Accompanied by cheers from the live audience, drones slowly rose above the Tesla Texas Gigafactory, forming the Model Y, Cybertruck, and a portrait of Nikola Tesla in the sky. The atmosphere reached its climax after the Dogecoin symbol ascended.
Switching back to the venue, Elon Musk drove onto the stage in the original Roadster of Tesla, which signaled the journey that Tesla had come through. The following two white Tesla models, the Model Y and Roadster, produced at the Gigafactory Texas echoed each other, indicating this message.
Although strictly speaking, this was only a grand opening ceremony for the Gigafactory Texas, Musk emphasized more than once that “the factory is also a product.” Therefore, this can also be understood as a Tesla product release event. The keywords of this opening ceremony were “4680 Model Y,” “the world’s largest Giga Texas,” and “mass production plan.”
4680 Model Y is finally here
The first batch of 4680-equipped cars to be assembled at the Texas factory will be the standard range four-wheel drive Model Y. The estimated range of the vehicle photographed on-site is approximately 279 miles (448 km) under EPA testing conditions. As a comparison, the long-range four-wheel drive Model Y on sale now has a range of 318 miles (518 km).
It should be noted that although this batch of cars is the “standard range version,” its range capabilities are already close to the current long-range four-wheel drive model. If it is the long-range four-wheel drive model with 4680 batteries, the EPA estimated range is expected to reach 560 km, and the NEDC range will be 650-700 km.
In the venue of the conference, Tesla showed us how the 4680 battery was combined with the chassis using CTC technology to maximize space utilization. Also in the venue, we could see Tesla’s integrated die-casting machine.
In such highly integrated schemes, the seats of Model Y are fixed outside the battery pack shell. Apart from this, there are only car chassis, suspension tires, and front and rear pressure castings left, which is an unprecedented attempt in the traditional automotive engineering industry.
Giga Texas: The Biggest in the World
Since Musk emphasized that this is not just an opening ceremony, but also a product launch of the Texas factory, an introduction to the factory is also essential.
Let’s talk about the size first. Musk’s fantastic metaphor is here again: If you stand the Texas factory upright, it will be higher than the tallest building in the world, the Burj Khalifa. Regardless of the scientific nature of this comparison, the fact that the scale of the Texas factory is huge.
Musk called the Texas factory “the machine that builds the machine.” In this factory, all aspects of vehicle production, including driving components, body, batteries, and so on, are orderly arranged, and all stages of vehicle production are all completed in one factory.
Musk stated that the production capacity of the Texas factory will quickly increase to 1 million vehicles per year, and Tesla will also occupy 20% of the global market in the future. What concept is this? It is roughly equivalent to an annual production of 20 million vehicles. Of course, one Texas factory is not enough. It can be foreseen that more and more super factories will be built around the world in the future.
“This is something other car manufacturers never done before in history,” said Musk. Looking at this point in time, almost all of the boasts he made were fulfilled, although they might have been delayed repeatedly. That’s right, I am talking about the Cybertruck that was unveiled three years ago.
This time for sure–three new cars will be mass-produced next year
Although Cybertruck has been delayed, people are still enthusiastic about it. Although three years have passed since its first appearance, Cybertruck’s appearance still excites people.
Musk pledged this time that Tesla would mass-produce all three new cars–Cybertruck, Semi, and Roadster 2–by 2023.
Musk also announced the launch of a Robotaxi, and Tesla’s Robotaxi will have an “incredible look.” When FSD and Robotaxi are combined, do those L4 companies feel the pressure approaching?
At the end of the press conference, Musk drove off the stage in a Cybertruck. It was regrettable that he didn’t introduce Roadster 2 in detail, but there is no denying that it was a wonderful event.
“At the beginning of Tesla’s establishment, we believed that the company had only a 10% chance of survival.”
Musk’s words are echoed by the blooming fireworks and Beethoven’s “Fate Symphony,” and the Texas factory symbolizes Tesla’s latest journey.
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This article is a translation by ChatGPT of a Chinese report from 42HOW. If you have any questions about it, please email bd@42how.com.