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Tesla is quietly building a mammoth Supercharger with a whopping 56 stalls
The Supercharger Network is arguably one of Tesla’s biggest strengths. Providing a rapid, seamless, and convenient way for electric car owners to charge their vehicles, the Supercharger Network is a service that is rarely matched by competitors. And Tesla being Tesla, the electric car maker never really let up in its efforts to spread its chargers across the globe. This is especially notable with the introduction of V3 Superchargers, which are capable of charging vehicles at peak rates of 250 kW.
But even among Superchargers, there are sites that are particularly impressive. The Kettleman Supercharger, for one, has made headlines due to its 40-stall capacity and its impressive lounge. Equally impressive is the massive 50-stall Supercharger in Shanghai, which was built during a time when the only Teslas being sold in China were the Model S and Model X. Now, it appears that another massive Supercharger is under construction, and it has the potential to be even more impressive than Tesla’s other premier charging sites.
As noted recently by Tesla enthusiast @bryanMackSC, he recently came across a Supercharger station that’s currently under construction in Firebaugh, California. The site seemed to be fairly new, as even trackers like supercharge.info did not list the site until very recently. What is rather interesting was that the Supercharger in question had over 50 stalls, making it notably larger than the Kettleman site, which is already one of the largest in the world.
It did not take long before fellow Tesla enthusiast @MontrealTesla, who tracks updates to the Supercharger Network, was able to retrieve filings for the Firebaugh site. As it turned out, the site will host 56 Tesla Superchargers, and it will be in the same vicinity as a full-fledged restaurant and convenience store. These were outlined in filings submitted for the site, one of which was filed with the County of Fresno’s Department of Public Works and Planning. “A total of 56 Tesla EV charging spaces will be provided, 2 of which will be ADA accessible (under a separate permit),” the filing noted.
The filings did not specify if the massive Firebaugh Supercharger will be equipped with the company’s V3 stalls, though considering that it would be one of the world’s largest Tesla charging stations, there seems to be a good chance that this will be the case. Equipping the site with Supercharger V3 stalls, after all, would allow the station to cater to a substantial number of Teslas every day.
Interestingly enough, the 56-stall Supercharger is also on the same site as a restaurant and convenience store. Elon Musk has actually mentioned an integrated 50’s themed restaurant in Tesla Superchargers before. Perhaps the Firebaugh Supercharger will be the first of its kind to adopt the Tesla CEO’s concept? The next few months will likely reveal if this will be the case.
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Tesla’s Sweden standoff draws UAW support as unions widen pressure campaign
In a post shared on social media, the United Auto Workers stated that it stands with IF Metall workers who are striking against Tesla Sweden.
The United Auto Workers (UAW) has publicly expressed solidarity with Swedish union IF Metall as its strike against Tesla continues, adding international attention to the extended labor dispute in the European country.
UAW supports IF Metall’s strike
In a post shared on social media, the United Auto Workers stated that it stands with IF Metall workers who are striking against Tesla Sweden. UAW Region 8 Director Tim Smith stated that the union fully supports IF Metall’s efforts to secure a collective bargaining agreement with the automaker.
“UAW stands with IF Metall workers on strike against Tesla, fighting for a collective bargaining agreement. UAW Region 8 Director Tim Smith pledged the UAW’s full support and solidarity,” the UAW International Union stated in its post.
IF Metall launched its strike against Tesla Sweden in late 2023 over the electric car maker’s refusal to sign a collective agreement. The action has since been supported by other unions through sympathy strikes affecting ports, logistics, and service operations.
Tesla Sweden has maintained that it complies with Swedish labor laws and offers competitive pay and benefits, though the company has not publicly commented on the UAW’s latest show of support.
Tesla owners get union attention
Pro-union groups in Sweden have recently expanded their outreach beyond Tesla’s facilities and workforce. Activists have begun distributing informational leaflets against the EV maker directly on Tesla vehicles parked across Stockholm, as per a report from Swedish outlet Dagens Arbete.
The yellow slips, designed to resemble parking notices, urge regular Tesla owners to pressure the company into signing a collective agreement. Organizers involved in the effort have argued that the leaflets are intended to simply inform consumers rather than single out individual owners. When owners are present, however, activists stated that they explain the dispute verbally.
Tesla has not issued a public response regarding the leaflet distribution campaign as of writing.
News
Starlink goes mainstream with first-ever SpaceX Super Bowl advertisement
SpaceX used the Super Bowl broadcast to promote Starlink, pitching the service as fast, affordable broadband available across much of the world.
SpaceX aired its first-ever Super Bowl commercial on Sunday, marking a rare move into mass-market advertising as it seeks to broaden adoption of its Starlink satellite internet service.
Starlink Super Bowl advertisement
SpaceX used the Super Bowl broadcast to promote Starlink, pitching the service as fast, affordable broadband available across much of the world.
The advertisement highlighted Starlink’s global coverage and emphasized simplified customer onboarding, stating that users can sign up for service in minutes through the company’s website or by phone in the United States.
The campaign comes as SpaceX accelerates Starlink’s commercial expansion. The satellite internet service grew its global user base in 2025 to over 9 million subscribers and entered several dozen additional markets, as per company statements.
Starlink growth and momentum
Starlink has seen notable success in numerous regions across the globe. Brazil, in particular, has become one of Starlink’s largest growth regions, recently surpassing one million users, as per Ookla data. The company has also expanded beyond residential broadband into aviation connectivity and its emerging direct-to-cellular service.
Starlink has recently offered aggressive promotions in select regions, including discounted or free hardware, waived installation fees, and reduced monthly pricing. Some regions even include free Starlink Mini for select subscribers. In parallel, SpaceX has introduced AI-driven tools to streamline customer sign-ups and service selection.
The Super Bowl appearance hints at a notable shift for Starlink, which previously relied largely on organic growth and enterprise contracts. The ad suggests SpaceX is positioning Starlink as a mainstream alternative to traditional broadband providers.
Tesla engineers deflected calls from Apple on a daily basis while the tech giant was developing its now-defunct electric vehicle program, which was known as “Project Titan.”
Back in 2022 and 2023, Apple was developing an EV in a top-secret internal fashion, hoping to launch it by 2028 with a fully autonomous driving suite.
However, Apple bailed on the project in early 2024, as Project Titan abandoned the project in an email to over 2,000 employees. The company had backtracked its expectations for the vehicle on several occasions, initially hoping to launch it with no human driving controls and only with an autonomous driving suite.
Apple canceling its EV has drawn a wide array of reactions across tech
It then planned for a 2028 launch with “limited autonomous driving.” But it seemed to be a bit of a concession at that point; Apple was not prepared to take on industry giants like Tesla.
Wedbush’s Dan Ives noted in a communication to investors that, “The writing was on the wall for Apple with a much different EV landscape forming that would have made this an uphill battle. Most of these Project Titan engineers are now all focused on AI at Apple, which is the right move.”
Apple did all it could to develop a competitive EV that would attract car buyers, including attempting to poach top talent from Tesla.
In a new podcast interview with Tesla CEO Elon Musk, it was revealed that Apple had been calling Tesla engineers nonstop during its development of the now-defunct project. Musk said the engineers “just unplugged their phones.”
Musk said in full:
“They were carpet bombing Tesla with recruiting calls. Engineers just unplugged their phones. Their opening offer without any interview would be double the compensation at Tesla.”
Interestingly, Apple had acquired some ex-Tesla employees for its project, like Senior Director of Engineering Dr. Michael Schwekutsch, who eventually left for Archer Aviation.
Tesla took no legal action against Apple for attempting to poach its employees, as it has with other companies. It came after EV rival Rivian in mid-2020, after stating an “alarming pattern” of poaching employees was noticed.
SpaceX strengthens manufacturing base with Hexagon Purus aerospace deal
Tesla’s Sweden standoff draws UAW support as unions widen pressure campaign
