If there is one carmaker that has always been known for its aggressive approach to its operations, it is Tesla. One of the newest carmakers in the US, Tesla, is competing with the biggies of the auto industry in the USA and beating them up in the electric mobility space due to this same aggressive approach. The EV-only manufacturer has been operating fully through all its manufacturing plants, famously known as ‘Gigafactories’.
Among all the Gigafactories of Tesla, the one in Austin, Texas, remained the slowest in its operations to date. However, it seems that Tesla has addressed this and ramped up the production rates at its factory in Texas, also known as Giga Texas and Gigafactory 5. Recently, a claim made by a YouTube named Joe Tegtmeyer predicts that Tesla has ramped up the production of its latest general model, the Model Y, at Giga Texas. We take a deeper insight into how Tesla might be achieving this upgrade.
The Progress At Giga Texas By Tesla
Joe Tegtmeyer is a popular YouTuber who uploads drone shots over Gigafactory in Austin, Texas on his YouTube channel. In one of his recent YouTube videos, Tegtmeyer showed how Tesla has ramped up the production of Model Y at Gigafactory 5. From the drone footage obtained over Giga Texas in this video, Tegtmeyer estimates that the Gigafactory is now producing around 150 Model Ys daily and 1,000 units weekly.
Through his video, Tegtmeyer also showed that around 100 units of Model Y leave Gigafactory 5 daily through transport trucks. He predicted that these daily dispatches of Model Y might only increase in the coming days due to the subsequent increase in the production of the full-electric crossover.
How Tesla Is Upping The Game Of Production At Giga Texas
The claims of an increase in production of Model Y at Giga Texas made by Tegtmeyer get backed by a few other small developments at the Gigafactory. According to observations made by Tegtmeyer, Tesla has sped up the progress at the battery cathode assembly site at Gigafactory 5. He said that around 60 percent of the construction of this new plant is already completed, with the installation of the roof and decks going to happen very soon. He confirmed these details through a tweet on his Twitter account, and the video footages backing this claim are also present in his YouTube video.
These details are evident from the entire roof of the vehicle assembly plant and solar panels installed on this roof, which will spell ‘TESLA’. The video shows that the number of solar panels is increasing from the north of the first letter ‘T’, with more mounts and panels under installation. Tesla had been struggling with the issues related to 4680-type battery cells and structural pack ramp, which might get resolved with these ongoing developmental processes.
Production Plans of Tesla At Giga Texas
The Gigafactory 5, located in Austin, Texas, has been operational since December 2021, when Tesla made this Gigafactory its global corporate headquarters. However, the production of vehicles at Giga Texas began in early April 2022, where only Model Y is made at the moment. Production of cars is happening in Gigafactory 5 from April 2022. Though, much of the construction work at the plant is still due.
In addition to the Model Y, Tesla also plans to manufacture upcoming models from its lineups already announced in the past, such as Cybertruck all-electric pickup, Semi all-electric semi-trailer truck, and Model 3, its highest selling model globally. In addition to these all-electric models, Tesla plans to make lithium-ion batteries in Gigafactory 5. All these plans will execute once the production work at Giga Texas concludes.
Production Facilities Of Tesla In A Nutshell
The Giga Texas is one of the five Gigafactories Tesla has set up in various corners of the world. Of these five Gigafactories, three are in the USA (including the Giga Texas), one in China, and one in Germany.
Apart from Gigafactory 5, the USA is home to Gigafactory 1 (Giga Nevada) in Storey County, Nevada, and Gigafactory 2 (Giga New York) in Buffalo, New York. While the Giga Nevada produces lithium-ion batteries, Powerwall, Powerpack, and Megapack, the Giga New York manufactures solar roofs and superchargers.
There are two Gigafactories of Tesla outside the USA – Gigafactory 3 in China (Giga Shanghai) and Gigafactory in Germany (Giga Berlin). Giga Shanghai caters to Asian markets and produces Model 3 and Model Y. On the other hand, Giga Berlin caters to the demands of European markets and manufactures Model Y with Model 3 in the future pipeline.
Above all these Gigafactories, Tesla’s largest production facility is its mother plant, the Tesla Fremont factory in Fremont, California, USA. It is the oldest production facility of Tesla and currently manufactures Model S, Model 3, Model X, and Model Y.