Featured image: Joe Tegtmeyer / YouTube
The construction of Tesla's factories are incredibly exciting and important events. At the moment, the company is simultaneously engaged in the construction of three separate factories. As time goes on, Tesla's experience and factory making "tool belt" continue to grow.
As such, the company is now building factories at an accelerating speed. Unsurprisingly, people are eager to know which factory will be completed in the shortest total time.
As of this writing, preparations are already underway for construction work on the Giga Texas site. According to observations, Phase 1 of the project will be located in this area:
Application to the Del Valle Independent School District from Colorado River Project, LLC
Source: @MrFarmahini / Twitter
Payne Industries of San Marcos has been charged with taking all the measurements needed to construct the main Giga Texas complex. These efforts will be carried out for 60 days, and all survey points will be used by the designers and construction company to finalize the location and orientation of the buildings that will be Giga Texas. In the southern zone, work is progressing to fill and compact ponds. The areas of the north pond are being drained for filling and leveling.
In just two weeks, Tesla has made incredible progress. Joe Tegtmeyer / YouTube has taken comparative photos (based on his videos) that demonstrate the rapid progress. Tegtmeyer compares the footage from the July 27 and 29 video with the footage from the August 10 video.
Source: Joe Tegtmeyer / YouTube
After all the ponds are drained, backfilled, leveled and the earth is tamped down, the surface will be covered with geotextile and then gravel. Only after these stages will it be possible to proceed with the major construction.
Geotextiles are permeable fabrics which, when used in association with soil, have the ability to separate, filter, reinforce, protect, or drain. This will both fortify the earth and simplify construction.
Source: Joe Tegtmeyer / YouTube
🔴#GigaTexas
— Caspar - all about creating a positive future ✨ (@DerCaspar) August 11, 2020
The first grey gravel ground is perfectly aligned north to south. According to @ElonMusk this was also used at #GigaNevada and #GigaBerlin and makes construction and assembly much easier.
Great videos by @JoeTegtmeyer and Jeff Roberts @Peterdog15 of #GigaAustin🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/jIzQeAzMHN
Tegtmeyer also compares construction speed across Giga Shanghai, Giga Berlin, and Giga Texas based on the current stage of construction.
Source: Joe Tegtmeyer / YouTube
The speed of construction at Giga Shanghai stunned the world. Any other automaker would take at least 2 years to build and launch such a plant into operation.
With Giga Berlin, Tesla again pushed the envelope on the speed. Despite the fact that the company has not changed its original forecast, there is every reason to believe that construction could be completed three months earlier than planned.
Tesla's secret is that they are incredibly flexible and innovative. The company acts and reacts immediately on any new information about their territories, as well as on any new methods of construction--allowing real-time improvement on its projects.
“The mistakes culture at Tesla is remarkable,” said Dierk Homeyer, spokesman for the Arikon construction company working on the Giga Berlin. "The company learns incredibly quickly and is constantly adapting to new knowledge."
In a short period of time, Tesla has amassed robust expertise in building factories rapidly and well. It shouldn't come as a surprise, then, if Giga Texas is completed even faster than Giga Berlin. Nevertheless, this unprecedented speed still boggles our minds, just as Tesla's products continue to advance their hold on our hearts.
© 2020, Eva Fox. All rights reserved.
Article edited by @SmokeyShorts, you can follow him on Twitter