Tesla’s Battery Day was a landmark event for the company. The Silicon Valley automaker plans to begin efforts to produce its own battery cells. Where does that leave Tesla’s existing battery suppliers?
The most popular news and analysis pieces on CleanTechnica in the past couple of months covered a wide range of cleantech topics, but as usual, the list of the most popular stories leaned heavily on the shoulders, back, and feet of Silicon Valley cleantech behemoth Tesla, whether that related to its vehicles, its solar power offerings, its new insurance business, or simply its recent stock split.
PTT Public Company Limited has announced a strategic partnership with Plug and Play Tech Center, the world’s largest corporate innovation platform headquartered in Silicon Valley, with the intention of raising national competitiveness and transform Thailand through digital transformation under PTT’s Powering Thailand’s Transformation initiative.
One of Tesla’s big advantages over legacy automakers is its software expertise. Back in 2014, Tesla co-founder Ian Wright told me that Big Auto’s software tended to resemble “a dog’s breakfast.” Tesla, with its Silicon Valley roots, designed its vehicles with a unified systems architecture from the beginning.
Tesla has been working to expand its ever-growing Supercharger network. And even better — the charging speeds (witness V3) continue to improve. Over the years, Tesla’s tech has allowed its chargers to “fill up” its battery packs faster and faster. And new Superchargers are being built every week. Has this become an edge for the Silicon Valley automaker?
Tesla’s Fremont factory is open. The Model Y SUV is being delivered en masse to customers. And the Silicon Valley automaker is investing heavily in its German Gigafactory and pending US Terafactory (location TBD). Tesla’s Cybertruck is being prioritized and pulled forward while the company’s Semi truck and Roadster launch is slated (soon after) to follow.
Tesla doesn’t spend money on traditional advertising. But the Silicon Valley automaker has cultivated a tight-knit, dedicated community of owners and fans. In fact, Tesla’s Elon Musk has an astounding 34 million followers on Twitter. He’s built up a dynamic (albeit provocative) social media presence that helps spread the message as fast as his rockets fly.
Just after Tesla Model Y deliveries began this past weekend, the Silicon Valley–based automaker added the Model Y key fob with the passive entry feature to its online store, for a price tag of $150, the same as for the Tesla Model 3.
Tesla Model Y production is in full swing at the Silicon Valley–based automaker’s Fremont, California, car factory. We have been witnessing a stockpile of Model Ys build up in new photos throughout the past several days.
Waco’s Texas State Technical College has been chosen as the first school in Texas for Tesla START, the Silicon Valley company’s electric vehicle service program. Tesla START, which stands for Student Automotive Technician Program, is a 12-week program and could create an opportunity for a Tesla service center in Waco.
