The $3.6 billion expansion of Tesla’s Gigafactory Nevada has begun. The new buildings will add 4 million square feet of manufacturing room and two new facilities for making Semi and 4680 cells.
Tesla first talked about the idea on January 24, 2023, almost a year ago. It is planned that the project will create 6,500 more full-time jobs and make 4,680 batteries every year, which is enough for 2 million light-duty cars.
The company has been going through the early stages of getting permits and other things, such as tax breaks for which Tesla got $330 million.
A large area of land is already being dug up right next to Gigafactory Nevada’s main building. This is where one of the facilities will be built, either for the Semi or the 4680 cell lines:
The project will make huge steps forward in the Semi project, which has been moving very slowly. Tesla sent a few units to Pepsi, which has been using them for local deliveries. This has shown the company what to expect in terms of how well the units work and how efficient they are.
Besides that, the 4680 project has mostly been behind schedule.
Tesla has been able to increase production of the cell, but not as much as was planned at first. Soon, suppliers such as Panasonic should be able to make the cell.
