Gigafactory Texas on 6 January 2023! This is where Model Y’s are built and soon Cyber Truck production will start!
It was a very busy day today at Giga Texas, with several areas of construction progress, production at full speed and continuing to ramp into the new year, and some very large IDRA parts in crates on heavy-lift trailers deliveries today!
Timestamps:
Video introduction with discussion & illustration: 0:06 to 4:01
Drone flight footage & infographics: 4:06 to 30:24
In the video introduction, I discuss a few interesting topics and highlights on the site today. First, I discuss the new Texas State Legislature that is now in session (they meet every other year) and one of the significant agenda items for Tesla and Giga Texas. This item is to allow auto manufacturers to sell directly to customers, and it passed, this would be a major victory for Tesla.
I also discuss the arrival of several significant IDRA parts for the 9K-ton Giga Press on the site today. These were first viewed on the east side heading to the south, then across the south end and then north along the west side, finally arriving at the casting machine section. I do a time-lapse of the movement of one of these items into the casting machine structure. Interestingly, these parts were rapidly moved inside and unloaded, and then the trucks and heavy lift trailers they had used for the IDRA parts were departing the site, possibly to get additional parts loaded up and then return to Giga Texas later today.
There is some significant progress to report on at the electrical switchyard. We see more steel assembly of the main switchyard components, work on the cable tray trenches, including the start of the third (of eventually 4) trenches that will connect the switchyard proper to the metal control room, and the assembly of the 3rd (of 4) large steel power poles on the north end! These large poles will allow for a reconfiguration of the power lines and connection form these lines to the electrical switchyard!
Finally, I discuss the rapid assembly of the steel structure for the west battery cathode building. There are now about 12 to 15 steel columns erected, supporting steel parts installed and expanding concrete footings to the south, even extending the length of the building by another 50 feet (~15 meters). The steel assembly is following closely behind the pouring of concrete footings, continuing to suggest this structure will go up very quickly!
Here are a few other highlights from today’s video:
Three receiving docks on the east side of the main building continue to have their concrete apron areas re-worked, including some new plumbing installation, form installation and preparation for rebar ahead of concrete pours.
We see many deliveries on the south end of General Assembly (3rd floor via temporary platform) and Stamping extension! This includes more robotic assembly machines covered in silver wrapping, and more components necessary for continued stamping machine assembly.
Also on the south end, we see more ground prep well underway to allow for major construction of the new foundation and eventually building extension construction project to begin.
On the west side of General Assembly, we see the new concrete apron has had one third already poured with concrete, another third with forms and rebar ready for concrete, and the north end being prepared for rebar. This is to support additional receiving dock 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:
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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. Ending song is Mr. Sunny Face – 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
This kinda makes me want to be a construction worker
Very nice overview. So much happening they never seem to slow down.
Joe, thanks for the interesting video. On the battery cathode building new structure however it appears to me that the structure will consist of a pre-engineered building as exterior shell and interior structure to support equipment. The row of triangular columns will be the south end but there should be another row of columns identical to those as a mirror image on the north side, not shown yet. This structure also will be the high bay and it will be self standing. The interior structure should not be connected to the outer shell and will be all custom design. This is my guess from my past experience. If I am wrong please correct me. Thanks.
13:50 I see four front castings in the scrap pile. Makes sense that they are casting the fronts already, since all those "YSB" on the top floor will need them anyways.
That poor guy trying to back that truck lol. He must not be use to maneuvering trailers that long because that was a mighty struggle. Love the videos. Absolutely wild how large that site is and the work remaining to be done.
Dont go too near the main building man, they might revoke the permission. we need you.
Thanks Joe.
You showed up just at the right time today!
4:45. Southend. Theorising the 500’ extension will only be 400’ or less to allow for the full width road (105’) to be constructed between the extension and pond.
5:16. GA, south. Left. Model Y with an X taped across the windscreen.
5:58. GA, south. I was surprised to see a scaffold loading platform assembled. The fabricated steel platform probably could have gone up a lot quicker. Thinking the fabricated steel platform will be installed elsewhere. Somewhere along the west side for access once the extension construction gets underway.
6:58. Southend, steel stockpile. Seems to have been some movement of steel. Either inside, or across the highway near Tesla Road.
9:24. Stamping, apron. In amongst the IDRA action a sipping container of robots is being unloaded. Teleh-andler then delivering a robot to the bottom of the loading platform.
12:28. GA, apron. Right. Saw-cut the apron in front of the loading docks. Removing that also it would seem.
14:00. Casting, apron. Immediately to the left of the painted BIW is a front casting with a firewall. We don't normally see the firewall on any of the 4680 BIWs that show up outside, painted or not. Firewall must be a component attached in GA. Which raises the question, what's it doing here. May well be a test piece.
Some of the other castings have stamped components attached, as well as the foil mat (presumably) heat shields.
Dumper truck leaving with a load of spoil. Still digging inside, likely more column footings for the white painted plant platforms abutting the Paint Shop wall. Small excavator with a rock-breaker exits at 14:57.
17:43. Tesla Road. North. Gas metering location. Plates of steel laid as a track to the new patch of gravel. Something going on here. Harder NL, your attention please.
22:19. Cathode. Left. Pipes. As far as I can tell these are the roof drains. Don’t seem big enough, but they is what they is.
23:19. Cathode, new building. Second hall now fitted with bridge crane beams. Bridge crane beams don’t seem particularly hefty. Compared to Stamping/Casting for example.
Still thinking those truss members are columns. Possibly to carry a heftier bridge crane over whatever massive bit of equipment is to be built on the piled footing.
23:24. Cathode, new building. Oddly shaped beams on the ground to the left of the structure. They look like roof beams with all the brackets for the purlins*.
28:53. BIW, apron. Rebar laid ready for concrete.
Purlins, for the roof sheets to attach to. YLTMV
*YLTMV (Your Local Terminology May Vary).
Thanks again Joe for a thorough update of what's happening in GigaTexas!
FYI…… AIDA is pronounced just like the opera by Verdi. That is to say that the 'A' sounds like "aah". In English the first letter sounds like "aware" or "ahah". The second letter, "I", has the strong emphasis in this word and the sound of the "I" will sound exactly like our long "E"; as in "eat" The entire word sounds like "aah-e-da" with the accent on the "e". Otherwise, you do a great job. LOL…!!
GO TESLA GO🤠🇺🇸💪
Merci👍👍👍
Excellent Joe !!! I watch your videos every day. Thank you !!! 👏👏👏
That first delivery driver is not what I would call a good driver they are fair at best.
Thank you, Joe!! 😃
YES! This is a monumental moment for the factory! Thanks for taking extra time to capture it. Go Cybertruck!
So unbelievably exciting!!! Come to papa cybertruck!!!
Excellent stuff!
Unbelievable worse truck driver with the IDRA parts
Happy New Year! Best wishes from the UK.
It may just be the lighting conditions & or the time of year, but the landscaped area opposite the west side main entrance appears to have had a lot of the planting ripped out – the grasses & some of the shrubs, not the trees. If I'm right, how odd!
These videos have become my go to when I need to take a nap, because each time after 5 minutes in I’m sound asleep.
Why do they need power poles and extra power when Elon has previously said the solar panels would power the whole plant itself? 🤔
I'm curious why this building extension wasn't just built as part of the first framing and construction project? It's a small extension, and they already knew about it at that time as it was called "phase 2". It seems much more complicated and costly to dig up the water pipes and do a new foundation. What's the reason?
So big building but still needs separate buildings; why? Why it can‘t be inside the main building, which is already so big? Some security constraints, policies? Nice to see the development of the whole zone. Thanks for your videos!
please put the option to see subtitles in spanish thanks