoyable call.

Thanks for staying with us today for this live blog. Till the next time!

15:33 PT: Jeffries takes the last question. The inquiry focused on battery capacity and Giga Berlin, especially if Tesla would need to get cells from other countries for its German plant. Elon responded by stating that he can’t really talk about the plans for Giga Berlin, but there will be local production of cells at the upcoming facility. Elon jokes about workers’ mobility in Europe, stating that he suggests that workers’ time in the region are better used.

15:30 PT: An inquiry from Emmanuel Rosner from Deutsche Bank about the near term demand for Tesla’s vehicles has been asked. Elon Musk noted that demand is not a problem. “The things that are troubling us right now is not demand,” Musk said.

A follow up question about Tesla’s 500k target for 2020 was expressed. Musk stated that it is hard to utilize a global supply chain, particularly during this year’s challenging times. He expressed his respect for companies and entities working the supply chain as well.

(Credit: Tesla)

15:26 PT: Bernstein takes the floor, inquiring about operating margins and how it could be over time, as well as EV credits and how it could affect them. CFO Kirkhorn emphasizes that Tesla’s business is not managed with regulatory credits in focus. Elon Musk notes that Tesla buyers in the US don’t even get credits anymore, but despite this, sales have been doing well. Kirkhorn added that there is continued decline in the production costs of cars, especially in mature products like Model S, Model X, and Model 3. FSD and other software products, as well as future services like the Tesla Network, could also play a key role in operating margins. Kirkhorn admits that Tesla is in a journey here, so while the company benefits from regulatory credits now, this will not be the case in the long term.

Elon wants Tesla’s cars to be more affordable. He admits that it’s the pain point that bothers him the most for now. That said, Tesla has made some headway in this sense. After all, the company’s vehicles are being reduced in price over time, and improvements in battery tech will only accelerate this.

15:21 PT: Wall Street’s questions begin. First up is Dan Levy of Credit Suisse with a question about gross margins and Tesla’s differing approach in its various production facilities. Zach Kirkhorn responds, stating that the Model Y margins are improving. He did state that Model Y is still more expensive to produce than the Model 3. Elon added that Giga Shanghai is getting more and more localized, which makes a massive difference to the overall cost of vehicles that are made there. This could be seen in the price adjustments of the Model 3 in the country. Automotive President Guillen added that lots of suppliers are enthusiastic about supporting Tesla in China. The same will likely be true for Berlin as well.

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15:15 PT: Next up is the Tesla Insurance ramp, as well as if the company will require Tesla Insurance for the company’s upcoming ride hailing network. Zach Kirkhorn notes that the current version of Tesla Insurance is only Version 1, or 0.9 as Elon noted. The CFO reiterates that Tesla Insurance has a data advantage, which allows the company to provide a viable service for Tesla customers. Tesla hopes to ramp Tesla Insurance to other states by the end of the year. “At the heart of every competitive insurance is the accuracy of your information,” Musk said.

(Credit: Tesla)

15:10 PT: Next up is a question about the Tesla Semi’s volume production. What does “volume production” mean? The first few units of the Tesla Semi will be used by Tesla to carry freight between Fremont and Nevada. There’s a lot of technology that will be going into the Semi, as suggested by Automotive President Jerome Guillen. He appears to be extremely excited for the Semi’s ramp, which is finally happening.

When asked about the discontinued Standard Range Model Y, Elon jokingly asked nickel companies to mine more as long as it’s efficient and environmentally friendly way. As noted by Musk, cell shortage is still the limiting factor for Tesla. It appears that the more batteries Tesla has access to, the more vehicles and types of vehicles it could produce.

15:05 PT: Tesla retail shareholder questions begin. First off is Tesla Energy and how it is largely ignored by Wall Street. How disruptive is Autobidder? Elon Musk noted that collectively the energy sector is bigger than automotive, so Tesla Energy would likely be just as big as its EV business. Ron Baron has mentioned this before when he stated that Tesla Energy has the potential to become a $500 billion business on its own.

Elon noted that Tesla’s mission is to accelerate the advent of sustainable energy. That push requires three parts: EVs, solar, and batteries. To accomplish the company’s primary goal, Tesla would have to ramp its energy business.

The Megapack is seeing a lot of demand. “Autobidder is Autopilot for grid type batteries,” as it ensures that the battery does everything it can as efficiently as it can. Creating such a system is very representative of Tesla since the company is known for tapping into software to complete targets.

15:00 PT: Responding to an inquiry about Autopilot, Elon explained that the driver assist system right now is pretty much operating in 2.5D. Operating in 4D is something completely different, and it will be game-changing. “The car will seem to have a giant improvement. It will probably roll out later this year. It will be able to do traffic lights, stops, turns, everything, pretty much. And then it will be a long march of (updates). It will definitely be better than human,” Musk said.

An inquiry about the Alien Dreadnought. Elon states that there’s about 10,000 more engineering required for the factory than the product itself. “We’re certainly making progress,” Elon said, stating that the Dreadnought is starting to approach Version 1, referring to Gigafactory Nevada. Perhaps Gigafactory Shanghai, Gigafactory Berlin, and the Austin Gigafactory will be Version 2. Interestingly, Elon also noted that the Model Y will look the same in Gigafactory Berlin, but the technology will be different.

Elon and other Tesla executives highlighted that the company loves manufacturing. The Alien Dreadnought is not all about replacing humans at all. The CEO seemingly plugs the maker movement once more, encouraging anyone interested to go into manufacturing. He is quite right about this. As Musk noted in the past, it’s difficult to have things when no one makes them.

14:50 PT: Questions from institutional investors begin. First up is about cheaper or region specific vehicles, or a product roadmap. Elon stated that while Tesla can’t reveal its product roadmap, it is reasonable to assume that Tesla would make a compact vehicle in the future. That said, he stated that there is still a long way to go with the Model 3, Model Y, and Cybertruck.

Second question is about FSD and software offerings. Elon notes that by far, FSD today is the most important thing. He expects the upgrade to FSD the biggest asset value rise in automotive history. The CEO does have a point, considering that full self driving may very well change the transportation world. Emphasizing this point, Elon states that everything else seems small in comparison. After FSD, it’s probably going to be all about entertainment.

Perhaps an app store is indeed in the pipeline sometime in the future.

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(Credit: Tesla)

14:45 PT: Zach Kirkhorn takes the floor and thanks Tesla employees. He highlights Tesla’s four quarters of profitability, stating that the company optimized hard by initiating cost savings initiatives. This allowed the company to balance out the hits the company received due to the pandemic and Fremont’s shutdown. The CFO stated that in Q2, Tesla opted to pass on some of these savings to customers, referring to the cost reductions of the company’s vehicles.

Kirkhorn was also very optimistic about Tesla Energy, highlighting that the Megapack is now profitable. Solar and Solar Roof are also coming along nicely.

14:40 PT: The Tesla CEO also highlighted the Model S’ 400-mile EPA range, which is best in class. “I personally tested the latest (version of FSD) and I think it’s better profoundly than people realize. It’s almost getting to the point where I can go from my house to work without (requiring) interventions. This is why I’m confident about reaching feature complete FSD by the end of the year. (It’s because) I’m driving it,” he noted.

Also, Battery Day hype. “Thanks again for your support of our long term mission,” Elon said, closing his opening remarks. “I’ve never been more optimistic about the future of Tesla,” he added.

14:35 PT: Elon Musk thanks the Tesla team for their efforts in Q2. He sounds quite optimistic as he highlights how Tesla was able to grow at a time like this, when legacy auto is DOWN a lot. Elon also announced that its next Gigafactory will be in Texas. Looks like Austin won this round. It’s 5 minutes from the airport and it’s about 2,000 acres. “It will be stunning. It’s right by the Colorado River. It will have a boardwalk… It will be an ecological paradise. It will be open to the public as well,” Musk noted.

The Austin Gigafactory will produce the Cybertruck, the Model Y, and the Semi. Fremont will probably produce the next-generation Roadster. Elon also recognized Tulsa for a battle well fought. “‘I’d like to give a shoutout to Tulsa. I was super impressed… We will for sure consider Tulsa for future expansion of Tesla down the road,” the CEO noted.

14:32 PT: Tesla Investor Relations’ Martin Viecha takes the floor. Elon and Zach Kirkhorn, as well as other executives are present. Elon’s operating remarks begin.

14:31 PT: And it’s time for the earnings call. Let’s go!

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14:29 PT: Quick factoid: Tesla had a bear case of $10 per share courtesy of Morgan Stanley during the height of 2019’s headwinds. I guess that estimate was a bit off.

14:25 PT: I have to admit, I’m pretty excited for this one. Anyone who’s been following Tesla over the past year would remember how it was in Q2 2019. Last year, it felt like the sharks were smelling blood in the water. TSLAQ members were sure Tesla was going down, and it wasn’t until Q3 when things started settling down. Oh, what a difference a year makes.

14:20 PT: It is time once more for Tesla’s quarterly earnings report! This quarter was pretty crazy, with Fremont being closed for several weeks and a lot of drama resulting from its reopening. Despite all these headwinds, Tesla posted a profit for Q2. That’s pretty insane, especially since the company was able to accomplish this during a literal pandemic. The Q2 2020 Update Letter is full of interesting details. Let’s brace for impact, everyone.

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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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SpaceX’s newest logo confirms everything about what it’s become

SpaceX officially absorbed xAI under the SpaceXAI brand, completing the largest private merger in history.

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SpaceX made its corporate transformation official in May 2026 when Elon Musk posted on X that xAI would cease to exist as a standalone company. “xAI will be dissolved as a separate company, so it will just be SpaceXAI, the AI products from SpaceX,” he wrote.

A new SpaceXAI logo was announced today, visually embedding the xAI letters inside the SpaceX identity, which can be seen as a deliberate design choice that signals the merger is not a partnership but a full absorption and XAi a core function of the same company. The same way Starlink is not a separate brand but a SpaceX product. The announcement closed the loop on a process that began February 2, 2026, when SpaceX acquired xAI in the largest private merger in history, valued at $1.25 trillion. SpaceX at $1 trillion and xAI at $250 billion.


The reason SpaceX bought xAI was stated plainly by Musk at the time of the deal: to build orbital data centers. SpaceX had simultaneously filed with the FCC to launch up to one million satellites designed to function as AI compute nodes in low Earth orbit, escaping what Musk described as the energy constraints limiting AI development on Earth.

xAI provided the AI software stack, with Grok, the X platform, and the Colossus supercomputer infrastructure in Memphis with over 220,000 NVIDIA GPUs, while SpaceX provided the rockets, Starlink, and the capital base to fund it. The two companies needed each other. xAI was burning $2.5 billion in losses on $250 million in revenue. SpaceX was generating an estimated $8 billion in profit on $15 billion in revenue and needed an AI narrative to command the valuation it was targeting for its IPO.

SpaceXAI just launched into your kitchen with their new app

What SpaceX has done, regardless of how the orbital AI vision ultimately plays out, is walk into a public market as something no company has been before: a rocket manufacturer, satellite internet provider, AI software company, social media platform, and supercomputer operator under one ticker. Whether that combination is worth $2 trillion depends entirely on which of those businesses you believe in most.

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Investor's Corner

Tesla challenges startups to score a gig inside its most advanced European factory

Tesla is challenging startups to bring their best battery tech directly to Gigafactory Berlin.

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Tesla has issued an open challenge to startups across Europe, inviting them to bring their best battery technology directly to the floor of Gigafactory Berlin. The program, called the JUNI x Tesla Battery Cell Giga Challenge, opened applications this month with a deadline of July 24, 2026, and is targeting startups with solutions that can make battery cell manufacturing faster, cheaper, safer, and more scalable at an industrial level.

The timing of the challenge is directly tied to Tesla’s most aggressive European battery investment yet. On May 12, 2026, Giga Berlin plant manager André Thierig announced a $250 million investment to scale the factory’s annual 4680 cell production capacity from 8 GWh to 18 GWh, more than doubling the previous target set just months earlier in December 2025. Thierig confirmed the expansion on X, saying the investment “will enable 18 GWh of annual 4680 cell production and create more than 1,500 new jobs.” Combined with a previously announced battery investment at the Grunheide site now approaches $1.2 billion.


The challenge is looking specifically for startups with proven solutions across five categories: materials, equipment, operations, automation, and artificial intelligence. Applications are screened directly by Tesla’s cell manufacturing team in Grunheide, and the strongest submissions move through technical discussions, a pitch day in front of Tesla stakeholders, and potentially a paid pilot project with the cell team. Tesla is not looking for ideas at concept stage. The program requires applicants to demonstrate working prototypes, test data, or prior pilots before being considered.

The historical context matters here. Elon Musk first announced plans for what he called the world’s largest battery cell production facility alongside the Giga Berlin car factory back in 2020, targeting up to 250 GWh of annual capacity. Those plans were shelved in 2022 when Tesla shifted its battery investment focus to the United States to take advantage of Inflation Reduction Act incentives. The revival of cell production at Giga Berlin, now backed by over $1 billion in committed capital, represents a return to an ambition that was set aside for three years. As Teslarati has reported, the 4680 format is central to Tesla’s long-term cost reduction strategy across vehicles, energy storage, including the Tesla Semi and Cybercab.

By opening the challenge to outside startups, Tesla is acknowledging that reaching 18 GWh at Grunheide will require technology it does not currently have in-house, and it is willing to pay for the right solutions. For a startup in the battery supply chain, a paid pilot with Tesla’s European cell team is as close to a direct commercial path as the industry offers.

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Investor's Corner

Tesla crushes Wall Street expectations, beats delivery estimates by over 15 percent

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Tesla (NASDAQ: TSLA) beat Wall Street expectations of 406,000 vehicles delivered in Q2 by reporting 480,126 deliveries for the three months ending in June.

Tesla reported it delivered 467,762  Model 3 and Model Y units, while 12,364 Model S, Model X, and Cybertrucks switched hands during the quarter. The Model S and Model X were officially sunset this past quarter and will no longer be part of the company’s Production & Delivery reports moving forward.

The quarter is a pleasant surprise and a good rebound from Q1, when Tesla slightly missed the Wall Street consensus of 365,645 cars by reporting 358,023 deliveries for the first three motnhs of the year.

Energy storage deployments also provided some strength in Tesla’s delivery report, hitting 13.5 GWh for Q2. This is a particular division of Tesla’s business that has been overwhelmingly robust over the past few years, truly being a strong point of the company’s overall model.

For the year, Tesla analysts still predict deliveries to trend in the 1.69 million unit region, a modest 3 to 5 percent increase from the 1.64 million cars the company delivered last year. Tesla will likely return to more sequential and noticeable year-over-year growth as the Cybercab project starts to ramp up considerably in the next few years.

Tesla has some other potential catalysts to spur vehicle deliveries, too. Not only is it expecting Cybercab to truly start making a change in the next few years, but other vehicles could be entering the company’s lineup.

Tesla sends production Cybercab with no steering wheel, pedals to on-road testing

The slightly longer Model Y L has been a highly speculated release candidate in the U.S. It has already done incredibly well in China, and U.S. buyers have been wanting slightly more interior space than the Model Y. Now that the Model X is gone, it is more needed than ever.

Q2 highlights a pretty stable automotive division within Tesla, and no true concerns arise from these figures, especially considering it managed to beat expectations convincingly.

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