29/09/2021
Twenty miles east of Reno, the Tesla Gigafactory 1 celebrated its grand opening in July of 2016. Three “blocks” of the factory have been built so far, which is just 14% of what will eventually be the world’s largest building by physical area when it’s completed in 2020.
A key part of Tesla’s mission to accelerate the global transition to sustainable energy, the Gigafactory will be a zero-emissions building — in place of fossil fuels, the Nevada sun will be harnessed through the giant solar-panel-covered rooftop to provide energy for the production facility.
Once finished, the Gigafactory will be five times the size of Monaco, and inside there’ll be giant robot arms that produce…batteries. That doesn’t sound very glamorous, until you remember this is an Elon Musk project. Of course those lithium-ion batteries aren’t just for TV remotes or flashlights. They’ll run the 500,000 cars Tesla plans on producing every single year by 2020. Also, note that this is only Gigafactory 1. Expect a Gigafactory 2, 3, 4…in the coming years.