Gigafactory
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Tesla buys an engineering firm to meet Model 3 production goals
Tesla is going to need to make a lot of cars if it's going to fulfill all those Model 3 pre-orders... 500,000 per year by 2018, to be exact. And it's making a big purchase to help it reach that lofty goal. The company is acquiring Grohmann Engineering, a German firm specializing in automated manufacturing. The buyout (which creates Tesla Grohmann Automation) should give Elon Musk and crew more of the expertise and systems they need for high-volume production not only at the Gigafactory, but elsewhere in the world. Grohmann will serve as the base for Tesla's Advanced Automation Germany facility, with more locations coming.
Fisker's EMotion sports car, and more in the week that was
Tesla swept headlines this week by launching a groundbreaking solar roof tile that's better looking and longer lasting than standard shingles. The technology could trickle down to the company's cars too -- Elon Musk hinted that the upcoming Tesla Model 3 could feature a solar roof that melts ice and snow while generating energy from the sun. Meanwhile, legendary automotive designer Henrik Fisker finally unveiled his EMotion sports car, which will be able to drive 400 miles on a single charge when it launches next year. Nissan debuted the first all-electric mobile office, which is housed in a beautifully renovated e-nv200 van. And a Chinese company is getting ready to launch the world's fastest maglev train, which will be able to hit 373 miles per hour.
A bus suspended over the ground, and more in the week that was
So far Tesla has launched a sexy sportscar, a luxe sedan, a powerful SUV, and an affordable electric car. What's next? Think bigger. According to Elon Musk, the company is set to unveil an electric Minibus next year, and it will drive itself. Speaking of buses, China just unveiled the craziest one we've ever seen: It's suspended above the ground, and is tall enough to fly right over traffic jams. A team of students created the world's most efficient electric car, which gets an outrageous 26,135 MPGe. Gogoro launched a new electric scooter sharing service in Berlin, and the world's first Hyperloop factory opened for business.
Six Tesla inventions that aren't electric cars
By Cat DiStasio Tesla is well known for its electric cars, but you might be surprised to learn about all the other stuff the company makes. At some point in time, each of the amazing things Tesla is doing now was simply another one of CEO Elon Musk's crazy ideas. Now the company is working on batteries that can power your home, the world's largest building and a global network of thousands of zero-cost electric car chargers. Read on to learn about six incredible Tesla projects -- aside from electric vehicles, that is.
Tesla Model X: The official SUV of the future
My eyeballs feel weird. It's the fault of Tesla's Ludicrous mode. With the feature enabled the Model X P90D is the world's fastest SUV -- launching from zero to 60 in 3.2 seconds. Sure that jolt of acceleration will fling you back into your seat, but what I wasn't prepared for was how the g-forces affected my eyes as the acceleration seemingly pushed my corneas into my skull. Like the car itself, it was at first unsettling, but once that feeling passed, it was a hell of a ride. Even with those ostentatious Falcon Wing doors.
Nissan's gold Olympics-edition EV, and more in the week that was
Tesla's Gigafactory is set to double the world's battery production, and this week it opened its doors for the first time. Tesla is also working on an electric truck, but Mercedes-Benz beat them to punch this week by launching the world's first all-electric big rig. In other transportation news, a sun-powered airplane completed an epic trip around the world -- and we highlighted eight milestones from its record-shattering flight. Nissan announced that it will give golden Leaf EVs to medal-winning Olympic athletes. And Norway unveiled plans to build the world's first floating underwater traffic tunnels, which will be suspended from pontoons.
Inside the Gigafactory: Tesla's most important project
Journalists sit in cars and a shuttle as a guard checks to make sure every passenger is on his list. They're the security guards for Tesla's biggest and most important endeavor, the Gigafactory. When completed, it will occupy space equivalent to 107 football fields. The automaker has invited us for a tour of the largest battery-manufacturing factory on the planet.
Inhabitat's Week in Green: The first freeform 3D-printed house
After 20 years of construction, Switzerland just completed the world's longest and deepest rail tunnel. The 35-mile Gotthard Base Tunnel runs 1.5 miles under the mountains connecting northern and southern Europe. In other transportation news, Paris just banned all cars made before 1997 in a bid to reduce air pollution. Tesla's battery Gigafactory is set to host its grand opening on July 29th, while a new report claims that Volkswagen is spending $15.5 billion to build a gigantic battery factory of its own. Consumer Reports ranked the Toyota Prius as the car with the best gas mileage it has ever tested, and Ford announced that the Fusion Energi can travel further than any other plug-in hybrid on the market.
Tesla hosts a grand opening for its Gigafactory on July 29th
Tesla's sprawling Gigafactory has yet to kick into full swing, but that isn't stopping the electric car maker from giving its plant an official debut. It's inviting its biggest fans (including those who referred buyers) to a grand opening for the Gigafactory on July 29th, even though the Nevada facility is still well away from being finished. There's no mention of what's on the itinerary, although it's reasonable to suspect that this could be the first truly revealing, officially sanctioned peek inside the factory. Motor Trend got a tour in April, but mainly showed the outside.
Tesla can count on Panasonic to keep up with Model 3 demand
Tesla may be willing to stump up a lot of cash to meet brisk demand for the Model 3, but it still can't do this alone -- not when Panasonic is pouring $1.6 billion into the Gigafactory needed to make the electric car's batteries. Thankfully, the Japanese electronics giant has Tesla's back. Panasonic tells reporters that the company will "do [its] best" to speed up its investment if it's needed to help Tesla meet its accelerated production goals, which now have it making 500,000 cars per year by 2018 instead of 2020. While the firm wants to get a good return on its investment, it also doesn't want to "be a bottleneck" to Tesla's plans.
Tesla claims trespassing journalists attacked Gigafactory workers
As a news editor, I can understand the desire to get a scoop about Tesla's mysterious Gigafactory by pushing boundaries... but this is very much beyond the pale. Two Reno Gazette Journal staffers are facing charges after they not only trespassed at the battery plant, but attacked the staff that caught them. Reportedly, they ignored requests to stay put and used their Jeep to ram two Tesla employees that responded to the incident. While only the driver has been charged with assault, it's safe to say that both of the journos knew what they were doing.
Tesla gets ready for its 'Gigafactory' by tripling its Nevada land
Tesla's battery-focused "Gigafactory" isn't even finished yet, but that isn't stopping the electric car maker from expanding its plant's territory. The company just confirmed that it has nearly tripled its Nevada land purchases, adding 1,893 acres to the 1,000 it got back in 2014. Not that Tesla is planning to grow the factory itself in the near future. A spokesperson tells the Wall Street Journal that most of the new turf is a buffer space -- Tesla could put solar farms in this area to power the factory, but it won't add manufacturing capacity in the short term. Elon Musk and crew have the option of buying thousands of more acres, though, and there's a real chance that they'll need the extra headroom if the Model 3 and Powerwall take off.
Tesla Motors preps for its $35k Model 3 with a new battery factory in Nevada
Tesla Motors is going to need to expand production to hit its goal of selling a $35,000 electric vehicle by 2017, and as rumored, today it's announcing plans for a new plant in Nevada that will help it get there. Several states were in the running to host the "Gigafactory" (and its 6,500~ jobs) but Elon Musk and Co. have chosen to put down roots in the Reno area. According to local papers like the Reno Gazette-Journal, that's why Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval will ask the state legislature to approve a $1.25 billion tax incentive package to make the deal stick. According to Elon Musk, the factory will use solar, wind and geothermal energy to produce all of the energy it needs as a "net zero energy factory." As seen above, it's supposed to produce 50 GWh in annual battery production by 2020, enough to power 500,000 of Tesla's cars. The deal is being announced right now at a press conference, check out the live video after the break to follow along (update: the live stream appears to have died, but Jason Hidalgo of the Reno Gazette-Journal is live tweeting Musk's statements).
Tomorrow Tesla Motors will announce the location for its battery 'Gigafactory' is Nevada
Several states have been in the running for a multi-billion dollar facility Tesla Motors has envisioned to build components for its electric cars (including the $35,000 Model 3), but it appears Nevada is the one. CNBC sources indicated a deal was close earlier today, and now Nevada Governor Brian Sandoval has timed a "major announcement" for tomorrow at 7PM ET. Other sources like Bloomberg claim CEO Elon Musk and other Tesla representatives will be at the event, and also mention that there could be more factories to follow. A joint operation with Panasonic, the 'Gigafactory' is key to Tesla's strategy to lower the price of EVs in the future by working on different parts for the batteries (raw materials, cells, modules and battery pack enclosures) all in one place. Naturally, the prospect of some 6,500 or so new jobs have had southwestern states ideal for its renewable energy plans fighting over the right to play host.
Tesla seals landmark deal to mass-produce EV batteries in the US
How is Elon Musk going to produce his vaunted $35,000 Tesla when EV batteries are so expensive? By making his own. Tesla has signed a deal with Panasonic that'll see the pair team up to build the Gigafactory. It's from here that vehicle packs and cells will be mass-produced on an unprecedented scale that costs are expected to tumble. According to the announcement, Tesla will build the plant and maintain it, while Panasonic supplies the lithium cells, plant, machinery and manufacturing equipment to make the whole thing happen. The Gigafactory is expected to produce 35GWh of cells and 50GWh of power packs by 2020 and will be built just as soon as Musk and co. work out which state -- Arizona, New Mexico, Nevada or Texas -- depending on which has the better tax rebate renewable energy resources.
Tesla's raising $1.6 billion to build its battery 'Gigafactory' and mass-market $35k car
If you've been dreaming of a Tesla but can't afford a Model S and its $70k+ sticker price (before tax credits), the company is announcing a major step towards building an electric vehicle in your price range. CEO Elon Musk has targeted 2017 for building a vehicle that costs half that, and has released details (PDF) of the "Gigafactory" he expects to have building batteries by then. The company predicts that by 2020, it will pump out more batteries alone than the world manufactured in 2013, keeping prices down while Tesla ramps up production on the unnamed "Gen III" vehicle. To do that, it's raising $1.6 billion from a group of investors -- rumors suggest Model S battery provider Panasonic could be in for as much as $1 billion -- in a pair of bond offerings, with an option for an extra $240 million. The plant isn't built yet of course, but Tesla has pointed out four southwestern states (Arizona, New Mexico, Nevada or Texas) as possible locations, ideal for its solar and wind renewable energy plans. The plant will lower costs by working on the raw materials, cells, modules and battery pack enclosures all in one place, employing as many as 6,500 people.
Battery production, design modifications delay Tesla's Model X SUV another year
During an interview with Bloomberg prior to Tesla's earnings call yesterday, CEO Elon Musk discussed a few interesting tidbits. The most significant revelation is that the Model X SUV, which was first detailed in 2012 and originally set to begin production late last year, is now delayed until 2015. Musk cited several reasons for the delay, such as a need to focus on Model S distribution efforts, including expanding sales to China, along with his own personal dissatisfaction with current prototypes. Tesla also needs to boost battery production before it can roll out SUVs at a speedy enough pace to meet demand, which Musk expects will exceed Model S adoption. Commenting on design, Musk said "it's damn hard to make an SUV... that is beautiful and yet incredibly functional at the same time. It's a harder design problem than the Model S." Meanwhile, when pressed about a recent visit with Apple's acquisitions chief, Musk did acknowledge that he has had discussions with Apple, but he said that he doesn't plan to sell his company at this time. For now, he seems focused on completing the Model X design process and moving ahead with the firm's giga battery factory, which would help Tesla ramp up battery production within the next few years.
