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[Photos] Preparations for Tesla’s Gigafactory event are well underway
New aerial photos obtained by Teslarati show party preparations for Tesla’s upcoming July 29 Gigafactory event are well underway. Photos of Tesla’s $5 billion high-tech battery plant located 20 miles east of Reno, Nevada reveal that the electric automaker turned energy company has perched a large white tent off the main road, rightfully named Electric Avenue, that leads into the Gigafactory.
Several tractor trailers are seen surrounding the tent with a pair of trailers positioned in a way that would suggest cargo was being unloaded into the tent. Taking into account that commercial tractor trailers are generally 53 feet in length, we approximate the tent to be about 210 feet in length and 105 feet wide, or twice the size of a professional NBA basketball court.
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- Tesla Gigafactory event prepartions seen in aerial photo
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- A newly perched white tent is seen near the entrance to the Gigafactory
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- Tesla Gigafactory, July 24, 2016
Also seen in the photos taken on Sunday, July 24 by local flight instructor Josh Mcdonald are roughly 2,000 newly painted parking spaces located directly west of Tesla’s Gigafactory 1. Tesla will be providing valet parking for those driving to Gigafactory 1 via Electric Avenue, but will also have shuttle service departing from downtown Reno to the battery plant. Though Tesla has not disclosed the planned attendance figure for the highly anticipated event, we know CEO Elon Musk isn’t one to shy away from throwing a good party. Both the Tesla ‘D event’ and the Model X unveiling each drew between 4,000 – 6,000 in attendance.
Looking forward to the Gigafactory opening party on Friday next week. The scale blows me away every time I see it.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 22, 2016
Tesla will also be providing factory tours of Gigafactory 1 as well as “test rides” according to event details outlined on the company’s official invitation to the July 29 party. There’s been speculation that Tesla will be providing event attendees rides in the final version of the Model 3 which completed design late last month.
We know that Musk has said in the past that Tesla will “do the obvious thing” regarding Autopilot on the Model 3. Contrary to Tesla’s current semi-autonomous driving feature which has seen its share of negative press after the first fatality occurred behind the wheel of a Model S on Autopilot, many believe that the obvious thing in this case is a fully autonomous vehicle capable of driving on its own with no human intervention.
Looking at a close up of the area near the white tent, we can see a section leading to a paved road that runs alongside the expansive parking lot, and around the outer perimeter of the factory lot. Zooming into the photo even more and you can see the paved road is painted with very clear lane markings, perhaps to ensure that Autopilot 2.0 sensors have all of the cues needed for a successful demo. What we’re seeing here might in fact be a test track where rides will take place.
Test rides might be originating from near the white tent and on the paved road surrounding the outer perimeter of the Gigafactory 1 lot.
Musk’s vision for the future includes the use of Tesla’s battery plant as the supplier of li-ion cells for its upcoming fleet of Tesla trucks, semis and home and commercial energy solutions.
Tesla broke ground on its first Gigafactory in June 2014 and is expected to produce 105 gigawatt hours of battery cells when it reaches full production in 2020, and becomes the world’s largest producer and consumer of li-ion battery cells.
The four completed sections of the Gigafactory to date represents only 15% of the overall total size when completed. Josh Mcdonald of Nevada Tailwheel tells us, “Tesla has begun construction on the next phase of the Gigafactory as seen from the newly graded sections with concrete and steel pylons forming the base of the foundation directly to the north and south of the factory”.
We’ve outlined in red a few key areas of the Gigafactory seen from the aerial photo. Among the areas outlined are new sections north and south of the existing building, a helicopter landing zone and the security guard shack on Electric Avenue.
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Tesla Robotaxi appears to be heading to a new U.S. city
Things are expanding for Robotaxi, but the big sign that it is really moving along greatly will be with the expansion to a new city. Tesla has not gone outside of Austin or the Bay Area as of yet, and launching in a new city will be a great indicator of progress.
Tesla Robotaxi appears to be heading to a new U.S. city, and although the company has revealed plans to launch in six new metros this year, it has yet to establish a new location outside of Austin and the Bay Area of California, where it has operated since last Summer.
A lot full of Model Y vehicles was spotted in Henderson, a town just north of Las Vegas, but there seems to be more than just this hint indicating that the Sin City will be the next location to offer potentially driverless rides in a Tesla using its Full Self-Driving suite.
These Model Ys are not your typical vehicles, as they are fitted with hardware that is only on Robotaxis: a rear camera washer is the dead giveaway:
🚨 These rear camera washers are only present on Robotaxi vehicles
Maybe Las Vegas is the next city to get the Robotaxi suite 😀 https://t.co/my3da5L4zc pic.twitter.com/jYFQuX1j2E
— TESLARATI (@Teslarati) March 17, 2026
The photos and video of the lot were taken by TheZacher on X, who spotted the Model Y fleet in the Henderson parking lot.
The rear camera washer is the main piece of evidence here that indicates Tesla could be looking to expand Robotaxi to Las Vegas, a major ride-hailing hot spot, as it is one of the biggest tourist attractions in the United States. Ride-sharing is a major industry in Vegas, especially for those who are staying off the Strip.
Tesla has also been extremely transparent that Vegas is on its radar for the Robotaxi fleet, as it revealed last year that it was one of five new U.S. cities that it planned to launch the ride-hailing service in this year.
Tesla confirms Robotaxi is heading to five new cities in the U.S.
The others were Phoenix, Dallas, Houston, and Miami.
Things are expanding for Robotaxi, but the big sign that it is really moving along greatly will be with the expansion to a new city. Tesla has not gone outside of Austin or the Bay Area as of yet, and launching in a new city will be a great indicator of progress.
It will also give Tesla a new benchmark against rival company Waymo, which has operated in Las Vegas for some time.
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Tesla Roadster gets new unveiling date once again
Musk announced last year that the unveiling, which initially happened back in 2018, would take place on April Fool’s Day. Initial deliveries at the 2018 event were slotted for 2020, but delays in the project, as well as prioritization of other things, continued to push the Roadster back.
The Tesla Roadster is perhaps the most anticipated vehicle in the company’s history, but those who have been waiting anxiously for it will have to push their timelines back once again.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk has revealed that the company is once again pushing back the unveiling event that was originally planned for April 1. It will now take place “probably in late April.”
True.
New Roadster unveil probably in late April. https://t.co/NShZxpK5cI
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) March 17, 2026
Musk announced last year that the unveiling, which initially happened back in 2018, would take place on April Fool’s Day. Initial deliveries at the 2018 event were slotted for 2020, but delays in the project, as well as prioritization of other things, continued to push the Roadster back.
There has been so much hype about the Roadster that people are right to be excited about the prospect of its existence.
Musk’s most recent rumblings about the vehicle came last Fall, when he appeared on the Joe Rogan Experience podcast, where he once again hinted the car would be able to hover for a short period.
He said:
“Whether it’s good or bad, it will be unforgettable. My friend Peter Thiel once reflected that the future was supposed to have flying cars, but we don’t have flying cars. I think if Peter wants a flying car, he should be able to buy one…I think it has a shot at being the most memorable product unveiling ever. [It will be unveiled] hopefully before the end of the year. You know, we need to make sure that it works. This is some crazy technology in this car. Let’s just put it this way: if you took all the James Bond cars and combined them, it’s crazier than that.”
Additionally, he said the vehicle would not be something that would prioritize safety. Musk said that “If safety is your number one goal, do not buy the Roadster.” It’s made for speed and excitement, not for grocery-getting.
Elon Musk just said some crazy stuff about the Tesla Roadster
As the April 1 unveiling event that was originally planned was nearing without any communication to fans, media, or anyone who would potentially be in attendance, it seemed to be pretty obvious that Tesla was not ready to pull the trigger on the event quite yet.
There could be some last-minute things to finalize, or it could be something else. One thing is for certain, though: we are not super surprised that things were moved back.
Tesla has definitely been putting some things in motion for the Roadster. A few months back, Tesla started to ramp up hiring for the Roadster, and earlier in March, it submitted a patent application for a new seat design.
Elon Musk
Tesla named by U.S. Gov. in $4.3B battery deal for American-made cells
What began as an open secret in the energy industry was confirmed by the U.S. Department of the Interior on Monday: Tesla is the buyer behind LG Energy Solution’s blockbuster $4.3 billion battery supply agreement.
What began as an open secret in the energy industry is becoming more real after the U.S. Department of the Interior named Tesla as the stakeholder in the LG Energy Solution’s blockbuster $4.3 billion battery supply agreement.
Tesla and LG Energy Solution are expanding their partnership to build a LFP prismatic battery cell manufacturing facility in Lansing, Michigan, launching production in 2027. The announcement, made as part of the Indo-Pacific Energy Security Summit results, ends months of speculation.
“American-made cells will power Tesla’s Megapack 3 energy storage systems produced in Houston, creating a robust domestic battery supply chain.”, notes a press release on the U.S. Department of the Interior website.
Tesla has long utilized China’s Contemporary Amperex Technology Co. (CATL), the world’s largest LFP battery maker, as one of its primary suppliers. That relationship made financial sense for years, considering that Chinese LFP cells were cheap, abundant, and reliable. But with escalated tariffs on Chinese imports and an increasingly growing Tesla Energy business that’s particularly reliant on LFP cells for products including its Megapack battery storage units designed for utilities and large-scale commercial projects.
The announcement of a deepened partnership between LG Energy Solution and Tesla has strategic logic for both parties. For Tesla, it secures a tariff-compliant, domestically produced battery supply for its fast-growing energy division. LGES, now producing LFP batteries in Michigan, becomes the only major supplier currently scaling U.S. production, outpacing rivals like Samsung SDI and SK On. LG Energy Solution’s Lansing plant, formerly known as Ultium Cells 3, was previously operated as a joint venture with General Motors. LGES acquired GM’s stake in May 2025 and now fully owns the site, with a production capacity of 50 GWh per year. LG Energy said the contract includes options to extend the supply period by up to seven years and boost volumes based on further consultations.
For the broader industry, the ripple effects are significant. This deal signals that domestic battery manufacturing can be financially viable and not just aspirational. Utilities, energy developers, and rival automakers will take note as American-made LFP supply becomes a competitive reality rather than a distant promise.
For consumers, the benefits will take time but are real. A more resilient, U.S.-based supply chain means fewer price shocks from trade disputes, more stable Megapack availability for the grid storage projects that reduce electricity costs, and long-term downward pressure on energy storage prices as domestic production scales.
Deliveries are set to begin in 2027 and run through mid-2030, and as grid storage demand accelerates, reliable, US-made battery supply is no longer a future ambition. It is becoming a core requirement of the country’s energy strategy.
Tesla Robotaxi appears to be heading to a new U.S. city
Tesla Roadster gets new unveiling date once again
