Tesla’s Gigafactory Texas, located in Austin, has reached a new production milestone of 4,000 cars in a week, but it is still trailing behind its European counterpart, Gigafactory Berlin, in their friendly competition.
Tesla has been working simultaneously on ramping up production in both factories to achieve volume production at the same time. Typically, Tesla sets a goal of producing 5,000 units per week when ramping up a new vehicle at a new factory. In March, Gigafactory Berlin achieved this goal by producing 5,000 Model Y vehicles in a week, while Gigafactory Texas was known to be producing 3,000 Model Y vehicles per week since December.
However, Tesla has now announced that Gigafactory Texas has increased its production rate to 4,000 units per week, bringing it closer to its goal of having a capacity for 2 million vehicles annually this year. Despite this achievement, the Texas-based factory is still falling behind its German counterpart.
Congrats Giga Texas team on building 4k Model Y this week! pic.twitter.com/JFqaixZLCa
— Tesla (@Tesla) April 2, 2023
One of the primary differences between the two factories is that some of the vehicles produced at Gigafactory Texas are equipped with Tesla’s 4680 battery cells, which enable the new “structural battery pack” chassis design. Tesla has been facing challenges in ramping up the production of these cells, which is believed to be impacting production at the factory. As a result, Tesla has adapted by producing some Model Y vehicles with 2170 battery cells, similar to its other factories.
While Tesla is making progress towards achieving its production goals, it is facing unique challenges at each of its factories. The friendly competition between Gigafactory Berlin and Gigafactory Texas highlights the importance of innovation and efficiency in the electric vehicle industry, and Tesla’s ability to overcome these challenges will determine its success in the years to come.
