(INS) TESLA ADDS 500,000 SQ FEET TO GIGA TEXAS

Tesla has changed its application for Giga Texas to include an additional 522,720 feet (12 acres) of space. 

Tesla CEO Elon Musk confirmed on Twitter that the additional land will be used for an "ecological paradise" located next to the main factory. However, Musk insisted that Tesla needs to "first get the factory financially on its feet" before the green space can be built.

The designated area will be from the south end of Giga Texas to the Colorado River and will feature a boardwalk and a number of amenities. Musk also confirmed that the entire space will be open to the public.

Giga Texas itself encompasses over 250 acres with more than 10,000,000 square feet of factory floor. The facility opened last April and is currently capable of producing around 250,000 vehicles per year. When at full operating capacity, Tesla estimates Giga Texas will make over 500,000 cars a year.

Tesla currently has six manufacturing plants globally, five of which are large enough to be deemed "Gigafactories". This year the automaker expects to produce 1.4 million vehicles, a 50% increase from the 930,422 EVs Tesla made in 2021. 

Tesla's next Gigafactory could be in Canada. Canada’s industry and innovation minister recently confirmed negotiations with Tesla had taken place, with the automaker reportedly looking at several sites in Ontario and Quebec. Insideevs - link - Ben O'Hare - link - more like this (Texas) - link - more like this (electric cars) - link - picture - link - more like this (Tesla) - link

(AEV) TESLA SEMI TRUCK ARRIVING THIS YEAR

The Tesla Semi Truck is one step ahead of the Cybertruck, which never passed the early prototype phase. Elon Musk has confirmed as much, saying that the 500-mile version of the Semi would start shipping to customers as early as this year.

Unlike the outlandish pickup truck, the Semi was seen numerous times undergoing testing on public roads. Even so, just like with the Cybertruck, Tesla has lost the chance to be the first to market with an electric vehicle in the segment. At least in North America, the Tesla Semi could still be a market disruptor. Still, elsewhere there are plenty of other companies offering electric semi-trucks.

Nevertheless, the Tesla Semi starting shipments are great news, even when coming from the notoriously overpromising and underdelivering Elon Musk. The Class 8 electric truck was expected by its launch customer, PepsiCo, in the fourth quarter of last year. This is long overdue, although several Semis were spotted around PepsiCo’s Frito Lay facility in Modesto, California. A couple of Tesla Megachargers were also installed at the facility earlier this year.

The timing of Musk’s announcement couldn’t be worse, coming right after the news about the stock dump broke on Twitter. To put it mildly, the replies to Elon Musk’s tweet weren’t gentle. Some think it’s just another move to pump Tesla shares’ price, while others remind him of his many promises over the years. One thing is for sure, Eon Musk selling his Tesla shares really annoyed many people.

Back to the Tesla Semi, the electric truck should use the 4680 battery cells that are yet to enter mass production. While volumes aren’t there, Tesla announced earlier that the 4680 cells production at Giga Texas will surpass its experimental Kato Road production. Interestingly, Musk announced that the top-tier variant with 500 miles of range will start shipping first. 

If you remember, in the case of the Model Y, Tesla opted for a standard range variant that would allow it to build more crossovers with a limited cell supply. autoevolution - link - Cristian Agatie - link - more like this (electric trucks) - link - more like this (Tesla) - link - more like this (PepsiCo) - link

(QUA) USERS, DEALERS AND MINERS - PART 1

Individual recruitments at big companies like Tesla don’t ordinarily attract outside attention. 

But when, in mid-April, an exploration geologist announced on LinkedIn that he’d left Rio Tinto to join Tesla, it sparked speculation. Why a geologist? Why Tesla? What kooky plans did Elon Musk have in store now?

On Apr. 8, having complained about the skyrocketing price of lithium—an indispensable element in Tesla’s batteries—Musk suggested that his company might have to mine the metal itself. Tesla may have other plans for its new geologist, of course, but Musk isn’t the only one in his industry trying to secure supplies of metals that are essential to storage batteries and electric vehicles.

The prices of many of these metals are soaring. Lithium prices have risen nearly 500% over the past year, from $17,000 per ton to almost $80,000 per ton. Cobalt is in the same price vicinity; the cost of nickel briefly exceeded $100,000 a ton in early March. The reasons for these surges are manifold: a steep boom in demand for electric vehicles; covid-related supply chain disruptions; sanctions on Russia, which produces 15% of the purest grade of nickel.

Electric batteries are material-intensive. Lithium, for instance, is not scarce, but the average electric vehicle battery requires around 10 kg of the metal. In turn, 5.3 tons of lithium carbonate ore yield one ton of lithium. Cobalt and nickel ores, similarly, have to be clawed out of the earth and then processed heavily to achieve the requisite purity levels. The mining industry isn’t ready yet to deliver supplies of these metals in the kind of vast, purified quantities that battery manufacturers need—which means, as RJ Scaringe, the CEO of Rivian Automotive, told the Wall Street Journal, that “90% to 95% of the supply chain does not exist.”

As a result, manufacturers of electric vehicles are trying to abbreviate the supply chains of these metals by bringing their sources closer to them. Last year, General Motors invested in a lithium extraction project in California, and BMW did the same in Argentina. Volkswagen signed a binding purchase agreement for lithium from a German mine. 

Tesla already owns the rights to a lithium claim deposit spread over 10,000 acres of Nevada. CATL, the Chinese battery manufacturer, bought a Canadian lithium mining company for nearly $300 million. And, in a reversal of roles, the mining giant Glencore bought a British battery maker last year. Quartz - link - Samanth Subramanian - link - more like this (ev batteries) - link - more like this (Tesla) - link

(CAR) VW WANTS TO BE MORE LIKE TESLA

 When it comes to the business of electric cars, Tesla currently has the biggest target on its back.

Manufacturers that have histories spanning close to a century are investing billions of dollars in an attempt to catch up with the relatively young American manufacturer. Among these is Volkswagen with new arrivals like the ID.4 and other electric cars.

Tesla has become even more of a threat to the established European brands now that it has an operational factory in Berlin, Germany. At this facility, it is reported that a single Model Y can be built from start to finish in just 10 hours. At that pace, existing car companies will surely struggle to keep up, but rather than sulk, VW is learning from the innovative company.

Volkswagen doesn't seem too concerned about being left in the dust now that plans for an all-new $2.2 billion factory focused on electric car production are mere weeks away from being finalized. Volkswagen brand production chief Christian Vollmer explains that this new production facility - where a groundbreaking new EV called Project Trinity is to be produced - will help its efforts to cut production times. "Our goal is clear: we want to set the standard with our production," Vollmer told Reuters. "If we can get to 10 hours, we have achieved something big."

Currently, the company is celebrating a 5% improvement in productivity overall compared with last year but this still isn't enough to close the gap with the competition. The new plant is scheduled to be ready for operations by 2026, but in the meantime, Tesla has the production advantage. So how did it get there and what can VW do to catch up?

Part of Tesla's advantage in the sphere is that it only has to focus on electric vehicles. Other companies need to create both internal combustion and electric cars, which can place a significant toll on their finances. "Tesla really ignited the drive for reducing part counts and making simpler products," explains former Tesla engineering boss Evan Horetsky. "Legacy manufacturers have a more difficult time because they have to maintain current orders."

How is Tesla able to put Model Y units together so quickly? A spokesperson of the brand revealed that the secret is in its revolutionary pair of giga-presses that place a staggering 6,000 tonnes of pressure to form the rear section of the car. With this, 17 components can be produced in six minutes, and that's the key for Volkswagen too.

Volkswagen recognizes this technology's benefits and hopes to introduce the giga-casting technique at some of its facilities. Currently, it employs the now old-fashioned method of creating each stamped metal panel individually with crumple zones that adhere to modern safety standards.

Where is Volkswagen right now in terms of production times? The ID.3 benefits from several modern construction techniques but seeing as it is sharing production lines with other cars, each unit takes about 30 hours to assemble. In contrast, the brand can put a Tiguan together in just 18 hours at its German plant. That's still some way off Tesla's 10-hour program, but you can bet that VW will get more efficient with every year that passes. car buzz - link - Nikesh Kooverjee - link - more like this (electric cars) - link - more like this (Germany) - link - more like this (Tesla) - link

(BLO) TESLA OPENS GRUENHEIDE GIGAFACTORY

Elon Musk, center, and Olaf Scholz, left, attend the start of production at the Tesla Gigafactory in Gruenheide, Germany, on March 22. Photographer: Christian Marquardt/Pool/Getty Images

Almost 19 years after its founding, Tesla Inc. has a car factory network that spans the globe.

The leading electric-vehicle maker officially opened its plant outside Berlin on Tuesday, handing over the first 30 Model Ys to customers in front of German Chancellor Olaf Scholz. Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk followed through on his promise  to dance as he did when Tesla opened its Shanghai factory two years ago.

Tesla shares rose a sixth consecutive day, surging as much as 6.8% to $984 and pushing the company’s market capitalization back above $1 trillion.

The 5 billion-euro ($5.5 billion) facility -- first announced in late 2019 -- will boost Tesla’s capacity to make electric sport utility vehicles as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine drives up fuel costs and adds momentum to already-soaring EV demand. The question for Musk, 50, is how quickly the company can ramp up output in the midst of industrywide supply chain challenges, including shortages of semiconductors and battery metals.

“The start of production is nice, but volume production is the hard part,” Musk said during a visit to the plant construction site in October. He said then that Tesla would target making 5,000 to 10,000 vehicles a week by the end of this year.

Tesla’s plant in Gruenheide is essential to Musk capturing more of Europe’s expanding EV market. He tweeted last week that he was working on a new “master plan” for the carmaker and wrote Monday that “scaling to extreme size” would be a main subject.

That number is set to grow by a few thousand over the coming months, Tesla said in an emailed statement. The company expects to eventually employ 12,000 people once full vehicle production is underway alongside a 50 gigawatt-hour battery-making operation. 

“We have to get behind progress that’s driving new technologies, because that’s how we’ll get new jobs,” Scholz said in remarks prepared for a speech at the facility. Bloomberg - link - Monica Raymunt - link - more like this (Germany) - link - more like this (electric cars) - link - more like this (Tesla) - link

(INS) TESLA MODEL 3 - TOP SELLING EV IN THE WORLD

New data compiled by Uswitch.com reveals the top-selling electric cars in various countries around the world. 

The publication concluded that Tesla is the top EV maker worldwide, and the Model 3 is the best-selling EV. Moreover, the Tesla midsize sedan is the top-selling model in four more countries in 2021 than it was in 2020.

Uswitch analyzed data from 61 countries, with Tesla taking the lead as the top manufacturer in a total of 24 countries. Nissan and Volkswagen snagged the second- and third-place positions, dominating the market in 10 and seven countries, respectively. The brands' top electric models are the Nissan Leaf and VW ID.4. Volkswagen has also added two new vehicles to the global EV top five list in 2021 alone, the ID.3 and ID.4.

Energy expert at Uswitch Sarah Broomfield shared “The Tesla Model 3 continues to dominate the market and now in four additional countries - this may be due to the fact that it is the most affordable Tesla available on the market. It is also good to see other manufacturers gaining success in the EV market. Such as Volkswagen."

The research confirms that Tesla dominates the EV market in more than one-third, or 39 percent, of the countries that were analyzed in the study. The US-based electric automaker has seen its sales increase by 125 percent year-over-year thus far in 2021.

Sarah Broomfield concluded “Electric vehicles are often a lot cheaper to run than petrol or diesel cars, making them an affordable and efficient option. If you’re thinking about purchasing an electric vehicle it’s also important to consider the costs of charging it when weighing up your options as costs can vary depending on your energy tariff.” insideevs - link - Steven Loveday - link - more like this - link

MOORABOOL - TESLA BATTERY FIRE

A toxic smoke warning has been issued near Geelong as fire crews tackle a blaze at the site of Australia's largest Tesla battery project.

Fire Rescue Victoria (FRV) said a 13-tonne lithium battery on the Geelong-Ballan Road and Atkinsons Road in Moorabool had been fully engulfed by flames.

"Crews are working to contain the fire and stop it spreading to nearby batteries," FRV said in a statement.

No-one was injured and the site has been evacuated.

Fire crews are wearing breathing equipment and the CFA has sent 12 tankers to help tackle the blaze.

The fire broke out during testing of what is expected to become the largest battery in the southern hemisphere as part of a Victorian Government push to transition to renewable energy.

Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) said the battery had been isolated and disconnected from the main electricity grid and “there are no implications” for supply - ABC News - link

TESLA RECALLS 285,000 CARS IN CHINA

Tesla Inc.’s aspirations in China were dealt a major blow over the weekend after the government ordered that almost all the cars it’s sold in the nation — more than 285,000 of them — be fixed to address a safety issue.

The State Administration for Market Regulation said in a statement on Saturday that the action involves 211,256 locally produced Model 3 vehicles and 35,665 imported ones, as well as 38,599 China-made Model Ys. 

The California-based carmaker only began deliveries of the Model Y sports-utility vehicle in January, so the recall will affect pretty much every driver who bought one - link