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Volkswagen’s Diess wants 40 battery factories in Europe to handle EV overload

(Credit: Daniel Aharonoff/Twitter)

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Volkswagen knows the future of the automobile industry is electric, and it is doing its best to transition its massive German stronghold into a series of large-scale electric vehicle production facilities. A company that is less than ten years out of a major scandal involving emissions cheat devices, VW is equipped with a new head since the Dieselgate scandal initially broke twelve years ago. Herbert Diess is likely the best man for the job: he’s charismatic, he’s driven, and he knows a thing or two about the auto industry. But most importantly, the man who runs Volkswagen knows that to keep up with the surge in electric vehicle popularity, his company will need more of everything, especially batteries, which he is preparing to produce in massive numbers if the European Union’s Green Deal is approved.

Ten years ago, Diess asked the head of China’s CATL, a battery supplier, if the company would ever transition away from smartphone batteries and toward EV cells. At the time, the answer was no. However, things often change, and CATL is now supplying some batteries for Tesla at Giga Shanghai. CATL’s ability to supply large volumes of batteries, paired with its tendency to innovate, makes it one of the industry’s powerhouses.

And while Diess, who has buddied up with Tesla frontman Elon Musk in the recent years, realizes that batteries are “typically supplier products,” he knows it doesn’t have to be like that. Tesla, which has already established itself as the global leader in electric vehicle development, is beginning to supply its own cells. This not only gives the company an advantage to control the way the batteries are made and the quality of the product itself, but it also reduces prices by a significant margin, 69% in Tesla’s eyes.

Diess realizes that if electric vehicles continue to surge in popularity, Volkswagen will need more, and it will likely have to take the route that Tesla is taking. If the Green Deal goes through, Volkswagen will need an estimated 40 large battery factories on the continent of Europe alone.

“If the EU’s Green Deal goes as it is, the battery factories announced so far in Europe will only cover around five to ten percent of demand. If the Green Deal comes, we will need 40 large battery factories in Europe,” Diess explained.

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The Green Deal would maintain that the EU would have around 13 million EVs on the road by 2025. This will bring one million public charging stations to various European markets, solidifying the continent as the most friendly place to drive an electric vehicle globally. That all sounds great and wonderful, but Diess is right: companies are going to need cells.

(Credit: Herbert Diess/LinkedIn)

Volkswagen is in the process of building a battery factory in Salzgitter, Germany, together with Sweden’s Northvolt, Diess said. “This is an innovative, young, and still relatively small company,” and Volkswagen is still in the process of trying to solve the logistics of the whole operation. “That would be a manageable task for the large German suppliers,” Diess added in an interview with WirtschaftsWoche.

Diess’ approach for Volkswagen’s electric future is undoubtedly one that a company with the experience and dedication to automotive manufacturing can figure out. However, transitioning away from what legacy automakers have used for 100 years is proving to be a difficult task, and VW is no exception to the issues that come with building EVs. Although its ID.3 is due to roll out with fully functional software, it wasn’t always like that. Early buyers didn’t have simple functions like Apple CarPlay when they picked up their new EV from the German automaker.

But past the infotainment system, Volkswagen knows that batteries are really the bread and butter of this industry. Build a good cell, or source one, and you’re on your way, as long as you are committed to focusing purely on EVs for the future.

H/t: @Alex_Avoigt on Twitter

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Joey has been a journalist covering electric mobility at TESLARATI since August 2019. In his spare time, Joey is playing golf, watching MMA, or cheering on any of his favorite sports teams, including the Baltimore Ravens and Orioles, Miami Heat, Washington Capitals, and Penn State Nittany Lions. You can get in touch with joey at joey@teslarati.com. He is also on X @KlenderJoey. If you're looking for great Tesla accessories, check out shop.teslarati.com

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USDOT Secretary visits Tesla Giga Texas, hints at national autonomous vehicle standards

The Transportation Secretary also toured the factory’s production lines and spoke with CEO Elon Musk.

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Credit: Elon Musk/X

United States Department of Transportation (USDOT) Secretary Sean Duffy recently visited Tesla’s Gigafactory Texas complex, where he toured the factory’s production lines and spoke with CEO Elon Musk. In a video posted following his Giga Texas visit, Duffy noted that he believes there should be a national standard for autonomous vehicles in the United States.

Duffy’s Giga Texas Visit

As could be seen in videos of his Giga Texas visit, the Transportation Secretary seemed to appreciate the work Tesla has been doing to put the United States in the forefront of innovation. “Tesla is one of the many companies helping our country reach new heights. USDOT will be right there all the way to make sure Americans stay safe,” Duffy wrote in a post on X. 

He also praised Tesla for its autonomous vehicle program, highlighting that “We need American companies to keep innovating so we can outcompete the rest of the world.”

National Standard

While speaking with Tesla CEO Elon Musk, the Transportation Secretary stated that other autonomous ride-hailing companies have been lobbying for a national standard for self-driving cars. Musk shared the sentiment, stating that “It’d be wonderful for the United States to have a national set of rules for autonomous driving as opposed to 50 independent sets of rules on a state-by-state rules basis.”

Duffy agreed with the CEO’s point, stating that, “You can’t have 50 different rules for 50 different states. You need one standard.” He also noted that the Transportation Department has asked autonomous vehicle companies to submit data. By doing so, the USDOT could develop a standard for the entire United States, allowing self-driving cars to operate in a manner that is natural and safe.

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Tesla posts Optimus’ most impressive video demonstration yet

The humanoid robot was able to complete all the tasks through a single neural network.

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Credit: Tesla Optimus/X

When Elon Musk spoke with CNBC’s David Faber in an interview at Giga Texas, he reiterated the idea that Optimus will be one of Tesla’s biggest products. Seemingly to highlight the CEO’s point, the official Tesla Optimus account on social media platform X shared what could very well be the most impressive demonstration of the humanoid robot’s capabilities to date.

Optimus’ Newest Demonstration

In its recent video demonstration, the Tesla Optimus team featured the humanoid robot performing a variety of tasks. These include household chores such as throwing the trash, using a broom and a vacuum cleaner, tearing a paper towel, stirring a pot of food, opening a cabinet, and closing a curtain, among others. The video also featured Optimus picking up a Model X fore link and placing it on a dolly.

What was most notable in the Tesla Optimus team’s demonstration was the fact that the humanoid robot was able to complete all the tasks through a single neural network. The robot’s actions were also learned directly from Optimus being fed data from first-person videos of humans performing similar tasks. This system should pave the way for Optimus to learn and refine new skills quickly and reliably.

Tesla VP for Optimus Shares Insight

In a follow-up post on X, Tesla Vice President of Optimus (Tesla Bot) Milan Kovac stated that one of the team’s goals is to have Optimus learn straight from internet videos of humans performing tasks, including footage captured in third person or by random cameras.

“We recently had a significant breakthrough along that journey, and can now transfer a big chunk of the learning directly from human videos to the bots (1st person views for now). This allows us to bootstrap new tasks much faster compared to teleoperated bot data alone (heavier operationally).

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“Many new skills are emerging through this process, are called for via natural language (voice/text), and are run by a single neural network on the bot (multi-tasking). Next: expand to 3rd person video transfer (aka random internet), and push reliability via self-play (RL) in the real-, and/or synthetic- (sim / world models) world,” Kovac wrote in his post on X.

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Starship Flight 9 nears as SpaceX’s Starbase becomes a Texan City

SpaceX’s launch site is officially incorporated as Starbase, TX. Starship Flight 9 could launch on May 27, 2025. 

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(Credit: Jenny Hautmann/Wikimedia Commons)

SpaceX’s Starbase is officially incorporated as a city in Texas, aligning with preparations for Starship Flight 9. The newly formed city in Cameron County serves as the heart of SpaceX’s Starship program.

Starbase City spans 1.5 square miles, encompassing SpaceX’s launch facility and company-owned land. A near-unanimous vote by residents, who were mostly SpaceX employees, led to its incorporation. SpaceX’s Vice President of Test and Launch, Bobby Peden, was elected mayor of Starbase. The new Texas city also has two SpaceX employees as commissioners. All Starbase officials will serve two-year terms unless extended to four by voters.

As the new city takes shape, SpaceX is preparing for the Starship Flight 9 launch, which is tentatively scheduled for May 27, 2025, at 6:30 PM CDT from Starbase, Texas.

SpaceX secured Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) approval for up to 25 annual Starship and Super Heavy launches from the site. However, the FAA emphasized that “there are other licensing requirements still to be completed,” including policy, safety, and environmental reviews.

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On May 15, the FAA noted SpaceX updated its launch license for Flight 9, but added: “SpaceX may not launch until the FAA either closes the Starship Flight 8 mishap investigation or makes a return to flight determination. The FAA is reviewing the mishap report SpaceX submitted on May 14.”

Proposed Texas legislation could empower Starbase officials to close local highways and restrict Boca Chica Beach access during launches. Cameron County Judge Eddie Trevino, Jr., opposes the Texas legislation, insisting beach access remain under county control. This tension highlights the balance between SpaceX’s ambitions and local interests.

Starbase’s incorporation strengthens SpaceX’s operational base as it gears up for Starship Flight 9, a critical step in its mission to revolutionize space travel. With growing infrastructure and regulatory hurdles in focus, Starbase is poised to become a cornerstone of SpaceX’s vision, blending community development with cutting-edge aerospace innovation.

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