We get our latest look at Tesla’s Gigafactory 1 in Nevada, which CEO Elon Musk claims is already producing more batteries than any other factory in the world, thanks to a new flyover and drone video.
Gigafactory 1 is an essential part of Tesla’s plan to ramp up production of the Model 3.
The factory needs to produce 35 GWh of battery cells by the end of next year in order for Tesla to reach its Model 3 production target of 10,000 units per week in 2018.
It’s reportedly on track since Musk claimed earlier this month that the factory is already the biggest battery cell producing factory in the world despite being about 30% completed.
The current structure has a 1.9 million square-foot footprint and including several levels, the factory has about 4.9 million square feet of operational space. The building hasn’t changed much this year aside from a small expansion on the north side, which now appears to be completed based on this latest look.
Chris Murphy and a friend flew over the plant yesterday and sent us a few shots:
The pictures were taken Sunday and as you can see, there were still a lot of activity at the factory. Musk said that they currently see about 40% uptime at the factory, while they expect to be at over 90% when they hit full production.
While construction work is now less visible on the outside, they clearly keep building inside the factory.
We recently reported on several new building permits acquired by Tesla for the Gigafactory project in Sparks, Nevada.
They suggested new building projects, including tooling for the expansion of battery cell production and smaller projects, like a “microgrid lab” and new equipment for the drive unit production line.
California Phantom also brought us a closer look at the factory with a drone video filmed on August 17:
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