Another busy year is coming to an end, closing yet another chapter in Tesla’s journey to advance sustainability. As we prepare for what’s expected to be an eventful 2024, it’s also worth looking back on Tesla’s year in 2023 to highlight some of the company’s many major developments.
Some of Tesla’s important accomplishments in 2023 included the launch of the highly anticipated Cybertruck and the redesigned Model 3 “Highland,” as well as the widespread adoption of the automaker’s charging hardware across the North American auto industry.
Other important developments not highlighted in the list below included Tesla’s industry-rocking price cuts early in the year, and the company’s increasing production of giant Megapack batteries.
The year was a little quiet in Solar and Powerwall deployment and Semi production, though what Tesla lacked in these areas, the company arguably made up for with several other crucial developments.
Below you can see a list of some of Tesla’s most notable stories in 2023.
Tesla announced Gigafactory Mexico
At its Investor Day event earlier this year, Tesla officially announced plans to build a new Gigafactory in Mexico to help build its next-generation EV platform. Set to be constructed in the state of Nuevo León, Tesla recently gained federal land use permits, allowing it to begin construction on the site.
Tesla detailed its Master Plan part three
In April, Tesla shared its Master Plan part three, detailing the company’s proposal for a path to reaching a sustainable global energy economy. The plan followed the Tesla Master Plan parts one and two, which were shared by the company in 2006 and 2016, respectively.
Ford adopted North American Charging Standard (NACS), others followed
In a Spaces call on X in May, Ford CEO Jim Farley spoke with Elon Musk and officially announced the legacy automaker’s plans to adopt Tesla’s charging hardware, dubbed the North American Charging Standard (NACS). The news meant that Ford EVs would someday gain access to the Supercharger network, marking the first step in Tesla’s plans to open the charging network to all EVs.
Since then, every startup and major automaker has followed suit, with the exception of Chrysler-Dodge parent company, Stellantis.
Tesla began producing Dojo supercomputer
Tesla began production of the Dojo supercomputer in July, after the project was originally unveiled during AI day in 2021. The supercomputing cluster is expected to be able to process large streams of data to perform advanced AI and machine learning computations, and it’s projected to become one of the top supercomputers worldwide in the coming months, offering applications from the Full Self-Driving (FSD) beta and beyond.
Elon Musk live streamed FSD beta v12, later rolling early versions out to employees
Speaking of the FSD beta, Musk in August shared a live stream of the then-upcoming FSD version 12, which the CEO has touted as an important key to unlocking full autonomous driving. More recently, Musk confirmed that the FSD beta v12 was starting to roll out to employees, and it has been confirmed to be hitting over 15,000 employee-owned vehicles ahead of a wider release to the public.
Tesla’s FSD beta program also reached 500 million cumulative miles driven in October, representing a massive amount of real-time data for the automaker’s AI to learn from.
Tesla launched the redesigned Model 3 “Highland”
After several months of speculation that Tesla would be releasing a redesigned version of its popular Model 3 sedan, the automaker held a premiere event in Norway in late August, officially launching the refreshed “Highland” design. Initial customer deliveries of the redesigned Model 3 have since been rolling out across much of Europe, Asia, and other markets like Australia and New Zealand.
While the Model 3 Highland isn’t yet available in North American markets, it’s widely expected to be launched in early 2024.
Continued developments to Tesla’s Optimus program
While there weren’t any breakout news stories or an official release for Tesla’s Optimus humanoid robot, the company did highlight its continued developments for the product. Tesla has been ramping up hiring for the Optimus team, featuring videos showing off how the robot can now sort objects autonomously, perform yoga poses, dance and more.
More recently, Musk predicted that Optimus will be able to thread a needle in just a year, and manufacturing expert Sandy Munro says he expects that the humanoid robot will begin being used in Tesla’s factories as soon as 2024.
Tesla launched BP Supercharger partnership
In the first deal of its kind, Tesla sold $100 million worth of Supercharging equipment to BP (formerly British Petroleum) in October, paving the way for future commercial deals that could result in a major revenue stream in the future — especially as Tesla’s NACS takes shape as the charging standard in the next few years.
Tesla launched Cybertruck with delivery event
Last but certainly not least, Tesla held the Cybertruck delivery event late last month, after initially unveiling the vehicle over four years ago in November 2019. Initial deliveries of Tesla’s “Foundation Series” launch edition Cybertrucks have been going out to employees throughout this month, and many reservation holders have been invited to place their own orders for the vehicle.
RELATED:
Elon Musk to discuss Tesla, SpaceX future plans in company talks
What are your thoughts? Did I miss anything important that Tesla did in 2023? Let me know at zach@teslarati.com, find me on X at @zacharyvisconti, or send your tips to us at tips@teslarati.com.
Elon Musk
Elon Musk handed Grok something no other AI company can get their hands on
Elon Musk says SpaceX will feed engineering data into Grok’s next model, avoiding restricted material.
Elon Musk said Tuesday that SpaceX will feed its internal engineering data into the next major training run for Grok, the AI model now folded into SpaceX following February’s merger. In a post on X, Musk wrote that SpaceX’s “massive corpus of world-class engineering data,” excluding anything restricted under U.S. arms export law, will be added during supplemental training of what he called the “2T run,” a reference to a roughly two trillion parameter model that would nearly double the parameters behind the latest Grok 4.5 that’s rolling out.
SpaceX’s massive corpus of world-class engineering data (excluding material blocked by ITAR) will be added during supplemental training of the 2T run.
This will dramatically improve Grok’s engineering capabilities. https://t.co/BbQEViFByn
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 21, 2026
The excluded material that Musk is referring to would fall under the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR), which restricts export of technical data tied to defense and space hardware. That likely rules out propulsion specifics for Merlin and Raptor engines along with guidance and control details for SpaceX’s launch vehicles, but leaves manufacturing knowledge, materials science, and Starlink hardware design on the table.
The announcement extends a pattern that has been building since SpaceX’s Nasdaq debut in June, when the company went public with Grok and xAI’s Colossus supercomputer folded into the pitch to investors.
Days after that listing, SpaceX closed its $60 billion all stock acquisition of coding startup Cursor, giving xAI both enterprise software distribution and a stream of real world developer data to train on. Grok 4.5 launched July 8 running partly on that Cursor training data, with Musk describing it as roughly comparable to Anthropic’s Opus 4.7 but faster and cheaper to run.
Feeding SpaceX’s own engineering data into the next AI model follows the same logic Musk has applied across xAI’s sister companies. Tesla supplies real world driving data and manufacturing expertise, X supplies conversational data, and now SpaceX supplies aerospace engineering data built up since 2002.
Musk did not give a release date for the upcoming AI model, referred to elsewhere as Grok 4.6. He has said the two trillion parameter run is in its final training phase and expected to wrap this week.
Tesla has extended its Bay Area ride-hailing service to include pickups and drop-offs at San Francisco International Airport (SFO). The update, shared via the company’s official channels on July 21, allows users in the region to request rides directly to and from one of California’s busiest airports.
The expansion builds on Tesla’s secured limousine permit for SFO operations. Public records show the permit became effective March 20, 2026, and remains active through January 31, 2027. Tesla vehicles operating the service now display authorized limousine permits issued by the City and County of San Francisco.
Our Bay Area rideshare service now goes to SFO ✈️
— Tesla AI (@Tesla_AI) July 21, 2026
Tesla’s ride-hailing program in California relies on Model Y vehicles equipped with Full Self-Driving (Supervised) technology. Human safety drivers remain present in compliance with state regulations, distinguishing the service from fully driverless operations.
The Bay Area geofence covers a broad area spanning north of San Francisco to south of San Jose, offering extensive connectivity across the region.
UPDATE: Elon Musk reveals why Tesla didn’t say ‘Robotaxi’ upon California launch
This SFO addition follows earlier progress at other Bay Area airports. Tesla previously expanded service to San Jose Mineta International Airport (SJC) in late 2025. The company had engaged with SFO, SJC, and Oakland International Airport officials as early as September 2025 to secure necessary approvals for passenger transport.
The service provides a new option for travelers seeking electric, app-based transportation integrated with Tesla’s ecosystem. Rides are booked through Tesla’s dedicated ride-hailing application, which handles matching, routing, and payments. Pricing follows standard ride-hailing models, with potential adjustments based on distance, time, and demand.
Tesla’s California ride-hailing program launched in July 2025 with an initial invite-only rollout in the Bay Area. It started alongside operations in Austin, Texas, marking the company’s second major U.S. market.
The Bay Area remains a primary focus in California, with service centered on high-demand corridors connecting residential, commercial, and now major transportation hubs. This latest airport integration represents a practical step in Tesla’s broader mobility ambitions within the state.
Tesla has officially revealed its 2026 Summer Update, which comes with a variety of crazy new features, including Navigation fixes that owners have been wanting for months.
Tesla routinely releases a larger update with the Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter updates, where it ships a variety of new features, bug fixes, and other additions to customer cars.
The 2026 Spring Update featured things like “Hey Grok” voice assistance, a redesigned self-driving app, Unreal Engine visual upgrades, and more.
🚨 TESLA’S SUMMER UPDATE FOR 2026 IS HERE:
Featuring:
✅ Self-Driving Stats in Mobile App
✅ Caraoke with Scoring
✅ Automatic Navigation
✅ Preferred Routes
✅ Set Arrival Energy from Mobile App
✅ Send Custom Wraps from Mobile App
✅ Rear Display Lock
✅ Other Improvements
🔌… https://t.co/C9IW3egEhH— TESLARATI (@Teslarati) July 21, 2026
Tesla’s Summer Release has about ten new features; we’ll show you each and detail them below:
New Grok Voice Commands
“Grok can now make phone calls, search and play music, adjust climate, open the glovebox, and answer questions about your Tesla.”
Self-Driving Stats in Mobile App
“View and share self-driving stats from the mobile app.”
Caraoke With Scoring
“Caraoke now scores your singing while in Park. High scores are saved to your Tesla profile.”
Automatic Navigation
“Automatic Navigation now adapts to your routine.
In addition to Home, Work, and upcoming calendar events, your vehicle can now suggest and route to places you visit regularly – like a school drop-off on the way to work, or the gym on the way home.”
Preferred Routes
“For a more personalized experience, navigation now prioritizes routes that you’ve taken before”
Set Arrival Energy from Mobile App
“Set your desired Arrival Energy from your phone.”
Send Custom Wraps from Mobile App
“Skip the USB drive and upload a custom wrap of your car from the mobile app. Instructions for creating a custom wrap here: https://github.com/teslamotors/custom-wraps.”
Rear Display Lock
“Kids can watch content on the rear screen, but only the front row can control it through the rear screen app.”
Other Improvements
- Find Superchargers by name when searching for a destination
- Add Apple Music songs to queue from search and artist page
- Set your preferred zoom level for the Self-Driving visualization
- Intro animations for new Model 3 and Y
Elon Musk handed Grok something no other AI company can get their hands on
Tesla expands ridesharing service in California to new hotspot
