News
Volkswagen launches new factory to expand electric vehicle production network
Volkswagen announced on Friday that it had officially started production of the ID.4 all-electric crossover at a new facility in Emden, Germany. The plant is the newest electric vehicle manufacturing facility for Volkswagen and is another step in the automaker’s plan to expand its global manufacturing footprint for electric vehicles.
On Friday, Volkswagen said it was pressing ahead with its plans to transition to electric mobility by expanding its global production network. The expansion was marked with the start of ID.4 production at its new site in Emden, Volkswagen’s second facility for manufacturing electric vehicles in Germany following its Zwickau plant.
Volkswagen’s Emden Plant (Credit: Volkswagen)
Volkswagen said it will also launch production of EVs at two other facilities this year, one in Chattanooga, Tennessee in the United States, and another in Hanover, Germany. The plants will contribute to an annual electric vehicle production capacity of 1.2 million vehicles. With three new plants opening in 2022 for Volkswagen, brand CEO Ralf Brandstätter said the clear cut strategy for growth relies on more facilities on a global scale.
“Rapid expansion of production capacities for our successful ID.4 model is a key component of our ACCELERATE strategy,” Brandstätter said. “It helps us accelerate the transformation to zero-carbon mobility and create further capacities to meet the high demand for electric vehicles. With our clear commitment to the site, we aim to show that cost-effectiveness and competitiveness are not only possible in the region, but that we can even enhance them lastingly.”
-
- One of the first ID.4 to be built on the assembly line in Emden.
-
- Start der Produktion des ID.4 in Emden.
-
- Start der Produktion des ID.4 in Emden.
Lower Saxony is becoming a hotspot for Volkswagen’s EV production expansion. The company already employs 130,000 people in the area. The new Emden plant will build the ID.4, but next year the plant will build the AERO B, another all-electric vehicle from the German company. Additionally, production of the ID.Buzz will also commence in Hanover but will be joined from 2023 on by the ID.3 made in Wolfsburg.
Volkswagen said six new production halls and five new conveyor bridges and logistics buildings have been created as a part of Emden’s transformation into an electric vehicle manufacturing plant. The automaker focused on successful training near production lines and in a virtual setting, which helped employees transition to the new products.
Volkswagen is converting another German plant for EV production
As far as the ID.4, it is now produced at Emden and Zwickau in Germany and Anting and Foshan in China, meaning four facilities have been given space for manufacturing the all-electric vehicle. The vehicle will also be built at the Chattanooga factory in the fall. The ID.4 has quickly become Volkswagen’s most successful EV with more than 30,000 units delivered in 2022’s first quarter. Half of all VW’s EV deliveries are an ID.4, as the automaker has delivered 163,000 units of the vehicle since its launch early last year.
I’d love to hear from you! If you have any comments, concerns, or questions, please email me at joey@teslarati.com. You can also reach me on Twitter @KlenderJoey, or if you have news tips, you can email us at tips@teslarati.com.
Tesla Full Self-Driving v14.2 rolled out late last week to Early Access Program (EAP) members, but its best feature is not what you think.
While Tesla has done a great job of refining the performance of the Full Self-Driving suite with the latest update, there are some other interesting additions, including one that many owners have requested for some time.
Upon the release of v14.2, many owners recognized the Blue Dot next to the Autopilot tab in Vehicle Settings, notifying them of a new feature. What was included as a new feature in the new update was a Full Self-Driving stats feature, which now will show you how many miles you’ve traveled in total, and how many of those miles were driven using FSD:
🚨 The coolest non-driving change of Tesla Full Self-Driving v14.2 pic.twitter.com/HOJcFaV2Ny
— TESLARATI (@Teslarati) November 21, 2025
The feature seems to be more of a bragging rights thing than anything, but it will also give drivers a good idea of how many miles they are using Full Self-Driving for. Those who use telematics-based insurance services will also be able to run experiments of their own, and could determine whether their premiums are impacted by the use of Full Self-Driving, and whether it is more advantageous to use over manual driving.
Tesla rolled out numerous other improvements with Tesla Full Self-Driving v14.2, most notably, the company seems to have resolved previous complaints about brake stabbing and hesitation. This was a major complaint in v14.1, but Tesla has seemed to resolve it with this newest branch of the FSD suite.
There were also improvements in overall operation, and it was notably smoother than past versions. Speed Profiles are seemingly refined as well, as they seem much more fixed on how fast they will travel and how aggressive they will be with things like passing cars on freeways and lane changes.
In future updates, Tesla plans to add Parking Spot selection, along with overall operational improvements. However, CEO Elon Musk recently said that the next branch, Full Self-Driving v14.3, will be where the “final piece of the puzzle is placed.” Tesla believes it is close to solving autonomy, so v14.3 could be a major jump forward, but it remains to be seen.
Tesla has adjusted the functionality of a crucial climate feature as Winter weather has started to arrive throughout some parts of the United States. The new feature was highly requested by owners.
Tesla has a Cabin Overheat Protection feature that helps keep the temperature regulated if it reaches a certain threshold. Inversely, it can be used in cold weather as well, which will automatically warm the cabin if it sinks to a temperature that is too low for the owner’s comfort.
This is a great way to keep the cabin either warmed up just enough or cooled down just enough so that it never gets too hot or too cold. Extreme temperatures could damage certain parts of the vehicle or damage personal belongings that are kept inside the car.
Overheat protection is a great thing to have in hot climates like Arizona or Texas, especially with the Premium trims of the Model 3 and Model Y, which feature a glass roof.
Many owners appreciate the feature, but they argue that using it at home will utilize too much energy, especially during extreme temperatures. For a while, many Tesla fans have requested an option to disable this feature when the car is parked at home, which the company recently added, according to Not a Tesla App.
The feature is part of Software Version 2025.44.3, and the release notes state:
“You can now choose Exclude Home when Cabin Overheat Protection or No A/C is enabled.”
Tesla has been great at listening to what owners want with new features, and this is one that will reserve some charge and prevent unnecessary utilization of available power, especially as the car is parked at home. If owners want to condition the cabin or get the car ready for operation with a comfortable interior, they can utilize the Tesla app to adjust the climate.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk revealed today on the social media platform X that legacy automakers, such as Ford, General Motors, and Stellantis, do not want to license the company’s Full Self-Driving suite, at least not without a long list of their own terms.
“I’ve tried to warn them and even offered to license Tesla FSD, but they don’t want it! Crazy,” Musk said on X. “When legacy auto does occasionally reach out, they tepidly discuss implementing FSD for a tiny program in 5 years with unworkable requirements for Tesla, so pointless.”
I’ve tried to warn them and even offered to license Tesla FSD, but they don’t want it! Crazy …
When legacy auto does occasionally reach out, they tepidly discuss implementing FSD for a tiny program in 5 years with unworkable requirements for Tesla, so pointless. 🤷♂️
🦕 🦕
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 24, 2025
Musk made the remark in response to a note we wrote about earlier today from Melius Research, in which analyst Rob Wertheimer said, “Our point is not that Tesla is at risk, it’s that everybody else is,” in terms of autonomy and self-driving development.
Wertheimer believes there are hundreds of billions of dollars in value headed toward Tesla’s way because of its prowess with FSD.
A few years ago, Musk first remarked that Tesla was in early talks with one legacy automaker regarding licensing Full Self-Driving for its vehicles. Tesla never confirmed which company it was, but given Musk’s ongoing talks with Ford CEO Jim Farley at the time, it seemed the Detroit-based automaker was the likely suspect.
Tesla’s Elon Musk reiterates FSD licensing offer for other automakers
Ford has been perhaps the most aggressive legacy automaker in terms of its EV efforts, but it recently scaled back its electric offensive due to profitability issues and weak demand. It simply was not making enough vehicles, nor selling the volume needed to turn a profit.
Musk truly believes that many of the companies that turn their backs on FSD now will suffer in the future, especially considering the increased chance it could be a parallel to what has happened with EV efforts for many of these companies.
Unfortunately, they got started too late and are now playing catch-up with Tesla, XPeng, BYD, and the other dominating forces in EVs across the globe.
Tesla Full Self-Driving v14.2’s best new feature is not what you think
Tesla adjusts crucial feature as winter weather arrives
