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Tesla Gigafactory Nevada poised to improve battery production by 10%: report

(Credit: Panasonic)

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Tesla Gigafactory Nevada, a joint operation between the EV maker and longtime battery partner Panasonic, is reportedly expected to boost its production by 10%, or about the equivalent of one production line. The facility will not be achieving this with a new line, however, as Panasonic is reportedly looking to improve battery production at Giga Nevada through optimizations. 

Panasonic announced in July that it would be constructing its second US-based battery facility in Kansas, which would likely supply Tesla’s Gigafactory Texas with next-generation 4680 cells. This factory is not expected to be operational until 2024 at the earliest, so the Japanese battery maker is doing what it can to meet Tesla’s increasing battery demand by improving its existing facilities, at least for the meantime. 

This is reportedly where Giga Nevada comes in. According to a Nikkei Asia report, Panasonic is planning on sending production supervisors from Japan to Giga Nevada to improve the factory’s efficiency. By June, dozens of staff from Panasonic Japan had reportedly been deployed at Gigafactory Nevada to provide assistance and training to the plant’s employees. 

As per the publication’s report, the production supervisors from Japan are tasked with reducing equipment problems and boosting the facility’s production by about 10%, roughly the output of one production line. Gigafactory Nevada’s eventual production capacity is reportedly expected to be at about 43 GWh per year. 

With Panasonic’s efforts, Gigafactory Nevada’s output of 2170 cells would likely see a notable rise. This goes somewhat in line with Tesla CEO Elon Musk’s comments during the Q2 2022 earnings call when he noted that the company had secured enough supply of 2170 cells to support its Model 3 and Model Y production for the year. 

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“It is worth emphasizing that we have enough 2170 cells to satisfy all vehicle production for the remainder of the year. So we’re not dependent on 4680. (The) 4680 (cell) will be important next year, but it is not important for this year,” Musk said

Panasonic is one of Tesla’s most experienced battery suppliers. The Japanese company already produces batteries at its Osaka plant, where it has numerous engineers. Citing an executive, NIkkei noted that Panasonic is looking to raise the production efficiency of its US-based plants to “reach the level of our domestic factories.” By doing so, Panasonic could improve battery production, meet the demand of customers like Tesla, and fight off competition from upstarts like CATL and LG Energy Solution at the same time. 

Don’t hesitate to contact us with news tips. Just send a message to simon@teslarati.com to give us a heads up.

Simon is an experienced automotive reporter with a passion for electric cars and clean energy. Fascinated by the world envisioned by Elon Musk, he hopes to make it to Mars (at least as a tourist) someday. For stories or tips--or even to just say a simple hello--send a message to his email, simon@teslarati.com or his handle on X, @ResidentSponge.

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Tesla produces 100,000th new Model Y in Giga Berlin

The milestone was announced on X.

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Credit: Tesla Manufacturing/X

Tesla has produced its 100,000th new Model Y at Gigafactory Berlin. The milestone was announced by the electric vehicle maker through its official Tesla Manufacturing account on social media platform X. 

New Tesla Model Y milestone

The milestone was announced by Tesla on X, when the company wrote “Today, we built the 100,000th New Model Y at Giga Berlin!” The announcement was accompanied by an image of a new Model Y coming off the line.

The milestone was received warmly by members of the Tesla community, many of whom expressed excitement at the further progress of the new Model Y program at Giga Berlin. The facility, after all, only produces Model Y units, which would make it the perfect site to produce new variants like the Model Y Performance and possibly even the Model Y L, which was recently launched in China. 

New Model Y ramp

As noted in a previous report from electrive, the initial production of the new Model Y started in Giga Berlin around mid-January 2025. Since the new Model Y involved a changeover from the legacy Y to the new variant, the ramp of the new Model Y’s production at the Germany-based facility was likely a gradual process over the past months. 

It would then be no surprise if the next 100,000 new Model Y units would be produced in Giga Berlin in a shorter period. Giga Berlin could become an even bigger factor in Tesla’s global sales, after all, especially if it becomes the site that produces the Model Y Performance and the Model Y L for Europe and other territories. Giga Berlin, if any, seems to be quite busy recently, with aerial videos of the facility showing a fleet of mysteriously covered Model Y units being stored within the complex.

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Tesla set to win big after IRS adjusts EV tax credit rules

“For purposes of sections 25E, 30D, and 45W, a vehicle is ‘acquired’ as of the date a written binding contract is entered into and a payment has been made. A payment includes a nominal down payment or a vehicle trade-in.”

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Credit: Tesla

Tesla is set to potentially come out as a big winner as the IRS has adjusted the rules of the $7,500 EV tax credit slightly.

The $7,500 tax credit for electric vehicles is set to expire on September 30, but the IRS has made a slight adjustment to the terms of the credit that will give consumers a bit more time to buy an EV and receive the discount.

The original terms of the EV tax credit were that delivery of an EV must be completed by September 30. Even if you had made a reservation or put a down payment on an EV, if it did not arrive and take delivery by September 30, the credit would not apply to you.

Tesla is ready with a perfect counter to the end of US EV tax credits

This put some people in quite a tough situation. As wait times for some EVs, especially Tesla Model Y and Model 3 vehicles, continue to be pushed back due to an increase in demand as consumers are trying to take advantage of the credit, some car buyers ordered a car that was not the trim level, paint color, or interior color that they wanted.

However, the IRS has adjusted the terms of the tax credit to enable people to have a bit more time to get the vehicle they want.

Late last week, the agency said that the meaning of “acquired” has been changed, and now, if a consumer has entered a legally binding contract to take delivery of the vehicle, which includes a nominal down payment on the car, they can take delivery after the previous September 30 deadline and still qualify for the credit.

The IRS wrote:

“For purposes of sections 25E, 30D, and 45W, a vehicle is ‘acquired’ as of the date a written binding contract is entered into and a payment has been made. A payment includes a nominal down payment or a vehicle trade-in.”

Tesla could come out as a big winner here because of this. The company is experiencing a lot of demand for its cars because of the tax credit’s expiration, and now that the rule has been adjusted to include orders received by the 30th as long as they’re accompanied by a nominal down payment, some of these high-demand deliveries could leak into Q4.

Q3 is likely going to be a very strong quarter for Tesla, and questions remain about how the company will perform in subsequent quarters since the tax credit is going away. However, this slight adjustment is a big plus for Tesla and other EV makers.

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Tesla Semi factory receives giant production equipment

The massive machine was transported to the Semi factory using two diesel trucks and a triple trailer.

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Credit: @HinrichsZane/X

Tesla seems determined to kick off the production of the Tesla Semi sometime this year at its Nevada factory.

This was hinted at by the arrival of massive production equipment to the Semi’s manufacturing site near Giga Nevada.

New equipment

What appeared to be a massive stamping machine has been transported to the Giga Texas complex. Spotted by longtime drone operator and Tesla Semi advocate @HinrichsZane, the massive contraption is so large and heavy that a single semi truck and trailer were not enough to move it. Instead, the massive machine was shipped to the Semi factory using two diesel trucks and a triple trailer.

The machine was fully covered in the videos from Nevada, but based on its shape and size, it appears that it is a stamping press for the Class 8 all-electric truck. Tesla is a pioneer in the use of Megacasts in the automotive industry, so it makes sense for the company to use a Giga Press for the Semi’s production as well.

Ambitious goals

The Tesla Semi factory is expected to produce a whopping 50,000 units of the Class 8 all-electric truck annually when it is fully ramped. At that output, the facility would be one of the country’s highest-volume plants for semi trailers, electric or otherwise. In a video posted earlier this year, Dan Priestley, who leads the Semi program at Tesla, stated that the company is looking to achieve volume production over the coming quarters.

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This should allow the Tesla Semi factory to mass produce the vehicle by 2026. Tesla CEO Elon Musk reiterated this timeframe recently, when he responded to a post on social media platform X about Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates being bearish about battery electric semi trucks.  “Tesla Semi will be in volume production next year,” Musk said in his post, which also included a laughing emoji. 

Check out the drone operator’s recent footage of the Tesla Semi factory in the video below.

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