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According to images shared by Jurgen, who goes by the Twitter handle @GF4Tesla, Tesla is currently installing the Giga Press at the Berlin gigafactory site. Jurgen has been flying drones over Giga Berlin since the inception of the project. And the new images of the Giga Press being assembled he shared come from a drone flyover he did on March 5.
Giga Press is an enormous piece of machinery Tesla uses to cast large portions of its vehicles out of a single piece of aluminum. Currently, Tesla only uses the Giga Press to form the rear part of the Model Y in Fremont and Shanghai factories.
here a slow motion from my flyby#Gigapress pic.twitter.com/aIaReT6ECS— @GF4Tesla.build #GigaBerlin. (@Gf4Tesla) March 5, 2021
However, going forward Tesla plans to convert not only the rear of the Model Y to a single piece cast but also plans to do the same for the front of the vehicle. In addition, beyond the Model Y, Tesla plans to eventually use the Giga Press to form the chassis of all of the company’s vehicles.
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In the new images shared by Jurgen, we can see the Giga Press being assembled in the yet under construction Berlin Giga factory. This is a good sign for the start of production in Tesla’s first European factory. As the largest and possibly the most complicated piece of machinery used to produce any of Tesla’s vehicles, installation of the Giga Press usually proceeds other machinery necessary to begin production.
Giga Berlin is expected to begin construction in the middle of 2021 and the first vehicle slated to come out of the factory is the Model Y. However, the Model Y produced in Giga Berlin, unlike the ones produced in Fremont and Shanghai plans to use the company’s newest 4680 cells.
Along with the 4680 cells Tesla also plans the Berlin-made Model Y to be the first Tesla vehicle to have a structural battery pack. According to Tesla’s Battery Day presentation, a structural battery pack, unlike regular battery packs, rather than being carried by the chassis will be an integral part of the structure. This will increase the stiffness of the vehicle making it handle corners better.
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However, the list of new technologies that will be introduced with the made in Germany Model Y doesn’t stop there. According to Elon Musk, Tesla also plans to have the world’s most advanced paint shop at Giga Berlin and the Model Y produced there have paint “that subtly changes colors with curvature”.
Tesla started manufacturing the paint shop back in 2020 and has already done significant work on it. And now with the Giga Press being installed work seems to be going smoothly for the start of production. However, one thing that is not yet clear is where Tesla will produce the 4680 cells that will go into the vehicle.
At the end of February Tesla was still clearing the ground for what might eventually be the battery cell manufacturing plant at Giga Berlin. And even though the rest of the work is going smoothly the battery plant might be a cause for a significant delay in the start of production.
So what do you think? Are you excited that the Giga Press is starting to be assembled at Berlin Gigafactory? Do you think this is a good sign for Tesla to begin production in the middle of 2021? Or will the whole project will be held up by the battery plant? Let me know your thoughts down in the comments below.
For more information check out: Elon Musk Says Tesla Will Launch FSD Subscription In Q2, Might Be Clue For FSD Beta Wide Release Also, see Reports: Mustang Mach-E Already Taking Significant Market Share From Tesla
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.
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