An aerial view of the Tesla Gigafactory near Sparks, Nevada
Bob Strong | Reuters
Tesla plans to spend an additional $3.6 billion manufacturing batteries and heavy-duty trucks in Nevada, the the company said on Tuesday on social networks.
According to his public statements, You’re here intends to hire an additional 3,000 people in two new facilities eventually.
It was not immediately clear whether Tesla’s plans would expand the company’s manufacturing footprint beyond the property it is already developing outside of Reno in Sparks, Nevada.
Tesla said in a statement that its new facilities will include a 100 GWh battery cell factory, where the company expects to have the capacity to produce battery cells for 2 million light-duty vehicles per year, and a large-scale factory. volume where it will eventually manufacture its all-electric Class 8 heavy-duty truck, the Tesla Semi.
Tesla began construction on its first battery factory in Nevada in 2014. It now operates that factory with a key cell supplier, co-tenant and co-investor in the factory, panasonic. The sprawling factory is known as GF1, Giga Nevada, or the original Tesla Gigafactory. It primarily manufactures and supplies Tesla’s Fremont, California vehicle assembly plant with high-voltage battery packs.
Republican Nevada Governor Joe Lombardo on Monday revealed details of Tesla’s expansion plans in the state. Tesla confirmed the plans on Tuesday ahead of its fourth-quarter earnings update, which is scheduled for Wednesday after markets close.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk hosted a ceremony in Nevada in December to kick off deliveries of the company’s Tesla Semi to a key first customer, PepsiCo. Tesla first announced plans to produce the Semi in 2017 and had a targeted production start in 2019 that was delayed until 2022. The company does not manufacture a high volume of Semi trucks yet, but does manufacture some at the Nevada Gigafactory.
Tesla fans and critics have posted images of Tesla Semi trucks emblazoned with Pepsi Frito Lay branding they’ve seen on the road since that announcement, including some broken down on the shoulder.
Tesla has yet to publicly disclose the cost of each truck and did not specify how many it produced or sold in its fourth-quarter shipments report.
The company is expected to share more details about its Semi program during its fourth quarter earnings call.