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New Tesla Gigafactory projects revealed through latest building permits

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Tesla Gigafactory event prepartions seen in aerial photo

Teslarati has learned that the total value of all building permits issued for the Tesla Gigafactory now stands at $386 million, or $63 million more than the last time Jack Cookson of BuildZoom checked in with the local building inspector’s office.

Perhaps the most surprising bit of information is that a permit was issued recently for a  “temporary tent structure” for a “special event” costing $300,000 likely to be used for the Gigafactory Grand Opening party. We recently spotted the massive tent, the size of two NBA basketball courts, in newly captured aerial photos of the Gigafactory.

A newly perched white tent is seen near the entrance to the Gigafactory

A newly perched white tent is seen near the entrance to the Gigafactory

“Section F Expansion” assumed to be one of the two new additions at the battery plant claimed the largest single permit by dollar at $22 million. There was also a permit issued for “seismic anchoring” totaling $9.4 million. Presumably, seismic anchoring is part of the foundation work for Section F.

We have to keep reminding ourselves that the current building represents less than 15% of the total size of the Gigafactory when finished. All the exterior walls except the main wall in front are temporary, designed to be broken through as new sections are added.

We’ve provided all of the notable permits filed for the Tesla Gigafactory via BuildZoom.

  • The total value of work since we last checked in has been 63 million dollars, bringing the total for the entire project to 386 million dollars. 
  • First, and perhaps most relevant to the opening, is on July 18th Tesla filed a permit for a “temporary tent structure” for a “special event”. While I can’t be sure, the $300,000 tent might be for the grand opening. 
  • The biggest single permit was a 22 million dollar permit for the “Section F Expansion”.
  • The first permits related to Panasonic work were issued to Tesla on June 28th and July 13th. The two permits are for the installation of Panasonic tools. The two permits were both designated to section B/C and totaled 16.2 million dollars. 
  • There was also 14.4 million dollars worth of addenda to sections D/E. 
  • There was 9.4 million dollars in seismic anchoring issued in permits.
  • There was 350,000 dollars across two permits for contractor lunch tents, perhaps related to the increase in construction workers they recently took on. 
  • There was also a parking expansion and while I don’t know what a “Nitrogen Yard” is there was a permit for one. 

As Panasonic executive vice president Yoshihiko Yamada explained at the Tuesday news conference, his company is fully committed to its partnership with Tesla. Panasonic took out two building permits of its own recently, both covering the installation of its proprietary machines and tools in sections B and C. The two permits together total $16.2 million.

The local building inspector’s office also recorded permits totaling $14.4 million for additional work in Sections D and E and $9.4 million in other miscellaneous work recently. They include an expansion to the parking area. Tesla made sure there was parking for 2,000 cars in time for the grand opening this weekend.

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The pace of construction at the Gigafactory is accelerating. Workers are now busy seven days a week, working two shifts a day. In order to accommodate their needs, Tesla has applied for permits for two contractor lunch tents worth a total of $350,000.

Finally, Jack Cookson reports a permit application for a “Nitrogen Yard.” Exactly what that is or what role it will play in the production process remains unclear.

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Tesla Model Y reclaims elusive sales title in competitive market

As more EVs have entered the market and some at better prices, Tesla’s Model Y has been put up against some very attractive options.

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Credit: Tesla

The Tesla Model Y reclaimed an elusive sales title in one of the most competitive markets it is in, outpacing key rivals and formidable competitors to regain the crown it once was a shoe-in for.

As more EVs have entered the market and some at better prices, Tesla’s Model Y has been put up against some very attractive options.

This is especially prudent in Europe and China, where domestic car companies have been offering attractive and cheap EVs as Tesla alternatives.

However, in September, the Model Y was able to battle back and take over the top sales spot for EVs in Europe.

In September, it had 25,938 sales, and although it was an 8.6 percent decrease compared to the same month in 2024, it was enough to be labeled the best-selling car in the European market, Automotive News reported.

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500-mile test proves why Tesla Model Y still humiliates rivals in Europe

There are four vehicles that have been atop the European EV sales rankings for any given month this year: the Renault Clio, which has three titles, the Dacia Sandero, which has won four monthly sales titles, and the Volkswagen T-Roc, which was the best-selling car in the market in August.

The Clio captured the number-two spot in September with 20,146 sales.

Despite a strong September showing for the Model Y, which was its first monthly sales crown of the year, the vehicle has not been a top-three EV in Europe this year. That is still led by the Sandero, Clio, and T-Roc.

Despite that, Tesla’s Model Y is still likely to be one of the best-selling vehicles in the world, if not the best, for the year.

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In the United States, it has dominated EV sales charts and has been one of the most popular cars in the region. The same goes for China, where the Model Y has more competition than in Europe, but is so attractive because of its premium look and feel, as well as its tech offerings.

The Model Y has been the best-selling car globally for the past two years, outpacing widely popular gas and EV models from around the world.

Tesla also just finished up its best three-month sales period in its history, delivering just shy of half a million vehicles from July to September.

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Tesla dashcam video shows crazy plane crash avoidance maneuver

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Credit: @davidbellow | X

A Tesla captured video of a crashing plane on an Oklahoma highway, as a shocking video shows a small aircraft coming across a local roadway, with various cars ducking to avoid it.

On October 23, an Oklahoma National Guard OA-1K Skyraider II turboprop plane crashed during a training mission after an engine failure. Both crew members escaped unharmed, but they were not the only ones at risk of injury.

A Tesla Dashcam video shared by a friend of the car’s owner shows the vehicle narrowly avoiding an impact with the plane, swerving left, then back onto its side of the road. It appears to be a serious miracle:

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David Bellow, the person who posted the video of the Tesla avoiding the plane, claims it was Full Self-Driving that performed the maneuver, but it is not confirmed. This is what he said:

There are a few hints that suggest it could be Tesla’s Full Self-Driving suite, but it is important to note that neither the company, the driver, nor the friend has confirmed this.

The first hint is the vehicle’s maneuver and subsequent reaction. The car suddenly swerves to the left, which any human would do, but how the vehicle continues to travel as if nothing had happened seems to solidify the idea that FSD could have been involved in avoiding the plane.

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Nevertheless, this does not confirm that FSD was in control.

My Tesla did this on FSD (Supervised) v14.1 and the internet went crazy

Most people would likely have stopped in their tracks after avoiding an aircraft while driving.

However, this is not enough proof to definitively say FSD was responsible for the avoidance.

Additionally, the “Jump to Event” button is activated in the video, suggesting that FSD was in control. The vehicle gives this option when something major has occurred, including human intervention.

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Regardless of whether the car was on FSD or was controlled manually, it is pretty crazy to have this piece of dashcam footage.

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Tesla Full Self-Driving got a minor feature that’s a massive improvement

“Brake Confirm for the Start Self-Driving button is now defaulted off. When disabled, Start Self-Driving will not require you to press and release the brake to confirm engagement.”

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Credit: Tesla

Tesla’s Full Self-Driving suite seems to get better with every single release. However, it is also making it more seamless and easier than ever to use for passenger travel, thanks to a recent feature that has flown under the radar.

Tesla started rolling out its v14 iteration of the Full Self-Driving suite a few weeks ago to Early Access Program (EAP) members, and it finally started making its way to the public for the first time earlier this week.

Tesla Full Self-Driving v14.1 first impressions: Robotaxi-like features arrive

The wide rollout of Tesla v14.1.3 was long-awaited, as its capabilities were flexed by the handful of people lucky to have it. However, those sitting with v13.2.9 were still eager to get to their hands on the new FSD version, especially considering it came with a lot of cool upgrades.

One of which is flying under the radar and not getting as much attention as it should. Although it is a minor feature change from v13, Tesla has made FSD more seamless than ever with a simple fix that it started utilizing with v14.

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With v14.1.1, Tesla started rolling out the removal of the “Brake Confirm” feature, which required drivers to touch the brake to activate Full Self-Driving. This is now an optional feature, as it now is defaulted to the off position by the car.

The release notes for the feature state:

“Brake Confirm for the Start Self-Driving button is now defaulted off. When disabled, Start Self-Driving will not require you to press and release the brake to confirm engagement.

You can enable Brake Confirm in Autopilot > Brake Confirm.”

Simply put, you no longer need to touch the brake to confirm your intention to use Full Self-Driving, which is a small but very effective fix.

It makes your car much more active in terms of overall activation, and it is definitely a quicker and more streamlined departure from your current location than ever before.

Here’s a good look at how quick it is:

@teslarati With Tesla Full Self-Driving v14, there is no delay when you start FSD. Press “Start Self-Driving” and you’re on your way #fyp #viral #tesla #teslafsd #fsdv14 ♬ original sound – TESLARATI

The feature is small, but it is very noticeable with your first uses of FSD v14. Eventually, it will become even more streamlined as Tesla solves self-driving and autonomy, as it will require zero human intervention to get started, which means the “Start Self-Driving” button will also be removed.

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