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VW’s largest plant to get EV makeover, setting up showdown with Tesla’s Giga Berlin
Volkswagen’s Wolfsburg, Germany production facility is being upgraded to make room for electric vehicle production, setting up a showdown with Giga Berlin in an epic battle of massive EV production facilities in Germany.
An internal video conference with various VW team members and CEO Herbert Diess revealed the German automotive powerhouse would being planning for its largest facility to begin producing electric vehicles in a substantial push to create EVs under the Volkswagen name. The Wolfsburg facility is the world’s largest automotive factory. Volkswagen creates 800,000 vehicles a year at the facility, with the popular Golf and Tiguan models being the main products at the plant.
Volkswagen, however, has new plans for Wolfsburg, and it requires an overhaul of the existing facility to make way for EV powertrains to be manufactured. Diess said during a video conference on Monday that Wolfsburg will be fitted with the latest EV technology and software operations, according to people who were tuned in that work for Volkswagen. These sources wished to remain anonymous as the meeting wasn’t open to the public, Bloomberg initially reported.
Diess’ plans to upgrade Wolfsburg aren’t a guessing game by any means. Volkswagen is planning to draw inspiration from Tesla, the leader in electric vehicle manufacturing and technology, in an attempt to recreate the efficient production processes that the California-based company has used to ramp its production efforts to 500,000 cars a year. Tesla is able to build an EV in around 10 hours, less than half the amount of time that it takes Volkswagen to build one of its cars.
The comparison with Tesla is nothing new for Volkswagen. The company has used Tesla as a guideline to measure its success and efforts in its push toward electrification numerous times. In the past, Volkswagen has mentioned Tesla’s lead in software, and the company’s domination in the sector has compelled Diess to establish a strong relationship with CEO Elon Musk. The two have often traded compliments with one another and have even given one another test drives in upcoming models.
But, for now, the two companies remain competitors in the sector, and Volkswagen’s large-scale efforts are not being taken lightly. The upgrades to the Wolfsburg facility set up a major showdown with Tesla’s Giga Berlin factory, which is set to begin producing vehicles next Summer. Giga Berlin is set to be a state-of-the-art facility that will introduce new technologies and manufacturing techniques for Tesla. Set up to be a marvel of vehicle technology and engineering, Musk plans to use new-age manufacturing techniques, like casting machines and a battery production line to increase annual output to keep up with increasing demand.
Europe, being a significant market for EVs due to their overwhelming popularity and alignment with upcoming climate change targets, could be the path to success for either company. While Tesla is already widely regarded as the leader in EV manufacturing, Volkswagen could be considered the #2 company simply because of its commitment to transitioning away from petrol-powered engines.
With Diess set to remain at Volkswagen’s helm until at least April 2023, he has the board’s support moving forward. The next step is getting the facilities it has in place updated to support EV manufacturing. With several of these plants already building the ID.3 and ID.4, the name of the game is ramping production to massive volumes.
Elon Musk
Brazil Supreme Court orders Elon Musk and X investigation closed
The decision was issued by Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes following a recommendation from Brazil’s Prosecutor-General Paulo Gonet.
Brazil’s Supreme Federal Court has ordered the closure of an investigation involving Elon Musk and social media platform X. The inquiry had been pending for about two years and examined whether the platform was used to coordinate attacks against members of the judiciary.
The decision was issued by Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes following a recommendation from Brazil’s Prosecutor-General Paulo Gonet.
According to a report from Agencia Brasil, the investigation conducted by the Federal Police did not find evidence that X deliberately attempted to attack the judiciary or circumvent court orders.
Prosecutor-General Paulo Gonet concluded that the irregularities identified during the probe did not indicate fraudulent intent.
Justice Moraes accepted the prosecutor’s recommendation and ruled that the investigation should be closed. Under the ruling, the case will remain closed unless new evidence emerges.
The inquiry stemmed from concerns that content on X may have enabled online attacks against Supreme Court justices or violated rulings requiring the suspension of certain accounts under investigation.
Justice Moraes had previously taken several enforcement actions related to the platform during the broader dispute involving social media regulation in Brazil.
These included ordering a nationwide block of the platform, freezing Starlink accounts, and imposing fines on X totaling about $5.2 million. Authorities also froze financial assets linked to X and SpaceX through Starlink to collect unpaid penalties and seized roughly $3.3 million from the companies’ accounts.
Moraes also imposed daily fines of up to R$5 million, about $920,000, for alleged evasion of the X ban and established penalties of R$50,000 per day for VPN users who attempted to bypass the restriction.
Brazil remains an important market for X, with roughly 17 million users, making it one of the platform’s larger user bases globally.
The country is also a major market for Starlink, SpaceX’s satellite internet service, which has surpassed one million subscribers in Brazil.
Elon Musk
FCC chair criticizes Amazon over opposition to SpaceX satellite plan
Carr made the remarks in a post on social media platform X.
U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Brendan Carr criticized Amazon after the company opposed SpaceX’s proposal to launch a large satellite constellation that could function as an orbital data center network.
Carr made the remarks in a post on social media platform X.
Amazon recently urged the FCC to reject SpaceX’s application to deploy a constellation of up to 1 million low Earth orbit satellites that could serve as artificial intelligence data centers in space.
The company described the proposal as a “lofty ambition rather than a real plan,” arguing that SpaceX had not provided sufficient details about how the system would operate.
Carr responded by pointing to Amazon’s own satellite deployment progress.
“Amazon should focus on the fact that it will fall roughly 1,000 satellites short of meeting its upcoming deployment milestone, rather than spending their time and resources filing petitions against companies that are putting thousands of satellites in orbit,” Carr wrote on X.
Amazon has declined to comment on the statement.
Amazon has been working to deploy its Project Kuiper satellite network, which is intended to compete with SpaceX’s Starlink service. The company has invested more than $10 billion in the program and has launched more than 200 satellites since April of last year.
Amazon has also asked the FCC for a 24-month extension, until July 2028, to meet a requirement to deploy roughly 1,600 satellites by July 2026, as noted in a CNBC report.
SpaceX’s Starlink network currently has nearly 10,000 satellites in orbit and serves roughly 10 million customers. The FCC has also authorized SpaceX to deploy 7,500 additional satellites as the company continues expanding its global satellite internet network.
Energy
Tesla Energy gains UK license to sell electricity to homes and businesses
The license was granted to Tesla Energy Ventures Ltd. by UK energy regulator Ofgem after a seven-month review process.
Tesla Energy has received a license to supply electricity in the United Kingdom, opening the door for the company to serve homes and businesses in the country.
The license was granted to Tesla Energy Ventures Ltd. by UK energy regulator Ofgem after a seven-month review process.
According to Ofgem, the license took effect at 6 p.m. local time on Wednesday and applies to Great Britain.
The approval allows Tesla’s energy business to sell electricity directly to customers in the region, as noted in a Bloomberg News report.
Tesla has already expanded similar services in the United States. In Texas, the company offers electricity plans that allow Tesla owners to charge their vehicles at a lower cost while also feeding excess electricity back into the grid.
Tesla already has a sizable presence in the UK market. According to price comparison website U-switch, there are more than 250,000 Tesla electric vehicles in the country and thousands of Tesla home energy storage systems.
Ofgem also noted that Tesla Motors Ltd., a separate entity incorporated in England and Wales, received an electricity generation license in June 2020.
The new UK license arrives as Tesla continues expanding its global energy business.
Last year, Tesla Energy retained the top position in the global battery energy storage system (BESS) integrator market for the second consecutive year. According to Wood Mackenzie’s latest rankings, Tesla held about 15% of global market share in 2024.
The company also maintained a dominant position in North America, where it captured roughly 39% market share in the region.
At the same time, competition in the energy storage sector is increasing. Chinese companies such as Sungrow have been expanding their presence globally, particularly in Europe.
Brazil Supreme Court orders Elon Musk and X investigation closed
FCC chair criticizes Amazon over opposition to SpaceX satellite plan
