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Tesla Week in Review; Here’s What Happened, January 14
It’s been a dynamic news cycle this week at Tesla. Here are summaries as well as links to this week’s top stories as reported on Teslarati, in case you missed them.
Increasing Tesla Supercharger capacity has become ‘top priority,’ says Musk
Large queue forming at popular Barstow Supercharger located between Los Angeles and Las Vegas
Musk acknowledged on Twitter that some of the busier Supercharger locations are “overflowing” while others nearby remain empty. To address the issue, Tesla will focus on the expansion of Supercharger stalls at existing locations. With the Model 3 anticipated to see production levels of nearly 500k per year when full ramp is achieved, concerns over Supercharger crowding are top-of-mind among many existing Tesla owners.
Ultra-fast charging networks to challenge Tesla Superchargers
Tucumcari Supercharger in New Mexico [Credit: Marcos]
European automakers are about to make a major commitment to developing an ultra-fast charging network that can rival that of Tesla’s Supercharger network. Reuters reports that Daimler, BMW, Volkswagen and American automaker, Ford, plan to build 400 ultra-fast charging stations in Europe that will be capable of power levels triple that of Tesla’s existing fast-charging Supercharger stations.
Tesla picks up Apple veteran to lead Autopilot Software team
Chris Lattner will be joining Tesla as the new Vice President of Autopilot Software. Lattner was an Apple veteran, having worked at the Silicon Valley tech giant for 11 years. He was largely credited with the creation of Apple’s Swift programming language used for building apps. The addition of Lattner represents a major victory for the electric car company at a time when Tesla is advancing on its Enhanced Autopilot feature. Autopilot aims to bring Model S and Model X vehicles equipped with Autopilot 2.0 hardware to feature parity with first generation Autopilot cars. Tesla’s latest software update is a first iteration towards its Autosteer driving-assist feature, but the company’s ultimate goal is to achieve full autonomy through Autopilot 2.0’s Full Self-Driving capabilities.
Tesla Model X cited as “most significant vehicle,” by growth contribution to record 2016 PEV sales
Electric and plug-in hybrid car sales established new sales records in 2016, with the Tesla Model X earning the title of “most significant vehicle.” EV Volumes cites the Model X for its contribution to the growth of plug-in car sales in the US this past year. “The volume increase in 2016 can be attributed to Tesla (+95 % for S & X combined), the new GM Volt (+61 %), Ford Fusion (+63 %) and a number of newcomers, mostly in the Plug-in Hybrid category. By its growth contribution, the Tesla Model X must be regarded the most significant vehicle this year.”
Panasonic to hold job fair for Tesla’s Gigafactory ahead of Model 3 battery production
Drone video of Tesla’s Gigafactory shows the battery factory more than doubling in size
Panasonic is holding a hiring event Saturday, January 14 for positions at Tesla’s Gigafactory in Sparks, NV. Panasonic is looking to fill the following roles at its $5 billion battery facility. Read more.
Tesla completes 1,000-mile long Supercharger corridor in Australia
Tesla Model S and Model X owners can now take an electrified journey from Melbourne to Brisbane using nothing but the company’s fast-charging Supercharger network. The California-based electric car maker has announced the arrival of three new charging stations in Knockrow, Heatherbrae and Coffs Harbour, creating a Supercharger corridor 1,000 miles long (1,600 kilometers) connecting two major Australian cities. Read more.
Tesla has launched a new Model Y configuration in the “Premium” trim, and it comes with three highly requested features that have launched in markets outside of the U.S. and in other trims.
Tesla announced on Monday night that it has officially launched the Model Y Premium in a seven-seat configuration, which also comes standard with a 16″ touchscreen and black headliner, both of which are featured in the Model Y Performance trim.
The seven-seat configuration is highly requested by consumers and helps fill out the more spacious SUV offering that the lineup has missed outside of the Model X, which prices out many consumers. This new upgrade only costs $2,500 extra for all three features, bringing the cash price to $48,990.
This also comes with the larger 16” touchscreen! pic.twitter.com/aiAxWUTKZa
— TESLARATI (@Teslarati) January 13, 2026
The move to add the seven-seat configuration with the black headliner and additional screen size is a welcome addition, as many Tesla fans have asked the company to come out with an SUV with more seating capacity. Although it is not a full-size SUV, the additional seating will certainly attract some buyers with bigger families.
It appears the third row is slightly more spacious than the past iteration of the seven-seat Model Y, which was available in the previous design pre-Juniper:
Credit: Tesla
However, it definitely still appears to be pretty cramped in terms of legroom. It will definitely be a seating arrangement for smaller passengers, mostly reserved for children.
The other two upgrades are the black headliner, which was launched in other markets and in the Model Y Performance. Many owners have wanted this change, and Tesla listened, but is only offering it with the seven-seat configuration. It also has a larger 16″ touchscreen, also present in the Model Y Performance exclusively:
Credit: Tesla
It is a nice touch to add these highly requested features to the all-electric crossover, which was the best-selling vehicle in the world for the third consecutive year.
Tesla has expanded its branded ‘For Business’ Supercharger program that it launched last year, as yet another company is using the platform to attract EV owners to its business and utilize a unique advertising opportunity.
Francis Energy of Oklahoma is launching four Superchargers in Norman, where the University of Oklahoma is located. The Superchargers, which are fitted with branding for Francis Energy, will officially open tomorrow.
It will not be the final Supercharger location that Francis Energy plans to open, the company confirmed to EVWire.
Back in early September, Tesla launched the new “Supercharger for Business” program in an effort to give businesses the ability to offer EV charging at custom rates. It would give their businesses visibility and would also cater to employees or customers.
“Purchase and install Superchargers at your business,” Tesla wrote on a page on its website for the new program. “Superchargers are compatible with all electric vehicles, bringing EV drivers to your business by offering convenient, reliable charging.”
The first site opened in Land O’ Lakes, Florida, which is Northeast of Tampa, as a company called Suncoast launched the Superchargers for local EV owners.
Tesla launches its new branded Supercharger for Business with first active station
The program also does a great job at expanding infrastructure for EV owners, which is something that needs to be done to encourage more people to purchase Teslas and other electric cars.
Francis Energy operates at least 14 EV charging locations in Oklahoma, spanning from Durant to Oklahoma City and nearly everywhere in between. Filings from the company, listed by Supercharge.info, show the company’s plans to convert some of them to Tesla Superchargers, potentially utilizing the new Supercharger for Business program to advertise.
Moving forward, more companies will likely utilize Tesla’s Supercharger for Business program as it presents major advantages in a variety of ways, especially with advertising and creating a place for EV drivers to gain range in their cars.
Tesla Cybercab is perhaps the most highly-anticipated project that the company plans to roll out this year, and as it is undergoing its testing phase in pre-production currently, there are some things to work through with it.
Over the weekend, an image of the Cybercab being loaded onto a tow truck started circulating on the internet, and people began to speculate as to what the issue could be.
Hmmmmmm… https://t.co/L5hWcOXQkb pic.twitter.com/OJBDyHNTMj
— TESLARATI (@Teslarati) January 11, 2026
The Cybercab can clearly be seen with a Police Officer and perhaps the tow truck driver by its side, being loaded onto, or even potentially unloaded from, the truck.
However, it seems unlikely it was being offloaded, as its operation would get it to this point for testing to begin with.
It appears, at first glance, that it needs assistance getting back to wherever it came from; likely Gigafactory Texas or potentially a Bay Area facility.
The Cybercab was also spotted in Buffalo, New York, last week, potentially undergoing cold-weather testing, but it doesn’t appear that’s where this incident took place.
It is important to remember that the Cybercab is currently undergoing some rigorous testing scenarios, which include range tests and routine public road operation. These things help Tesla assess any potential issue the vehicle could run into after it starts routine production and heads to customers, or for the Robotaxi platform operation.
This is not a one-off issue, either. Tesla had some instances with the Semi where it was seen broken down on the side of a highway three years ago. The all-electric Semi has gone on to be successful in its early pilot program, as companies like Frito-Lay and PepsiCo. have had very positive remarks.
The Cybercab’s future is bright, and it is important to note that no vehicle model has ever gone its full life without a breakdown. It happens, it’s a car.
Nevertheless, it is important to note that there has been no official word on what happened with this particular Cybercab unit, but it is crucial to remember that this is the pre-production testing phase, and these things are more constructive than anything.
Tesla Model Y gets fresh configuration with three highly requested features
Tesla expands its branded ‘For Business’ Superchargers
