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Wrapped Rivian R1T refresh participating in Colorado race

Credit: Rivian | Instagram

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A Rivian R1T refresh is slated to appear at an upcoming race in Colorado per a teaser posted by the automaker, and the full vehicle was also spotted by one viewer over the weekend.

After Rivian teased close-up photos of the R1T refresh on Instagram last week, saying they were excited for the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, some have spotted the full electric pickup. The photos from the electric vehicle (EV) maker show decals for the Pikes Peak on the truck’s tailgate, along with a side shot of a 21 in a black circle.

Rivian Forums user Calvin2518 posted follow-up photos of the full R1T refresh in the nearby city of Colorado Springs on Saturday, as it was being towed by a similar white R1T refresh with the same number, 21, on the side. The user also noted that the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb had begun time attack trials for the upcoming race, which is set for June 23, as detailed on the event’s website.

Credit: Rivian | Instagram

Credit: Rivian | Instagram

Credit: Calvin2518 | Rivian Forums

Credit: Calvin2518 | Rivian Forums

EVs have been a part of the mostly-gas race for the past handful of years, with a Rivian R1T competing for the first time last year. Tesla’s vehicles have also taken part in the race and will do so again this year, with the Unplugged Performance team notably outfitting a Model S Plaid driven by longtime racecar driver Randy Pobst.

R1T refresh units have been spotted being driven on public roads in recent months, typically camouflaged by an exterior wrap as the automaker performs testing on the highly anticipated redesign. While Rivian hasn’t yet unveiled the updated vehicle to the public, its expected to happen in the coming months.

Rivian is also preparing to begin production of its recently unveiled R2 line at its factory in Normal, Illinois, which the company announced as a change from initial plans to build the vehicle at an upcoming factory in Georgia. After unveiling the R2, Rivian also surprised onlookers by sharing plans for another generation of compact EVs known as the R3 and R3X.

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

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.

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Tesla Giga Berlin hits a sustainability milestone that’s so impressive, it sounds fake

As per the facility’s plant manager, Giga Berlin has completed one whole year without any of its process wastewater being discharged into the municipal sewer system.

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Credit: Tesla Manufacturing/X

Tesla Gigafactory Berlin-Brandenburg has achieved a sustainability milestone that is so impressive, it almost sounds fake. As per the facility’s plant manager, Giga Berlin has completed one whole year without any of its process wastewater being discharged into the municipal sewer system. 

The announcement comes just over a month after Tesla Germany revealed that Gigafactory Berlin had returned 377,000 cubic meters of annual water rights to local authorities due to the facility’s sustainability systems. 

Insane one year feat

Andre Thierig, Giga Berlin Senior Director of Manufacturing, stated that the factory’s one-year milestone was made possible by the facility’s industry-leading waste treatment systems. With no process wastewater discharged into the municipal sewer for a year now, Giga Berlin has effectively become one, if not the region’s, most environmentally friendly vehicle production facilities. 

“Today, we completed 1 YEAR without any process waste water being discharged into the municipal sewer, achieved by an incredible team (aka Ninja Turtles) with our futuristic waste water treatment facility. Making a sustainable product matters a lot but doing it sustainably is just as important! This underlines our strong environmental commitment to region of Berlin-Brandenburg,” the plant manager wrote in a LinkedIn post.

Credit: Andre Thierig/LinkedIn

Officials and Giga Berlin’s water consumption

Jochem Freyer, Chairman of the Management Board of the Employment Agency Frankfurt (Oder), shared his congratulations to Tesla Germany. “The decision in favor of the facility was a strong move – for the environment, for the brand, for East Brandenburg! I hope for further innovations from Giga Berlin-Brandenburg, the official noted.

In late September, reports emerged stating that Tesla Germany had returned 377,000 cubic meters of annual water rights to the Strausberg-Erkner Water Association (WSE). This was because the facility ended up using significantly less water than originally planned. WSE chairman Thomas Krieger stated that the water Giga Berlin was saving would be distributed to municipalities and other users in the region. 

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Tesla’s latest Robotaxi job posting takes the whole program a step forward

On Tuesday, Tesla posted a new job for a Senior Insurance Claims Specialist, Robotaxi, the first of its kind.

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(Credit: Tesla North America/X)

Tesla’s latest Robotaxi job posting goes beyond what has been posted in the past and truly takes the entire program a step forward.

Tesla has been hiring some employees for Robotaxi, but a vast majority of the job postings have been related to Vehicle Operator positions, meaning the people who are Safety Monitors or Validation Vehicle Drivers.

Some job postings have hinted at Robotaxi expanding to new cities.

However, on Tuesday, Tesla posted a new job for a Senior Insurance Claims Specialist, Robotaxi, the first of its kind.

The job description says the employee will “oversee the company’s corporate insurance, risk management and surety programs across all business components.” Additionally, it says the position plays “a critical role in managing incident reporting a claim processes for Tesla Robotaxi and ride-hailing operations.”

Essentially, Tesla could be looking to prepare for when it eventually will have to take liability for accidents completely. This would be when the company launches fully autonomous vehicles, meaning Cybercab and the Robotaxi program, specifically. It would also include passenger vehicles with Full Self-Driving.

Tesla is currently operating a Robotaxi program in Austin, Texas, as well as a ride-hailing platform in the California Bay Area.

These programs are the company’s first foray into ride-hailing, with or without someone in the driver’s seat of the vehicle. In Austin, Tesla operates most of its rides without a Safety Monitor in the driver’s seat. Only freeway routes require the Monitor to be directly behind the wheel.

In California, someone sits in the driver’s seat at all times.

The job posting seems to indicate that things could be relatively close in terms of solving self-driving, especially if Tesla is looking to fill a role that would handle autonomous insurance claims.

Of course, it will take Tesla to solve autonomy, and with the company aiming to start Cybercab production (without a steering wheel) in Q2 2025, it surely feels like it is on the brink of something great.

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Tesla snags Lamborghini alum to help in newly entered market

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tesla showroom
Credit: Tesla

Tesla has snagged a Lamborghini alum to help with its entrance into a new market, which has proven to be an intricate situation for the automaker.

A report from Bloomberg states that Tesla has hired Sharad Agarwal, who was formerly employed by the Italian luxury carmaker, to run its operations in India. With Lamborghini, he was employed to handle operations in India.

Tesla launches in India with Model Y, showing pricing will be biggest challenge

Tesla has gone through quite a few different team members with its launch in India, starting with a few hirings a few years ago, well before the company actually committed to selling cars in the country.

The move helps Tesla streamline its executive decision-making process, as it previously had employees in India reach out to managers based in China, among other areas. Agarwal will be stationed in India and will handle the company’s operations.

Tesla’s mentality behind the strategy is to have local leadership, something that seems to cater to the market specifically.

Tesla had previously put Isabel Fan, the manager of Southeast Asia for the company, in the position. However, Tesla seemed to want someone who was more permanent and would be dedicated to India exclusively.

India has the largest population on Earth and has a massive automotive market for that reason. Tesla stands to gain a lot from a strong performance in India, and its clean energy vehicles could help with pollution of all kinds in the region.

Tesla’s path to entrance in the Indian market was a long one, as the company tried for nearly ten years to get into the elusive region. Back in 2016, CEO Elon Musk said Tesla “would love to be in India,” teasing the Model 3.

By 2017, Tesla had met with officials from the country, but tried to get import duties down to nothing from 100 percent.

Indian authorities denied Tesla’s request.

For years, Musk met with Prime Minister Narendra Modi to try and iron out a deal of some sort. Nothing truly came to fruition, at least until last year, when real movement started.

By 2024, India had introduced a strategy to reduce import duties for some companies, which was enough for Tesla to make a move. It is now 2025, and the company still has not committed to building a factory in the region. However, it is not completely out of the question.

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