New Tesla Model Y Update From Giga Berlin!
In today’s post we’ve got the latest update from Tesla’s GigaFactory in Berlin, a massive new development for Tesla Energy, SpaceX Starship development continues and controversy strikes Tesla over charging cables. So let’s get going.
Giga berlin Production Numbers Released
Tesla’s Gigafactories are ramping up. We’ve just learned that Giga Berlin is now producing 350 Model Y vehicles per week, and the plant is aiming to increase that rate to 1000 per week by the month’s end.
For now, Giga Berlin produces the Model Y equipped with the current generation 2170 battery cells, something Elon Musk hopes to have updated to the new 4680 cells within a few months. Though reports out of Germany are pointing to the battery transition happening closer to the end of this year. And as we have known for a while now, the changeover to 4680’s at Berlin will require a shutdown of the production line that will last for two or three weeks.
So progress at Giga Berlin is going pretty much exactly as expected - we reported one month ago that Tesla’s aim would be to reach 1,000 cars per week by the end of April, and it looks like that’s exactly what is going to happen. But that’s not to say that everything has been going to plan, Giga berlin recently saw a bit of drama around a chemical leak.
You might remember that a major reason Giga Berlin took so long to approve was that it was making use of a local water supply that the Brandenburg government was required to protect. Various local groups were concerned that Tesla would either use too much water, or poison the water that they do have.
Local reports say that a water-polluting liquid leak began in Giga Berlin’s paint shop due to a valve not being closed. Luckily, Tesla’s mitigation systems caught and contained the leak before the liquid could escape. All the relevant agencies were informed, and everything was cleared up without issue.
The Brandenburg Water Authority confirmed, “No water-polluting liquid escaped into the open air or into the ground. There was no danger to the environment or the neighborhood.” So, a bit of a close call, but overall some very good news - the safety measures that Tesla have put in place are working as they should
Meanwhile in China, workers at Giga Shanghai are hopefully making a tentative return to the factory this week under a new isolation protocol. This comes after a three week shutdown, as Shanghai was swept with another wave of COVID infections that resulted in strict lockdowns by Chinese officials.
Giga Shanghai can produce about 2100 vehicles per day, so a three week loss will be noticeable in the company’s delivery numbers for the second quarter this year - don’t expect crazy numbers this time around.
To accomplish the return to work, Tesla China is adopting a closed-loop system, which would involve the company temporarily housing its workers in the Giga Shanghai complex. According to a Bloomberg report, each worker at Gigafactory Shanghai would be provided a sleeping bag, a mattress, and three meals a day. Workers would be sleeping on the factory floor in a designated area for now, though spaces for showering and entertainment are coming. Tesla would also be giving its workers a daily stipend of about 400 yuan - about 63 bucks, though the exact amount will be dependent on a person’s position in the company.
This group of shut in workers is expected to be isolated at the factory until May 1st.
Massive New Installation for Tesla Energy
Tesla energy is coming to Boulder City, Nevada with a massive new installation of solar panels and Megapack battery storage units. Tesla has partnered with renewable energy company Arevon to create several of these facilities in the US over the next four years.
The first project location in Boulder City is called the “Townsite Solar and Storage Facility” and - as the name suggests - it will focus on gathering and storing solar power to offset fossil-fuel dependent sources in the area.
This new facility will generate 500,000 megawatt hours of energy per year from over half a million solar panels, enough to power 60,000 homes and offset 400,000 tons of carbon dioxide emissions. Tesla will be supplying 360 megawatt hours worth of Megapack battery storage to help take full advantage of that solar power - these giant batteries charge up during times of peak energy generation, like at midday and then discharge during periods when there is no solar energy available, like at night time. That’s enough infrastructure for most small towns to go completely off the grid, and is one of Tesla’s largest Megapack facilities in the world.
Arevon CEO Justin Johnson explained why his company chose Tesla as their supplier for this large scale project, quote, “We are pleased to be working with Tesla, securing a quality product that is in high demand. This agreement ensures that Arevon can deliver near-term storage solutions to our customers, mitigating the risk of supply shortages and project delays.”
Over the course of the last year, Tesla has sold and deployed over 6 gigawatt hours of Megapack batteries, adding up to more energy storage capacity than Tesla deployed over the previous two years combined.
A great example of this large-scale deployment would be the battery energy storage system at Moss Landing California, which was just recently commissioned and certified for operation.
Powered by 256 Tesla Megapacks, the Moss Landing system has the ability to store and dispatch up to 730 megawatt-hours of energy to the grid at a maximum rate of 182.5 megawatts for up to four hours during times of high demand. This increases the reliability of the entire system by addressing capacity deficiencies that have resulted in increased energy demand.
Starship Booster and Launch Site Progress
The starship program is continuing on at its usual rapid pace of development, as testing on Booster 7 progressed to the cryo-proofing phase, and the new launch architecture at Cape Canaveral's pad 39A started taking shape.
Super Heavy Booster 7 is the first booster prototype designed with the new Raptor V2 engines in mind. Once complete, this booster will have 33 of these new Raptors installed, capable of pumping out 230 tons of thrust each.
In recent video from Starbase Texas, we can see the booster going through a series on intense structural testing
The booster was placed on a stress-testing rig at the launch site, which is designed to simulate thrust from engines by using hydraulic rams to pull on the structure of the booster. This rig is often referred to as the “can crusher” around Starbase, because if the rocket isn’t sturdy enough, then it will literally crumple in the same way that an aluminum can does when you step on it. At the same time that these hydraulic rams are pulling on the booster structure, the fuel tanks are partially filled with liquid nitrogen to increase the stress factor.
Luckily, the booster seemed to have made it through the tests in good shape, so this might signify that it is ready to go ahead with engine installation. Following that, SpaceX can continue on with fully integrated cryo proofing and eventually a massive static fire test of 33 Raptor engines.
At the same time, all the way over in Florida, the new Starship launch tower is being built at Cape Canaveral’s pad 39A. The first major concrete supports of the foundation went up quickly, as well as delivery of three sections of the tower.
It seems like SpaceX has learned a few things from building the orbital launch tower at Starbase, and have decided to build more of the tower parts on the ground where it’s safer before fitting them together in the air.
It’s still looking very uncertain which location will get to host the first orbital test flight for Starship, Starbase Texas or Starbase Florida. We are coming up very fast on the latest deadline provided by the FAA for their environmental assessment ruling, which should be coming on April 29th, but they have a bad track record for meeting timelines. If the FAA does not give the greenlight for an orbital launch from Texas, then SpaceX will be forced to relocate Starship operations to Florida, which would probably set the program back by 6-12 months.
CableGate Controversy Strikes Tesla
Tesla made one of their most controversial moves in years by deciding to go full Apple and remove the included charging cables from their newly delivered cars.
The new policy was announced on April 16th and immediately sent waves of unrest throughout the Tesla online community. The mobile charging cable would no longer be included with the purchase of a new car, and instead, it would be sold separately for $400. People got rattled.
If you don’t know, this is basically a fancy extension cord that allows you to plug a Tesla vehicle into any regular wall socket to charge the battery - it charges very slowly, but it can be a solution when no dedicated EV charger is available. Most Tesla owners could pretty much agree that they don’t use the cable often, if ever, but it is a nice thing to have with you just in case.
Elon Musk quickly joined the chat to confirm that the decision at Tesla was entirely based on numbers, writing on Twitter, “Usage statistics were super low, so seemed wasteful. On the minor plus side, we will be including more plug adapters with the mobile connector kit.”
But it was equally quickly brought to Elon’s attention that statistics don’t tell the whole story. People like the security of having the charging cable with them, whether they use it or not. And people do not like the idea of shelling out 400 bucks for an extra accessory after they just paid 50, 60 or even well over $100,000 for a new car.
And to his credit, Elon heard the community and made a quick decision not to reverse course on the charging cable, but he did make a correction. Less than 12 hours after his first tweet, Elon came back to write, “Based on feedback received, we will drop mobile connector price to $200 & make it easy to order with car. Note, mobile connector is not needed if you have a Tesla wall connector or to use Superchargers. Recommend installing Tesla wall connector well before car arrives.”
According to an internal communication at Tesla, all orders placed after April 17th will not include a mobile charging cable by default, and customers will need to purchase one from the online shop. It also states that for the next ‘several weeks’, new deliveries will continue to include the complimentary charging cable.
With a max power output of just 1.3 kw, the charging cable in question only allows battery gains of between 2-3 miles of range per hour. So even 12 hours of charging is only going to net about 36 miles of range in the best case scenario. That’s not much. It’s better than nothing. Could definitely save you in an emergency.
But it should be stressed for those who don’t know, that this is not a sustainable charging solution - if you’re going to own a Tesla you need to install a level 2 charger at your house or use a dedicated EV charging station in the community.
