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Tesla offered Texas land for Cybertruck factory [Updated]

Tesla CEO Elon Musk unveils futuristic Cybertruck in Los Angeles, Nov. 21, 2019 (Photo: Teslarati)

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Update: Elon Musk has clarified that Tesla currently has the option to purchase the Austin, TX land. But so far, Musk has stated that the electric car maker has not exercised it. 

— Original article follows —

Tesla has acquired a 2,100-acre plot of land 12 miles outside of Austin in what could be the home to its upcoming Cybertruck production facility.

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An application from the Texas Comptroller’s office describes Tesla’s plans to develop and design a “high-tech electric vehicle manufacturing plant in Travis County.” This provides a strong indicator that Tesla has chosen Texas to be the home of its next EV production facility.

The application states, “Tesla Inc is evaluating the possible development, design, and construction of a high tech electric vehicle manufacturing plant in Travis County within the Austin Green property located at the intersection of SH-130 and Harold Green Road. Attached is an exhibit that shows the planned layout of the facility on the site and is subject to confidentiality assertions above.”

The red outlined area is the plot of land that Tesla has reportedly purchased.

Credit: State of Texas/Travis County

According to documents, the plant will “ultimately comprise a 4-5 million square foot manufacturing plant. Construction timing is still to be determined but anticipated to be sometime over the next 2-3 years pending required approvals.”

Tesla purchased the land for $5,298,275, documents from the State of Texas indicate. The document also indicates that construction will begin in the third quarter of 2020, pending required approval from the State of Texas.

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All indications until this point has led to Tesla utilizing the Lone Star State for its next, and possibly largest, production facility to date. In January, CEO Elon Musk tested the waters to see if Texas was the appropriate location for its next factory via a Twitter poll. The results were overwhelmingly positive, with 80% of the 305,724 participants in the survey being in favor of a “Giga Texas.”

 

The production facility will be Tesla’s fifth production facility behind Gigafactory Nevada, Gigafactory New York, Gigafactory Shanghai, and Gigafactory Berlin. It will be the fourth electric vehicle production facility behind the Fremont factory, Shanghai, and Berlin.

The facility will likely produce the Tesla Cybertruck, along with the Model Y crossover. The production of the Cybertruck’s Dual and Tri-Motor variants is expected to begin in late 2021.

With the Cybertruck’s production date scheduled for late next year, Giga Texas could operate much like Giga Shanghai, which started vehicle production activities as soon as the first phase of the plant was completed. In Shanghai, Tesla is completing the 2nd Phase of the facility, which will build the Model Y crossover. This strategy will likely be implemented in Texas to keep Cybertruck production on schedule as much as possible.

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Musk’s indication of Texas being Tesla’s new home has finally come to fruition. After hinting for months that Texas would ultimately be the location of the electric automaker’s new facility for months, documents indicate that Tesla will begin construction in the third quarter of 2020, and could be cranking out electric vehicles as soon as 2021.

Joey has been a journalist covering electric mobility at TESLARATI since August 2019. In his spare time, Joey is playing golf, watching MMA, or cheering on any of his favorite sports teams, including the Baltimore Ravens and Orioles, Miami Heat, Washington Capitals, and Penn State Nittany Lions. You can get in touch with joey at joey@teslarati.com. He is also on X @KlenderJoey. If you're looking for great Tesla accessories, check out shop.teslarati.com

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Tesla adjusts Online Design Studio for easier trade-in process

Tesla has a great trade-in program that allows you to give the company your vehicle in exchange for cash, even if it’s not an EV. Their trades are mostly fair, but the company seems to undervalue its own vehicles, and there have been plenty of complaints over offers in the past.

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(Credit: Tesla Asia | X)

Tesla has adjusted its Online Design Studio to make for an easier trade-in process, reflecting the details of the exchange for a more accurate reflection of payment terms.

Tesla has a great trade-in program that allows you to give the company your vehicle in exchange for cash, even if it’s not an EV. Their trades are mostly fair, but the company seems to undervalue its own vehicles, and there have been plenty of complaints over offers in the past.

Trade-ins are usually given by submitting vehicle details, then Tesla sends an email with an offer. Offers are non-negotiable, but do adjust over time, although the latest offer is valid for 30 days.

I traded my ICE vehicle for a Tesla Model Y: here’s how it went

Knowing your new Tesla’s cash price, leasing or loan details, and monthly payment information used to be done by the car buyer. From personal experience, I simply subtracted my trade-in from the cash price of the Tesla Model Y, and I plugged those numbers into the payment calculator.

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Now, Tesla is implementing the trade-in process directly into the Design Studio. It will adjust the price of the car and the different monthly payment methods automatically:

The change is already noticed in a handful of states, including California, but it has not rolled out across the board quite yet. It will be implemented in all of the U.S., as well as Canada, this coming week.

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The trade-in process is very simple, and after you accept your offer, you simply drop your vehicle off during the delivery process. Making this simple change will be greatly appreciated by owners.

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Tesla confirms Robotaxi is heading to five new cities in the U.S.

After launching in Austin, Texas, in late June and the Bay Area of California just a few weeks later, Tesla has been attempting to expand its Robotaxi suite to new states and cities in the U.S., and even outside of the country.

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Credit: Tesla

Tesla Robotaxi will hit five new cities in the United States in the coming months, the company confirmed.

After launching in Austin, Texas, in late June and the Bay Area of California just a few weeks later, Tesla has been attempting to expand its Robotaxi suite to new states and cities in the U.S., and even outside of the country.

The Robotaxi suite is a ride-hailing service Tesla offers, but the details of it change with each jurisdiction, as regulations vary. For example, in Austin, Tesla can operate the Robotaxi suite without anyone in the driver’s seat, as long as the vehicle does not enter a freeway.

Credit: Tesla

In the Bay Area, a Safety Monitor rides in the driver’s seat, essentially acting as the vehicle operator with Full Self-Driving controlling the car.

The local regulations and how Tesla handles them will continue to be a relevant part of the discussion, especially as the company aims to expand the Robotaxi program to different areas. This has been a primary focus of the company for several months, especially within the United States.

CEO Elon Musk said that Tesla was aiming to launch Robotaxi in Nevada, Arizona, and Florida. However, the company detailed five specific cities where it will launch Robotaxi next during the Annual Shareholder Meeting on Thursday.

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Tesla will launch Robotaxi in Las Vegas, Phoenix, Dallas, Houston, and Miami next, broadening its Service Area for the suite to more major cities across the U.S.

It has said it plans to offer the service to half of the U.S. population by the end of the year, but it does not seem as if it will expand to more than a handful of cities this year, which is still tremendous progress, all things considered.

As far as autonomy is concerned, Tesla has always had lofty expectations and has made some even loftier statements.

At the Shareholder Meeting, Musk said that the company would likely be able to enable vehicle owners to text while the vehicle drives, alleviating them from potentially having some of the responsibility they have behind the wheel.

Tesla says texting and driving capability is coming ‘in a month or two’

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It is not confirmed that Tesla will roll this out in the next few months, but Musk said there is a possibility.

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Tesla launches another new Model Y trim at a bargain price with massive range

It is the second most-affordable Model Y trim level in China, trailing the base Rear-Wheel-Drive and coming in under the All-Wheel-Drive.

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Credit: Tesla

Tesla has launched yet another new Model Y trim level, but this time it is in China, and it is at a bargain price.

It also has an insane range rating.

On Friday, Tesla launched the new Model Y Long Range Rear-Wheel-Drive in China, priced at 288,500 yuan ($40,500), an incredible deal considering it is not a stripped-down version of the vehicle like the Model Y Standard.

It is the second most-affordable Model Y trim level in China, trailing the base Rear-Wheel-Drive and coming in under the All-Wheel-Drive.

The big appeal with this new Model Y trim is obviously its price, but its range rating is also one of the best we’ve seen. Rated at 821 kilometers on the CLTC scale, it converts to 510 miles. It uses a 78.4 kWh CATL battery.

Converted to real-world range, however, that 821-kilometer range rated by the CLTC actually is equivalent to about 357 miles on the EPA scale, which is still a very respectable number and comes in at a higher range than the Long Range All-Wheel-Drive configuration that is available in the U.S.

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Tesla has truly brought a wide variety of Model Y trims to the Chinese market, including a new Model Y L configuration that features a slightly longer wheelbase, as well as additional interior features like extended thigh legrests and captain’s chairs with armrests.

It is unclear whether Tesla will bring a Premium Rear-Wheel-Drive option of the Model Y to the U.S., especially as it has already rolled out four configurations of the all-electric crossover in the market. With the new Standard offerings, Tesla will likely keep its lineup as simple as possible.

However, the company has hinted that there is a slim possibility the Model Y L could come to the U.S. sometime late next year, but CEO Elon Musk said that it is not a guarantee.

Tesla is more concerned with self-driving efforts in the U.S., and despite calls from customers for larger vehicles, it does not seem concerned with making them available, at least not for now.

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