Tesla made sure to have plenty of extra space in Austin, Texas, for potential future expansion, which isn't the case with all of its factories. We figured the automaker would eventually add more floor space and facilities, but it appears it may happen much sooner than many anticipated.
According to a recent report from Sawyer Merritt shared by Teslarati, Tesla has already filed the official permitting paperwork to expand the factory's footprint by another 500,000 square feet. This is interesting amid supply chain constraints, talk of Tesla's layoffs, and the fact that there's still work being completed on the existing structure, which is one of the largest in the world. The current footprint is ~4.33 million square feet, though the total floor space is much larger.
As we previously shared, the land Tesla acquired for the Gigafactory's location has enough space for a few more buildings as large as the colossal factory itself, which covers about 15 city blocks in length alone.
Tesla filed paperwork with the city of Austin to add 500,000 square feet to one end of the existing Gigafactory structure, which means there will still be room for many more structures in the future.
As you can see, the filling was just processed at the end of June 2022, and it applies to General Assembly 2 and 3. The factory is only currently manufacturing the Model Y crossover, but the plan is to build the Cybertruck, the Semi, and other models in Texas going forward. To check out the official filing, follow the link from Sawyer Merritt above.
Tesla's CEO Elon Musk recently confirmed that the Cybertruck's design has been finalized, and production of the electric pickup truck will begin in the middle of next year. Being that it's only July of 2022, it will be interesting to learn what Tesla plans to use the new space for once it's completed.
Do you think Tesla is building factories and expanding too quickly in the midst of such ridiculous inflation and a potential recession? Start a conversation about this topic in our comment section below.
