Tesla Stops Producing Megapacks In Nevada, New Opportunities At Factory

Tesla will reportedly move all Megapack production to Lathrop, CA, which means the original Gigafactory can pursue its other plans.

rendering of Tesla's Nevada Gigafactory after future upgrades

Steven Loveday

By: Steven Loveday

May 3, 2023 at 12:58pm ET

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Tesla will reportedly put an end to producing its Megapack storage batteries at its original battery Gigafactory in Sparks, Nevada, near Reno. As the company plans a major upgrade and expansion project at the site, it makes sense to refocus efforts on its primary role for the automaker.

Covering Tesla early on meant spending plenty of time talking about the Fremont factory and the company's battery Gigafactory, which it built and managed in partnership with Panasonic. Tesla had grand plans for the massive Gigafactory, though they never ended up coming to fruition, at least not fully.

People still talk about the fact that the roof of the Nevada factory isn't covered with the promised solar panels, the building's footprint is smaller than planned, and the operations at the facility don't get nearly as much attention as they once did.

That said, it may be safe to argue that Tesla has been ahead of itself with its plans many times over the years. It built a huge battery factory with a battery production partner long before it needed that kind of space to produce batteries. It's now producing EVs out of so many factories, production is exceeding sales. However, CEO Elon Musk has always planned big in an attempt to remain future-proof.

With the Tesla Semi now being produced and delivered, the Tesla Cybertruck on the way, and Tesla aiming to produce millions of EVs annually, it seems it's time to move forward with bigger and better plans for the Nevada site. According to news from LinkedIn shared by Sawyer Merritt, Tesla recently produced its final Megapack at Giga Nevada.

You may remember earlier reports that Tesla was "stockpiling" Megapacks at the Nevada site. Perhaps there was a specific goal it aimed to hit before calling it quits.

Whatever the case is, it appears all future Tesla Megapack production will be handled at Tesla's Megapack factory in Lathrop, California, where the company produces the next-gen Megapack XL. This move also stands to increase Tesla's profits. Tesla will also open a second Megapack factory in Shanghai, China.

Read These Related Tesla Stories:

Tesla Confirms $3.6B Nevada Investment For Semi, 4680 Cell Production

Tesla Targets 500 GWh Annual Production Of 4680 Cells In Nevada

As you can see from the rendering at the top of the page, Tesla's upcoming plans for Giga Nevada include that long-promised solar roof, and there will also be an area for Semi production.

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The extra space and resources at the Nevada factory will also help Tesla achieve its goal of ramping up 4680 battery cell production. Tesla shared the following information prior to the recent news:

“Located less than an hour from Lake Tahoe, Gigafactory Nevada is one of the world’s highest volume plants for electric motors, energy storage products, vehicle powertrains, and batteries—producing billions of cells per year. Now, we’re continuing to grow Gigafactory Nevada with two new facilities: a 100 GWh 4680 cell factory and our first high-volume Semi factory.”

Source: Sawyer Merritt (Twitter) via Teslarati

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