Tesla Global News #7

Undoubtedly, Teslas stand out as the most American-made cars available today. The 2023 American-made Index from Cars.com confirmed this, with the Tesla Model Y claiming the top spot as the most American-made car of the year, followed closely by the Model 3, Model X, and Model S at positions two, three, and four on the list, respectively. However, a considerable portion of U.S. car buyers remain unaware of this fact, with some even arguing the opposite.

Renowned automotive figure Jay Leno has previously raised this issue, as evident in his recent review of the updated Tesla Model 3. Leno remarked on the misconception that Tesla is not an American-made car, highlighting the discrepancy. Adding to this narrative is Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, who, in a recent CNBC interview, asserted that electric vehicles (EVs) "don't have good range, are too expensive, and will all be manufactured in China."

Tesla has embarked on an intriguing advertising campaign to highlight the American-made quality of its vehicles. Images shared by Tesla North America's official account on X reveal a unique approach: a Model Y placed inside a glass enclosure with the caption "The best-selling car in the world is made in America." Notably, the Model Y within the glass enclosure is being towed by the Cybertruck.

Tesla's celebration of the Model Y's sales achievement last year is hardly unexpected. This accomplishment, previously deemed implausible by Tesla skeptics, has now been solidified. According to JATO Dynamics, the Tesla Model Y secured the title of the world's top-selling vehicle, with 1.23 million units sold. Following closely behind, the Toyota RAV4 claimed second place with 1.07 million units sold, while the Toyota Corolla secured third place with 1.01 million units sold.

The pairing of the Model Y and the Cybertruck presents an intriguing combination. With the Model Y already recognized as the most American-made vehicle by Cars.com in 2023, Tesla employees anticipate similar acclaim for the Cybertruck. According to Lead Cybertruck Engineer Wes Morrill on X, approximately 90% of the components for the all-electric pickup truck originate from North America. Given that the Cybertruck is manufactured in Giga Texas, it holds the potential to achieve a ranking comparable to the Model Y in Cars.com's American-made index.

Grünheide Mayor Arne Christiani has penned a letter detailing a revised proposal for the planned expansion of Tesla Giga Berlin. The updated plan entails Tesla reducing the number of trees to be cleared significantly compared to the initial proposal. This adjustment follows the community's decision to reject Tesla's request to clear an additional 100 hectares of monoculture forest in the area.

Criticism of Giga Berlin's forest clearance activities has persisted since the facility's inception. Recently, opponents of Tesla have taken extreme measures, such as constructing treehouses, to demonstrate their opposition to the company's tree-clearing plans. It's worth noting, however, that the trees within the Giga Berlin complex are not part of a natural forest; rather, they comprise a tree farm originally designated for cardboard production, as highlighted by Elon Musk in 2020.

Despite this, Tesla’s tree-clearing activities have remained controversial. This came to a head recently when Grünheide residents were asked to vote for or against Giga Berlin’s planned expansion, which would, unsurprisingly, involve more of the monoculture forest being cut down. Ultimately, residents decided to vote against the EV maker’s plans. But in his letter, Grünheide Mayor Christiani noted that Tesla could adjust its plans so that less of the tree farm would be cut down. 

Following is a translated version of the Grünheide Mayor’s letter. 

“Dear residents,

Dear municipal representatives,

First of all, I would like to thank you all for the high level of participation in the residents’ survey.

The result of the residents’ survey on the submitted B-Plan No. 60 was clear to us, and we respect the opinions expressed. 

In my view, B-Plan No. 60 is urgently needed, as otherwise, the necessary transport infrastructure projects cannot be implemented in the foreseeable future, which would have considerable negative consequences for our community and the environment. 

The primary planning objective is to preserve as much of the forest as possible on the area covered by development Plan No. 60. To this end, around 47 ha, which was originally planned as industrial land, is now designated as forest land. In addition to further forest areas, which are secured by a planting commitment, a total of around 70.3 ha of forest will now be preserved. The adjusted planning is thus intended to take account of your wishes and ensure that the forest is preserved as far as possible under planning law.  

The existing traffic infrastructure cannot cope with the foreseeable volume of traffic. The other primary planning objectives are the creation of a planning law for the adapted and optimized planning of the state roads L 386 (as a relief for the existing L 38) and L 23, as well as for the possible realization of a company-owned goods station. This freight depot is the necessary prerequisite for the fact that significant volumes of traffic can be handled by rail, which will considerably reduce the volume of traffic on the roads in our districts. 

Contrary to the frequent assertion that the construction of a freight station would also be possible on the existing site of the electric car manufacturer, it must be said that this is not possible due to the relocation of a Deutsche Bahn switch to the east and therefore due to technical railroad requirements. This also requires an adjustment to the planning for the L 386 already established in B-Plan No. 13, 1st amendment.  

The original intention of the planning to significantly expand the operational area for the Gigafactory is now reduced to a small extent and only made possible to the extent that the connection of the factory premises to the L 386 can take place.

Another frequently voiced assertion that the establishment of development Plan no. 60 was intended to create a prerequisite for increasing production capacities must also be rejected! This was never the aim of the planning! It was merely a matter of creating additional storage and logistics space as well as the possibility of accommodating employee-related facilities. The latter facilities have now been completely omitted. Areas for storage and logistics will be significantly reduced in size. 

The public and authorities will be consulted again on the amended draft of B-Plan No. 60 from 21.03.2024 to 04.04.2024 in accordance with Section 4a (3) BauGB.

For you and our municipality of Grünheide (Mark).

Arne Christiani

Mayor”

CATL and Nio, two major Chinese companies, have forged a partnership agreement to jointly develop batteries with enhanced longevity. This collaboration aims to drive down the overall costs of electric vehicles (EVs).

William Li, the Founder and CEO of Nio, emphasized the significance of addressing battery life, stating, "Battery life is a critical issue that has yet to be fundamentally resolved or received widespread attention. This is not solely Nio's concern; it's an imperative for the entire industry to collectively address."

CATL and Nio are striving to develop a battery cell capable of lasting a minimum of 15 years, nearly doubling the lifespan of batteries currently utilized in electric vehicles. Reuters reports that warranties for EV batteries typically span 8 years. Nio highlighted that approximately 20 million EV battery warranties are set to expire between 2025 and 2032.

The EV manufacturer pointed out that the lifespan of EV batteries is often shorter than that of the vehicles themselves, and it compared the cost of replacing power packs versus entire EV batteries.

Collaboratively, CATL and Nio will focus on extending the lifespan of swappable EV batteries. As part of the agreement, the Chinese battery supplier will also strategise and develop battery systems with prolonged lifespans for Nio.

✅ Thank you for reading this weeks Tesla Global Newsletter, if you enjoyed this weeks piece please share with your friends using the referral link below 👋

⚡️Get Connected: Why not follow us on Social Media?