Tesla is shutting down parts of the Fremont factory for 'upgrades'
Met God in Wilderness/YouTube
It appears that there is a summer vacation at Tesla's Fremont factory. This move comes a week after CEO Elon Musk's disclosure about the scheduled shutdown of various production facilities during the third quarter for upgrades and refurbishments.
On the second quarter earnings call, Musk hinted at a probable dip in Q3 production numbers, attributing it to summer shutdowns aimed at implementing significant factory upgrades. Although necessary for the company's long-term goals, this temporary hiatus may impact Tesla's delivery figures modestly.
Speculations Run Rampant: Tesla's Motive for Fremont Factory Shutdown
The strategic downtime has led to rampant speculations regarding Tesla's plans for its Fremont plant. Observers suggest the shutdown might pave the way for introducing new production lines, particularly for the upcoming Model 3 refresh, aka Highland. There are also conjectures about possible expansions and reorganizations to optimize the space within the Fremont Factory, which has lately appeared rather congested.
Evidence supporting these assumptions has surfaced through Tesla's filings with the City of Fremont. The documents highlight a range of factory enhancements, including tool installations, line upgrades, and other noteworthy improvements. Moreover, drone footage captured by 'Met God in the Wilderness' (video below) indicates that the factory upgrade activities might have already commenced.
Model 3 Highland Connection: Filings and Factory Shutdown Point to a Link
The visuals depict an almost deserted logistic lot, sealed entrances, and a stark absence of haulers, painting a picture of a dormant production line. The casting and manufacturing segments of the plant also showed minimal activity, adding to the cues of a comprehensive factory shutdown.
Rumors revolving around the much-anticipated Model 3 Highland have gained momentum due to several public sightings of prototypes and related filings. These, coupled with the ongoing factory shutdown, lend credibility to the notion that the revamped sedan might be the central reason behind the factory upgrades. Some of Tesla's filings even mentioned the 'Highland' moniker, further fueling the rumors.
Considering the usually busy nature of the factory, it's plausible that the slowdown is for nothing other than the comprehensive upgrades that Musk alluded to earlier. But it's more fun to imagine Tesla is evolving and gearing up for future endeavors. The Fremont Factory shutdown must be more than a clean-up, and it will likely mark the start of a new chapter, the Highland, and who knows what else.
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Tesla’s Giga Texas factory usually gives us the first site of Tesla’s upcoming products. We first saw the Cybertruck and Model Y castings here. With Giga Texas being one of Tesla’s largest factories, it’s logical that most products would originate here.
Tesla has also stated that it intends to manufacture the Cybercab, Semi, the next-generation vehicle, and Optimus at Giga Texas over the coming years. The affordable vehicle and Cybercab were originally intended to be manufactured at Giga Mexico, but the plans for that facility were waylaid by changes in economic policy.
Robotaxi Castings
These new castings were spotted by Joe Tegtmeyer, who regularly does drone flights of Giga Texas. Joe pointed out that these castings don’t look like the usual Model Y or Cybertruck castings usually seen outside Giga Texas.
With an eagle eye, @minusYCore on X also spotted some interesting text on the frames holding the castings up. In particular, the castings say “RTTX050” and “W68-RSF AS-CAST”. These could be interpreted as ‘Robotaxi Texas’ and ‘Rear SubFrame.’ The as-cast portion indicates that these particular castings haven’t been trimmed yet, according to the X user.
These castings are much flatter and appear to be a different size than the castings found elsewhere throughout Giga Texas, indicating that they are intended for a different product entirely.
It’s possible that these are the first castings used by Tesla to test their unboxed assembly process, which the Cybercab is expected to rely on. If you take a closer look at the video below, you’ll note that these new castings look very similar to the ones in the unboxed assembly video.
Interestingly, Tesla did say that they don’t intend to have the Cybercab available for customers before late 2026 or early 2027, but we’ll likely hear updated timelines as Tesla’s Q1 2025 Earnings Call tomorrow.
A more vertical look at the castings.
@JoeTegtmeyer
New Giga Presses
To top it all off, new parts for a Giga Press - the machine Tesla uses to make these castings - were also sighted in Texas. These machines are few and far between, and each one is highly specialized for the particular vehicle it produces. Seeing new parts coming in usually indicates that a new assembly line is under construction, or that changes are being made to an existing line to either expand it or update it.
There’s a lot happening and we will hopefully know more tomorrow evening.
Tesla’s first large-scale partner for the Tesla Semi - PepsiCo - is building out another Semi Megacharger site per a recent filing found by MarcoRP. Building out these Semi charging sites is expensive due to their much higher power output when compared to Superchargers.
Name Change
Interestingly enough, Tesla appears to have shifted its terminology recently, now often referring to the Semi’s high-power charging solution as Tesla Semi Chargers instead of the previously common "Megachargers." Regardless of the name, these chargers are crucial for the Semi. They’re designed to deliver 1.2 megawatts of charging power capable of adding hundreds of miles of range in roughly 30 minutes.
Frito-Lay Site
The new site detailed in the recent filing will be located at a Frito-Lay production plant on Hageman Road in Bakersfield, California. Permits were filed just a couple of days ago for the installation of eight Tesla Semi Charger stalls along with their associated electrical equipment.
This facility adds to PepsiCo's existing network of chargers, supporting the Tesla Semis operating out of their Sacramento facility, and highlights Bakersfield as the next expansion of the Semi’s operational area. Notably, this new Frito-Lay charging site is strategically located just five miles (approx. 8 km) away from a massive future public charging complex Tesla is planning on Kelton Way.
Kelton Way Charging Complex
Tesla’s planned charging complex in Bakersfield, which is just down the road, will feature 72 Supercharger stalls, as well as 18 Semi charger stalls. According to pre-permits filed last month, this site will be fairly large and accessible to both the public and Tesla’s partners.
A rendering of the Kelton Way site - with the Semi Chargers on the outside, and the Covered Supercharger site in the center.
@MarcoRPi1 on X
Tesla plans to develop a vacant plot right off the interstate into a large charging hub, which is now the second major public Semi Charger site we’ve heard about. For now, these sites will remain rare, but we expect that Tesla and its partners will be happy to expand them out further as required.
Carson Semi Charger Site
These Bakersfield developments – both the private Frito-Lay site and the large public Kelton Way hub will help lay out the necssary infrastructure for the Tesla Semi, much like the early days of Tesla’s Superchargers. Since Semi cannot be charged at a Supercharger site (the MCS plug is notably different than NACS), these sites are a must-have.
Tesla's first publicly accessible Semi Charger site planned near the Port of Long Beach in Carson, California, was one of the first signs of these types of Semi Charger facilities being established - and like Kelton Way, it also includes amenities for truck drivers. Tesla is also considering what long, medium, and short-haul truckers need for their stays at these sites.
As Tesla works to ramp up production of the Semi itself, the parallel expansion of dedicated, high-power charging infrastructure by both Tesla and its key partners are essential to making electric heavy-duty trucking a reality.
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