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Tesla has just achieved another production-related milestone – this time at the Giga Texas plant, which is ramping-up production of the Model Y.
According to Whole Mars Catalog (via Drive Tesla), the plant reached a production rate of 1,000 cars per week – a level achieved by the Giga Berlin-Brandenburg plant in June.
The news is based on a photo reportedly shared by a Tesla employee on Snapchat. It presents the shape of the Tesla Giga Texas plant, the company’s logo, the number of 1,000 cars produced and the signatures of the employees involved in the ramp-up.
It’s estimated that Tesla needed four months to achieve 1,000 per week, since the production started in April.
The plant is envisioned for significantly higher output, above 250,000 Tesla Model Y per year, according to the 2022 Q2 report, so it’s just the beginning.
The main obstacle to producing more cars in Texas appears to be the availability of the 4680-type cylindrical battery cells, which were used in the all-new “Tesla Model Y AWD” version.
This seems to be the main reason why Tesla has started to produce in Texas also the Tesla Model Y Long Range AWD, powered by 2170-type cylindrical battery cells (the same as in Fremont, California).
Those two versions are produced side-by-side:
- Tesla Model Y AWD: 4680-type cells and structural battery pack
279 miles (449 km) of EPA range (19″ wheels) or 269 miles (433 km) with 20″ wheels - Tesla Model Y Long Range AWD: 2170-type cells
330 miles (531 km) of EPA range (19″ wheels) or 318 miles (512 km) with 20″ wheels
The addition of the 2170-type version is a short-term solution to produce more Model Y cars at the site, but the main task is to ramp up the newer version with the structural battery pack.
Time will tell how quickly the company will be able to increase the output of the 4680-type battery packs. At 250,000 units per year, and assuming 70 kWh per pack, the need is for 17.5 GWh annually and that’s quite a lot. About half of the manufacturing capacity of the entire Tesla Gigafactory 1 in Nevada.