Tesla Giga Berlin Drive Unit Building Nears Completion in Stunning Construction Push

Featured image: @tobilindh / Twitter

Speedy progress on the construction of Giga Berlin continues to amaze. The past week’s efforts have moved the project forward significantly, and now almost all of the main Phase 1 buildings are well-outlined.

Active construction of the Paint Shop continues. Its construction began earlier than other buildings on the site, so unsurprisingly its status is the most advanced. Once the building is completed, the latest equipment will be installed, making it the most advanced paint shop in the world.

Giga Berlin will have world’s most advanced paint shop, with more layers of stunning colors that subtly change with curvature

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 14, 2020

Source: @tobilindh / Twitter

Body in White received even more pillars and, like other buildings on the site, began to take shape quickly. 

Source: @gigafactory_4 / Twitter

In addition to the preparation of the site for Hazmat, which was noticed about a week ago, preparations for the Casting building continue. Its surface appears to be covered with geotextiles and covered with gravel, which means that construction there will shortly begin.

Geotextiles are permeable fabrics which, when used in association with soil, have the ability to separate, filter, reinforce, protect, or drain. This will both fortify the earth and simplify construction.

Source: @tobilindh / Twitter

The construction of the Drive Unit building has progressed impressively. About a week ago, only an unfinished frame could be seen there, but today the building has already received some walls. The north and south wall of the building was completed as soon as possible. You may also notice that part of the roof is already covered.

South wall of the Drive Unit at #GigaBerlin almost ready as well. pic.twitter.com/gODOGH8nOd

— Giga Berlin / Gigafactory 4 (@gigafactory_4) August 14, 2020

Source: @tobilindh / Twitter

In addition to the world-class craftsmanship of the builders and the honed organization of the work crew, an important factor is that Giga Berlin is being built with a prefabricated construction method. This helps optimize efficiency and quality in the building process.

Giga Berlin’s rapid progression suggests that Phase 1 will be completed ahead of schedule. This would give Tesla an earlier than expected start on Model Y production for the European market—further extending the company’s lead in the broader EV market.

Source: @tobilindh / Twitter

We think this outcome is likely achievable, in large part due to Tesla’s constant focus on real-time improvement. “The mistakes culture at Tesla is remarkable,” said Dierk Homeyer, spokesman for the Arikon construction company working on Giga Berlin. "The company learns incredibly quickly and is constantly adapting to new knowledge."

“Tesla is in a hurry,” says Jörg Steinbach, Brandenburg's minister of economics. Tesla aims to one-up (or more) its construction speed at Giga Shanghai, which itself started vehicle production just a blistering 11 months after construction began.

"According to what I have observed, that could well work," said Steinbach. He raves about Tesla's plans in Grünheide: “The world has changed for us from one day to the next. We are suddenly part of a story, part of the expansion of electromobility in Germany."

© 2020, Eva Fox. All rights reserved.

Article edited by @SmokeyShorts, you can follow him on Twitter

Follow @EvaFoxU