Tesla Installs Special Edition, Ultra Red Supercharger As It Reaches 50,000th Mark

By Kevin Armstrong
Tesla creates a special 50,000th Supercharger
Tesla creates a special 50,000th Supercharger
Not a Tesla App

Over the past couple of days, Tesla hit not one but two remarkable milestones, marking a significant chapter in its rapidly evolving story. If you spent the weekend engrossed in the new Elon Musk biography by Walter Isaacson, you can perhaps fully appreciate the magnitude of these accomplishments: the production of Tesla’s five millionth car and the installation of its 50,000th Supercharger.

Five Million Vehicles Strong

On its official Weibo account, Tesla unveiled its five millionth vehicle, a pearl white Model 3, freshly rolled off the production line at the Shanghai Gigafactory. This notable milestone embodies Tesla's journey “from a blank canvas to today’s five millionth vehicle,” a path characterized by simplicity and efficiency. Through their message, Tesla conveyed deep gratitude towards their global community of owners and supporters, urging everyone to "power up together" for a greener and brighter future. This celebratory announcement follows a series of production landmarks, the most recent being the four million car milestone reached in March, highlighting the company's exponential growth.

50,000 Superchargers: Painting the World Ultra Red

The weekend's festivities extended beyond the production line, with Tesla celebrating a Supercharger network milestone: the 50,000th installation. The Tesla Owners of Silicon Valley shared a video (below) showcasing Tesla's latest landmark in action. This special unit, distinctly colored Ultra Red, is located at Living Spaces at 1851 Freedom Way, Roseville, California. Since introducing just six Superchargers in 2012, Tesla has demonstrated its commitment to facilitating widespread electric vehicle use.

The Supercharger network, a pillar in Tesla's strategy to foster electric vehicle adoption, offers convenient and rapid charging solutions worldwide. This recent installation is a firm pledge to a global ethos where electric vehicles (EVs) can flourish.

Factory Tours for Referrals

Tesla is not only escalating its production but also opening doors for enthusiasts to witness where the magic happens. Tesla is introducing tram tours of its factories in Fremont, California, and Austin, Texas, as a part of its referral program. This exclusive peek can be redeemed using referral credits, ushering Tesla account holders and up to three guests into the production sanctuaries that have revolutionized the automotive industry.

However, while the immersion into Tesla’s world is facilitated, travel and accommodation expenses are the responsibility of the attendees. The company maintains a stringent no-media policy during the tours, underscoring the confidentiality preserved in these powerhouse spaces. Tesla aims to bolster engagement with its customer base through this initiative, enticing them with an insider’s view while encouraging more referrals despite moving away from the previous tradition of complimentary Fremont factory tours.

The electric vehicle pioneer isn't slowing down as Tesla gears up for an exciting future with the much-anticipated Cybertruck launch, which already boasts over 2 million unofficial pre-orders. Analysts anticipate that the existing production pace could potentially herald the creation of six million Tesla vehicles in early 2024.

Tesla FSD in Europe: June Update

By Karan Singh
Not a Tesla App

The road to bringing FSD to Europe has been a long and complex one and filled with regulatory and bureaucratic hurdles. Elon Musk, as well as other members of Tesla’s AI team, have previously voiced their grievances with the regulatory approval process on X.

However, it appears that there is finally some progress in getting things moving with recent changes to upcoming autonomy regulations, but the process still seems slow.

Waiting on the Dutch

Elon commented on X recently, stating that Tesla is waiting for approval from Dutch authorities and then the EU to start rolling out FSD in Europe. Tesla is focusing on acquiring approvals from the Dutch transportation authority, which will provide them with the platform they need to gain broader acceptance in Europe. Outside of the Netherlands, Tesla is also conducting testing in Norway, which provides a couple of avenues for them to obtain national-level approval.

The frustration has been ongoing, with multiple committee meetings bringing up autonomy regulation but always pulling back at the last second before approving anything. The last meeting on Regulation 157, which governs Automated Lane Keeping Systems, concluded with authorities from the UK and Spain requesting additional time to analyze the data before reaching a conclusion.

Tesla, as well as Elon, have motioned several times for owners to reach out to their elected representatives to move the process forward, as it seems that Tesla’s own efforts are being stymied. 

This can seem odd, especially since Tesla has previously demoed FSD working exceptionally smoothly on European roads - and just did it again in Rome when they shared the video below on X.

DCAS Phase 3

While the approval process has been slow, Kees Roelandschap pointed out that there may be a different regulatory step that could allow FSD to gain a foothold in Europe.

According to Kees, the European Commission is now taking a new approach to approving ADAS systems under the new DCAS Phase 3 regulations. The Commission is now seeking data from systems currently operational in the United States that can perform System-Initiated Maneuvers and don’t require hands-on intervention for every request.

This is key because those are two of the core functionalities that make FSD so usable, and it also means that there may not be a need to wait years for proper regulations to be written from scratch. Now, the Commission will be looking at real-world data based on existing, deployed technology, which could speed up the process immensely.

What This Means

This new, data-driven regulatory approach could be the path for Tesla to reach its previous target of September for European FSD. While the cogs of bureaucracy are ever slow, sometimes all it takes is a little data to have them turn a bit faster in this case.

Alongside specific countries granting approval for limited field testing with employees, there is some light at the end of the tunnel for FSD in Europe, and hopes are that a release will occur by the end of 2025. With Europe now looking to North America for how FSD is performing, Tesla’s Robotaxi results could also play a role.

Tesla Launches 'TeslaVision' Contest With Big Prizes — See Last Year’s Winner [VIDEO]

By Karan Singh
Not a Tesla App

Tesla’s marketing has always been relatively unconventional, relying on word-of-mouth rather than traditional advertising. The passion of the owner’s community is always massive, but it is especially high now with the launch of the Robotaxi network just around the corner.

Tesla is now tapping into that spring of fan creativity and announced the TeslaVision video contest, with some seriously impressive prizes up for grabs.

The Contest

The core of the contest is simple. Create a video that shows how your Tesla gives you more in life. Tesla is looking for submissions that highlight themes of freedom, safety, fun, and convenience.

Prizes

The prizes definitely make this contest worth entering if you’re good with a camera and have some basic video editing abilities.

For North America, the prizes include a brand new Model Y AWD Long Range, alongside an all-expenses-paid trip to Austin for a tour of Giga Texas. The grand prize winner will also be able to custom order their Model Y, allowing them to select their preferred wheels and color.

The two runners-up won’t get a Model Y, but they’ll also enjoy an all-expenses-paid trip to Giga Texas for a tour of the factory.

The travel and tour include lodging in Austin for 2 nights, as well as economy-class round-trip tickets from anywhere in North America. Tesla will also provide a vehicle for use during the trip.

Hopefully, these winners will also have the opportunity to experience the Robotaxi network while they’re in Austin, as it’s expected to be opened to the public later this month.

Project Loveday

For long-time followers of Tesla, this contest may feel familiar. The contest is a direct throwback to the 2017 Project Loveday contest, which was inspired by a letter to Tesla from a 10-year-old aspiring marketer. That contest was won by MKBHD, with his submission below:

How to Enter

If you’re ready to start filming, here are the key pieces of information you’ll need to know:

  • Video must be 90 seconds or less

  • Video must be uploaded to YouTube with a public URL

  • Make a post on X and Instagram tagging “@Tesla” and include the words “TeslaVision contest” in the post.

  • Provide links to both social media posts in your submission to Tesla’s form

  • Provide your personal details in the form

  • You have until July 17th, 2025, or until Tesla receives 10,000 entries, whichever comes first.

You can find the official submission form and all region-specific details on Tesla's website.

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