Tesla Factories Overview
Tesla continues to expand and now has one of its massive Gigafactories in Germany. In this article, we want to provide an overview of the Tesla factories, where they are located, and what Tesla produces there.
Key Points at a Glance
- There are currently 6 Tesla factories worldwide that produce cars
- The Tesla factories are in Grünheide, Fremont, Nevada, Shanghai, Austin, Nevada
- The Tesla Gigafactory Berlin Brandenburg in Grünheide has a production capacity of currently 500,000 vehicles per year. This creates about 10,000 jobs and production is environmentally friendly
- Next expansion: Mexico starting in 2024
An Overview of All Tesla Factories
Tesla has grown into a major global car brand. The company has factories in the USA, Germany, and China. These are the locations of the Tesla factories:
- Fremont, California, USA
- Gigafactory 1 Nevada, USA
- Gigafactory 2 New York, USA
- Gigafactory 3 Shanghai, China
- Gigafactory 4 Grünheide, Germany
- Gigafactory 5 Austin, Texas
- Tesla Megapack Factory in Lathrop, California
In its 7 factories, which Tesla calls Gigafactories, Tesla employs over 127,000 people worldwide as of 2023. These employees work around the globe to make the vision of a sustainable future a reality.
Each production site plays a unique role in the Tesla production system. Since Tesla produces almost everything in its vehicles itself, modern production facilities for the individual parts, the battery cells, and also for Tesla's other products are needed.
In this article, we will now take a closer look at each factory. We will discuss the purpose of each Tesla factory as well as the production numbers of each Gigafactory.
Fremont - California, USA
- Tesla's first factory
- Production site for Model S, 3, X, Y
- About 22,000 employees
- Production capacity of 550,000 Model 3 and Y/year and 100,000 Model S and X
The first factory Tesla used for the production of its electric cars is located in Fremont, California. This is where Tesla originated, and the factory is already producing at maximum capacity of over half a million vehicles per year.
As early as 2012, Tesla built the Model S at this production site. The Model X was added in 2015. In mid-2017, the production of Tesla's first mass-market car, the Tesla Model 3, started. With this vehicle, the company narrowly avoided bankruptcy and instead broke through to the mass market.
The first Tesla Model Ys were also produced in Fremont and have been built there since 2020.
Gigafactory 1 Nevada, USA
- Tesla's first Gigafactory
- Production site for electric motors, energy storage products (Powerwall), batteries, and drivetrains as well as Semi Truck
- About 12,000 employees
- Fully powered by its own solar panels, wind, and geothermal energy
To expand production capacities, Tesla built the Gigafactory Nevada, which has been in operation since Q4 2022. This Tesla factory is the first of its kind. This is the first time Tesla has developed and built a factory from scratch.
With an annual production of billions of battery cells, this factory is the heart of Tesla's battery production. It was originally built together with Panasonic for over $5 billion to ramp up battery production through the joint venture. It is one of the world's largest production facilities for electric motors, energy storage products, batteries, and drivetrains for electric cars.
With advanced manufacturing technologies that minimize the scrap rate in battery production, the Gigafactory in Nevada sets new standards in battery production. It shows that Tesla is at the forefront of innovation and ready to push the boundaries of battery technology further.
Gigafactory 2 Buffalo, New York, USA
- Pure photovoltaic factory of Tesla subsidiary SolarCity
Little is known about the Gigafactory in Buffalo, New York state. It was originally used to produce photovoltaic modules. Only that it produces together with Panasonic is known.
Gigafactory 3 Shanghai, China
- Tesla's most productive factory
- Production site for Model 3 and Model Y
- About 20,000 employees
- Went from groundbreaking to production in just 12 months
- Production capacity of over 1 million electric cars
The Gigafactory Shanghai underscores Tesla's commitment to the Asian market and its ability to adapt to different production environments. It is a significant step in Tesla's efforts to expand its global presence and advance its vision of a sustainable future. The Tesla Gigafactory Shanghai is also special in that it operates entirely without the
