News
Tesla wins lawsuit against former employee accused of hacking company data
Tesla has won its case against Martin Tripp, a former employee of the company’s Gigafactory 1 in Nevada, who was accused of hacking the company’s manufacturing operating system at the production facility. The lawsuit has been ongoing since 2018.
Tesla labeled Tripp as a saboteur who had leaked documents related to the company’s scrap at Gigafactory Nevada, along with claims that Tesla had installed faulty battery cells into packs that were equipped for the Model 3 sedan.
After reports that Tripp was leaking sensitive information about the automaker, Tesla filed a massive lawsuit that stated he “unlawfully [hacked] into the company’s confidential and trade secret information.” The information was reportedly leaked to media outlets and third parties.
Tripp then countersued Tesla with a defamation lawsuit, that claimed he was exposing Giga Nevada’s work conditions that were less than favorable for employees at the production facility. Tesla’s lawsuit indicated that Tripp’s description made Gigafactory conditions look much worse than they were in reality.
It appears the case has come to a close, just a few weeks after Tripp fired his lawyers, which were reportedly funded by Tesla short-sellers, and chose to represent himself instead. Tripp denied that he received money from short-sellers to fund his litigation proceedings.
According to an article from Reuters, the lawsuit was closed and Tesla was declared the victor. The U.S. District Court of Nevada stated in its ruling that Tesla’s wishes to have the case sealed will be granted “because compelling reasons support them, and they are unopposed.”
Tripp filed a motion for leave to file an additional reply, but it was denied as the Court cited it as “unnecessary.”
Interestingly, the lawsuit wasn’t won on Tesla’s claim that Tripp’s actions cost the company $167 million in damages due to stock prices falling. It was won because Tripp’s actions were deemed to be unaligned with the Nevada Computer Crimes Law, or NCCL.
Tripp’s work against Tesla was illegal according to the NCCL because although he was an employee and had access to company information, he did not have the authorization to use it. This is explicitly outlined in the NCCL. Tripp also admitted that he was not authorized to use the data in the manner that he used it, according to legal documents.
Ultimately, the long-lived saga of Tesla v. Tripp may be over in a courtroom, for now. But Judge Miranda Du stated it was one of the more interesting cases she has been apart of. “Tripp, a single, non-executive-level employee, got into a very public dispute directly with the CEO of his former employer that generated its own news cycle. That is unusual,” she said.
Tesla vs. Martin Tripp ruling pdf by Joey Klender on Scribd
News
Lemonade launches Tesla FSD insurance program in Oregon
The program was announced by Lemonade co-founder Shai Wininger on social media platform X.
Tesla drivers in Oregon can now receive significant insurance discounts when using FSD, following the launch of Lemonade’s new Autonomous Car insurance program.
The program was announced by Lemonade co-founder Shai Wininger on social media platform X.
Lemonade launches FSD-based insurance in Oregon
In a post on X, Wininger confirmed that Lemondade’s Autonomous Car insurance product for Tesla is now live in Oregon. The program allows eligible Tesla owners to receive roughly 50% off insurance costs for every mile driven using Tesla’s FSD system.
“And… we’re ON. @Lemonade_Inc’s Autonomous Car for @Tesla FSD is now live in Oregon. Tesla drivers in Oregon can now get ~50% off their Tesla FSD-driven miles + the best car insurance experience in the US, bar none,” Wininger wrote in his post.
As per Lemonade on its official website, the program is built on Tesla’s safety data, which indicates that miles driven using FSD are approximately twice as safe as those driven manually. As a result, Lemonade prices those miles at a lower rate. The insurer noted that as FSD continues to improve, associated discounts could increase over time.
How Lemonade tracks FSD miles
Lemonade’s FSD discount works through a direct integration with Tesla vehicles, enabled only with a driver’s explicit permission. Once connected, the system distinguishes between miles driven manually and those driven using FSD, applying the discount automatically to qualifying miles.
There is no minimum FSD usage requirement. Drivers who use FSD occasionally still receive discounted rates for those miles, while non-FSD miles are billed at competitive standard rates. Lemonade also emphasized that coverage and claims handling remain unchanged regardless of whether a vehicle is operating under manual control or FSD at the time of an incident.
The program is currently available only to Teslas equipped with Hardware 4 or newer, running firmware version 2025.44.25.5 or later. Lemonade also allows policyholders to bundle Tesla insurance with renters, homeowners, pet, or life insurance policies for additional savings.
News
Tesla exec: Preparations underway but no firm timeline yet for FSD rollout in China
The information was related by Tesla China Vice President Grace Tao in a comment to local media.
Tesla has not set a specific launch date for Full Self-Driving in China, despite the company’s ongoing preparations for a local FSD rollout.
The information was related by Tesla China Vice President Grace Tao in a comment to local media.
Tesla China prepares FSD infrastructure
Speaking in a recent media interview, the executive confirmed that Tesla has established a local training center in China to support the full adaptation of FSD to domestic driving conditions, as noted in a report from Sina News. However, she also noted that the company does not have a specific date when FSD will officially roll out in China.
“We have set up a local training center in China specifically to handle this adaptation,” Tao said. “Once officially released, it will demonstrate a level of performance that is no less than, and may even surpass, that of local drivers.”
Tao also emphasized the rapid accumulation of data by Tesla’s FSD system, with the executive highlighting that Full Self-Driving has now accumulated more than 7.5 billion miles of real-world driving data worldwide.
Possible 2026 rollout
The Tesla executive’s comments come amidst Elon Musk’s previous comments suggesting that regulatory approval in China could arrive sometime this 2026. During Tesla’s annual shareholder meeting in November 2025, Musk clarified that FSD had only received “partial approval” in China, though full authorization could potentially arrive around February or March 2026.
Musk reiterated that timeline at the World Economic Forum in Davos, when he stated that FSD approval in China could come as early as February.
Tesla’s latest FSD software, version 14, is already being tested in more advanced deployments in the United States. The company has also started the rollout of its fully unsupervised Robotaxis in Austin, Texas, which no longer feature safety monitors.
News
Tesla Semi lines up for $165M in California incentives ahead of mass production
The update was initially reported by The Los Angeles Times.
Tesla is reportedly positioned to receive roughly $165 million in California clean-truck incentives for its Semi.
The update was initially reported by The Los Angeles Times.
As per the Times, the Tesla Semi’s funding will come from California’s Hybrid and Zero-Emission Truck and Bus Incentive Project (HVIP), which was designed to accelerate the adoption of cleaner medium- and heavy-duty vehicles. Since its launch in 2009, the HVIP has distributed more than $1.6 billion to support zero-emission trucks and buses across the state.
In recent funding rounds, nearly 1,000 HVIP vouchers were provisionally reserved for the Tesla Semi, giving Tesla a far larger share of available funding than any other automaker. An analysis by the Times found that even after revisions to public data, Tesla still accounts for about $165 million in incentives. The next-largest recipient, Canadian bus manufacturer New Flyer, received roughly $68 million.
This is quite unsurprising, however, considering that the Tesla Semi does not have a lot of competition in the zero-emissions trucking segment.
To qualify for HVIP funding, vehicles must be approved by the California Air Resources Board and listed in the program catalog, as noted in an electrive report. When the Tesla Semi voucher applications were submitted, public certification records only showed eligibility for the 2024 model year, with later model years not yet listed.
State officials have stated that certification details often involve confidential business information and that funding will only be paid once vehicles are fully approved and delivered. Still, the first-come, first-served nature of HVIP means large voucher reservations can effectively crowd out competing electric trucks. Incentive amounts for the Semi reportedly ranged from about $84,000 to as much as $351,000 per vehicle after data adjustments.
Unveiled in 2017, the Tesla Semi has seen limited deliveries so far, though CEO Elon Musk has recently reiterated that the Class 8 all-electric truck will enter mass production this year.
Lemonade launches Tesla FSD insurance program in Oregon
Tesla exec: Preparations underway but no firm timeline yet for FSD rollout in China
