Looks like there's some new dirt work north of the Gigafactory. It's been a long time since I've seen activity in that area. Any ideas what it could be? My uninformed speculation is that it might be temporary parking/storage to replace the existing capacity that will soon be overtaken by construction.
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Tesla Gigafactory
- Thread starter domenick
- Start date
I don't think there's actually any new dirt works. It looks like the dirt is changing colour between the images. My guess they are watering the dirt roads to keep down dust.
JRP3
Hyperactive Member
I think you're right about watering, 6/23 it's dark, 6/24 it's light, then 6/26 it's dark again.
mspohr
Well-Known Member
Here's a good summary of current projects, prices and a ?glut
10 Battery Gigafactories Are Now in the Works. And Elon Musk May Add 4 More
Interesting, but I think they got some details wrong. I believe the Daimler plant mentioned in the article assembles battery packs using cells made in Asia. The plants in Australia and Thailand are ones I haven't heard about. But they left out the huge Chinese plant that's currently under construction.
I think Boston Energy is a start up from someone who had a new technique for making li-ion cells that was much quicker. I remember reading an article back in 2015 or so and I think the guy who made the discovery was a professor at one of the universities in the Boston area. His primary focus was making batteries for stationary storage though.
With the stationary storage market booming and the automotive market poised to take off, it's difficult to tell which market the cells are being made for. China also has a huge demand for cars domestically with the government strongly encouraging EVs now.
To a large degree that's a different market from the rest of the world. Most car models available in China are either unavailable or only limited availability outside of China. A lot of cars from other developed countries are available in China, but most are niche market cars there.
I can see a time when Chinese companies might be serious players in the global battery market, but they have a huge internal demand right now and the quality of their domestically made cells made by domestic companies can vary a lot which leads major foreign companies to be cautious about buying Chinese made batteries.
When solid state cells come along and replace li-ion, the cheap labor in China might enable them to undercut suppliers from other countries with equivalent quality. But quality li-ion cell manufacturing is labor light and capital intensive so the Chinese don't have any big advantages there. With Elon Musks new focus on automation, by the time solid state cells come into production, Tesla/Panasonic might be making cells with very minimal labor and they will be able to compete head to head with the Chinese on cost and quite possibly better quality than anyone.
It is all interesting. I think the battery makers are anticipating that the Model 3 will flip demand for EVs and set off a revolution in the car business, so they are preparing for the demand spike. This is all new activity in the last year. This time last year the only company that had even made any noises about their own Gigafactory was VW and they weren't talking about reaching full production until 2025.
Interesting article. I wish someone would construct a table showing company, location, gwh being produced, planned expansion with dates, and most importantly cells, or battery packs. The numbers can get very confusing. The one number that stood out for me is the projected production of 278 gwh of cells by 2021. Tesla has projected that they will be producing 100 gwh of cells by 2021, so the rest of the World will be producing 178 gwh. Let's not lose track of the fact that not all of these batteries are for electric cars and energy storage, some are for consumer electronics. The demand for batteries for electric cars and energy storage will likely exceed supply for at least the next decade and probably longer.
BluestarE3
Active Member
What am I looking at/for other than "Pass(enger) air bag off" reflected off the windshield and some dimly lit temporary barricades and orange cones outside the vehicle?
Krugerrand
Meow
Not only that, but they might want to wait until Tesla is done building GF1 since Tesla just keeps adding capacity to it. And I'm not convinced that GF2, or 3 or 4, or 5 or 12 or 20 won't each be bigger than the one before it. So yeah, less talking more building and we'll see who has the bigger one when the dust settles. Y'all know where my bet is.
Krugerrand
Meow
FlatSix911
Porsche 918 Hybrid
Update from Electrek ... Tesla Gigafactory 1: new aerial shot shows lots of activity as it starts Model 3 production
Now a new aerial shot of the giant battery factory shows lots of activity as they are starting production. Tesla started the year with about 1,000 employees at Gigafactory 1, but the company also said that it planned to hire about 1,000 more during the first half of the year alone.
On top of that, Tesla’s battery cell manufacturing partner, Panasonic, is holding hiring event all year and it is seeking to hire 2,000 workers by the end of 2017. Also, other suppliers are under Tesla’s roof and plan to employ hundreds more at the location, like a German battery can maker, H&T Battery Components, who expect to employ over 100 employees at the Gigafactory.
Now a new aerial shot of the giant battery factory shows lots of activity as they are starting production. Tesla started the year with about 1,000 employees at Gigafactory 1, but the company also said that it planned to hire about 1,000 more during the first half of the year alone.
On top of that, Tesla’s battery cell manufacturing partner, Panasonic, is holding hiring event all year and it is seeking to hire 2,000 workers by the end of 2017. Also, other suppliers are under Tesla’s roof and plan to employ hundreds more at the location, like a German battery can maker, H&T Battery Components, who expect to employ over 100 employees at the Gigafactory.
AZ Desert Driver
Rare combination
yeah, I don't get the whole emoji thing...what they are is too small to see the detail. And the detail might show something that I have no clue as to the diff between a tongue down and a tongue sideways. What emotion am I depicting when I attach that stupid thing?
Krugerrand
Meow
Well I actually meant a sad face button available on the forum along side the like, love, disagree buttons. Tongue down is like a neener, neener emotion. Tongue sideways is more 'goofy' emotion.
dhrivnak
Active Member
I am disappointed that I do not see any solar on the roof. I was hoping by now to see some of the 0 emission part of the project come into play.
BluestarE3
Active Member
In addition to the Tuscan, Textured, Smooth, and Slate styles of solar roof tiles previously announced by Tesla Energy, the Gigafactory is testing a new "Industrial" style solar roof. The fact that you don't notice any solar panels on the roof of the Gigafactory is precisely why this particular style was developed. It allows factory/warehouse owners to stealthily enjoy the benefits of renewable solar energy in locales where such an implementation may be viewed with suspicion, hostility or disdain.
are any
are any of these Tesla model 3's?Update from Electrek ... Tesla Gigafactory 1: new aerial shot shows lots of activity as it starts Model 3 production
View attachment 234617
Now a new aerial shot of the giant battery factory shows lots of activity as they are starting production. Tesla started the year with about 1,000 employees at Gigafactory 1, but the company also said that it planned to hire about 1,000 more during the first half of the year alone.
On top of that, Tesla’s battery cell manufacturing partner, Panasonic, is holding hiring event all year and it is seeking to hire 2,000 workers by the end of 2017. Also, other suppliers are under Tesla’s roof and plan to employ hundreds more at the location, like a German battery can maker, H&T Battery Components, who expect to employ over 100 employees at the Gigafactory.
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