Tesla Flips the Switch on the Gigafactory
The Gigafactory has been activated.
Hidden in the scrubland east of Reno, Nev., where cowboys gamble and wild horses still roama diamond-shaped factory of outlandish proportions is emerging from the sweat and promises of Tesla CEO Elon Musk. Its known as the Gigafactory, and today its first battery cells are rolling off production lines to power the companys energy storage products and, before long, the Model 3 electric car. 1
The start of mass production 2 is a huge milestone in Teslas quest to electrify transportation, and it brings to America a manufacturing industrybattery cellsthats long been dominated by China, Japan, and South Korea. More than 2,900 people are already working at the 4.9 million square-foot facility, 3 and more than 4,000 jobs (including temporary construction work) will be added this year through the partnership between Tesla and Panasonic. 4
By 2018, the Gigafactory, which is less than a third complete, will double the worlds production capacity for lithium-ion batteries and employ 6,500 full-time Reno-based workers, according to a new hiring forecast from Tesla. The companys shares, having touched their highest point since August, closed up $10 at $226.99 in New York trading.
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-01-04/tesla-flips-the-switch-on-the-gigafactory