Tesla to bring ‘quite big’ investment to Indonesia for battery materials

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Tesla is looking to bring a “quite big” investment to Indonesia in order to build a battery factory in the country, according to the country’s Senior Minister, Luhut Pandjaitan, who posted on Instagram today talking about a meeting with CEO Elon Musk.

In April 2022, Tesla met with Indonesian officials to discuss a potential deal for nickel, an important material that is used in electric vehicle (EV) batteries. Tesla and Musk hosted Pandjaitan, as well as Indonesian Ambassador to the United States Rosan Roeslani, and Anindya Bakrie, the general chair of the Advisory Council of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

It appears another meeting took place today, but this time in San Francisco:

“One year later after meeting at Tesla’s Giga Factory in Austin, Texas, I met Elon Musk again in San Francisco, United States. This meeting became the main agenda of my visit to Uncle Sam’s country. For about two and a half hours we discussed Indonesia’s economic development, as well as the current condition of Tesla, Inc.”

Musk and Tesla detailed that a vehicle production facility does not seem to be in the cards for Indonesia, just a battery materials plant. However, some of the things Pandjaitan said seem to indicate Tesla is suspending any investment currently.

Reuters reported that Luhut said, “He wants to invest in the manufacturing of materials for lithium batteries” and that “the investment will be quite big.”

The Minister said that Tesla “turns out to be currently suspending investment in any country. There are two things that cause it, namely; overproduction and the current unfavorable global economic conditions.”

There are also plans to bring Starlink to Eastern Indonesia:

“I convey that the benefits arising from Starlink operating in Indonesia are enormous, for example; Health infrastructure such as internet access at health centers in remote areas can help health workers report health facility data in real time. In addition, education services will also be accessible to students in eastern Indonesia so that we can achieve equal and equitable access to education in Indonesia.”

Please email me with questions and comments at joey@teslarati.com. I’d love to chat! You can also reach me on Twitter @KlenderJoey, or if you have news tips, you can email us at tips@teslarati.com.

Tesla to bring ‘quite big’ investment to Indonesia for battery materials

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Strangely covered Tesla Cybertruck fleet spotted in Giga Texas

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Tesla definitely appears to be ramping the production of the Cybertruck at Gigafactory Texas. And if recent images from the electric vehicle production complex are any indication, it would appear that Tesla currently prefers to keep its recently produced Cybertrucks as hidden from observers. 

The Tesla Cybertruck is expected to start customer deliveries this year. It is then no surprise that sightings of apparent release candidates and other prototypes of the all-electric pickup truck are increasing across the United States. So far, images of Cybertrucks that have recently been shared online suggest that the pickup trucks are already being built better. 

These sightings have hinted at a number of interesting details about the Cybertruck, such as its wheels and tire size. As could be seen in images that were recently captured by longtime Giga Texas watcher Joe Tegtmeyer, however, Tesla’s latest Cybertrucks are a bit different. 

As observed by the Tesla watcher, nine Cybertruck units that were parked in the outbound transportation lot at Giga Texas were strangely covered. The reasons behind Tesla’s decision to cover the new Cybertruck units have not been explained by the EV maker, of course, but it does suggest that Tesla may not want its most recently produced Cybertrucks to be seen by avid observers. 

Other images shared by the drone operator revealed that several other Cybertrucks seem to be getting assembled within Giga Texas. Two pickup trucks stood out quite a bit in the images, thanks in part to their open frunks. 

Tesla is known as an automaker that never really stops iterating on its vehicles. Thus, it would not be surprising if improvements to the Cybertruck are still being implemented today. The presence of the covered Cybertrucks bodes well for the all-electric pickup truck’s production and deliveries, however, as the vehicles might be among the first Cybertruck units that could be used for test drives or displays. 

The Tesla Cybertruck is expected to be the electric vehicle maker’s most ambitious vehicle today. Designed to be a tough and reliable work EV that’s armed to the teeth with tech, the Cybertruck would have to prove itself an excellent vehicle to become successful in the competitive — and already-established — pickup truck market. 

Don’t hesitate to contact us with news tips. Just send a message to simon@teslarati.com to give us a heads-up. 

Strangely covered Tesla Cybertruck fleet spotted in Giga Texas

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Tesla electric motor and Porsche 911 meet in sacrilegious perfection

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There is a reason why the Porsche 911 is regarded as one of, if not the best, combustion powered car ever created. The sports car is so perfectly tuned and refined that making changes to the vehicle almost feels wrong. Changing the Porsche 911’s powerplant — well, that feels almost sacrilegious. 

Yet for Sacrilege Motors CEO Philip Wagenheim, the modification is well worth the effort. Sacrilege Motors, a Connecticut-based tuner that specializes in electric conversions, has unveiled a creation that is sure to raise some eyebrows — a Tesla-powered 1992 Porsche 911 Cabriolet. What’s extra special about the conversion is the 1992 Porsche 911 Cabriolet is one of only 250 limited-edition US versions ever released.

Credit: Sacrilege Motors

The 911 Cabriolet was equipped with a modified Tesla Model S motor capable of producing 500 horsepower. In a comment to Robb Report, the Sacrilege Motors CEO stated that the utilization of a Tesla Model S electric motor for the special Porsche 911 conversion was an easy choice. 

“Tesla is the gold standard in EV motors. We chose the best component to set the standard that others will chase,” Wagenheim said. 

Credit: Sacrilege Motors

Even with its batteries and Model S motor, the all-black electric Porsche 911 weighs 3,200 pounds, which is not that far from the vehicle’s original weight. Thanks to this and the instant torque from its Tesla Model S motor, the zero-emissions roadster is capable of going from 0-60 mph in less than 4 seconds. That’s quicker — and a lot quieter — than its original iteration. It also features a 62 kWh battery pack that provides the sports car with a range of 200 miles. 

The electric Porsche 911 Cabriolet is fondly named “Blackbird” by its owner in honor of the iconic SR-71 aircraft. That’s a pretty fitting name, considering that the SR-71 made its reputation for being so quick that it could literally outrun missiles that are fired at it. 

Watch Sacrilege Motors’ video about its electric Porsche 911 Cabriolet below.

Don’t hesitate to contact us with news tips. Just send a message to simon@teslarati.com to give us a heads-up. 

Tesla electric motor and Porsche 911 meet in sacrilegious perfection

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