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Highlights from Tesla’s Gigafactory Media Event
Tesla kicked off its Gigafactory Tour on Tuesday, July 26 with a media event. We’re providing the best curated Tweets from today’s event followed by a live Tweet from the official Gigafactory Grand Opening party scheduled for this Fiday, July 29.
Follow us on Twitter and join us Live from the Tesla Gigafactory!
July 25: Tesla Gigafactory Media Event (Pacific Time):
- 12:00-12:30 PM: Arrival at the Gigafactory and intro
- 12:30- 2:30 PM: Exterior and Interior tours
- 3:00-4:00 PM: Remarks and Q&A with Elon Musk and JB Straubel
- 4:15/30 PM: Shuttle departs Gigafactory
We’ll provide an update in a follow up post with results from the Q&A
Elon Musk and JB Straubel take the stage for Q&A
Alongside Elon and JB is an executive from Panasonic.
Elon Musk just arrived to talk Gigafactory pic.twitter.com/URTSoMP6e2
— Marco della Cava (@marcodellacava) July 26, 2016
Q&A with Elon Musk & JB Straubel coming up
Tesla #gigafactory tour complete. Now awaiting Elon Musk and JB Straubel. Musk running a bit late we are told. pic.twitter.com/pl5Z6LcCA4
— Marco della Cava (@marcodellacava) July 26, 2016
Tesla Gigafactory robots in action
https://twitter.com/danielsparks/status/758058708895092736
https://twitter.com/danielsparks/status/758058583426682880
Top 6 tidbits about Tesla’s Gigafactory revealed through building permits
Tesla continues its expansion on the Gigafactory as seen at outer areas of the main plant where steel construction beams are being put into place.
Section B Prime of Tesla #gigafactory – only a few days into construction as pace here quickens pic.twitter.com/3E69qgVUGM
— Marco della Cava (@marcodellacava) July 26, 2016
Tesla describes their relationship with Panasonic
Media was chaperoned to a no-photography-allowed section within the plant that housed proprietary equipment from Panasonic.
https://twitter.com/ByBenSpillman/status/758048060077289472
https://twitter.com/ByBenSpillman/status/758061212345085952
Tesla is already assembling Powerwall units
Inside Tesla's #gigafactory – where Tesla Powerwall battery storage units are now being built. pic.twitter.com/PpAAdKSF9C
— Marco della Cava (@marcodellacava) July 26, 2016
Area within the Gigafactory where battery cells will be produced
https://twitter.com/danielsparks/status/758044716273315841
Water treatment facility located on the east side behind the main entrance to the Gigafactory
https://twitter.com/ByBenSpillman/status/758038584393732096
The Gigafactory looks small by comparison to its expansive surroundings
https://twitter.com/danielsparks/status/758036769904263168
Tesla’s Gigafactory occupies a relatively small footprint within the overall 3200 acres of land purchased
- Tesla Gigafactory, July 24, 2016
- A newly perched white tent is seen near the entrance to the Gigafactory
This is just 20% of total #Gigafactory. 1.9 million sq feet of planned 10M = 107 football fields pic.twitter.com/kp9uteZMrN
— Marco della Cava (@marcodellacava) July 26, 2016
Miniature models of the Gigafactory office space and production floor
https://twitter.com/danielsparks/status/758039972121186304
A model of the Gigafactory is seen in the lobby showing robots in action on the production floor.
A “you are here” label reveals that the current size of the Gigafactory is only 14% of what it will ultimately be.
Model of Tesla #gigafactory production floor pic.twitter.com/Y5sToPJZKy
— Marco della Cava (@marcodellacava) July 26, 2016
https://twitter.com/ByBenSpillman/status/758021392272986112
Entrance to the Gigafactory
Tesla CEO Elon Musk will address reporters here at #gigafactory later today. Stay with @usatodaytech pic.twitter.com/fT95tZOeEy
— Marco della Cava (@marcodellacava) July 26, 2016
Tesla giving test drives in a Model S P90D before taking groups to tour the interior of the Gigafactory
Killing time before exterior tour at Tesla #gigafactory with test "flights" of Model S pic.twitter.com/HFKRr8pu4t
— Marco della Cava (@marcodellacava) July 26, 2016
Greeted by a beautiful Tesla Model 3 at the entrance of the Gigafactory
https://twitter.com/danielsparks/status/758020744747941888
Media making a pitstop at the security gate on Electric Avenue before heading into the Gigafactory
https://twitter.com/danielsparks/status/758015650560249856
New aerial photos of the Gigafactory taken on Sunday, July 24 shows a security guard shack located on the main road leading into the property.
News
Tesla Cybercab tests are going on overdrive with production-ready units
Tesla is ramping its real-world tests of the Cybercab, with multiple sightings of the vehicle being reported across social media this week.
Tesla is ramping its real-world tests of the Cybercab, with multiple sightings of the autonomous two-seater being reported across social media this week. Based on videos of the vehicle that have been shared online, it appears that Cybercab tests are underway across multiple states.
Recent Cybercab sightings
Reports of Cybercab tests have ramped this week, with a vehicle that looked like a production-ready prototype being spotted at Apple’s Visitor Center in California. The vehicle in this sighting was interesting as it was equipped with a steering wheel. The vehicle also featured some changes to the design of its brake lights.
The Cybercab was also filmed testing at the Fremont factory’s test track, which also seemed to involve a vehicle that looked production-ready. This also seemed to be the case for a Cybercab that was spotted in Austin, Texas, which happened to be undergoing real-world tests. Overall, these sightings suggest that Cybercab testing is fully underway, and the vehicle is really moving towards production.
Production design all but finalized?
Recently, a near-production-ready Cybercab was showcased at Tesla’s Santana Row showroom in San Jose. The vehicle was equipped with frameless windows, dual windshield wipers, powered butterfly door struts, an extended front splitter, an updated lightbar, new wheel covers, and a license plate bracket. Interior updates include redesigned dash/door panels, refined seats with center cupholders, updated carpet, and what appeared to be improved legroom.
There seems to be a pretty good chance that the Cybercab’s design has been all but finalized, at least considering Elon Musk’s comments at the 2025 Annual Shareholder Meeting. During the event, Musk confirmed that the vehicle will enter production around April 2026, and its production targets will be quite ambitious.
News
Tesla gets a win in Sweden as union withdraws potentially “illegal” blockade
As per recent reports, the Vision union’s planned anti-Tesla action might have been illegal.
Swedish union Vision has withdrawn its sympathy blockade against Tesla’s planned service center and showroom in Kalmar. As per recent reports, the Vision union’s planned anti-Tesla action might have been illegal.
Vision’s decision to pull the blockade
Vision announced the blockade in early December, stating that it was targeting the administrative handling of Tesla’s facility permits in Kalmar municipality. The sympathy measure was expected to start Monday, but was formally withdrawn via documents sent to the Mediation Institute and Kalmar Municipality last week.
As noted in a Daggers Arbete report, plans for the strike were ultimately pulled after employer group SKR highlighted potential illegality under the Public Employment Act. Vision stressed its continued backing for the Swedish labor model, though Deputy negotiation manager Oskar Pettersson explained that the Vision union and IF Metall made the decision to cancel the planned strike together.
“We will not continue to challenge the regulations,” Petterson said. “The objection was of a technical nature. We made the assessment together with IF Metall that we were not in a position to challenge the legal assessment of whether we could take this particular action against Tesla. Therefore, we chose to revoke the notice itself.”
The SKR’s warning
Petterson also stated that SKR’s technical objection to the Vision union’s planned anti-Tesla strike framed the protest as an unauthorized act. “It was a legal assessment of the situation. Both for us and for IF Metall, it is important to be clear that we stand for the Swedish model. But we should not continue to challenge the regulations and risk getting judgments that lead nowhere in the application of the regulations,” he said.
Vision ultimately canceled its planned blockade against Tesla on December 9. With Vision’s withdrawal, few obstacles remain for Tesla’s long-planned Kalmar site. A foreign electrical firm completed work this fall, and Tesla’s Careers page currently lists a full-time service manager position based there, signaling an imminent opening.
News
Tesla Semi program Director teases major improvements
Tesla Semi Program Director Dan Priestly teased the major improvements to the all-electric Class 8 truck on Thursday night, following the company’s decision to overhaul the design earlier this year.
Priestley said he drove the Semi on Thursday, and the improvements appear to be welcomed by one of the minds behind the project. “Our customers are going to love it,” he concluded.
Just drove the redesigned Semi. Our customers are going to love it. https://t.co/KZ88sf1CDL
— Dan Priestley (@danWpriestley) December 19, 2025
The small detail does not seem like much, but it is coming from someone who has been involved in the development of the truck from A to Z. Priestley has been involved in the Semi program since November 2015 and has slowly worked his way through the ranks, and currently stands as the Director of the program.
Tesla Semi undergoes major redesign as dedicated factory preps for deliveries
Tesla made some major changes to the Semi design as it announced at the 2025 Annual Shareholder Meeting that it changed the look and design to welcome improvements in efficiency.
Initially, Tesla adopted the blade-like light bar for the Semi, similar to the one that is present on the Model Y Premium and the Cybertruck.
Additionally, there are some slight aesthetic changes to help with efficiency, including a redesigned bumper with improved aero channels, a smaller wraparound windshield, and a smoother roofline for better aero performance.
All of these changes came as the company’s Semi Factory, which is located on Gigafactory Nevada’s property, was finishing up construction in preparation for initial production phases, as Tesla is planning to ramp up manufacturing next year. CEO Elon Musk has said the Semi has attracted “ridiculous demand.”
The Semi has already gathered many large companies that have signed up to buy units, including Frito-Lay and PepsiCo., which have been helping Tesla test the vehicle in a pilot program to test range, efficiency, and other important metrics that will be a major selling point.
Tesla will be the Semi’s first user, though, and the truck will help solve some of the company’s logistics needs in the coming years.


