Put it in a volcano and you have a textbook base of operations for a supervillain
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Tesla Gigafactory
- Thread starter domenick
- Start date
Put it in a volcano and you have a textbook base of operations for a supervillain
AZ Desert Driver
Rare combination
Just a thought in these days of mistrust - Why would Tesla build a highly secret battery factory in China, where intellectual theft runs rampant? Why not build a plant that simply assembles pieces, but gets the secret pieces (batteries) from Reno? Same "protection" from Europe and Asia prospective gigastations.
We do know that Elon want to avoid transporting this batteries around the world. Building the GF-I in the US helps to avoid transporting them from Asia to US. Why should they then start to transport them from US to Asia? And Pansonic that does the cell production has factories in both Japan and China if I'm not mistaken. So no, I do not expect them to build a full GF in China, but use cells from Pansonic's existing factories in Asia.
The 18650 batteries used in Teslas today are partially made in China, though I believe final assembly is in Japan. Tesla's plan is to make cars for local markets close to where they are built to save transportation time and costs. Plus the Chinese are more likely to buy a home built product than an import (and there are often steep tariffs on imported goods).
If Tesla has some killer new battery chemistry, they don't have to make it in their Chinese GF. They could always make a little bit older chemistry that is more similar to other batteries made in China. Some people would notice that Chinese made Teslas don't get quite the same range as Teslas made in other countries, but people would more likely chalk it up to something else. Someone like wk057 might get some cells from a Chinese car and compare them to American or European cells and find the differences, but again without taking apart the cells and doing a careful chemical analysis of the contents which would require a very well equipped lab with specialized equipment to do accurately, nobody would know for sure what caused the differences in performance.
Aren't 18650 batteries made by Panasonic in Osaka, Japan and in Malaysia? How do we know they are making 18650 batteries in China? Panasonic recently closed a factory in China that was making batteries for consumer electronics.
When Elon was talking about the design of the GigaFactory he said he looked at how the 18650s were made for Tesla. Components are made all over the place including several in China. Final assembly is in Japan. He said so many parts bounce around from one place to another before final assembly, the total travel distance from mine to factories to Fremont is more than the circumference of the world (though most of that is traveling from one place to another in Asia).
AZ Desert Driver
Rare combination
So the Gigafactory puts everything together in one place - chemistry, film, cans, and now even packs and skates.. Makes a lot of sense to have it all under one roof. Under that Reno roof, there are many things that are just "manufacturing" that can be done anywhere, and makes the GF-China a logical one (all that shipping logic). But I would not let the secret sauce be put into a place where it can be stolen and used against yourself. Perhaps just the jelly roll is shipped over there. Perhaps just the paste before it is rolled and dried.
There are many honest Chinese businessmen, and many will honor contracts and confidentiality. But when the crown jewels are released from corporate control, it only takes a few crooks to bury you business. I say - negotiate a good deal, deal with faith, build a good plan and a good plant...but keep some key element away from industrial espionage
There are many honest Chinese businessmen, and many will honor contracts and confidentiality. But when the crown jewels are released from corporate control, it only takes a few crooks to bury you business. I say - negotiate a good deal, deal with faith, build a good plan and a good plant...but keep some key element away from industrial espionage
I don't think skates are made at the Gigafactory, but drive units/motors are.
KrenGrl
Banned
Google acquires Nevada land for future data center
The vacant desert tract near Electric Avenue is several miles south of the GF.
More interesting might be the WSJ’s assertion that several people suggested Google might use the site as a future testing facility for Waymo’s autonomous vehicles. Nevada is in the process of passing legislation that could see it eventually allow self-driving tests with potentially fewer restrictions than are in place for testing in California, which might make it a good site for high-speed testing of vehicles, above the 35 MPH cap currently in place in Google’s home state.
The vacant desert tract near Electric Avenue is several miles south of the GF.
More interesting might be the WSJ’s assertion that several people suggested Google might use the site as a future testing facility for Waymo’s autonomous vehicles. Nevada is in the process of passing legislation that could see it eventually allow self-driving tests with potentially fewer restrictions than are in place for testing in California, which might make it a good site for high-speed testing of vehicles, above the 35 MPH cap currently in place in Google’s home state.
KrenGrl
Banned
Hmmmm, there seems to be a lot going on up in Sparks NV lately since Tesla built up there. Wonder what Google will do with all that land?
AZ Desert Driver
Rare combination
Tuscon was in the running for the Gigafactory, but our legislators got unfriendly and the Auto Dealers won. If we had the GF, and now Google, our empty desert would be thriving, like Reno's. Utah also could be participating in this new age of growth, but continues to be as bad as my legislators.
Nvbob
Roadster 1256
All car companies are going to have to do business in China. The car market is large and growing fast. In addition China's middle class is already larger than the entire population of the US.
China is as capable of making quality products as anyone else, but they have virtually no regulation, so there is no guarantee you're getting what you're paying for. That's the danger in dealing with China. Unless you know the people or company you're dealing with personally, you don't know what you're getting.
China is as capable of making quality products as anyone else, but they have virtually no regulation, so there is no guarantee you're getting what you're paying for. That's the danger in dealing with China. Unless you know the people or company you're dealing with personally, you don't know what you're getting.
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