From Joe Tegtmeyer.
Gigafactory Texas! This is where Model Y’s, and Cybertruck production happens and in 2025, the Next Generation Car(s), Cortex 1 & 2, Cybercab & the Optimus Robot!
It may be April 1st, but no joking around today as the first signs of actual construction at the north campus were visible today as GeoPier equipment has arrived ahead of beginning work to build piers to support the footings for the main building.
For today, I decided to do a partial grand tour and some specific area detail views with the drone. Part of this decision was due to what should have been a production down day (more on that later) and another big reason is the planned Artemis II moon launch later this day and I wanted to get home for that ,and the grand tour approach helped reduce the amount of time I was at the site. Nevertheless, we do get to see a lot today!
Timestamps:
Drone flight overview with discussion & illustration: 0:06 to 4:11
Drone flight footage & infographics: 4:33 to 29:23
In the video introduction, I have a little fun with a small April Fools discussion about Tesla abandoning the refined Optimus designs and instead going back to the original “Bumblee Bee” version because it might sell better. Of course, it’s April Fools fun, but after that, and considering the historic Artemis lunar mission launching later today, I decided to keep the April Fools fun to a minimum this year.
Also in the introduction, I talk about and show some video clips of the expansive grand tour flight around Giga Texas today, and this begins on the north end where we see first signs of actual construction with the arrival of GeoPier equipment that will be used to build piers into the ground that will support footings for the main construction project.
The ground preparation in this area, along with previous soil sample testing rigs, gravel & crushed concrete spread, the Geotextile membranes and imported topsoil, plus the GeoPier equipment reminds me a lot of the early days almost 6 years ago with the initial grade reclamation & construction work for the main factory.
So, what is this construction for? I’ve been told this is the future site for the Optimus 10M/year production factory, so if this is indeed true, it is an exciting and important milestone for that effort!
As a big surprise, despite the Model Y production pause at Giga Texas this week & most of next week for line upgrades, maintenance & more, Cybertruck production is actually picking up … a good deal in fact. This is a surprise because I was told General Assembly would be down this week, but on the other hand, it is not a surprise as Tesla needs to ramp up Cybertruck production due to very high demand generated by the 10-day sale of the $59,990 Standard AWD Cybertruck earlier this year. There are enough orders to run the production line at full speed for over 1 ½ years at the moment, which is a very good sign!
At the outbound lot, there were three Cybercabs parked next to a Cybertruck, so I took the opportunity to show various comparison views to help illustrate the size differences. It almost looked the big brother Cybertruck was trying to protect the much smaller Cybercabs!
To round out today’s drone flight, I visited the crash testing facility where the new refreshed Tesla Semi is still in the north part of the crash testing area along with more than a dozen Cybercabs that have had all sorts of tests completed & more yet to come. The new Semi looks really great & production should begin in a few more months at Giga Nevada, with the goal of a 50,000/year run rate once production ramps up!
Lots more to see today, but make sure you also watch the NASA Artemis II launch today, the first-time humans have travelled to the moon in over 53 years!
Thank you for watching and I hope this has been informative, educational, and entertaining for you. If you would like, please consider supporting me via Patreon (link is in the description of this video and in the video itself) so I can continue to make and share these incredible videos.
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Be sure to check out additional Texas Gigafactory footage on these channels:
@Jeff Roberts
Video, photos, illustrations, and commentary on this video is by me, Joe Tegtmeyer unless otherwise annotated.
Music in this video is obtained from the YouTube free and unrestricted and royalty-free use library. Ending song is Mr. Sunny Face – Wayne Jones
Drones used are DJI Mini 2, Mavic Air 2 & Air 3.
Drone flight over Giga Texas is with permission of Tesla and CEO Elon Musk
