The successful opening and operation of the Gigafactory is crucial to Tesla’s immediate future, and it’s possible to see it as important to the company as one of their cars, if not more. But until recently, we’ve not heard much about the massive solar and wind powered manufacturing complex in Nevada.
If the sources telling Fortune magazine and Tesla Central prove correct, Tesla’s investors and the some members of the public will be receiving their invitations soon to the Gigafactory’s grand opening, which is reported to be on July 29th.
The word seems to already be out, with invites already in the hands of select VIPs and ‘Golden Ticket’ winners of the Model S sales referral program. So far, no media outlets have come forward about receiving any such invitation, but that could be down to Tesla’s own modus operandi of inviting the press late.
The Tesla Gigafactory is pivotal to the success of the Model 3, Tesla’s more affordable electric sedan, and with that carries the ambition of a world that sees EVs as truly mass market and viable to both own and use every day.
It will largely be responsible for handling production of batteries, the huge quantity required to meet demand for the Model 3 along with other Tesla models such as the Model X and Model S.
During the Model 3’s launch, CEO Elon Musk revealed that, at full capacity, this factory alone will be responsible for more lithium-ion cell production than the global total in 2013.
Tesla’s manufacturing and supply chain have to be ramped up considerably to meet demand when the Model 3 begins its deliveries to customers at the end of 2017. It’s previous cars have at some point been hampered by delays and day-one defects, something the Californian EV maker can’t afford to let happen again, especially at this scale.
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