Gigafactory Texas on 16 December 2022! This is where Model Y’s are built and soon Cyber Truck production will start!
Another early morning flight and today, we are greeted by some truly gorgeous skies and a vivid sunrise! What we see on the site is another very busy day with some interesting discoveries and progress all over, from far southwest to the far northeast and everywhere in-between!
Timestamps:
Tesla & Giga Texas 3,000 cars/week run rate achieved! 0:06 to 1:06
Introduction & highlights with discussion & illustration: 1:07 to 2:49
Drone flight footage & infographics: 2:55 to 28:58
In the video introduction, I start with my personal congratulations to all of the employees, contractors and sub-contractors who have worked hard to allow Tesla and Giga Texas hit another major production milestone … in this case a 3,000 car per week production rate! I also show you via a grid map where the celebratory image was taken inside the factory.
I also discuss the arrival of more IDRA parts and components for the larger 9,000-ton Giga Press in the northwest bay of the casting machine structure. We see two of the large, red-painted components and crates with sliding shafts for these components now on-site! More preparation work on or near the foundations for these large machines was evident as well.
I also discuss the changes underway at the new building foundation just west of the battery cathode plant, to include excavations for the south end footings for the building, making the overall outline of the structure much more apparent. We also see trenching around the dense reinforced piers and many more footings under construction.
Finally, I highlight the work on the far southwest area that is now known as the wests support facility and logistics yard. Quite a bit of earthwork is underway, with many trucks lined up for dirt loads via an excavator digging out remnants of some of the hills and then transported to fill in some of the valley remnants. The overall work is to level the grade over a vast area.
Here are the highlights from today’s video:
On the east side small parking lot, we see continued progress with the 32 supercharger station installation. More Model Y’s are being temporarily staged here, undergoing checkouts and testing before they are moved to the new car transportation staging & pickup lot a bit farther to the NE from this location.
At the electrical switchyard construction site, we see more work installing the primary cable trays, with most now having had concrete poured in them, with new projections out to the main switchyard area to make the final connections. On the top of the “A-frame” structures, we see recently installed lightning arrestors and poles to prevent damage from electrical storms.
We get a closer look at about a dozen newly added receiving doors on the west side of the main factory, having recently had the concrete filler panels removed and new load leveler systems and doors installed. This continues a trend to expand the receiving doors around the main building.
Across the highway on the southwest side, we see more trailer parking set up including fencing, parking markers and more prepared surfaces. This is an expansion of the east Warehouse-on-Wheels (WOW) Yard and trailers are already in place, so they are not wasting time for this expansion.
On the southwest end of the main building, we see a crane in operation moving solar panels, mounts, and other equipment up to the roof. This is likely related to the continued filling of the gap between the “L” and “A” of TESLA with the final set of solar panels.
Finally, on the south end of the main building, we see a lot of work trenching and installing huge steel corrugated water management pipes, including trenching into and under the south end of the building. This is in the area where the steel loading platform was recently removed to allow for this construction.
Thank you for watching and I hope this has been informative, educational, and entertaining for you. If you would like, please consider supporting me via Patreon (link is in the description of this video and in the video itself) so I can continue to make and share these incredible videos.
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Be sure to check out additional Texas Gigafactory footage on these channels:
@Jeff Roberts
@Brad Sloan
Video, photos, illustrations, and commentary on this video is by me, Joe Tegtmeyer unless otherwise annotated.
Music in this video is obtained from the YouTube free and unrestricted and royalty-free use library. Primary song is “Pont de Abril” by Steve Adams, and ending song is “Mr. Sunny Face” by Wayne Jones
Drones used are DJI Mavic Mini, Mini 2 and Mavic Air 2.
Drone flight over Giga Texas is with permission of Tesla and CEO Elon Musk
YouTube seems to be processing the 4K slowly again, despite saying it had already completed 4K processing. If the resolution is low, please give YouTube a few minutes to try and fix their internal issues. Again, this is out of my control. Sorry if the videos aren't immediately in 4K.
Can’t they just run some windmills on that land. Cheaper and easier then all that solar which someone said might only be 10% of needed supply. Then use some megapacks 😎
Thanks for your continued efforts, been watching since the start. As a large manufacturing system program manager, the amount of rework is mind boggling……
The mud layer under the footing does 2 things. Gives them a flat/level ( +/- an inch) surface to build on, and supports the weight of tons of rebar so it doesn't sink into the dirt.
its not a traffic circle it called roundabout
Let’s talk about the elephant in the room, Elon. Big oil has declared war on USA democracy; because it is the only way they can remain a cash cow. Doesn’t Elon realize that he is damaging the Tesla brand, which is exactly what big oil wants? It’s the only way big oil can win, by destroying Tesla's brand. Big oil loves Elon now, since he is obedient to their cause.
People are now labeling Elon as a stochastic terrorist and taking snapshots of their Tesla order cancellations. The majority of Tesla’s customers are left wing. Most of the right wing hate electric cars; just watch Fox or OAN to see that. Elon is alienating the left wing; so, who will remain buyers of Tesla cars?
How did the big oil right wing get Elon to adopt their support for fascists and their hate groups? Someone needs to talk Elon of the ledge now before it’s too late. Otherwise, big oil wins again!
Joe has Elon ever made a comment on your great videos 😊
What you reference to as the “poles” for the casting machine are, at least in the U.K., called “Tie Bars” as they connect the fixed plattens together and have to withstand the up to 9000 tons force in tension as well as guide/support the moving platten plus moving half of the die.
You are great man!!… And You make an amazing job!..Congratulations on displaying Tesla's progress at Gigatexas. Cheers from Spain.
Hi Joe, Tesla building a new store in Richmond, TX. I drove by it yesterday 12/16/22 and took some pics. Still under construction. Richmond, Texas — According to state and local economic development sources Tesla plans to invest $11,500,000.00 to build out 87,228 square feet of new space in Richmond. The company plans to occupy the new space at 21555 Southwest Freeway in Richmond, on or about December 1, 2022.
Can you do anything about the spammer that hijacked your image and responded to almost every comment?
Probably a YouTube issue.
Where will rolls of stainless be unloaded?? By truck or train??
Very busy site in this video!
Thanks Joe Great Job
picture quality is great 👍👌👏✨️😍 great work
15:28 Should have drained that pond by laying a short section of pipe across the road to connect it to the retention pond.
Amazing video and thank you for breaking it down!! Despite the economic downturn,I'm so happy I have been earning $60k return from my $9k investment every 21 days
@Joe Tegtmeyer: If you have the opportunity to ask, can you find out this?;
Since all the Model Y cars are self-driving-capable, can't Tesla have the cars drive themselves out of the building and into pre-determined spots in the parking lot? And drive themselves onto the car carriers? I'd think that if self driving is capable of dealing with real-world locations, you'd think they should be able to handle the very limited but very well-understood environment around Giga Texas. Could alleviate a tedious job (driving the cars out to the holding lot).
Maybe they're adding an extension to the factory. In the initial ground work they made some big pits for the 6 kton presses, but I don't remember seeing a big pit for the 9 kton press. Perhaps this is the area where they plan to excavate a large pit to put the 9 kton press for Cybertruck. At the old "main entrance" cutout section at 21:00
Considering the chemical process to be carried out in the battery cathode building, I'm making a guess that the new building to its west, with the heavy machinery piling, is for prepping the incoming limestone. In this regard a large crushing plant would need to be installed, As far as I know, the Spodumene concentrate (SC6) will arrive pre-processed so will need no additional crushing. We've all been reading about new Lithium processing methods, so it's maybe too early to tell if the plant will be a classic SC6+ limestone process or something else.
Dose a warehouse need such heavy and deep foundation and footings?(next to the Cathode plant)
Merry Christmas & Happy New Year. I think about the beginning of the Tesla factory & what the scale has become over 3 years later. This project is ongoing for many years to come. I'm 70. I have a Cyber Truck ordered. I believe by the time I receive my Cyber Truck it will deliver itself. FSD will be solved before I get my truck
your videos seem to be pretty interesting but i have to say the repeative thumbnail is not attracting viewers .
Those flat silver packages being lifted onto the roof appear to be the right size for solar panels. Tesla may be finding it difficult to source solar panels in sufficient quantities from their main supplier and have had to resort to outside sourcing in order to get the overall solar installation done in a reasonable timeframe especially as the completion of the permanent switchyard construction nears.
3:55 fade – the magic fading man.😉
27:20 I think these things lifted to the roof are packs of solar panels.