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What is under construction at each factory?

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thx1139

Active Member
Aug 1, 2014
2,621
12,030
Lemont, IL
I am curious do we have through understanding about what is being constructed at each factory? If a thread already exists for this then please point it out to me,

My understanding is as follows:
Berlin
General purpose facilities
Paint Shop​
Battery production facility​
Stamping facility​
Model Y production line(s)
Gigapress for Model Y. How many?​
Are Model 3 production lines being built?
Anything else?
Texas
General purpose facilities
Paint Shop​
Battery production facility
Stamping facility​
Model Y production line(s)
Gigapress for Model Y. How many?​
Cybertruck production line(s)
Will a Gigapress be used for Cybertruck​
Anything else specific to Cybertruck?
Model 3/S/X will be produced in Fremont only?
Shanghai
Model 3 and Model Y production lines already in place. This includes Gigapress(s) for Model Y.
Whats under construction?
Battery production facility?​
Model 2 production lines?
What else?​
Fremont
Battery production facility
Changing the temporary tented line to a regular building
Anything else?
Nevada
Anything?
 
You should probably break battery production facility into drivetrain, battery packs and battery cells. These are typically discrete buildings at Shanghai or offsite with cell production coming on site at Texas and Berlin. With Texas you can also add LiOH refinement as Tesla will be taking partially refined ore from Piedmont in SC and producing LiOH feedstock on site along with 4680 cell production (see recent Joe Tegtmeyer video). Over time I'd expect more of the battery chemical feedstock production to be established at Giga Texas. It doesn't appear that Model 3 construction is currently happening at Berlin or Texas but this could be added later or mixed into existing lines.

Texas currently has footings for 6 giga casting machines and Berlin 8. Elon has said that Cybertruck will also use castings but will require a bigger casting machine, I think it was 8000 ton instead of 6100. The other Cybertruck specific element will be the large etching and folding machines to form the stainless panel folds.

Current Shanghai construction appears to be an extension to Model Y GA, a new press line to expand Y/3 production, increase to ancillary parts production/cells and the new design centre. This in additon to the new land area that is currently being used for construction support and storage but may eventually become marshalling/loading and/or Model 2 production facilities.

Nevada appeared to have some recent construction, possibly related to the initial Semi production.

An editable wiki post is a great idea.
 
You should probably break battery production facility into drivetrain, battery packs and battery cells. These are typically discrete buildings at Shanghai or offsite with cell production coming on site at Texas and Berlin. With Texas you can also add LiOH refinement as Tesla will be taking partially refined ore from Piedmont in SC and producing LiOH feedstock on site along with 4680 cell production (see recent Joe Tegtmeyer video). Over time I'd expect more of the battery chemical feedstock production to be established at Giga Texas. It doesn't appear that Model 3 construction is currently happening at Berlin or Texas but this could be added later or mixed into existing lines.

Texas currently has footings for 6 giga casting machines and Berlin 8. Elon has said that Cybertruck will also use castings but will require a bigger casting machine, I think it was 8000 ton instead of 6100. The other Cybertruck specific element will be the large etching and folding machines to form the stainless panel folds.

Current Shanghai construction appears to be an extension to Model Y GA, a new press line to expand Y/3 production, increase to ancillary parts production/cells and the new design centre. This in additon to the new land area that is currently being used for construction support and storage but may eventually become marshalling/loading and/or Model 2 production facilities.

Nevada appeared to have some recent construction, possibly related to the initial Semi production.

An editable wiki post is a great idea.
A wiki would be good to allow for people to add more detail to each item easily, but for now I think most of us are interested in what the core tasks of each factory will be doing. Would be interesting to know what each building or part of each building is for, but best for a wiki.

Also do people believe that Model Y production at Texas Gigafactory will start while Cybertruck facilities are still under construction?
 
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I expect we'll see some Y production even while that facility is still under construction. I'm specifically thinking of the first Texas giga casting machine they are rapidly completing. I would expect that to start trial castings in the next week or two and then start shipping completed rear body castings to Fremont. With the recent fire to one of the Fremont giga casting machines, they need to diversify and de-risk that element of current Y production ASAP.