Tesla Gigafactory

[trils0n]

Couldn't figure out how to embed Instagram photos, but here is a link to one. The photographer has a few more, and it looks like a Nevada College also has pics with students in the same lobby (click the Tesla Gigafactory location under the photographer name).


Gigafactory1

 

[JRP3]

Gigalobby

 

[dhanson865]

Couldn't figure out how to embed Instagram photos, but here is a link to one. The photographer has a few more, and it looks like a Nevada College also has pics with students in the same lobby (click the Tesla Gigafactory location under the photographer name).


Gigafactory1

you should use this URL Gigafactory Photos that link you reference is easy to overlook. I spent more time than I wanted trying to figure it out. Just posting this to save the next one down the line the trouble.

 

[pmadflyer]

Well, that came sooner than expected. It's great to finally see progress pictures, and I'm excited for these next few months.

 

[chickensevil]

Love how they have committed to calling this Gigafactory 1. It's like when they assume something is going to be so awesome so they announce the sequel before the movie is even released!

 

[Electroman]

Tesla is growing so fast, it ran out of parking places and now has valet service for workers - Yahoo Finance


The article above had this statement:

"it's the world's second-largest building by volume, and three times the size of New York's Central Park."

Really the building is bigger - 3 times bigger - then central park?

 

[AndreN]

It looks like a commenter on that article did the math and said that isn't true, and I think he's right. Central Park is 778 acres or 33.9 million square feet. The numbers I see for the Gigafactory range from 10 million to 13.9 million square feet.

 

[MassModel3]

It looks like a commenter on that article did the math and said that isn't true, and I think he's right. Central Park is 778 acres or 33.9 million square feet. The numbers I see for the Gigafactory range from 10 million to 13.9 million square feet.

I wonder if the reporter confused building cubic feet with Central Park square feet...

 

[pmadflyer]

Maybe they intended to say one third.

 

[3s-a-charm]

Earthquakes in the area?

This image was priceless (regarding earthquakes in the Reno area):

 

[RobinF]

Seriously, this is why I blacklist news sources which demonstrate gross incompetence in reporting technical matters. That statement should never have gotten past an editor. OH YEA they don't have editors anymore.

 

[jhm]

Love how they have committed to calling this Gigafactory 1. It's like when they assume something is going to be so awesome so they announce the sequel before the movie is even released!

Indeed, but Gigafactory 1 by itself is way too small. It will take 20 years at full capacity to produce enough batteries to offset demand for 400,000 barrel of oil per day, while oil consumption is at 94.5 million barrels per day. So we at least 30 of these to halt the oil industry, but about 200 for electrics to entirely replace all new oil-burning vehicles.

 

[wdolson]

Indeed, but Gigafactory 1 by itself is way too small. It will take 20 years at full capacity to produce enough batteries to offset demand for 400,000 barrel of oil per day, while oil consumption is at 94.5 million barrels per day. So we at least 30 of these to halt the oil industry, but about 200 for electrics to entirely replace all new oil-burning vehicles.

I've been predicting the need for 200 Gigafactories (or equivalent) to produce the same number of vehicles produced today as long range BEVs for a while. It's probable that someday a more dense battery technology will come along that will require less factory capacity, but with the current technology 200 GF equivalent is needed to replace all light vehicle production with long range BEVs.

Basically it will take a while for BEVs to replace ICE cars and batteries are the bottleneck. The GF I is a big leap forward in capacity though.

 

[Tonetonec]

Agreed, I assume by 2040 Tesla will have about 20-30 Gigafactories worldwide covering all their car battery production and a good amount of stationary. I can only hope the other 170 or so come from other companies that start seeing the light that Tesla is shining. I'm actually surprised I haven't heard China chime in with an announcement about a similarly sized or bigger battery factory backed by the government to start helping get their pollution under control. With Mr. Musk's understanding that renewable future needs both production and consumption, batteries that are key for both sides are a major piece of the puzzle that will be bigger paradigm shift than what Tesla and SolarCity have created. And as of now, we've only just scratched the surface of that revolution to come.

 

[roblab]

Interesting to me is that although we have had batteries for years, most people, probably most people on this forum, have hundreds of excuses why they don't already have batteries and solar. Those little items have been around for years. So what is going to be different?

Someone will say, "Oh, now they will be cheaper." Hmmmm. I put batteries and solar in about quite a few years ago. I calculated that the system paid for itself a while ago, and my power has been "free" for a long time now. I bought my first electric car in 2002, because it just made sense to use free electricity to drive. Free is about as cheap as it gets.

What makes it "cheaper" is doing it, not waiting for prices to drop. Get a few panels. Add some more later. Keep doing that. Quit waiting.

 

[JRP3]

Well, I live in the woods, so no matter how cheap they get they just won't work. Unless I can mount them on the top branches...

 

[chickensevil]

I also can't do anything as long as I live in a condo/townhouse. I think the other issues asside from inability to install for one reason or another is upfront capital and misinformation.

If you were trying to install solar and batteries some 10+ years ago, the capital outlay is probably about double what it is today, and combine that with Banks being unlikely to loan you on the cash for anything other than some high interest "personal" loan and most aren't likely to be able to have done anything, and that's assuming it was cost effective to install in all cases (when you move away from CA the numbers can get even harder to make fit.)

Of course now that cost is less of a concern than it was 10+ years ago, you are faced with people who still think they are too expensive to get, so they don't even bother looking into it. So we need to work to combat that issue as well. It will come around more and more as prices drop further.

 

[doctoxics]

Well, I live in the woods, so no matter how cheap they get they just won't work. Unless I can mount them on the top branches...

I am also in the woods. Been working on solar project with my neighbor to the south for four years now. We logged 85 trees and I built a solar stand (out of logs) to get over the distant trees. Planning to have solar power this summer (with 3 powerwalls for storage).

 

[JRP3]

Nice. I don't want to drop a bunch of trees though. I might be able to put a small array on a tracker near the end of the driveway, maybe get a few hours of sunlight.

 

[Electroman]

cutting trees to save the environment? thats a novel concept