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Tesla Gigafactory to open in 2016

Discussion in 'Prius, Hybrid, EV and Alt-Fuel News' started by Ashlem, Feb 17, 2015.

  1. Ashlem

    Ashlem Senior Member

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    Tesla Gigafactory To Open In 2016

    So construction is going better than expected there for now. What do you think this will do? Model 3 may actually come out in 2017? The battery packs built there first are going towards energy storage for solar panels? Or something else entirely?
     
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  2. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    imagine the economy of scale this is going to provide as more and more companies come to musk for batteries.
     
  3. austingreen

    austingreen Senior Member

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    2016 batteries will go and reduce cost of the model S and model X, increasing Tesla's profit margin, if Panasonic and Tesla pull it off. It also means the mercedes B-class Electric can drop in price. The schedule for the model 3 has always been 2017, and this reduces the risk of it making that date. There is a lot of engineering that still needs to go on for the model 3 though.
     
  4. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    and a lot more work than the steel structure of the building.
     
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  5. Zythryn

    Zythryn Senior Member

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    Battery production, I would think, will be slow at first and then ramp up.
    I don't think there will be many new packs prior to Model 3.

    As for home solar backup battery packs, I would expect those will be old car packs, no longer fit for automotive use, but plenty of life left for stationary duty.
     
  6. Trollbait

    Trollbait It's a D&D thing

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    Yes, eventually. There needs to be a steady supply of old car packs first.
     
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  7. Ashlem

    Ashlem Senior Member

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    Tesla Gigafactory Spending: So Far, $50 Million-Plus--And Much More To Come

    So far they've spent over $50 million or so. Not only that, but:

    Wonder if Texas is kicking themselves right about now for being so anti-Tesla.
     
  8. hill

    hill High Fiber Member

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    Yep - the old saying goes - hindsight is 20 20 - that isn't just true for Texas - but every State that takes a tepid look at what economics might be.
     
  9. austingreen

    austingreen Senior Member

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    Texas, at least my part, has the problem of too much population growth. The state isn't providing all the infrastructure for the rapid growth. IMHO return on these bribes to move companies here has not been good for the state. Already shortages of construction workers are pushing up home improvement costs, thee are the main jobs with the gigafactory at this stage. Organic growth would have been better.

    Reno is a different animal. I think population growth and these jobs will be good for it. The state of Nevada did pay a lot for it though - $1.25B for a hoped for 6500 permanent jobs. The state needs to diversify from gambling and tourism, so this is a plus. To look at the last automotive deal, texas gave Toyota $133M for the 1850 employee texas truck plant, which works out much less per job.
     
    #9 austingreen, Feb 18, 2015
    Last edited: Feb 18, 2015