Featured Image Credit: @gigafactory_4/Twitter
Tesla Giga Berlin’s updated documents were shared with the public, revealing the EV automaker’s new Model Y factory design, water and wastewater management protocols, among other things. Tesla clarified some information for the public in its revised application.
Tesla Giga Berlin’s Production Goals
According to local media outlet Bild, Tesla's new application listed that Giga Berlin’s first plant would produce 100,000 vehicles or more, with the intention to reach maximum production of 500,000 cars.
Given the initial reactions to Tesla Giga Berlin’s first plant, it makes sense that the automaker has decided to follow an incremental growth on the site's operations. It is now clear that Tesla will start production in July 2021 with the short-term goal of manufacturing 100,000 vehicles a year.
The amended application also stated that Giga Berlin would have to undergo further expansion to produce more than 150,000 vehicles per year, similar to Giga Shanghai. Again, Tesla seems to be clarifying the steps it needs to take to reach a maximum production of 500,000 cars per year.
Tesla Giga Shanghai To Reduce Model 3 Price As It Nears 4,000/week Production Rate https://t.co/GCbe6l1d8i
— Tesmanian.com (@Tesmanian_com) April 30, 2020
Giga Shanghai’s production rate appears to be following similar scales. With just one plant, Shanghai reached a production rate of 3,000 vehicles per week, which represents a run-rate of 150,000 cars a year.
However, if Tesla China's Global VP was correct, Giga Shanghai reached a production rate of 4,000 vehicles per week in June. As of this writing, Giga Shanghai is about to finish the roof of its Model Y facility, slated to start production as early as Q1 2021. At the rate, Giga Shanghai is moving, it could reach maximum production of 500,000 vehicles in two or three years if Tesla decides to make other cars in China.
For now, Tesla has confirmed that the Model 3 and the Model Y will be made in Giga Shanghai. In contrast, Tesla has stated that at least five vehicles will be made in Giga Berlin, making the goal of producing 500,000 cars per year more attainable.
Other Revisions To Tesla’s Giga Berlin Application
Along with its clarified production goals, Tesla released a new design for its Model Y factory. The facility shrank from 24 meters to 15 meters. Presumably, everything inside the Model Y factory also shrank.
However, the application did show that the press shop and paint shop remained the same size. The press shop would need the extra space given that Tesla ordered a Giga Press for the Model Y’s underbody castings. And Elon Musk did say that Giga Berlin would have the “world’s most advanced paint shop,” which may need ample space as well.
Tesla Posts Jobs For Its Revolutionary Paint Shop In Giga Berlin https://t.co/OhAGVb24Hz
— Tesmanian.com (@Tesmanian_com) June 25, 2020
One surprising piece of information in Tesla’s amended application was that Giga Berlin would not make battery packs for the vehicles produced in Grünheide. It was previously believed that Giga Berlin would be the first Gigafactory to have a battery cell facility.
However, since Tesla submitted its original application, there have been some battery-related developments at the Fremont Factory. Tesla started construction on a pilot battery manufacturing building, codenamed Project Roadrunner, in Fremont.
Lastly, Tesla amended its water consumption and wastewater output, reducing both by up to 33% during peak hours. It also made room for a fire department building and a hazardous materials warehouse in its plans.
The State Environment Agency will discuss Tesla’s Giga Berlin application in September. The authoritative body was supposed to convene in March to discuss Tesla’s application, but the meeting was postponed because of the pandemic. Tesla submitted a revised version of its application on June 10, and its new contents were revealed recently.
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