Connect with us
Tesla-cybertruck-reservations-challenge Tesla-cybertruck-reservations-challenge

News

More uncovered Tesla Cybertrucks spotted ahead of Q3 earnings call

Published

on

As many eagerly await Tesla’s third-quarter financial results on Wednesday evening, the company appears to be cleaning and preparing its main entrance, along with more uncovered Cybertrucks being spotted in the automaker’s outbound lot.

Drone pilot Joe Tegtmeyer spotted four uncovered Cybertrucks in Tesla’s outbound parking at Gigafactory Texas on Wednesday morning, as shared on X. He also spotted employees cleaning the new main entrance area of the factory, along with several new Model Y and painted Model Y bodies at the site.

Tegtmeyer also points out that the photo with painted Model Y bodies also has what appear to be spray-out cards sitting on one of the vehicles’ hoods, which are used to test and match paint colors by many manufacturers.

You can catch Tesla’s Q3 earnings call on YouTube here. You can also see Joe’s full video from Wednesday morning below.

Advertisement

Earlier this month, Tesla announced the delivery of 435,059 vehicles in Q3 and the production of 430,488 units. Although the company missed on delivery estimates, Tesla maintained that it is still on track to reach its annual forecast of 1.8 million deliveries this year, which would represent the company’s largest Q4 delivery number yet if achieved.

Following Wednesday’s earnings call, Tesla will also hold a Q&A to answer shareholder questions, and you can see the top inquiries here. At the forefront of many shareholder’s minds, as indicated by the Q&A’s top question, are Cybertruck deliveries.

Many have also expressed questions as to when Tesla will begin initial Cybertruck deliveries, with some predicting that the automaker will announce a delivery event during the Q3 call.  Tegtmeyer also spotted nine Cybertrucks in the Giga Texas outbound lot earlier this week, stoking further questions about whether investors can expect to hear news about the forthcoming electric pickup during the call.

Tesla (TSLA) Q3 2023 earnings: What analysts expect

What are your thoughts? Let me know at zach@teslarati.com, find me on X at @zacharyvisconti, or send your tips to us at tips@teslarati.com.

Advertisement

Zach is a renewable energy reporter who has been covering electric vehicles since 2020. He grew up in Fremont, California, and he currently lives in Colorado. His work has appeared in the Chicago Tribune, KRON4 San Francisco, FOX31 Denver, InsideEVs, CleanTechnica, and many other publications. When he isn't covering Tesla or other EV companies, you can find him writing and performing music, drinking a good cup of coffee, or hanging out with his cats, Banks and Freddie. Reach out at zach@teslarati.com, find him on X at @zacharyvisconti, or send us tips at tips@teslarati.com.

News

Tesla Model Y seen testing under wraps in India ahead of launch

Tesla appears to be getting closer to launching vehicle sales in India, as a few wrapped Model Y units have recently been spotted.

Published

on

Following years of back and forth between Tesla and the Indian government, the automaker is finally expected to launch sales in the country in the coming months, and one of the company’s vehicles was spotted testing over the weekend.

On Sunday, a privacy-wrapped Model Y was seen driving in India and was posted on Reddit, as Tesla prepares to debut vehicle sales in the country for the first time. The news comes a little over a month after Tesla began certifying the Model Y and Model 3 for sale in the country, and as the U.S. manufacturer gets ready to launch the nation’s first store in Mumbai.

The appearance of the refreshed Model Y comes just a few days after another recent sighting in the country, in which a wrapped unit was seen driving on the Mumbai Pune Express Way.

Credit: shameelck | Reddit

Advertisement

READ MORE ON TESLA INDIA: Elon Musk, President Trump share interesting dialogue regarding Tesla Gigafactory India

Tesla’s vehicles can regularly be seen under privacy wraps such as this one ahead of their launch, often with the company’s vehicles before they’re officially unveiled. As such, many have speculated following the sighting that Tesla could either be preparing to launch the RWD variant launched in some markets in recent weeks, or the Performance version of the SUV, which is widely expected to debut sometime this year.

According to local reports, Tesla also signed a five-year lease on Mumbai store at the Bandra Kurla Complex, while a second store is expected to open near the New Delhi airport at Aerocity. Meanwhile, Tesla has also been hiring for the stores in recent months, along with holding a recruitment day in Mumbai last month.

Much of the delay on Tesla’s entry into India came from the country’s high import tariffs on vehicles and other products, while one of the government’s conditions for the country selling cars there was to utilize local suppliers. Last month, a rumor started circulating suggesting that Tesla was partnering with automotive company Tata Group for the local production of components such as castings, forgings, electronics, and more.

Tesla India: Thousands of cars set to hit Mumbai in coming months, claims report

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Elon Musk

Tesla doubles down on Robotaxi launch date, putting a big bet on its timeline

Tesla continues to double down on its June goal to launch the Robotaxi ride-hailing platform.

Published

on

Credit: Tesla

Tesla has doubled down on its potential launch date for the Robotaxi ride-hailing platform, which will utilize the Cybercab and other vehicles in its lineup to offer driverless rides in Austin, Texas.

Tesla said earlier this year that it was in talks with the City of Austin to launch its first Robotaxi rides, and it planned to launch the platform in June.

This has been a widely discussed timeline in the community, with some confident in the company’s ability to offer it based on the progress of the Full Self-Driving suite.

However, others are skeptical of it based on Tesla’s history of meeting timelines, especially regarding its rollout of FSD.

Nevertheless, Tesla was asked when it would be able to offer Robotaxi rides and where, and it clearly is not backing down from that June date:

Advertisement

It is getting to a point where Tesla is showing incredible confidence regarding the rollout of the Robotaxi in June. We have not seen this kind of reiteration regarding the rollout of something regarding autonomy from Tesla at any point in the past.

CEO Elon Musk has even been increasingly confident that Tesla will meet its target. Earlier this week, he said the vehicles will be able to roll off production lines and drive themselves straight to a customer’s house:

Elon Musk continues to push optimistic goal for Tesla Full Self-Driving

Advertisement

There could be some discussion of an acceptable grace period, as the timeline for the Robotaxi rollout could still be considered a success, even if it were a month or two late. However, if it were pushed back further into 2025 or even 2026, skepticism regarding these timelines would continue to persist.

As of right now, it seems Tesla is extremely confident it will meet its goal.

Continue Reading

Elon Musk

Tesla Semi fleet from Frito-Lay gets more charging at Bakersfield factory

Published

on

Tesla Semis showcased at Frito-Lay plant in Modesto, CA
Frito-Lay transformed its Modesto, Calif., site by replacing diesel fleet assets with ZE and NZE alternatives and installing fueling and charging infrastructure for the new fleet as well as on-site renewable energy generation and storage.

Among the several companies that have had the opportunity to add Tesla Semi all-electric Class 8 trucks to their fleets earlier than others, the most notable is arguably Frito-Lay, which has utilized the vehicle for a couple of years now.

However, as their fleet is making more local runs and there are undoubtedly plans to expand to more Semi units, the company has recognized it needs additional Megachargers to give juice to their trucks.

As a result, Frit-Lay decided to build more chargers at their Bakersfield, California facility, according to new permits filed by Tesla:

Advertisement

There are already chargers at the company’s Modesto, California, factory, but Bakersfield is roughly three hours south of Modesto.

Interestingly, Tesla is calling the chargers “Semi Chargers” in the filing, potentially hinting that it is no longer referring to them as “Megachargers,” as they have been in the past. This is a relatively minor detail, but it is worth taking note of.

In 2022, Frito-Lay began installing these chargers in preparation for the Semi to become one of the company’s main logistics tools for deliveries in California and surrounding states.

Frito-Lay is not the only company that has chosen to utilize the Tesla Semi for these early “pilot” runs. PepsiCo has also been a company that has used the Semi very publicly over the past two years.

Additionally, the Tesla Semi participated in the Run on Less EV trucking study back in late 2023, where it managed to complete a 1,000-mile run in a single day:

Advertisement

Tesla Semi logs 1,000-mile day in Run on Less EV trucking study

Tesla is planning to ramp production of the Semi late this year. On the Q4 2024 Earnings Call, VP of Vehicle Engineering Lars Moravy said the company would be focusing on the first builds of the Semi’s high-volume design late this year before ramping production in the early portion of 2026:

“We just closed out the Semi factory roof and walls last week in Reno, a schedule which is great with the weather. In Reno, you never know what’s going to happen. But we’re prepping for mechanical installation of all the equipment in the coming months. The first builds of the high-volume Semi design will come late this year in 2025 and begin ramping early in 2026.”

Tesla will build these units at a new Semi production facility located in Reno near its Gigafactory. The company is getting closer to finishing construction, as a drone video from this morning showed the facility is coming along at a good pace:

Continue Reading

Trending