Elon Musk has stated that "at least 10 or 12 Gigafactories" will be able to produce 1.5 to 2 million vehicles each, or about 20 million vehicles annually. There are currently five Gigafactories worldwide, including three in the United States. Tesla is seemingly ramping up efforts to build two more Gigafactories in North America after a Musk spotting in Mexico and another job opening in Canada.
Media outlets in Nuevo León, Mexico, circulated photos of Musk with a state official and the state governor's wife. The state borders Texas; it gave Tesla suppliers their own lane at the border in June. An apparent gesture that Nuevo León welcomes Tesla with open arms.
It is an obvious location for the company, with at least six suppliers working in the state. The economy minister of Nuevo Leon, Ivan Rivas told Bloomberg that 5 to 7 percent of investment in the state would come from the EV industry in 2022.
The state is pro-business and has the population to support an extensive facility. More than 5 million people are in the state, including nearly 1.5 million in the state's largest city, Monterrey. It is also one of the highest educated populations in Mexico.
Nuevo León's Governor, Samuel García Sepúlveda, and several other high-ranking state officials toured Tesla Gigafactory in Texas in April. "We have come to endorse this agreement, that all the assembly, products and all the export of cars that are made in California and in Texas (from Tesla) are going to cross the Colombia Bridge," he told reporters.
Meanwhile, another exciting job has appeared on the Tesla careers page in Quebec, Canada. At the same shareholder meeting where Musk said he wanted 10 to 12 more Gigafactories, he asked the crowd where they should be located. "We get a lot of Canada," he said, and "I'm half Canadian, so maybe I should?"
It appears that Tesla's recruiting efforts are escalating in Quebec. In September, the company posted a recruiter position in Montreal, and now a Recruiting Coordinator posting in Laval. The job details state the successful candidate will work closely with high-volume recruiters in a fast-paced organization.
Over the summer, there was rampant speculation that the great white north would get a Gigafactory. It was revealed that Tesla met with the Canadian government four times in six months. Canada's Minister of Innovation, Science, and Industry, François-Philippe Champagne, stated the country is ramping up efforts to become an EV powerhouse. He was recently asked about the Telsa rumors and said, "stay tuned."
The Tesla Roadster 2.0 could be Tesla's next vehicle to hit production
Tesla
Tesla's Chief Designer, Franz von Holzhausen, has designed the company's entire fleet of vehicles, but the Model S, 3, X, Y, Cybertruck and Semi are not his favorites. "My favorite one is the one that is coming.
I can't talk about (it)," von Holzhausen told CNBC. He then quickly pivoted the conversation away from that topic. Nevertheless, several rumored vehicles will be the next to carry the "T" logo. So, which one is the creative mind of Tesla referring to in his evasive answer?
Franz von Holzhausen Interview
Let's start with the suspects. A cheaper, smaller and less expensive electric vehicle has been predicted for years. More recently, there have been ideas about a van. And then there is the second generation of the highly anticipated Roadster. While von Holzhausen didn't talk about the next one, he did give some clues later in the interview. "My all-time favorite car is a '62 250 GTO (Ferrari). I mean, it is quintessential. It's an insane car. I'm also a big fan of this kind of wedge era. The early (Lamborghini) Countachs, the whole kind of flat, low sports car. Those were always the posters on my wall."
The Designer Loves Sports Cars
When a 54-year-old man reminisces about the cars featured in posters plastered on his wall when he was a kid, he is not excited about a van or a compact vehicle — no, he is excited about a sports car. The second-generation Roadster was unveiled in 2017 simultaneously with the Semi. But there hasn't been much mention of the sports car since. The company is just now delivering Semis, and Cybertrucks are expected in 2023, but the Roadster doesn't have an ETA. Or does it? The chief designer says, "… the one that is coming." So, we can only assume that the Roadster is next to hit the production line.
Tesla Roadster 2.0
A Designer Who has Changed the Industry
One of the first employees of Tesla back in 2008, von Holzhausen, recalls the early days and how things have changed. "There is a moment that I thought when I first joined Tesla that it would be great to see multiple Teslas in one drive experience around town. And now, it's hard to go anywhere without seeing a bunch of Teslas. So, it's great to see the impact that Tesla has had in people's lives but also how it's changed the industry. It really pushed this idea that an EV can be better than an internal combustion vehicle."
He also gave some insight into designing vehicles that have and continue to change the auto industry, "Tesla isn't beholden to what has been done in the past. We are always trying to push the boundaries and deliver on a promise of something fun, something enjoyable and something you would love to own and tell your friends about."
It looks like The Roadster could be the next fun, enjoyable vehicle to tell everyone about.
Tesla’s gearing up for a small "revamp" of its popular Model 3 vehicle, which is set to go into production in the middle of 2023.
According to Reuters, the revamp is called “Project Highland” and aimed at lowering the production costs and increasing the Model 3’s attractiveness and not because it needs a redesign. The Model 3 was launched back in 2017, and Tesla has already sold well over 1 million of them.
According to our sources, don’t expect a design overhaul of the Model 3, though. Instead, Project Highland will focus on reducing the number of components and complexity of the Model 3’s interior.
The main goal of this Model 3 revamp is to increase manufacturing efficiencies and reduce costs. Tesla would like to get the Long Range and possibly the Performance variants of the Model 3 to qualify for the US tax incentive for 2023. Under this tax credit, manufacturers’ suggested retail price for brand-new sedans must be less than $55,000. For SUVs, trucks and vans, the maximum price is capped at $80,000.
Our previous evaluation of the vehicles that would qualify include the Model 3 RWD, Model Y Long Range (AWD), and Model Y Performance. However, this will likely change once the revamp goes into production.
Do not expect new vehicle features to be added to the Model 3, such as a rear display, air suspension, or ventilated seats. These features would raise the price of the Model 3 and create a significant overlap between the Model 3 and the refreshed Model S.
Yoke Steering Wheel
One new feature that is possible in this Model 3 revamp is the introduction of a yoke steering wheel or more likely, a wheel similar to the Tesla Semi, which has capacitive controls and no stalks. The stalks are replaced with capacitive controls on the steering wheel and touch controls on the vehicle's display. We previously reported on this rumor in August.
Redesign Rumors
A few rumors are floating around online including a redesigned front bumper and removal of door handles in exchange for touchless doors like the Cybertruck and Roadster 2.0, although our source tells us that this is cool, but not accurate.
2023 Model 3 Update
Based on recent rumors -Bumper facelift (in line with Y/S/X) -No door handles, wing mirrors or ultra sonics (as Cybertruck) pic.twitter.com/GQ5k64bV4O
Over the past few years, Tesla has made significant efficiencies in the way it builds and manufactures vehicles. Recently, the Model Y switched to a single-mold front casting. This requires 169 fewer pieces and 1,600 fewer welds. To achieve this, Tesla is using its Giga Presses at its Berlin Gigafactory.
TeslaFi is a service that logs your drives and charging sessions so that you can later refer back to them. We highly recommend checking them out if you use your car for business trips and would like to keep track of reimbursements, if you like to see how much you spend on charging or if you just love statistics. View their about us page and see everything they have to offer!
DIMO is building a web3, user-owned network dedicated to supporting the next generation of mobility infrastructure. As a user, you can start today by accessing the best connected vehicle experience via the DIMO Mobile App. It works for nearly any vehicle and across any OEM; users are in control of their data and their DIMO wallet is a conduit to other apps and services, saving time and money. Learn more
Find out how to become a sponsor and have your site listed here.
Although we share official Tesla release notes, we are not affiliated with Tesla Motors. We are Tesla fans and supporters.
