A few hours down I-35 from CEC headquarters, Elon Musk’s company is building a new Tesla gigafactory for its innovative electric vehicles. CEC Facilities Group recognizes the value that innovation brings to the Lone Star State, so it’s dedicated to supporting that goal on the Tesla gigafactory jobsite.
We’re sharing a few interesting articles from the Central Texas facility. Take a few minutes to see how innovation is taking shape in our state:
- Day 400 flyover: YouTuber Jeff Roberts added a new drone video of the progress, and the gigantic size of the site is astounding. One length of the building is almost completely enclosed, while the other is more than halfway walled.
- Eighty percent complete: Electrek released a report in July, stating the factory building is about 80 percent complete and is installing production equipment in finished sections. The facility is expected to produce Model Y vehicles, which use a megacast design principle – many of the body parts are replaced with a single casted frame.
- Almost a mile long: Elon Musk stated that the Austin plant will stretch an entire mile in length once complete. The first GigaTexas building is expected to be 1.7 million sf, with two more adding an additional 2 million. That will make it larger than the massive Kia Plant in Georgia, which checks in at 2.6 million sf.
- Impact on Austin: CleanTechnica writes about clean energy and the impact companies have on their environment. In its latest article, it describes job growth, education, and jobsite innovations. To meet a 24/7 construction schedule, some contractors suggested using solar-powered stadium lighting during night hours.
- Berlin lagging Texas: Tesla started two projects to build the Model Y: a Berlin campus and Austin factory. So far, it looks like Texas is winning the race. Texas has a three-month head start on Germany, and the German plant faces potential regulatory hurdles from environmental and local municipalities.
Check back later as the Tesla project progresses. In the meantime, check out CEC’s electrical and renewable energy projects.