Clues emerge for Tesla's $5 billion battery factory - Polidicks

[QUOTE]FORTUNE -- Tesla Motors, the innovative electric car company, wants to be a bigtime automaker. To achieve that, it needs to produce hundreds of thousands of vehicles more than the 22,300 electric vehicles it made in 2013. Which means it's going to need a bigger battery factory. A much, much bigger one. On Feb. 26, the electric automaker revealed the first details for its so-called Gigafactory, a massive facility that will be designed to produce more lithium-ion batteries annually by 2020 than were made worldwide in 2013. At 10 million square feet, Tesla estimates that the plant will have the capacity to produce 50 gigawatt hours of battery packs a year, which will be used for its Model S luxury sedan and a cheaper third-generation vehicle intended for the mass market. By 2020, Tesla estimates the facility will be able to make enough batteries to supply 500,000 vehicles a year. The factory, which will employ about 6,500 people, is expected to reduce the per-kilowatt-hour cost of its lithium-ion battery packs by more than 30% by the end of the first year of volume production. It's nothing less than necessary for CEO Elon Musk's bid to make a car 50% cheaper than Tesla's luxury Model S, which starts at $70,000.[/QUOTE] [url]http://tech.fortune.cnn.com/2014/03/10/clues-emerge-for-teslas-5-billion-battery-factory/?hpt=hp_t2[/url]

Holy shit, that's quite a massive undertaking. Hopefully it will all go well! Creating 6,500 new jobs would also be appreciated, I would assume.

everyone should be investing in tesla, its the best competitor to the major car industry and they are clearly the inevitable victors too. there is going to be unbelievable opportunities for success in this business, just so obvious and Elon Musk is making all logical decisions.

I'll be patiently fucking waiting and saving up everything I can for the cheaper tesla that's coming in a few years. Those car interiors, man. (I probably still won't be able to buy one :v:) Maybe it would even be possible to get a job in Tesla considering how big it will most likely become.

Have a PDF: [url]http://www.teslamotors.com/sites/default/files/blog_attachments/gigafactory.pdf[/url]

[QUOTE=OvB;44193525]Have a PDF: [url]http://www.teslamotors.com/sites/default/files/blog_attachments/gigafactory.pdf[/url][/QUOTE] Forbidden You don't have permission to access /sites/default/files/blog_attachments/gigafactory.pdf on this server. Thanks for the opportunity to read it though, friend!

Try here? [url]http://www.teslamotors.com/blog/gigafactory[/url]

[QUOTE=sYnced;44192917]everyone should be investing in tesla, its the best competitor to the major car industry and they are clearly the inevitable victors too. there is going to be unbelievable opportunities for success in this business, just so obvious and Elon Musk is making all logical decisions.[/QUOTE] Can someone explain to me why the electric car is the future of personal transportation?

Because one day we're gonna run out of oil, fuck up the environment, or both unless we switch.

[QUOTE=Dippeggs;44194851]Because one day we're gonna run out of oil, fuck up the environment, or both unless we switch.[/QUOTE] To be honest the power is still generated by polluting factories, and electric cars just up the demand for that, but if we can transition to other, cleaner energy sources then electric cars are optimum.

[QUOTE=Dippeggs;44194851]Because one day we're gonna run out of oil, fuck up the environment, or both unless we switch.[/QUOTE] Unfortunately lithium batteries isn't a sustainable route either, it is estimated that, at the current rate of use, we will run out of mineable lithium within the next 50-100 years.

[QUOTE=Dippeggs;44194851]Because one day we're gonna run out of oil, fuck up the environment, or both unless we switch.[/QUOTE] Or unless we switch to the algae oil process.... :v:

[QUOTE=lifehole;44194878]To be honest the power is still generated by polluting factories, and electric cars just up the demand for that, but if we can transition to other, cleaner energy sources then electric cars are optimum.[/QUOTE] The internal combustion engine still can't touch the efficiency of power plant steam turbines. With the exception of dirty coal, using an electric car is still better for the environment. [editline]10th March 2014[/editline] [QUOTE=demoguy08;44194898]Unfortunately lithium batteries isn't a sustainable route either, it is estimated that, at the current rate of use, we will run out of mineable lithium within the next 50-100 years.[/QUOTE] Lithium batteries are 100% recyclable, except using current recycling methods it costs much more than the lithium brine processes. Building the gigafactory would vastly decrease these costs; Tesla plans to recycle as well as mine.

[QUOTE=sYnced;44192917]everyone should be investing in tesla, its the best competitor to the major car industry and they are clearly the inevitable victors too. there is going to be unbelievable opportunities for success in this business, just so obvious and Elon Musk is making all logical decisions.[/QUOTE] If I had the money to invest any useful amount in Tesla at their current stock price I'd probably be rich enough to just buy a Model S and be able to give Elon Musk my money and [i]also[/i] have fun [editline]10th March 2014[/editline] [QUOTE=demoguy08;44194898]Unfortunately lithium batteries isn't a sustainable route either, it is estimated that, at the current rate of use, we will run out of mineable lithium within the next 50-100 years.[/QUOTE] Doesn't lithium exist everywhere in the Earth's crust?

[QUOTE=demoguy08;44194898]Unfortunately lithium batteries isn't a sustainable route either, it is estimated that, at the current rate of use, we will run out of mineable lithium within the next 50-100 years.[/QUOTE] (1:54) [url]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rce5RZHCzLk[/url] Not exactly an unbiased source. Sort of like asking an oil exec about the amount of oil left, but if what he claims is true it shouldn't be a problem. Also, from that pdf I linked earlier: [img]http://puu.sh/7qJTC.jpg[/img]

[QUOTE=lifehole;44194878]To be honest the power is still generated by polluting factories, and electric cars just up the demand for that, but if we can transition to other, cleaner energy sources then electric cars are optimum.[/QUOTE] [QUOTE=demoguy08;44194898]Unfortunately lithium batteries isn't a sustainable route either, it is estimated that, at the current rate of use, we will run out of mineable lithium within the next 50-100 years.[/QUOTE] This is very short sighted. Electricity is electricity. It doesn't matter how it's generated or how it's stored. If everyone is using electric cars, then further advancements in generating and storing electricity will be able to be applied to existing cars. And as already mentioned, even generating electricity using coal is cleaner then a car's combustion engine, plus that pollution is being generated in remote areas rather than populated cities, so it has even less of an effect.

It depends where you live. A Tesla in Texas would run off natural gas, a Tesla in California would run off Oil/renewable depending on where you are. A Tesla in NYC would run off nuclear, a Tesla in Kentucky would run off Coal, etc etc. You can also lease solar panels through Solar City when you buy your Tesla. Then your Tesla is run off the sun.

[QUOTE=lifehole;44194878]To be honest the power is still generated by polluting factories, and electric cars just up the demand for that, but if we can transition to other, cleaner energy sources then electric cars are optimum.[/QUOTE] It is easier, cheaper and more efficient to control the emissions of a large power plant than it is on individual cars.

elon musk can't ever be subtle with names... gigafactory to make gigawatts of batteries, space-x to eXplore space, pay-pall to be your pal online to pay with.... hyperloop, a giant loop....that is hyper fast.....

[QUOTE=Sableye;44196192]elon musk can't ever be subtle with names... gigafactory to make gigawatts of batteries, space-x to eXplore space, pay-pall to be your pal online to pay with.... hyperloop, a giant loop....that is hyper fast.....[/QUOTE] Tesla Motors which is a machine that produces motion made out of a dead scientist...

May be a good time to get invested in lithium mining stocks, all those batteries have to come from somewhere. Unfortunately lithium is pretty nasty stuff to deal with from an environmental standpoint, which is why Chinese ran mines tend to handle most of the production. Would be nice to see more western run companies involved in the supply side of things.

[QUOTE=Zeke129;44197016]Tesla Motors which is a machine that produces motion made out of a dead scientist...[/QUOTE] Can't let the energy produced by scientists spinning in their graves go to waste after all.

[QUOTE=draugur;44196048]It is easier, cheaper and more efficient to control the emissions of a large power plant than it is on individual cars.[/QUOTE] It indeed is. Let's for example take 100 gasoline-powered cars by themselves and 100 electrocars + a power plant that runs on gasoline or another oil derivative. Not only controlling the emissions would be easier, but I imagine the energy conversion efficiency of a power plant is much higher than of 100 small engines, even taking in account the energy loss during transmitting the energy through cables it's still better in every way.

[QUOTE=helpiminabox;44197157]Can't let the energy produced by scientists spinning in their graves go to waste after all.[/QUOTE] Or in the case of Nikola Tesla, all the hot air he's still producing

[QUOTE=Dippeggs;44194851]Because one day we're gonna run out of oil, fuck up the environment, or both unless we switch.[/QUOTE] In order to make the switch before we run out of oil, you need the electric car to be of better quality and cheaper than the regular one. Having to wait 40minutes to refill the battery every 100km doesn't sound too good for a car that costs 60k$.

[QUOTE=godfatherk;44197681]In order to make the switch before we run out of oil, you need the electric car to be of better quality and cheaper than the regular one. Having to wait 40minutes to refill the battery every 100km doesn't sound too good for a car that costs 60k$.[/QUOTE] 426km or 265miles.

[QUOTE=OvB;44197741]426km or 265miles.[/QUOTE] This is actually pretty reasonable because even on roadtrips in a gasoline car I tend to not go more than 500-600km at once unless I have someone else to take over when I get sleepy. Once hotels start installing their own charging stations the Model S would become a great roadtrip car even without the Superchargers.

[QUOTE=Sableye;44196192]elon musk can't ever be subtle with names... gigafactory to make gigawatts of batteries, space-x to eXplore space, pay-pall to be your pal online to pay with.... hyperloop, a giant loop....that is hyper fast.....[/QUOTE] SpaceX's real name is Space Exploration Technologies. Not really any more subtle. [editline]11th March 2014[/editline] [QUOTE=demoguy08;44194898]Unfortunately lithium batteries isn't a sustainable route either, it is estimated that, at the current rate of use, we will run out of mineable lithium within the next 50-100 years.[/QUOTE] I'd like to think that within 50-100 years we'd be able to return asteroid resources to Earth (recycling lithium notwithstanding).

[QUOTE=OvB;44197741]426km or 265miles.[/QUOTE] The Model S proves that electric cars are ready for the real world. That is slightly more than I get at freeway cruising speeds in my car.

[QUOTE=Zeke129;44197016]Tesla Motors which is a machine that produces motion made out of a dead scientist...[/QUOTE] Taps into the unharnessed centrifugal energy of Tesla spinning in his grave because each car isn't just using a [B]WIRELESS[/B] power source in 2014.