News
It’ll take 100 Tesla Gigafactories to transition the world to sustainable energy, says Musk
Leading up to last night’s debut of Leonardo DiCaprio’s National Geographic documentary Before The Flood, Elon Musk spoke to the Hollywood star on the topic of climate change during a personal tour of the Tesla Gigafactory. “The fossil fuel industry is the biggest industry in the world,” Musk told DiCaprio. “They have more money and more influence than any other sector. The more that there can be a sort of popular uprising against that, the better, but I think the scientific fact of the matter is we are unavoidably headed towards some level of harm.”
It’s no secret that Musk’s overarching goal is to save the world from the damage excess carbon emissions will cause if allowed to grow unchecked, but he is not overly optimistic his mission will succeed. His vision of making humans a multi-planetary species serves as a refuge and back up plan if and when humanity destroys its ancestral home.
Musk tells his A-list guest that the Gigafactory is designed to do more than just manufacture batteries. It is intended to serve as a template for how others could contribute to converting the entire world to clean, renewable solar power. Not only is the factory making batteries to store solar energy for use later, it is designed to be a net zero and zero emissions operation. “The thing that’s really going to make a difference is if companies that are much bigger than Tesla do the same thing. If the big industrial companies in China and the U.S. and Europe, the big car companies, if they also do this, then collectively we an accelerate the transition to sustainable energy.”
One aspect of electrical storage that Musk finds especially appealing, is the ability to bring electrical power to places that have no access to an established energy grid. He envisions villages in the developing world that are not yet connected to the grid being able to jump straight to a solar and battery system. “Batteries are critical to a sustainable energy future”, says Musk. “The advantage of solar and a batteries is that you can avoid building electricity plants at all, so you can be a remote village and have solar panels that charge a batter pack that supplies power to the whole village, without ever having to run thousands of miles of high voltage cables all over the place.”
Perhaps the most telling statement that speaks to humanities ability to transition the entire world to sustainable energy, is when Musk says this is all achievable. “We actually did the calculations to figure out what it would take to transition the whole world to sustainable energy. You’d need 100 Gigafactories,” he tells DiCaprio. He has no intention of building all those factories himself. But by showing others how it can be done, he hopes to encourage others to follow the trail he blazed.
Watch the segment from Before The Flood with DiCaprio and Musk below.
If you’re considering solar for your home or business, we encourage you to get a solar cost estimate first, based on your monthly utility bill and location. The service is being provided by an affiliate partner and fan to Teslarati.
Tesla has officially begun delivering its refreshed Model Y “Launch Edition” in the U.S., as highlighted by some of the first customers to take delivery over the weekend.
X user Jim Koehler shared photos and a few details from his time taking delivery of the new Model Y in Knoxville, Tennessee on Sunday. As can be seen in the photos, Koehler took delivery of a Stealth Grey Launch Series unit, and an additional thread in the Tesla Motors Club forum highlights the fact that it’s the Long Range, AWD configuration.
Koehler says he placed an order for the vehicle on January 23, and by February 11 his estimated delivery was set for between February 19 and March 19. As of Saturday, however, that had been updated to between March 1 and March 8, and Koehler officially picked the so-called Model Y “Juniper” up on Saturday.
He also has a 2024 Model 3 Performance, which you can see beside the Model Y in a photo from Koehler below.
Credit: Jim Koehler | X
Credit: Jim Koehler | X
Tesla’s refreshed Model Y was also spotted in the parking lot of Palisades in Tahoe, California over the weekend, as highlighted in a thread on Reddit. It’s not clear at this time whether the unit was a customer delivery, or an employee vehicle, though it can be seen in white below, parked amidst a snowy landscape.
Credit: battlerobot | Reddit
READ MORE ON NEW TESLA MODEL Y DELIVERIES: Tesla has posted owner’s manuals for the new Model Y
The news of first U.S. deliveries comes a few days after Tesla China transitioned from selling the Model Y “Launch Edition” to a regular version of the recently refreshed vehicle in China, where initial deliveries began last week. There, the Launch Edition primarily included bonus warranty miles, and the regular Model Y was launched at the same price.
At the time of writing, Tesla’s order configurator in the U.S. is still showing the Launch Series version, which includes special badges on the liftgate, puddle light, center console and doorsill, along with Supervised Full Self-Driving (FSD), and interior upgrades like a vegan suede trim and premium floor mats.
Tesla has also been accelerating production of the upgraded Model Y at its Gigafactory in Austin, Texas, with drone footage from a few weeks ago showing massive fleets of the SUV in the outbound lot.
News
Tesla stock rises despite potential decline in deliveries
Morgan Stanley & Wedbush stay bullish on $TSLA, betting big on Tesla’s AI & robotaxi business. Could the EV maker hit a $2T valuation?
Tesla stock is on the rise again despite a few analyst’s predictions of a decline in the company’s Full Year 2025 (FY 2025) deliveries. Tesla’s robotaxi business and AI development arm keep analysts hopeful about the company’s future.
Morgan Stanley analyst Adam Jonas recently reinstated Tesla as the investment bank’s “Top Pick” in US Auto. The announcement boosted TSLA’s share price, which is currently at $292.98–as of this writing.
“TSLA shares are down 30%YTD on a clear buyers’ strike. We reinstate Tesla as our ‘Top Pick’ in US Autos with >50% upside to our $430 price target. Bull Case $800. TSLA FY25 deliveries could potentially decline YoY (year-over-year), creating an attractive entry point to our preferred embodies AI name,” wrote Jonas in a recent note.
Like Jonas, Wedbush analyst Dan Ives remains bullish about Tesla. In a recent note, Ives set a price target of $550 per share for TSLA. The Wedbush analysts believe critics’ concerns about Musk’s involvement in the US government, particularly DOGE, are overblown. Ives argues that Tesla has a competent management team, and Musk has proven that he has an uncanny ability to juggle multiple tasks across different industries.
Ives and Jonas predict that Tesla’s Full Self-Driving feature and robotaxi business will drive the company’s future growth. Ives forecasts that Tesla’s focus on AI development could bring the company’s valuation up to $2 trillion.
The Teslarati team would appreciate hearing from you. If you have any tips, contact me at maria@teslarati.com or via Twitter @Writer_01001101.
News
Tesla Cybertruck revisits Australia with the new Model Y Juniper
The new Model Y Juniper RWD is SOLD OUT in Australia! Catch it alongside the Cybertruck at the “Everything Electric” show in Sydney.
The Tesla Cybertruck is revisiting Australia with the new 2025 Model Y Juniper.
The 2025 Model Y Juniper rear-wheel drive (RWD) will debut this weekend in Australia at the “Everything Electric” show in Sydney. Alongside the new Model Y will be the Tesla Cybertruck, which visited Australia and New Zealand last year.
The Tesla Cybertruck and Juniper’s appearance in Sydney will likely add to all the buzz surrounding Tesla leading up to the new Model Y’s customer deliveries in May 2025. The 2025 Tesla Model Y has been a hit Down Under, particularly the RWD model.
The Tesla Model Y Juniper RWD Launch Edition model is sold out in Australia, according to the company’s configuration page. The launch edition Model Ys included exclusive perks, like a rear liftgate puddle light, illuminated door sill plates, a complimentary premium paint option, and enhanced interior features. A few Tesla Model Y Long Range all-wheel drive (AWD) variants are still available for purchase.
The Tesla Cybertruck and Model Y will be displayed at the Sydney Showground from Friday, March 7, to Sunday, March 9, 2025.
The Teslarati team would appreciate hearing from you. If you have any tips, contact me at maria@teslarati.com or via Twitter @Writer_01001101.
Tesla starts Model Y ‘Launch Edition’ deliveries in the U.S.
Tesla stock rises despite potential decline in deliveries
Tesla Cybertruck revisits Australia with the new Model Y Juniper
-
News23 hours agoTesla’s lead designer weighs in on plans for these two Model Y colors
-
News2 days agoTesla launches 100+ Supercharger partnership with this fast food chain
-
News17 hours agoTesla design head reflects on over 16 years with the company
-
News1 day agoAnti-Musk protests at Tesla store in New York lead to arrests
-
News2 weeks agoTesla made the new Model Y cabin so quiet that now it’s looking for a fix
-
News2 weeks agoTesla Cybertruck owner ponders leaving MA with wife and kids over death threats, abuse
-
News2 weeks agoTesla is rolling out a new ‘Supercharger queue’ in an effort to end one issue
-
News7 days agoTesla makes a decision on the future of its flagship Model S and Model X