A recent video taken of Gigafactory 3 in China has revealed that notable areas of Tesla’s sprawling 864,885-square meter site are now abuzz with activity. As could be seen in the site’s footage, numerous pile drivers are in operation, workers and heavy machinery are moving land, and the first structures in the area are being set up.
Gigafactory 3’s newest footage comes courtesy of 烏瓦 (Uva) from China, who recently uploaded footage taken on February 22, 2019 on YouTube. Several portions of Tesla’s land were showcased in the seven-minute video, including some interesting shots of workers seemingly pumping water out of the site. Nevertheless, one thing is evident in the recently uploaded video — China’s workforce is now mobilizing, and work on Gigafactory 3 is picking up pace.
Pile drivers in Gigafactory 3. (Credit: 烏瓦/YouTube)
The presence of groups of pile drivers in an area of Tesla’s land tells a lot about the scope of the activities in the site. Considering that pile drivers are machines used to provide foundation support for buildings and other structures, the layout of the machines in the area all but hints at the scale of what could very well be the first structure of Gigafactory 3. What this first structure is remains to be seen, but judging by the locations of the pile drivers, the upcoming building appears to be massive.
Also notable is the construction of a two-story, modular structure in another area of Gigafactory 3’s land. Tesla has not announced the purpose of the building itself, though its modular nature suggests that the structure could be a headquarters of sorts for workers in the site. Heavy machinery is also abundant in the footage, with 烏瓦 (Uva) capturing footage of trucks and excavators moving land.
Initial structures are erected in Gigafactory 3’s land. (Credit: 烏瓦/YouTube)
Gigafactory 3 is under an ambitious timetable. By the end of summer, Elon Musk wants the initial construction of the site to be completed. By the end of the year, Musk expects Gigafactory 3 to start producing its first Model 3. While such a timeframe is ambitious even for the usually optimistic Elon Musk, they are quite realistic in China, which has a workforce known for quick, near-surgical buildouts.
Tesla also has a notable ally in Gigafactory 3’s construction in the form of China Construction Third Engineering Bureau Co., Ltd., a subsidiary of China Construction, which is owned by the government. With its partner in building the upcoming facility literally owned by China, Tesla is all but certain that its targets with the facility’s construction would be met. With China’s workforce now mobilizing to build Gigafactory 3, it is now up to Tesla to keep up by setting up its Model 3 assembly lines without delay, as soon as the facility is ready.
Watch the latest clips from Gigafactory 3 in the video below.
