Description: High Occupancy Vehicle lanes are generally faster than other lanes. However, the requirements for their use differ from state to state, with many states requiring a minimum number of occupants. The setting is buried under Controls > Navigation > Use HOV Lanes, which makes it annoying to get to for something you may want to turn on and off often. Thankfully, we can now use a voice command.
Discovered on: December 27, 2024
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Giga Berlin’s next expansion won’t just mean more Model Ys. Speaking at the Automobilwoche Congress in Berlin, plant manager André Thierig said that if Tesla builds a second factory at the site, “we won’t be building another Model Y factory,” according to a translated report from Automobilwoche.
Thierig didn’t say what that factory would build, and no decision has been made on a second factory or a new product yet.
What Could Giga Berlin Build Next?
Many fans have hoped for a cheaper, compact Tesla for Europe, but the Model 2 was reportedly shelved in early 2024 as Tesla shifted its focus to robotaxis. Instead, Tesla launched cheaper Standard versions of the Model 3 and Model Y.
A new Model 2 or Model Q could secretly still be in the works, but the more likely candidate is the Cybercab. Musk said earlier this year that it’s the “most likely next major product” for Giga Berlin, with Optimus possibly following, and he recently said he hopes to bring the Cybercab to Europe soon. Tesla is also taking the Cybercab on a tour of Europe right now, with four stops in Germany, including Berlin.
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Tesla has finished clearing land for the expansion and plans to submit a building application in 2026. It’s part of a broader plan to expand Giga Berlin and eventually take its output to 1 million vehicles per year.
Giga Berlin Keeps Growing
“We are probably the only ones in Germany who are currently growing,” Thierig said, according to the translated report.
Battery cell production is also on the way. Giga Berlin already makes electrodes, which are shipped to Texas to be turned into cells and sent back. Full cell production in Grünheide is set to begin by mid-2027, which would make it the first European plant to build everything from battery cells to finished cars at one site.
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Thierig also said Tesla won’t budge on its 38-hour work week, calling a cut to 35 hours “a red line for us.”
Tesla still hasn’t confirmed what a second Berlin factory would build. With the building application due before the end of the year, we should know more soon.
When Tesla stopped including Basic Autopilot on new vehicles earlier this year, many owners suspected it was meant to push more buyers toward Full Self-Driving. According to a source with knowledge of the decision, that’s exactly what happened, and it was Elon Musk who made the call.
Not a Tesla App was told that Musk decided to remove Basic Autopilot, which includes Traffic-aware Cruise Control and Auto-steer, from new vehicles to boost FSD subscriptions, which happens to be one of the tiers Must must meet to qualify for his pay package.
The Timeline
Tesla shareholders approved Musk’s 2025 CEO Performance Award at the last Annual Shareholder Meeting in November 2025. One of its operational milestones requires Tesla to reach 10 million active FSD subscriptions (or purchases), paired with a $2.5 trillion market cap goal.
About two and a half months later, in January 2026, Tesla stopped including Basic Autopilot on new vehicles in the U.S. and Canada. New cars came with Traffic-Aware Cruise Control (TACC) only. Anyone who wanted Autosteer, the feature that keeps the car centered in its lane, had to buy or subscribe to FSD.
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Buyers could still purchase FSD outright at that point, but that option ended the very next month. Since then, FSD has only been available as a monthly subscription in North America.
A Brief History of Autopilot
Autosteer wasn’t always included for free. Early on, owners had to buy Enhanced Autopilot to get it, which included TACC and Autosteer along with features like Auto Lane Change, Navigate on Autopilot, Autopark, and Summon. It was last priced at $6,000.
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Around 2019, Tesla split those features up and made Basic Autopilot standard on every new vehicle, with TACC and Autosteer included at no extra cost. Enhanced Autopilot was later dropped in North America as Tesla shifted gears to FSD.
For years, Basic Autopilot was good enough for a lot of drivers, especially on highways. That’s the group the change was aimed at.
FSD Subscriptions Are Climbing
The numbers suggest this change away from Basic Autopilot is working. Tesla said in its Q3 2026 earnings report that FSD hit a record 1.74 million subscribers, with more than half on monthly plans. Tesla stated that FSD was also included with 75% of all new vehicle orders in North America that quarter.
During Tesla’s Q3 earnings call, an analyst estimated that FSD’s annual recurring revenue is approaching $1 billion, and Tesla confirmed the numbers were correct.
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Tesla has also started offering FSD subscriptions in more markets. FSD used to be limited to North America, but has since expanded to places like South Korea and a growing list of European countries. Every new market adds more potential subscribers.
Still a Long Way to Go
Even with record growth, Tesla is still well short of 10 million active subscriptions. Getting there will likely depend on EU-wide FSD approval, expected to be decided in December, along with more markets and continued improvements to FSD itself.
Removing Basic Autopilot gave Tesla a boost in monthly subscription revenue, but it removed a feature that is becoming common across vehicles — lane centering.
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