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Tesla Giga Texas production moves closer as paint shop machinery arrives

Credit: Terafactory Texas | YouTube

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The initial production runs at Tesla’s Giga Texas facility are moving closer to reality. A new drone video from a local resident shows Giga Texas’s paint shop facility is set to begin construction soon as paint application machinery has arrived on site.

With Tesla scheduled to begin production at Giga Texas later this year, crews are on-site daily to complete what will be Tesla’s largest production facility to date. One of Giga Texas’s primary focuses is completing the work of the main structure, which appears to be coming along at a reasonably fast pace, something Tesla has displayed at its other manufacturing facilities in China and Germany. With Giga Texas several months into construction, specific areas of the facility are beginning to be erected as the first production runs move closer with every passing day.

A new shipment of containers was spotted at the facility on Monday evening by YouTube channel Terafactory Texas, who spotted seven large boxes that appear to be housing several elements of what will be the Giga Texas paint shop.

Three of the containers say “TC Mod, while three others say “E-Coat.” The final container says “Top Coat,” meaning all seven containers are likely headed to the paint shop as their descriptions align with machinery that would be found within an automotive paint application facility.

E-Coat, or electrocoating, also known as electropainting in some regions, is a process used in automotive paint shops everywhere. For several years, Tesla has used this process as evidence points to a 2012 blog post from the electric car manufacturer.

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Credit: Terafactory Texas | YouTube

The company detailed its paint process to ensure quality and corrosion protection:

“First, a Body-in-White is submerged into our pre-treatment bath where the aluminum gets prepared for its first treatment layer. We then dip Model S into a 75,000-gallon tank of advanced electro-coating solution to enhance the appearance of subsequent paint layers. After this e-coat dip, the car goes through a 350° F oven to ensure a “baked on” protection against corrosion.”

E-Coating is a process that has been used for around 50 years, according to ClearClad.com. Originally used to apply an anti-corrosive coating to steel car bodies, the process is now used for various consumer goods like hardware, jewelry, eyeglass frames, and giftware, among several other things. Electrical activity around the vehicle’s surface makes paint resin stick directly to a surface, creating a strong bond between the car and the paint.

TC Mod could stand for “temperature control module,” which would indicate that these containers are carrying HVAC units that are ideal for paint shops. In order for paint to have a strong bond and set correctly on an automotive body, it must be applied and dried in certain conditions. These modules would ensure that Tesla’s paint application process is done at correct temperatures, eliminating any possibility of a weak paint application.

Tesla has worked extremely hard to improve the quality of its paint shops. After paint quality was among the most common complaints from owners, Tesla managed to revamp its facility at the Fremont factory last year as the pandemic slowed production. Several applications acquired by Teslarati showed that Tesla was working to increase fire protection efforts within the paint shop, among some other projects. It worked, as the paint has improved according to some owners, including veteran teardown expert Sandy Munro, who was extremely impressed with the quality of his Model 3’s paint job during a recent drive across the country.

Giga Texas is expected to handle Model 3 and Model Y production for the Eastern half of North America. It will also manufacture the Tesla Cybertruck in either late 2021 or early 2022.

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https://youtu.be/N2WG8BoD4c0

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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SpaceX aces Starship test flight 10 with successful payload deployment

The mission began at 6:30 p.m. local time in Starbase, Texas, when the launch of Starship initiated. After about eight minutes, stage separation was completed, and the Super Heavy Booster headed back down to Earth for a planned splashdown in the Indian Ocean:

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Credit: SpaceX

SpaceX aced its tenth Starship test flight on Tuesday night after multiple delays pushed the mission back to this evening. Originally scheduled for Sunday night, SpaceX had two delays push the flight back to Tuesday, which ultimately provided ideal conditions for a launch attempt.

The tenth test flight of Starship had several objectives, including a successful splashdown of the booster in the Gulf of America, the deployment of eight Starlink simulation modules from the PEZ dispenser, and a splashdown of the ship in the Indian Ocean.

SpaceX Starship Flight 10: What to expect

SpaceX successfully achieved all three of these objectives, making it one of the most successful test flights in the Starship program. There was no attempt to catch the booster this evening, as the company had been transparent about it ahead of the launch.

The mission began at 6:30 p.m. local time in Starbase, Texas, when the launch of Starship initiated. After about eight minutes, stage separation was completed, and the Super Heavy Booster headed back down to Earth for a planned splashdown in the Indian Ocean:

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Starship was then the main focus of the rest of the broadcast as it completed its ascent burn and coasted through space, providing viewers with spectacular views as the mission headed toward new territory, including the deployment of Starlink simulators. This would be the first time SpaceX would attempt a payload deployment.

The deployment works like a PEZ dispenser, as the simulators were stacked on top of one another and would exit through a small slit one at a time.

This occurred roughly 20 minutes into the mission:

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An hour and six minutes into the flight, Starship reached its final destination, which was the Indian Ocean. A successful splashdown would bring closure to Starship’s tenth test flight, marking the fifth time a test flight in the program’s history did not end with vehicle loss.

It was also the first of four test flights this year that will end with Starship being recovered.

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SpaceX is expected to launch Starship again in approximately eight weeks, pending the collection of data and other key metrics from this flight.

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WATCH: SpaceX attempts Starship’s tenth test flight after two delays

This evening, SpaceX has already stated that conditions appear to be approximately 45 percent favorable for launch. This is ten percent less than last night, when the mission was eventually scrapped around 7 p.m. local time.

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Credit: SpaceX

SpaceX is set to launch Starship tonight, provided the weather cooperates and everything with the ship goes smoothly.

This is SpaceX’s third attempt to launch Starship for its tenth test flight, with Sunday’s and Monday’s attempts both being scrapped due to a leak and unfavorable weather conditions on the respective days.

This evening, SpaceX has already stated that conditions appear to be approximately 45 percent favorable for launch. This is ten percent less than last night, when the mission was eventually scrapped around 7 p.m. local time.

SpaceX Starship Flight 10: What to expect

Propellant load of the upper stage and Super Heavy booster is already underway, and the launch is expected to occur at 6:30 p.m. in Starbase, Texas.

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You can watch the tenth test flight of Starship below via SpaceX:

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Tesla one-ups Waymo once again with latest Robotaxi expansion in Austin

Tesla’s new Robotaxi geofence measures roughly 171 square miles of Austin’s downtown and suburbs. This is more than double the size of Waymo’s geofence, which measures 90 square miles.

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Credit: @BLKMDL3 | X

Tesla’s expansion of the Robotaxi geofence on Tuesday morning was a one-up on Waymo once again, as the automaker’s service area growth helps eclipse its rival in an intense back-and-forth.

A lot of conversation has been made about Tesla’s rivalry with Waymo in terms of the capabilities of its driverless ride-sharing service in Austin, Texas.

The two companies have sparred with one another, answering each other’s expansion, and continuing to compete, all to the benefit of consumers in the region.

Tesla expanded the geofence of Robotaxi once again this morning, and it is another growth that catapults it past Waymo’s service area in Austin — this time by a considerable margin.

Tesla’s new Robotaxi geofence measures roughly 171 square miles of Austin’s downtown and suburbs. This is more than double the size of Waymo’s geofence, which measures 90 square miles.

On July 14, Tesla officially overtook Waymo in terms of service area in Austin. But just a few days later, Waymo had responded with a bold statement, expanding from 37 square miles to 90 square miles.

Sarfraz Maredia, Global Head of Autonomous Mobility & Delivery at Uber, said the move “unlock[ed] another key milestone in Austin as our operating territory with Waymo expands from 37 to 90 square miles, which means that even more riders can experience Waymo’s fully autonomous vehicles through the Uber app.”

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Tesla did not respond immediately, but it took its time with validation vehicle testing in the Austin suburbs, as we reported yesterday:

Tesla looks to expand Robotaxi geofence once again with testing in new area

Today’s expansion is perhaps the biggest step Tesla has taken in its efforts to continue to grow its Robotaxi platform. This is not only because the company has significantly expanded the size of the geofence, but also because it has ventured into suburban areas and even included Gigafactory Texas in its service area.

Waymo could come up with another timely response as it did when Tesla expanded in late July. We’ll wait to see what it comes up with, as this awesome competition between the two companies is accelerating innovation.

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