"Officially Open" AP Reports for Tesla Gigafactory

[G. David Felt]

G. David Felt
Staff Writer Alternative Energy - www.CheersandGears.com

 

"Officially Open" AP Reports for Tesla Gigafactory

 

Brought to you from the Money section of MSN.com, AP is reporting that on July 26 2016, Tesla has officially acknowledged that the Gigafactory is officially open for manufacturing of batteries and expansion is on track that will allow Tesla to build and deliver 500,000 auto's in 2018. This includes the heavily pre-sold Tesla 3.

 

AP Story on MSN

 

There is plenty of additional news around this 3200 Acre battery plant that has even more info on the time line of being full production, which Elon Musk now says will be some time in 2020.

 

BBC Story

 

According to the Forbes Story, CEO of Panasonic stepped up investments to a committed 1.6 Billion due to the presales of 400,000 Tesla 3 auto's and the ability to sell the cells to any other auto maker that is interested.

 

Forbes Story

 

USA Today Story

[Suaviloquent]

About time. Interesting stuff.

[G. David Felt]

About time. Interesting stuff.

Makes one wonder if GM could eventually after getting things going on the BOLT with LG use Tesla Gigafactory as a secondary supplier of battery cells.

[ccap41]

 

About time. Interesting stuff.

Makes one wonder if GM could eventually after getting things going on the BOLT with LG use Tesla Gigafactory as a secondary supplier of battery cells.

 

I wouldn't doubt that at all. I think it would be smart on their part and they can probably push "built in America" some as well. 

[G. David Felt]

Tesla has updated their own webpage about the Gigafactory with a video and pictures.

 

https://www.tesla.com/gigafactory

 

https://player.vimeo.com/video/108958187

 

Slides that were shown yesterday about the Gigafactory and Tesla long term plans.

 

Official Photo of the Entrance to the Giga Factory

 

Aerial view of the current factory

 

Slides shown to those at the Gigafactory launch.

 

 

Here are a picture of the Invite and additional slide.

 

 

[ccap41]

This can be such a game changer once it is fully up and running. 

[G. David Felt]

Musk is getting what he wants in the form of plenty of press. More stories about the Gigafactory launch.

 

http://www.sfgate.com/business/article/Tesla-slams-the-accelerator-on-Gigafactory-8425753.php

 

http://www.nbcnews.com/tech/innovation/tesla-opens-gigafactory-expand-battery-production-sales-n617676

 

http://www.fool.com/investing/2016/07/27/tesla-gigafactory-unveiled-an-inside-look.aspx

 

http://money.cnn.com/2016/07/26/technology/tesla-gigafactory/index.html

 

http://fortune.com/2016/07/26/live-blog-tesla-gigafactory/

[FAPTurbo]

This can be such a game changer once it is fully up and running.

 

THAT'S BECAUSE YOU'RE SHEEPLE WHO FALL FOR ELON'S DIVERSIONARY TACTICS JUST LIKE THE MASS MEDIA REMEMBER DUSENBURG THEY WERE A SUPER BIG DEAL AND EVEN THEY FAILED OR REMEMBER DELOREAN THEY WERE IN A MOVIE AND THEY FAILED TOO TESLA IS JUST A PIMPLE ON AUTOMOTIVE HISTORY HOW CAN YOU NOT SEE THROUGH MUSK'S SMOKE AND MIRRORS I HAVE AN AUTOBODY CERTIFICATE FROM TECHNICAL INSTITUTE SO UNLIKE ALL YOU COASTAL STATE CALIFORNIA ARMCHAIR TYPES WHO ARE EASILY SWAYED I ACTUALLY KNOW HOW THIS INDUSTRY WORKS. 

[ccap41]

Uhhhh... I'm in the midwest.. 

 

And no matter what your opinion is electric cars are coming. At this point it is just a matter of time before there is a legitimate infrastructure for charging. Whatever his tactics are..have worked wonders for him and his previous businesses selling for hundreds of millions and billions of dollars. 

 

I'm not sure what having an auto body certificate has to do with the Gigafactory but that's good or you. Teslas will just be more vehicles you can repair. 

[Blake Noble]

[El Kabong]

Ambitious, and perhaps a bit cockamamie. In possibly related news, we have this link:

http://www.roadandtrack.com/new-cars/future-cars/news/a30157/musk-tesla-model-3-final-design/

[Intrepidation]

ProTip:

 

That was sarcasm.

[El Kabong]

Eh. I just played it straight with my comment.

[ccap41]

My bad guys.. Stupid interwebz sarcasm is tough some times.. *facepalm*

[G. David Felt]

Ambitious, and perhaps a bit cockamamie. In possibly related news, we have this link:

http://www.roadandtrack.com/new-cars/future-cars/news/a30157/musk-tesla-model-3-final-design/

Good Capture, so he finally says this is final and it still looks the same as what everyone test drove. H'mmmmmmmmmm 

[oldshurst442]

Ambitious, and perhaps a bit cockamamie. In possibly related news, we have this link:

http://www.roadandtrack.com/new-cars/future-cars/news/a30157/musk-tesla-model-3-final-design/

 

What is so cockamamie about it?

 

From YOUR link....

 

The WHOLE tiny article:

 

"The Tesla Model 3 that Elon Musk first showed off in April (pictured above) is not the Model 3 that will eventually reach customer hands. At a tech conference in early June, Musk said that his team would need six more weeks to finalize the Model 3's design. Apparently, now the affordable electric car is finally finalized.

At a Tuesday launch event for Tesla's new Gigafactory, Musk said the Model 3 design was "pencils down" as of two weeks ago, according to a Bloomberg report. With that, Musk says Tesla is on schedule to begin production of the long-awaited Model 3 next summer, though he previously said that it'll take a few months for production to ramp up to full speed.

Even before revealing the Model 3 concept in April, Musk said certain features would only be revealed closer to final production. Right now, it's unclear when we'll get to see the production-spec Model 3.

Tesla is under an immense amount of pressure with the Model 3, with nearly 400,000 customers depositing $1000 to get in line to buy one. That demand requires the company to ramp up production far beyond its current capacity. There'll be a lot of late nights and long weekends at Tesla if production is to begin in earnest in a year's time."

 

 

 

Or maybe because he will begin production of the Model 3 next year?

But like how we knew certain features would only be revealed closer to final production, we also knew the Model 3's production would only start sometime next year. Some of us even predict lateness....

 

I know.

I know.

You only report the news.

(with nonsensical sarcasm most of the time making mountains out of molehills)

 

I came outta vacation time to call you out on this...Im in Niagara Falls as I type this.

Having a great time!

Now excuse me...I gots to see some Ripley's Believe It or Not facts!

Some REAL facts to read upon, not non-stories that some of us call cockamamie...

Edited July 29, 2016 by oldshurst442

[ccap41]

 

Ambitious, and perhaps a bit cockamamie. In possibly related news, we have this link:

http://www.roadandtrack.com/new-cars/future-cars/news/a30157/musk-tesla-model-3-final-design/

Good Capture, so he finally says this is final and it still looks the same as what everyone test drove. H'mmmmmmmmmm 

 

That picture was only of the first Model 3. It didn't say that the pictured car was the finalized one, just that it is finally finalized. At least that is how I read it. 

[G. David Felt]

 

 

Ambitious, and perhaps a bit cockamamie. In possibly related news, we have this link:

http://www.roadandtrack.com/new-cars/future-cars/news/a30157/musk-tesla-model-3-final-design/

Good Capture, so he finally says this is final and it still looks the same as what everyone test drove. H'mmmmmmmmmm 

 

That picture was only of the first Model 3. It didn't say that the pictured car was the finalized one, just that it is finally finalized. At least that is how I read it. 

 

Good Point, my reading of it came across differently, but I see the point your also making. Be interesting to see what he calls the final and what the spec is. I also wonder about the impact the 225 mile BOLT will have on this 215 mile Tesla 3 or the 200+ mile Leaf II out spring 2017 or the 115 mile Ioniq from hyundai. 

 

We do live in exciting times.  

[ccap41]

 

 

 

Ambitious, and perhaps a bit cockamamie. In possibly related news, we have this link:

http://www.roadandtrack.com/new-cars/future-cars/news/a30157/musk-tesla-model-3-final-design/

Good Capture, so he finally says this is final and it still looks the same as what everyone test drove. H'mmmmmmmmmm 

 

That picture was only of the first Model 3. It didn't say that the pictured car was the finalized one, just that it is finally finalized. At least that is how I read it. 

 

Good Point, my reading of it came across differently, but I see the point your also making. Be interesting to see what he calls the final and what the spec is. I also wonder about the impact the 225 mile BOLT will have on this 215 mile Tesla 3 or the @00+ mile Leaf II out spring 2017 or the 115 mile Ioniq from hyundai. 

 

We do live in exciting times.  

 

Now if we could only get some charging infrastructure over here in the mid west... 

[balthazar]

My bad guys.. Stupid interwebz sarcasm is tough some times.. *facepalm*

FapTurbo is the 'Gigafactory of Sarcasm'...

 

- - - - -

Was that the profile of a Ford F-150 illustrating Tesla's future pick-up?

Edited July 29, 2016 by balthazar

[Suaviloquent]

Holy $h!, I didn't think Tesla wants to have the capability to outsell Chrysler (albeit those include international sales, not just domestic chrysler car sales).

 

Damn. Crazy.

[balthazar]

Waiting to see if Tesla sticks with "500,000 units for 2018" when 2016 is looking like about 12% of that.

I'm not finding it credible that battery supply is the constraint on not being at, say, randomly; 125,000 units for '16...

[Suaviloquent]

I'm not sure if everyone has yet seen,  but the gigafactory built so far is actually....nifty coincidence a little more than about 12% of the planned construction is complete.

 

By next year this time they expect validation and q&a of the Model 3 batteries to be complete.

 

This is a nifty thing though. The stakeholders are vested, and already the facility can be used to make battery packs.

 

I think a lot more automakers and others who need lithium packs will buy in.

 

There might just be a gigafactory on every continent in the near future.

 

 

I don't necceasrily still fully buy in to electric vehicles, but I do think that batteries NEED this kind of investment in terms of production and infrastructure to lower cost. I'm NOT deterministic, but it's pretty obvious rationalization of the production of big lithium is one of the few ways to lower unit cost, so this isn't a stupid idea.

 

Think about it. our entire economies are still largely driven by petro, and most of the infrastructure of that system was finished being built by the 50's. The majority of all the refineries in Texas, Alberta, and elsewhere in N/A are OLD AS F***. Maintaining them is all the big petro's do.

[balthazar]

^ Plenty of manufacturing facilities are "old", it's not that big of a deal. 
GM's Janesville Assembly was 90 yrs old when shuttered in '09.

[Suaviloquent]

The point is that from an accounting perspective, depreciation and subsidies make oil far more compelling than it really is. Yes, the facility out of Reno got plenty of govt welfare, but here's the big equalizer.

 

 

Everyone will be doing this. 

 

If any mainstream make wants to sell 500,000 electric cars per year with more than 200 miles of range, they also need 50 GWH of batteries per year.

 

And this facility is now being setup to eventually be able to triple, as in produce 150 GWH, anually. Now that's years away, awaiting a sustainable business model from Tesla, but this is the right time, perhaps the right place, and if Tesla fails, some else will pickup the pieces - it's an opportunity too good to miss.

[G. David Felt]

The point is that from an accounting perspective, depreciation and subsidies make oil far more compelling than it really is. Yes, the facility out of Reno got plenty of govt welfare, but here's the big equalizer.

 

 

Everyone will be doing this. 

 

If any mainstream make wants to sell 500,000 electric cars per year with more than 200 miles of range, they also need 50 GWH of batteries per year.

 

And this facility is now being setup to eventually be able to triple, as in produce 150 GWH, annually. Now that's years away, awaiting a sustainable business model from Tesla, but this is the right time, perhaps the right place, and if Tesla fails, some else will pickup the pieces - it's an opportunity too good to miss.

You could make a business case now for the 150 GWH batteries. Just sell an Escalade Electrified. Independant suspension at each wheel and the undercarriage is one large battery pack. Each wheel make it an in rim motor and you have AWD on a large sled battery pack. 

 

Hell even if you copy Tesla with a motor in the middle of each axle and the large battery between front and rear wheels, you can have an awesome full size AWD SUV.

 

I think Cadillac needs an Escalade EV now leading the way for luxury full size SUV's pure electric. They could easily sell this as a $100,000 SUV.

[Suaviloquent]

The Escalade is known for a V8 though.

 

Yes, I do believe and EV would be great. But I think it's wise to hold off on that.

 

 

There's really no rush to make every vehicle have an EV iteration. Better to do it right.

 

Unlike some people, it's not like people will be become buying bots buying the same EV over and over again, just because it was first. That's never how it works - for any market that has yet to even begin maturing. 

 

Plus couple that with the impending car sales implosion, which I totally believe will, can and should happen. 84 month car payments for base model cars are just another way of saying 48 months of bad debt on a barely used car.

[G. David Felt]

The Escalade is known for a V8 though.

 

Yes, I do believe and EV would be great. But I think it's wise to hold off on that.

 

 

There's really no rush to make every vehicle have an EV iteration. Better to do it right.

 

Unlike some people, it's not like people will be become buying bots buying the same EV over and over again, just because it was first. That's never how it works - for any market that has yet to even begin maturing. 

 

Plus couple that with the impending car sales implosion, which I totally believe will, can and should happen. 84 month car payments for base model cars are just another way of saying 48 months of bad debt on a barely used car.

 

I actually think an EV Escalade not only makes sense but can be done now. Cadillac sold every Hybrid Escalade they built and it is rare to find the Cadillac, GMC or Chevy version of these Hybrids on the used car lot. People who own them love them and are holding onto them till GM brings out a replacement.

 

I truly believe GM is missing out on a much desired market that no one has delivered on yet. I think this could work very well to Cadillac's "Dare Greatly" marketing message.

[ccap41]

Well in all fairness, part of that is because so few sold so there aren't many to even see a used lot.

 

About Tesla though...

 

They acquired SolarCity today. Well there is a 45 day waiting period in case somebody out bids them.

"Tesla made an offer to buy SolarCity in late June, and it's been a bit of a rocky road since then. But today, the two companies announced that they have indeed entered into an agreement for the California automaker to acquire SolarCity for $2.6 billion in an all-stock transaction.

 

The deal gives SolarCity stockholders some Tesla common shares at a rate of 0.110 Tesla share for each SolarCity share, based on a "5-day volume-weighted average price of Tesla shares as of July 29, 2016." A blog post qua press release issued by the two companies calls the new entity, "the world's only vertically integrated sustainable energy company." The deal now has to go through a 45-day approval process to make sure that SolarCity doesn't get a better deal from someone else. The two companies say they expect the deal to officially close in the fourth quarter of 2016. It's likely that the SolarCity name would go away when that happens.

 

Why does Tesla want to own a company known for putting solar panels on people's rooftops? Because this way the automaker can leverage its energy storage arm, the part that makes the Tesla Powerwall, into a one-stop shop for getting off the grid. It's worth noting that the announcement - issued by both Tesla and SolarCity – makes absolutely zero mention of Tesla's electric cars, but Tesla CEO has been Tweeting about vertical integration recently:" http://www.autoblog.com/2016/08/01/tesla-solarcity-become-one-with-2-6-billion-all-stock-deal/

Edited August 2, 2016 by ccap41

[G. David Felt]

Well in all fairness, part of that is because so few sold so there aren't many to even see a used lot.

 

About Tesla though...

 

They acquired SolarCity today. Well there is a 45 day waiting period in case somebody out bids them.

"Tesla made an offer to buy SolarCity in late June, and it's been a bit of a rocky road since then. But today, the two companies announced that they have indeed entered into an agreement for the California automaker to acquire SolarCity for $2.6 billion in an all-stock transaction.

 

The deal gives SolarCity stockholders some Tesla common shares at a rate of 0.110 Tesla share for each SolarCity share, based on a "5-day volume-weighted average price of Tesla shares as of July 29, 2016." A blog post qua press release issued by the two companies calls the new entity, "the world's only vertically integrated sustainable energy company." The deal now has to go through a 45-day approval process to make sure that SolarCity doesn't get a better deal from someone else. The two companies say they expect the deal to officially close in the fourth quarter of 2016. It's likely that the SolarCity name would go away when that happens.

 

Why does Tesla want to own a company known for putting solar panels on people's rooftops? Because this way the automaker can leverage its energy storage arm, the part that makes the Tesla Powerwall, into a one-stop shop for getting off the grid. It's worth noting that the announcement - issued by both Tesla and SolarCity – makes absolutely zero mention of Tesla's electric cars, but Tesla CEO has been Tweeting about vertical integration recently:" http://www.autoblog.com/2016/08/01/tesla-solarcity-become-one-with-2-6-billion-all-stock-deal/

Solar City is a bailout by Musk of his cousin if memory serves me right who could not run it profitably.

 

Now I will agree with Musk that selling his power wall with the solar panels so it is a complete solution makes perfect sense to me.

[balthazar]

The Escalade is known for a V8 though.

Yes, I do believe and EV would be great. But I think it's wise to hold off on that.

Escalade is known for being 'the Escalade'. Yes it happens to have always had a V8, but that's not the forefront characteristic, IMO.

IOW; a full electric E, alongside the traditional E, would be just fine, IMO.  

[G. David Felt]

Escalade Hybrids were built from 2009 to 2013 or 5 model years and while I have not been able to find specific numbers, cadillac is on record saying that the Hybrid was 20% of overall escalade sales.

 

So if we take the total Escalade sales for each year:

 

2009 - 25,884

2010 - 26,874

2011 - 25,503

2012 - 22,632

2013 - 22,514

 

We have a total of 123,407 Escalades sold. 20% of that would mean they built 24,681 Hybrids. That is not a bad number, so I would question as to why they killed off a very green and desirable auto? After all MB and BMW have models that sell a fraction of this and are not killed off.

 

So why is Cadillac so afraid of offering an EV in their full size Escalade?

 

Inquiring minds want to know!

[Suaviloquent]

20% of sales and it improved the horrible mpg by a not so insignificant 20% mpg or more.

 

We'll have hybrid trucks soon. Very soon.