Tesla buys test track in 35-acre deal (Next to factory)

[twinklejet]

Source article: http://www.bizjournals.com/sanjose/news/2013/07/19/tesla-buys-big-chunk-of-fremont-land.html (cites Alameda County Clerk Recorder's office)

Derivative article: http://jalopnik.com/tesla-just-bought-a-test-track-next-to-their-factory-840621863

 

[JPP]

When I was down at the Fremont SC today (...yes, Saturday) to pick up my car, I chatted with one of the very senior (...and knowledgable) techs. He said that when GM-Toyota built the NUMMI plant, they created a test track next door on land partially owned by NUMMI and partially by the Union Pacific Railroad. He said that NUMMI-GM never had to pay for the use of the UP part of the land since UP got lots of freight business to/from the plant. Tesla wanted to consolidate the site and preserve the existing test track. Not sure where the local paper (see URL) got the idea that they needed to build a new track.

http://www.mercurynews.com/business/ci_23694920/tesla-buys-land-test-track-fremont

 

[Hamza]

Hopefully they expand on the track to make it more *dynamic*

 

[Benz]

Or they could use the land to build a battery cell factory on it. How about that?

 

[Ampster]

Or they could use the land to build a battery cell factory on it. How about that?

From what I have heard they could put the battery factory inside the NUMMI building and still have room for Model X and GenX production lines.

 

[Benz]

From what I have heard they could put the battery factory inside the NUMMI building and still have room for Model X and GenX production lines.

Possible. But the number of EV's being produced by Tesla Motors in the next decade (2020-2030) will/might increase that much that the Tesla Motors factory in Fremont could be solely used for production of battery cells and battery packs (and maybe a few other components). Additional factories will be required by then.

 

[K5ING]

I thought that was going to be Elon's Hyperloop? :tongue:

 

[Ampster]

Possible. But the number of EV's being produced by Tesla Motors in the next decade (2020-2030) will/might increase that much that the Tesla Motors factory in Fremont could be solely used for production of battery cells and battery packs (and maybe a few other components). Additional factories will be required by then.

Let's hope that is the scenerio by 2020. Any ideas about what the capacity of that plant is?
EDIT
Answered my own question here:
Tesla Partners with Toyota, Will Build Electric Vehicles at NUMMI Plant in California | Car and Driver Blog

About 500, 000 vehicles per year capacity. Currently 400 per week, hoping to increase that to 500 per week or 20 to 25, 000 per year.