Come to Elon Musk's 'Grand Opening' Party in a Probably Unfinished Factory
If you’re a Tesla owner who spent the past year diligently convincing your friends and family to join the club, clear your schedule for July 29.
The electric automaker recently mailed out invites to a grand opening party for its battery-producing Gigafactory, located (like a Bond villain’s lair) in the desert outside Reno, Nevada. The chances of guests being wowed by a fully operational factory humming with workers busily cranking out EV batteries is doubtful, though.
The letters, confirmed as legit after one was posted to Reddit, promise a swanky shindig in the $5 billion, 5.8 million square foot building. Stay at the Whitney Peak Hotel, folks — you’ll get a killer rate!
It’s an exclusive event. Only owners who referred more than five customers to the automaker get an invite.
Still, the term ‘grand opening’ needs a Gigafactory-sized grain of salt. Sure, Tesla plans to ramp up production to 500,000 units a year by 2018, and CEO Elon Musk is busy flinging money at potential problems with feverish gusto. That doesn’t mean guests at the July 29 party are going to see the finished product.
According to Bloomberg, the Gigafactory was only 14 percent completed at the beginning of the month, with 90 percent of existing interior areas under construction. Tesla representatives said that despite the accelerated schedule, vehicle batteries won’t roll out of the factory until the end of the year.
Gigafactory production is key to getting the Model 3 rolling out the door of Tesla’s California assembly plant on time. Musk wants at least 100,000 units of that model built by the end of 2017.
A lot of work can be accomplished in two months (see any World War Two engineering project as an example), but Musk’s Gigafactory soirée probably has more to do with shoring up public confidence in his company’s abilities than anything to do with concrete and steel.
More by Steph Willems
Latest Car Reviews
Read moreLatest Product Reviews
Read moreRecent Comments
- ShitHead It kicked on one time for me when a car abruptly turned into my lane. Worked as advertised. I was already about to lean into the brake as I was into the horn.
- Theflyersfan I look at that front and I have to believe that BMW and Genesis designers look at that and go "wow...that's a little much." Rest of the car looks really good - they nailed the evolution of the previous design quite well. They didn't have to reinvent the wheel - when people want a Mustang, I don't think they are going to cross-shop because they know what they want.
- Theflyersfan Winters go on around Halloween and Summers go on in late March or early April. However, there were some very cold mornings right after the summers went on that had me skidding a bit due to no grip! I do enough (ahem) spirited driving on empty hilly/mountain roads to justify a set of sticky rubber, and winters are a must as while there isn't much snow where I am (three dustings of snow this entire winter), I head to areas that get a bit more snow and winter tires turns that light, RWD car into a snow beast!
- SCE to AUX My B5.5 was terrible, but maybe the bugs have been worked out of this one.
- Zerofoo 5-valve 1.8T - and OK engine if you aren't in a hurry. These turbocharged engines had lots of lag - and the automatic transmission didn't help.Count on putting a timing belt on this immediately. The timing belt service interval, officially, was 100,000 miles and many didn't make it to that.
Comments
Join the conversation
Another Space X booster successfully landed on a floating barge - tail first. This used to be the stuff of science fiction - now fact. I'm always pulling for this guy.
"...now witness the mAh-power of this fully charged and operational battery station!"