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Tesla chief Elon Musk will be in India on April 21 and will meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi next day. The billionaire will reportedly announce an investment of $2-$3 billion in India, mainly for building a new factory.
Here is a look at the gigafactories Musk has set up in various places.
Tesla has six gigafactories in Fremont, California; Sparks, Nevada; Austin, Texas; Buffalo, New York; Berlin, Germany and Shanghai in China.
1. Sparks, Nevada
The largest (by land area) and the first Tesla Gigafactory in the world, the Nevada facility is a lithium-ion battery and electric vehicle component factory. The factory supplies battery packs and drive train components for the company's electric vehicles. It produces the Tesla Powerwall home energy storage device and assembles the Tesla Semi.
The facility plans to produce the Tesla 18-wheeler Semi, all due to the $3.6. billion investment announced in 2023. When fully built out, the building will have the largest footprint in the world.
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The factory started limited production of the Tesla Powerwall home energy storage device in January 2016 using battery cells produced elsewhere and began mass production of cells in January 2017. The facility was inaugurated on July 29, 2016.
The factory is intended to gradually provide cradle-to-cradle handling of batteries, from raw material over components to finished products, and recycling old batteries into new ones.
Tesla announced that it will expand the Nevada gigafactory to add a production line for the Tesla Semi and add additional battery manufacturing capacity. The new area will build the company's latest 4680 battery cells. The facility will be capable of building 100 GWh of batteries annually, enough for 1.5 million light duty vehicles. In March 2023, the state of Nevada approved a new package of tax incentives for Tesla worth more than $330 million, in exchange for Tesla investing $3.6 billion over 10 years in the expansion project.
2. Fremont, California
Tesla's first factory, in Fremont, California, the first Tesla major Gigafactory — has a manufacturing capacity for 550,000 Model S and Model X vehicles annually and 100,000 Model S and X vehicles annually. The factory has been the birthplace of the Model S, Model 3, Model X, and Model Y. This facility is one of the world's highest volume plants for electric motors, batteries, and powertrains. Here, not only Tesla vehicles are manufactured, but also solar roofs, solar panels, and electrical components for superchargers.
3. Berlin, Germany
Tesla opened its Gigafactory in Berlin, Germany in 2022 to manufacture battery cells. The facility has a capacity for over 375,000 Model Y cars per year.
Last year, the company announced that it plans to boost Giga Berlin‘s production capacity from 500,000 to over 1,000,000 vehicles annually and increase its battery production capacity from 50 GWh to 100 GWh per year.
The Gigafactory Berlin-Brandenburg — Tesla's first manufacturing location in Europe — manufactures batteries, battery packs, power trains and seats with work including casting, stamping, painting, drivetrain assembly and final assembly of Model Y.
4. Shanghai, China
Tesla's gigafactory in Shanghai, China, builds Model 3 and Model Y cars and has a capacity to ship more than 750,000 cars annually.
The construction of the plant began in January 2019, with the initial production starting in October the same year. The first production vehicles rolled out of the factory in December 2019. Tesla, in July 2023, said that the factory has the capacity to build over 750,000 vehicles per year and is the primary production site for Tesla vehicles exported to regions without a Gigafactory.
In 2023, Tesla had to put on hold its plan to build a second assembly line at the Shanghai gigafactory after failing to receive approval from the Chinese authorities. The company had originally planned to double the plant’s capacity to 2 million units a year, but the company failed to get the approval on time.
5. Austin, Texas
Tesla's Gigafactory near Austin — the company's global headquarters — produces Model Y cars and is the future manufacturing home of the Cybertruck. The factory produces Model Y cars for the Eastern United States and is also planned to be the main factory for the Cybertruck and the company's next-generation vehicle. It serves as the site of Tesla's corporate headquarters.
The factory currently hosts a workforce exceeding 20,000 employees, with Tesla projecting a future staff count of 60,000 as production scales up. Notably, it stands as the nation's second-largest factory in terms of size and ranks as the world's second-largest building by volume, trailing only the Boeing Everett Factory.
6. Buffalo, New York
The Buffalo gigafactory in New York State produces batteries alongside its partner Panasonic. The construction of the factory started in 2014 and was completed in 2017. It produces the Tesla Solar Roof and Tesla Superchargers. Additionally, Tesla employs data analysts for its autopilot software at the site.
From 2017 to 2020, Panasonic, Tesla's collaborator, manufactured solar panels within the facility and assisted Tesla in initiating production of its Solar Roof solar shingles. Despite this effort, the production of the Solar Roof proved to be a formidable challenge, leading Panasonic to opt out of the solar business in 2020. That same year, Tesla commenced the construction of Supercharger stations and undertook Autopilot labeling operations at the plant. Moreover, Tesla started its workforce at the facility, ultimately fulfilling its job creation obligations to the New York State. Starting in 2024, Tesla is also engaged in the construction of Dojo supercomputer hardware at the factory.
By strategically locating its major gigafactories in key markets worldwide, Tesla aims to meet the evolving needs of consumers while contributing to economic growth and environmental sustainability on a global scale.
By strategically locating its major gigafactories in key markets worldwide, Tesla aims to meet the evolving needs of consumers while contributing to economic growth and environmental sustainability on a global scale.
