According to insiders, Tesla has managed to increase production at the Gigafactory Texas to thousands of Model Ys per week – also because the Longe Range version is now being built there in addition to the Standard Range version. Exactly how high these Texas numbers are, is not yet clear.
While one source told the EV news site Electrek of at least 2,000 Model Ys per week, according to another insider, up to 5,000 vehicles per week could already be produced there.
Until now, the supply of the new 4680 cells for the Model Y from Texas with the structural battery pack was considered a bottleneck for the production ramp-up. According to earlier reports the Model Y Standard Range has the new battery. The 4680 cells currently come from Tesla’s own Tera pilot plant in Fremont. Suppliers such as Panasonic and LG Energy Solution are just setting up their 4680 production or have delivered the first sample cells to Tesla – but not yet in significant quantities for the Model Y’s series production.
Tesla has not solved the supply bottleneck for the 4680 cells, according to the latest Electrek report, but has managed to work around it. Even so, some buyers who receive the Model Y Long Range from the Gigafactory Texas have been informed by their Tesla advisors that the vehicle is equipped with the 2170 cells and not with the new 4680 cell format.
Tesla has been officially silent on the current production rate of Gigafactory Texas for months. Based on deliveries of the Model Y Standard Range, it was previously estimated to be less than 1,000 units per week – with the Long Range based on the familiar 2170 cells, the numbers are now said to have increased dramatically. According to recent drone footage, several hundred Model Ys are said to be leaving the factory every day – suggesting weekly production in the four-digit range.
With the expansion to a second model and battery variant, Tesla wants to achieve its self-imposed goal of expanding production in Texas to 10,000 vehicles per week by the end of the year. By comparison, after the conversion work at Giga Shanghai, which is to be carried out at the beginning of July, Tesla wants to increase production capacity to 22,000 vehicles per week – so as a completely new plant in production ramp-up, Texas would be well on its way with a five-digit weekly production.
There are also developments at Giga Berlin in Grünheide: from next Monday, 4th July, the night shift is to be introduced and the Tesla plant will thus produce around the clock. Tesla recently achieved an output of 1,000 Model Ys within one week at its German plant.
electrek.co (Texas) teslarati.com (Grünheide)
Keyword: Tesla builds “thousands” of Model Y per week in Texas