Giga Texas is currently the largest continuous building in the world. The plant is so massive that, it’s 3 times the size of the Pentagon, which in its own right is also one of the largest buildings in the world.
Given Giga Texas’s status as the largest building in the world, you would probably imagine that Tesla has enough factory space to house all its manufacturing needs.
A @Tesla Cybertruck Goes Face-to-Face Against a @Rivian R1T in 1st Off-Road Comparison. @elonmusk#teslahttps://t.co/BM4NX5LxsY
— Torque News (@torquenewsauto) November 13, 2023
However, as Tesla ramps up Cybertruck production at the Austin factory and, plans to produce Tesla’s next generation $25,000 vehicle move from Giga Mexico to Giga Texas, the EV maker appears to once again be in need of more production space.
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Model Y production at Giga Texas has already reached 5000 vehicles a week, this number is expected to grow to 10,000 vehicles a week or 500,000 Model Ys a year.
For Cybertruck, Tesla’s exact production target for the all-electric truck is not yet known, however, as of the end of Q3, Tesla has said that Cybertruck installed production capacity at Giga Texas has already reached 125,000 trucks per year.
There are conflicting reports about how much Tesla plans to eventually grow Cybertruck production. There are numbers ranging from 200,000 vehicles a year up to 375,000 vehicles per year.
First 8K Walk Around Video of a White Interior @Tesla Cybertruck Showcases Sub-10-Micron Level Impeccable Build Quality. @elonmusk#teslahttps://t.co/YxjfxT9Okx
— Torque News (@torquenewsauto) November 11, 2023
From the get-go, Giga Texas was designed to accommodate the full Model Y and Cybertruck production ramp, however, a recent change in plans has meant that the plant might need to significantly grow.
As mentioned above, Tesla has quietly decided to move the initial production of the $25,000 next-generation vehicle (internally codenamed “robotaxi”) from Giga Mexico to Giga Texas. A long-time Tesla institutional investor has also recently revealed that the EV maker is internally targeting to start production of the next-generation vehicle in the next 12 to 18 months.
This puts the start of production of the $25,000 vehicle somewhere between the end of 2024 and early 2025. In addition, the Tesla investor has also revealed that Tesla is planning to produce 5 million $25,000 vehicles a year.
These are staggering numbers and luckily to meet this ambitious goal, Tesla appears to have already started the first expansion projects at Giga Texas.
A drone flight over Giga Texas by Joe Tegtmeyer has revealed that Tesla has already erected the first steel structure intended for this expansion. Not only that, it can also be seen on Joe’s video that Tesla has begun work on the south side walls in order to connect Giga Texas with the new extension.
Did you know Giga Texas is getting longer? Today, the first steel assembly of the new ~120 meter (~400 feet) extension! Check out this SHORT video clip of this milestone day!
If you want a lot more detail on what is going on here, you can check out my 3 January 2023 deep dive… pic.twitter.com/9CkPXTe47B
— Joe Tegtmeyer 🚀 🤠😎 (@JoeTegtmeyer) November 10, 2023
The expansion will see Giga Texas lengthen by a significant margin. According to Joe, the plant will grow by 120 meters (400 feet).
The added production area will make Giga Texas the first building in the world to measure more than a mile long (1.6 kilometers).
Currently, this is all the information we’ve regarding Giga Texas’s expansion project, however, we’ll be sure to keep you posted once we learn more about Tesla’s plans. Until then, make sure to visit our site torquenews.com/Tesla regularly for the latest updates.
So what do you think? Excited to see Tesla extending Giga Texas even longer? Given the already enormous size of Giga Texas, do you think Tesla should build a new dedicated $25,000 vehicle factory? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below.
Image: Courtesy of Joe Tegtmeyer | Teslaconomics
For more information check out: The Tesla Cybertruck 300X Reflective Stainless Steel Exoskeleton Turns Grayish Exotic Metal Color When Frozen
Tinsae Aregay has been following Tesla and The evolution of the EV space on a daily basis for several years. He covers everything about Tesla from the cars to Elon Musk, the energy business, and autonomy. Follow Tinsae on Twitter at @TinsaeAregay for daily Tesla news.