Tesla has submitted plans to the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation for a $700 million expansion of the Texas Gigafactory facility near Austin.
Strategic Expansion Plans
Texas Gigafactory is a massive manufacturing facility and is approximately a mile long.
Tesla has begun making Model Y automobiles there. However, the assembly lines only occupy a tiny section of the enormous complex.
The company has discussed extending the plant for future vehicle program production and battery manufacture and aims to add Cybertruck production there.
According to Electrek's report, Tesla submitted an application to the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation on Monday, Jan. 9, seeking permission to expand the facility.
More specifically, an extra 1.4 million square feet of space will be built at the cost of $717 million. Construction is expected to begin by the end of the month.
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Cars are seen on the assembly line during a tour of the Tesla Giga Texas manufacturing facility ahead of the "Cyber Rodeo" grand opening party on April 7, 2022 in Austin, Texas. - Tesla welcomed throngs of electric car lovers to Texas on April 7 for a huge party inaugurating a "gigafactory" the size of 100 professional soccer fields.
Expected Developments
As reported by the Austin Business Journal, four specific developments are all part of the expansion.
The Cell 1 building, with 693,093 square feet, is the biggest of the four planned structures. Costing an estimated $368 million, it is also the most expensive project. Beginning on Jan. 23 and wrapping up on Feb. 12, 2024, construction is planned for this project.
Drive Unit, the second biggest project, will cover 423,032 square feet. The price tag of such an endeavor is pegged at $85 million. Starting on Feb. 6, construction is projected to last until Jan. 15, 2024.
With 321,186 square feet and a price tag of $260 million, Cathode would be the third-largest project in terms of total area. This operation will begin on Jan. 30 and end on Dec. 18.
Cell Test Lab will be the smallest of the four projects. It will be a little larger than the typical Starbucks at only 2,560 square feet and an estimated $3.7 million. The project kickoff is on Jan. 30 and wraps up on Aug. 25.
Meanwhile, some of the growth paperwork might be an update to an existing strategy.
For instance, recent drone flyovers of the Cathode plant's building site show that the plant's construction has already begun. According to Tesla, "ground up and complete interior finish out of the [electric vehicle] manufacturing facility" is what the projects include.
The Gen 3 vehicle platform, which includes the Tesla Semi and Tesla Bot, will be manufactured at the Gigafactory Texas location in the near future.
Prior News
Before this very promising development, a lawsuit had been linked to the Texas Gigafactory in November 2022.
A group of people who helped construct one of Tesla's huge Gigafactories planned to file a complaint and case referral with the US Department of Labor.
Reportedly, these workers accused Tesla management of serious labor and employment violations that put them at risk of accidents and payment fraud.
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