South Ext Grows, Boring Tunneling, & More N Concrete Removal! 24 Apr 2024 Giga Texas Update(07:35AM)
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 23 เม.ย. 2024
- Gigafactory Texas! This is where Model Y’s, and Cyber Truck production happens and soon, the Next Generation Car!
Low clouds and misty skies this morning as additional rain and thunderstorms are forecast for the rest of the week. Nevertheless, some great activity going on at the site that I was able to capture, particularly on the south end where the extension work seems to have increased in intensity all over.
The south extension ground level is getting dirt in-fill and grade work to bring the slab level up to the top of the 2-meter tall concrete column mounts. We also see wall forms and concrete being poured throughout the new steel structure ground floor area, and in particular, a interestingly-shaped area near where we might expect the Boring Tunnels to emerge into this part of the factory extension. More glass has been installed on the south end, while crews were busy installing the double layer of insulation and the weatherproof membrane on the center portion of the roof.
In the video Intro, we discuss the pertinent parts for Giga Texas of Tesla’s 1Qtr Financial Results meeting held yesterday, 23 April 2024. Several highlights were discussed about Model Y, Cybertruck, & 4680 cell production, and Tesla revealed there will be several new vehicles in addition to the Next Generation Robo Taxi (now called “Cyber Cab”) coming sometime early in 2025, an acceleration of their plans as previously disclosed. We also talk about installed production capacities for Model Y and Cybertruck at Giga Texas.
In addition, a new article from the Austin Business Journal discusses a Senate Bill 2038, which allows companies like Tesla outside the immediate city limits of Austin (and other cities in Texas) that will allow Giga Texas to be removed from Extra-Territorial Jurisdiction (ETJ), which will reduce various environmental regulations that may restrict construction projects. This bill was approved last year with strong support from developers and others in the business community.
Timestamps:
Drone flight overview with discussion & illustration: 0:06 to 4:15
Drone flight footage & infographics: 4:43 to 29:28
Here are a few additional highlights from today:
The SE mystery structure is getting roof panels poured onto forms today, with what appears to be four sections now completed. Crews are working from the north to the south and are about 20% completed with the roof. I am still uncertain what this is for, but several viewers think this may be a new shuttle bus station, so for now, that is as good a guess as any, I suppose.
The boring company has been very busty today completing the gantry installation inside the tunnel and onto the end of the Prufrock 3, and we see the ventilation fan and ducting, along with the conveyor belt beam and support brackets and the belts re-installed. From all indications, tunneling should be resuming soon, as all of the assembly work following the gantry installation seems just about completed.
A new section of concrete on the Northeast side of the casting machine section of the main factory is being saw-cut for removal, very near the newly saw cut and installed roll up door on the northeast wall of casting. More work on the east side where concrete was removed form the apron area, while rebar continues to accumulate next to the cleared location where screw-type piers have been installed.
Thank you for watching and I hope this has been informative, educational, and entertaining for you. If you would like, please consider supporting me via Patreon (link is in the description of this video and in the video itself) so I can continue to make and share these incredible videos.
Sources used in this video:
livestream.tesla.com/
ir.tesla.com/#quarterly-discl...
www.bizjournals.com/austin/ne...
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Be sure to check out additional Texas Gigafactory footage on these channels:
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Video, photos, illustrations, and commentary on this video is by me, Joe Tegtmeyer unless otherwise annotated.
Music in this video is obtained from the TH-cam free and unrestricted and royalty-free use library. Ending song is Mr. Sunny Face - Wayne Jones
Drones used are DJI Mini 2, Mavic Air 2 & Air 3.
Drone flight over Giga Texas is with permission of Tesla and CEO Elon Musk - ยานยนต์และพาหนะ
A bus stop there would be like a bridge to nowhere. Not near parking, not near work.
Hey Joe finally getting my cyber truck tomorrow, what a wild ride and the wait is finally over!
Thanks for all the continued coverage, take care.
Casey
Congratulations! I think you will love it! Keep in mind it is the most powerful people magnet ever made, so you'll get lots of questions about it! Enjoy!
@@JoeTegtmeyer Thanks Joe, I'm ready as ever!
Your dedication and TH-cam presentations are much appreciated 🙏🏻 again
Thank you!
@ 20:57 The red item is a temporary fire pump to provide fire protection in case of an emergency. I would guess that the permanent system is undergoing modifications so they brought in the temporary pump to stay in code compliance as well as keep the place from burning down if there is a fire. This pump would be automatically started as part of a two phase fire protection system. It’s not uncommon for these systems protecting expensive equipment to require two signals to operate the system. You don’t want to put high pressure water in the pipes above expensive equipment just waiting for someone to accidentally hit a sprinkler head and set off a flood. So, the system waits for a smoke detector to go off or a pull box to be pulled to start the pumps and charge the line. Then the heat of the fire will actually melt the link in the sprinkler head holding back the water and then it will start spraying water over the heat source. It’s a bit more complicated but can save millions in equipment.
20:57. Is that what you would call a 'dry system'.
Joe's 12 April video shows pipes run in through the pedestrian doors. Now disconnected, so works might be complete.
@@DessieDoolan No, a dry system is one designed to work in areas that might freeze. It uses sprinkler heads that open a valve back in a warm area when the sprinkler is activated. Think dry hose bibs.
These are known PreAction sprinkler systems. You can Google the term for better explanations than I can give. You see them in large data centers that need fire protection but are too large for halon or other gas based fire systems. I have seen some data centers where each floor is 50 by 150 meters. You’d need tanker trucks of gas to fill one of those. So they use this type of water based system.
Thanks Bill!
Thanks Joe
2:22. “able to be produced on the same manufacturing lines as our current vehicle line up”. Suggests there an no production lines other than Model Y and Cybertruck.
5:26. GA, perimeter road. Highway side. HDD rig and an excavator. Been on site for a week. Same works, bottom, at 5:05 and 5:12
6:40. Southend west. Inside. Level 1. Shuttering for the retaining wall that dog-legs away to the east. Some concrete placed.
Raised floor level in this area will benefit the ramped access to the tunnel portal. Ramp can be half the length. Tunnel useful height 10’, floor elevated 4 to 5’.
7:10. Southend. Inside, under roof. Installing fire sprinkler pipes.
7:56. Southend. Inside. Centre. Raised floor level meets the rear retaining wall.
Bottom left. Feint line of green marker paint behind the retaining showing where the gravel is to be excavated. Slab edge thickening likely.
10:04. Southend. Top right. Under the roof beam. Bare steel connector plate added to the structure for columnn bracing.
Another at 10:14.
10:38. Southend. New Structure. There goes the bridge crane idea. Formwork in place for what will evidently be a roof. Maybe a central hoist suspended under. Once some rebar is placed it will be more obvious what is going on here.
11:44. Parking Garage. Top level. Line marking and lighting towers. Line marking on lower levels also.
13:07. Drivetrain, roof. Bottom left. New flue. Seems to be about the same diameter as the length of a PV panel.
19:13. New EOL east, apron. That was close.
20:36. GA, apron. Mystery plant. Cardboard recycling. Screw conveyor visible. Might be a shredder also.
20:57. Battery, apron. Red pump. Pipework disconnected. Was run in through the doors in previous videos.
22:14. Casting diagonal corner. Apron. Pavement saw-cut/marked for cutting for trenches and a vault. To accomodate the new ductbanks being constructed southwards from the Switchyard/Substation Mega-Vaults would seem likely.
25:11. Eastside contractors yards. Bringing in gravel.
25:36. Tesla Road east. Depth of stormwater drain reflects the site elevation here. This section of Tesla Road is probably near to the natural ground elevation.
13:07 Maybe Blofeld is in this one.
19:13 That would have been quite the sh!tty accident. 🤢
5:26 They have changed the drilling direction 180 degrees.
25:11 Last week they were excavating the grade 5 or 6 feet lower in this area. Must be the final proposed grade is a cut in this area.
@@sammyk874 13:07. Bond fan?
I have a guess of what’s going on with the three vaults at the extension of the giga factory. Further in, away from the windows, there are cut outs on the second floor, likely for staircases (and elevators?) to the second floor. That’s kind of obvious, but the three underground long vaults that go to the edge of the building may be for exits or egress from the building. As that end of the building has a huge expanse of uninterrupted glass, you will notice there’s no exits, and there must be due to regulations. So my guess is those underground vaults are going to be exit points, with doors partially below grade of some sort. There’s just no way they could have zero exits on the end of a building that big. Of course it’s just a guess and my opinion….🤔
Right on the money.
The mystery structure is most likely a large cafeteria for workers to relax
Hi Joe The mystery building site is gelling horizontal form work put in place so they can put rebar in and then pour a floor on top of the columns
At 8:45 it would be hard to believe that they would build concrete supports if it isn't for something pretty heavy. Now that the plant is out of Austin's ETJ, unless Travis County has a permitting department, we won't know very much about what they are building.
Been watching you for years. I really liked something about the flight path used for this one.
🤗👍
So Joe, I counted the number of spaces on the parking garage. I got 328 including handicap spots. Since it was half the roof and there are 7 floors I came to a number of 4592 spaces. That’s if all floors are represented the same. It also included ramps. Doe this jive with what you knew?
Thanks Miles! Around 4600 sounds like a lot of cars! I’m not really sure the actual number they are planning for, but that would be enough to practically clear out the entire current east employee parking lot!
16:00 Just a pedantic point. I believe it is a remote controlled segment erector, not a "robotic segment assembler" that is being used here, similar to the segment MPV cars, using a pendant control box, along with 1/2 workers fixing the bolt connections and checking the alignment/step of the segments.
There are some projects experimenting with robotic segment assembly but they are still in their infancy and it is a far from robust technology at present, too many variables to manage in a harsh environment. A lot of investment in this area as it has always been a very dangerous part of the process where serious injuries do occur.
Might be helpful to explain for the non-Texans that the red lines are Fire Lanes - it's the no parking area between those lines so the fire department has room to park for a fire.
I thought that rule was already known in all states.
@@jbbuzzable CA and TX are the only places I've seen red curbs and lines - most states just have signs. And Joe has an international audience too.
@@SpaceGeek321 Red always means no parking. I've seen it numerous states in front of airports, malls and fire hydrants.
Edit: Also at my work location here in MN.
@@SpaceGeek321 Chat GPT says: Internationally, the meaning of a red painted curb can vary significantly between countries and regions. While in many places, a red curb indicates no stopping, parking, or standing for any reason, in others it might have a different or no specific meaning at all. Traffic color codes and curb painting practices are not universally standardized, so local regulations should always be consulted for accurate information. If you are traveling or driving in a foreign country, it's a good idea to familiarize yourself with local traffic signage and curb color meanings to avoid infractions.
I thought around the halfway point of construction, it would be about 5000 or 6000 parking spaces, so prettyyy close. nice to see the progress. As always, great video's!
cool videos as always thanks from Christchurch New Zealand
Thanks! I appreciate that and glad you enjoy them!
Great place...
I said a few months ago that they would complete and put into service the first half of the garage, then complete the rest of the building. This looks like what they are doing.Floors, lights, and at least 2 elevators for handicaped.
Is your boyfriend impressed?
These videos are just great! Thanks, Joe.
Thanks, Joe!😊
Thanks Joe!
Joe, your videos are the most interesting videos on the internet 😊❤
Merci👍👍👍
I keep thinking that the mystery structure looks as though it is meant as a storage rack for castings even though it is some distance from where they are currently being stored and used. Being able to have a dedicated storage racking system will allow for a much better circulation around the building and probably safer also.
Interesting idea!
@@JoeTegtmeyer Thanks. The length, width, and height, doesn't seem to lend itself to anything else but of course, I could be way out on a limb here.
Thank you, Joe!
You are very welcome!
Thanks Joe!
New power supply to the factory:
@ 22:17 Joe... They aren't sawcutting the slab for removal, as in complete slab removal like they did on the eastside. They are sawcutting for two trenches to the vaults. You can see the lines marked on the concrete. This is where the new duct-banks being constructed on the northside of Tesla road will terminate. These were the vaults that were placed several months ago, but until now, never used.
By the way, the vaults mentioned above may reworked. They only have 8 conduits going into the building. The new duct-banks have 12 conduits each!
Thanks!
Very kind! Thank you!
Thanks Joe….
14:47 Bottom right. Main tunnel power cable (Probably 1,000-3,000V) coiled up on the floor. Cable will run down the left side of the tunnel, away from the other services (water, grout, wastewater) which run on the right side of the tunnel. Can see the heavy power connector (grey) on the floor and one on the back of the last gantry. A bit unusual, as most TBM's carry a spooled power extension cable on the backup which extends as the TBM moves forward and gets extended by a fixed cable on the wall, rather than pulling a cable along the wall behind the machine. This may be due to space constraints and the relatively short tunnel.
15:09 The conveyor cassette has been half emptied (the white beam is halfway up the cassette stack). The existing belt length has been run out and, I assume, partly used for the TBM first stage belt. Still awaiting the splice to be re-connected and vulcanized. Some maintenance work on the conveyor main drive.
One segment car is empty, was full yesterday. Probably a full ring set of segments taken into the tunnel and loaded onto the segment walker magazine, ready to built as soon as the TBM re-starts.
Counted around 20 sets of segments have been prepared with their gaskets/packers glued in place, probably more along the road to the south (some being prepared last week). More segment sets have been delivered in the past few days. Casting should have been completed at the Bastrop facility but maybe some still being stored there.
15:09. 'Conveyor spliced and vulcanized'. I was wondering how that is achieved.
@@DessieDoolan Plenty of videos on how this is done. Try "Belt Splicing 101 Video". Splicing table is just below/behind the spool of belt above the conveyor drive system. For a short tunnel like this they may use a mechanical or chemical splice as it should only be required to work for a couple of weeks.
@@davidsalisbury50 Thanks, I'll check it out. I ask anyway (for others to read here in the comments), is it actually a splice, or an overlap with tapered off edges?
Carpenter by trade, a splice has a specific meaning to me.
@@DessieDoolan Not just an overlap. A simple splice can be cutting and overlapping the layers, but a proper splice is quite a complex cut and overlap exercise, then bonding and cover layers. Finally it is heat and pressure treated for several hours to "cook" the joint (Vulcanizing). See the videos.
@@tunnellingsalisbury7605 That Belt Splicing 101 video was quite good. Focused on their system of vulcanizing rather than other mechanical systems.
What's the expected lifespan of a belt? Measured in months?
Cheers Joe. Not sure about the construction aside the south extension being a bus terminus but maybe a car wash... Cyberwash.
Joe, have you seen where the spoils from the Boring Tunnel are being deposited? just curious...
The dirt spoils run up the conveyor belt and are then deposited in a concrete-bordered square just to the left of the tunnel equipment.
It looks like the slop is trucked to the far west dirt lot and spread out to dry. I think Brad showed this on i a recent video. Just north of the contractor parking.
Hi Joe, could the mystery building nextto the new end be some sort of electrical supply facility. Somewhere I heard that much of this new construction was going to be a data centre and if so that would requirea lot of power. Also the new couduits being laid from the switch yard look pretty hefty with 24 conduit pipes all running parallel. Just my guess. Thanks for all the great videos. I watch them all as they are released back here in the UK.
Good idea ..I'm just not sure yet to be able to say definitively one way or the other. I do hope to figure out this mystery structure soon!
@ 22:17 Here is one definite termination point (where they are sawcutting by the vaults) for those new duct-banks being constructed on the northside of Tesla road. Not sure yet if there will be a second set of duct-banks heading south towards the south end. But we will likely know soon.
In any case, there likely wouldn't be a need for an electrical structure outside the building. Transformers and switchgear can be housed inside like it is elsewhere in the building.
@@DavidJohnson-tv2nn My 2¢: A data center needs power. City power, then batteries and/or flywheels to keep everything running until the large generators are up to speed. Inside the new structure. With Diesel fuel tanks. Maybe the batteries or flywheels could be in the vaults.
And cooling. You need large chillers, evaporative cooling towers, pumps and expansion tanks. Cooling towers on top of the new structure. I still think the chillers could be in the underground vaults in the building.
All in all a relatively small data center unless they use the whole building. And glass for a data center is an odd choice. Bad for security unless it is bulletproof.
Maybe the area with the screw peers will be storage for castings.
My guess for the mystery structure is a down ramp to connect to the Boring Tunnel below the factory, that will continue under the river and exit at the horse ranch on the East Side of Tesla property. It needs a roof to keep the rain out of the tunnel. Rather than contend with all the water management and utility piping on the South End of the main factory, they will just go underneath it all and build a ramp for the vehicles to drive down (Like Las Vegas). Don't think an elevator entrance to the tunnel like at Hawthorne & SpaceX would be scalable for future manufacturing rates, but could be an option it there are more tunnels or multiple elevators.
If the tunnel emerges on the surface what will the footprint of the exit ramp be? Similar to the west side entry ramp presumably.
How much of the space between the existing factory and build will be taken up by it?
Or is there going to be a huge unferground hall served by three lifts?
Thanks Joe for the chance to do some sofa designing😂
Starting to look like they will build an open ramp inside the building, as the start, to meet the tunnel at the edge of the building. Still hard to tell.
now we start looking for robo taxis at Giga Texas soon!!
Joe, thanks for your work. Do we know about the die shop and its functionality? When was it supposed to be finished? The cathode plant seems to be an item they could use, since they are buying from other manufacturers. any idea when it will come online? While I'm at it, your last report on the lithium plant in Houston showed very little progress from your previous report. Did they stop work on that some time? Don't they need this plant, too? To date it seems they have been able to erect the basic structures and weatherproof them in normal time, but then take forever to make them operational. I fail to recognize a war-time effort going on at any of the phases of any of the projects. In the future, when competition will be alive and well, it seems they will have to step it up all over the board.
Further, I haven't seen a shot of the rail loading yard at Hutto for an age. It can show a bunch about the inventory, because they can stack about 50 100 car train loads on that site. While you were at the Boring Company, did you see anything at thee building across from it. Last I heard it was suppowsed to be developed for Starlink.
You do a hell of a job, Joe. Thanks!!
.
Fire station? Tesla will need one I think. The underground vaults, maybe they’ll have lifts to lower finished vehicles down to the tunnel to the west delivery lot?
The mystery structure seems to me to be very "prescriptive" in its method of construction, at least compared to everything else we see being built at Giga Texas. I have not been convinced by any of the speculative comments about its use up to now, except one earlier comment today that suggested it may be a fire station. This makes some sense, as a facility of this size may well justify its own fire/emergency department. The structure would need to be tornado proof, and hence fairly solid compared to the rest of the facilities, with strict codes on its structural design, hence the prescriptive nature of the very heavy buried foundations and the reinforced concrete column/beam/slab design. We will wait and see, but that's the best suggestion I have seen so far.
The rationale for a fire station is pretty good, and I might add that any process-engineering type of speculation regarding an industrial cooling plant is fading by the day! I have seen some fire stations at other very large industrial sites and the common denominator seemed to be Distance. Not only to make sure the fire station is not impacted by any event, but also to have space for a live fire exercise area and the various maintenance- routines on an apron around the station. If I had to choose I would site a fire station say somewhere to the east, and with excellent road acces to be able to approach any emergency with speed and also from the right direction depending on the wind direction for instance.
Tesla mentioned the other day they would exercise a strong focus on (minimizing-) Capex for the build-out of production capacity for Model 2. I think we may assume that absolutely no money will be spent on things that are not absolutely necessary. The mystery structure therefore must be integral to their expansion plans, not a nice to have.
@@hardernl8893 My prediction compass is swinging back to crane, this time suspended from the underside of the massive (for any structure) beams.
There's also these embedded plates in the east and west faces of the columns that must be for some steelwork to be attached to.
If Brad flies tomorrow we might get to see some rebar in place, and that would show us if it's a solid roof/deck, or some sort of open structure.
@@hardernl8893 Fair points. The mystery continues.
2:04 joe, don't you feel that in that top statement they are actually hinting at planning the production of more than the two robotaxi/model2 models? I feel it suggests more models, and frankly, if they are to be produced on the same line, it suggests greater variability, like, eg. Cybertruck can easily have a van variant etc.
Could you please show on your map of Giga Texas property which part are no longer under the jurisdiction of the city of Austin?😊
Wonder how they're going to get that crane out when theyre done with it?
That mystery structure is going to have a very heavy roof, far too much for a bus stop. What's going on it that needs to be elevated out of the potential flood water? We can but wait...
It does seem to be a very heavy strength roof, so the mystery continues. I hope we can get more clues and figure out this mystery soon!
@@JoeTegtmeyer Why do you call it a roof? Each column can support 300 tons.
@@kkarllwt what do you call it?
@@JoeTegtmeyer I suppose it could be called a platform.
Wondering that the mystery structure is for separate chiller towers as was done at giga Shanghai. This would enable full use of the new extension for manufacturing space
Cybercab implies variant(s) of cybertruck - cybervan?
Not sure, but that is a good guess based on the name.
Nobody knows for sure, but I believe it is a platform.
@@jbbuzzable I think some people inside Tesla have a fairly good idea of where Capex efficiencies and model line-ups are going…
@@GrantHodgsonWnNZ That's one reason why I bought stock 4 years ago.
There was a picture of a van shown on battery day (under the covers) and I think this is right. The 'cybercab' will be a van and owned by Tesla. The two seater will be the 25k model..
Hard to tell but my quick rough math comes up with parking for roughly 4500 vehicles. 127 rough count on closest 1/6th x 6 x 6 levels = 4572
There are 7 levels including ground.
@@Gig0Surf Oops... so that makes it more like 5300 spaces then!
reason i do not think it is a bus stop.. i was watching Giga Berlin and both the train and the bus stations have central columns an solar panel roofs.. i do not know why Texas would need parallel columns same with the canopy for the superchargers... 1 row in texas so it would not be for wind.. but we shall see
16:35 Could these electrical conduits be getting ready to install Mega Chargers (for Tesla Semis) that might be used for some of the intra site trailer movement and/or moving cars to the rail yard?
16:35 Is a stormwater system. That doesn't mean they won't install Mega Chargers. But this isn't it.
Electric yard dogs exist (probably one of the best use cases for an EV). Semi would be overkill.
Mystery structure could be an automatic car wash!?
@28:29 could that be a right hand drive model X that has been crash tested? Can only be hopeful 😁
The mystery supports were like the Berlin factory with wide bottom bases to spread the load. If they building a data centre in the extension then maybe need antiaircraft battery. 😅
Or might be just a flyover to the power station.
Joe do you think they will have more than one tunnel?
what was the purpose of those 4 -5 white segments that were covered in tarps for a while and now moved into the tunnel? They never had enough of those sections to fill up the entire length of the tunnel, so not sure the purpose.
From what I understand, that is all support equipment for the TBM (Tunnel Boring Machine).
There were 7 decks on the surface, plus one already inside the tunnel. These are the backup for the TBM. They carry all its supporting controls, plant and equipment to allow it to work with just services and power being fed down the tunnel walls. A TBM is like a moving factory, the whole production line moves with the cutterhead and shield at the front. Often 100m long or more. I have worked with one 240m long on a small dimeter hard rock TBM. This one seems to be about 90m in total.
👋👍
I wonder if that new mystery construction is some sort of Mega Transformers To power and ai data center? ???
The existing "Mega Transformers" located in the LCRA substation should be perfectly cable of providing power for the data center. If not, there is space for a third transformer in the substation, and space for a third switchgear building on top of the mega-vault just south of the substation. From there, new duct-banks with 12 conduits each are being constructed to bring more power to the building. Power enters the building at 24.9 kV (24,900 volts). Local transforms in the building then reduce the voltage to a usable level. However... The structure could contain backup generators.
Keep in mind that the existing main power duct-banks to the building only contain 8 conduits each, with only 7 conduits in each duct-bank actually being used.
I wonder why they build the extension before the tunnel is completed. Would it not be safer to build the tunnel first? What it the drill hits some of the concrete footing? Also, the drilling machine needs to be able to exit the tunnel and that would be harder to do if there is a building at the exit point.
There's a good 25' 8.5m between the concrete piles. TBM is 14.5' 4.4m diameter. Would be quite a miss if they managed to find a pile.
@@DessieDoolan Though I don't like the tunnel, I agree completely. I would be surprised if the TBM were off by more than an inch or two.
@@DavidJohnson-tv2nn I don't like peaches. Or stone fruits generally.
Just think if they did the work correctly in the first place there wouldn’t be need to keep doing all this rework
I can see my car at 24:40
It be funny if Tesla did like a monorail to go to all the buildings
What do you mean they are crash testing non-modelY or cybertruck???? What are they crash testing?
Thank you Joe! Do you think you could check out the country road widening? I feel like its been a while since we've seen that area :)
Thank you for all the work you do on this every day. I miss tesla Daily news and would be so lost if you ever decided to stop doing this. Thank you and keep up the good work!
great work again.. oh.. i noticed in Brad Sloan's video of 4/23 he shows a new construction area or such at 16 and a half min into the video.. was wondering if you had any clue what it was or such it is in the north east area past they long lay down area
Sanitary Sewer force main. Was permitted 18 months ago. Not associated with Tesla other than possibly being in an easement on Tesla property.
Is the boring tunnel fan next to a generator
No, the TBM and all its facilities are now running on mains power (dark green transformer between the grouting plant and the switchgear trailer). The container has "Cooling Connex" on its side, not sure what that means. Air conditioned cool air is sometimes used for ventilation in hot climates. TBM also has cooling water circulated into it to cool the motors/head/hydraulics (can see the heat exchange next to the switchgear trailer).
When is Ezekiel Mush going to start making Electric Boats & Electric trains?
can anyone comment on whether or not the solar panels on giga Texas are active and feeding the megapacks ??
Active, likely. Feeding the megapacks, no. The system was never designed for that.
@@DavidJohnson-tv2nn Intersting . what charges the megabucks ?? or are they strictly grid stabilizers fed from the power grid ??
@@lumberjack7923 Basically grid stabilizers fed from the power grid. Also with a function to provide backup power to the factory (via a connection to the mega-vault) in the event of a power outage.
@@DavidJohnson-tv2nn thank you
Has anyone ever spotted a non-Tesla that has been put through the Crash Lab? Just courious.
Joe it’s so funny how some people here are so clueless! You said the bus stop comment as a joke and yet so many latched on to it as if you were serious!
Big eye roll !
😍😍
I think it’s obvious, the mystery structure is a UAP landing zone😂
Pulling the Gigafactory out from under the thumb of the City of Austin is huge. Now, Travis County still ain’t like most counties in Texas. It’s still slightly left of Mao, but not nearly as bad as the city when it comes to development control and expense. Will be interesting to see how things develop over time. Probably the most significant news in a while.
You're saying it's a good thing? Obviously I have no skin in the game. The entire US local government arrangements are a mystery to me. You being hyper-local would have a better idea than most.
@@DessieDoolan Yes, I think it’s a good thing in the long run. Will do a couple things. First it gets them out of having to meet all of the City of Austin’s crazy rules on development, land use, and social equity programs. Secondly, and most importantly in the long run, it will keep them from being annexed by the city and then having to pay them taxes to fund the People’s Republic of Austin. The major part of the tax bill is to the school district and that’s abated already for a defined period. Even once the abatements go off, it will still be more reasonable than many spots, especially California etc.
@@Bill_N_ATX My understanding of the ETJ program (misunderstanding perhaps) was that it was partly to relieve smaller municipalities of having to deal with big complex projects well above the capacity for them to manage.
Will the Travis County offices be overwhelmed, or is the project now at the stage where it's more manageable?
@@DessieDoolan As is often the case, there is a bit of back story here. The long term issue is that the cities, especially the big ones, have had a bad habit of annexing the “good” affluent parts of their counties and leaving the less affluent parts to the county to service with a smaller tax base. For instance, until the Gigafactory came in, the City of Austin really wasn’t interested in gaining more territory in East Austin, the least affluent area in the region. They started the EJT program so that the cities could influence the areas they were planning on gobbling up once the density, population, and tax base got high enough so that it made fiscal sense to annex them. My neighborhood was in the County until about 15 years ago. Once the developers had paid all the costs to get it built out and most of the homes and the golf club was built, the city came calling and took over the services that had been paid for by our HOA. Now we pay several times more for worse service. The city of Austin charges us for everything but the air that we breathe. We have the most expensive electricity in the state, our water is in the upper 20%, we pay extra fees for parks, for sidewalks, for what amounts to an “enjoyment” fee. The base fees, customer service fees, and such is over $70 and that’s before paying for electricity, water, sewer, garbage, or storm water. On top of that is the impermeable surface charges…which accounts for how much of your property is not grass and thus has water run off of it. The city has thought of just about every way to extract as much as they can from its residents.
@@Bill_N_ATX Thanks for that. What's the legal mechanism for one local government making a claim over another local government area? Doe's that happen at state level.
Which level of government would Telsa have been dealing with when negotiating this site?
State governments down here often 'call in' the permitting for projects that are deemed to important for local government to be trusted with. Sometimes a good thing, often less so.
How many bus stops are constructed with foundations that could carry a massive weight and have a sold concrete rooftop ?
Which is why it is unlikely to be a bus stop. or tunnel entrance, or other speculation we've seen. Just my opinion, but.... It is more likely a structure to support HVAC equipment for cooling a data center.
@11:09 That guy throws riser pipes on the roof covering, he's crazy.
Mystery structure is part of the tunnel ends, there's no doubt because of the deployment to built it.
So the tunnel will make a 90 degree turn?
Thanks again, Joe! Curious as to why you don't (or don't show) flying over the highway. Is it against regulations. If so, someone should tell Brad.
You want to see highway traffic?
I think he just cuts it out as it is not needed in the video. He is still flying over the highway (on video or not) so if it was not allowed then I'd guess he wouldn't do it.
He did a holiday flyover once and commented that he can fly over the highway because it had almost no traffic. So, it’s probably not so much “illegal”, as it’s a “liability” thing.
If the Tunnel starts in the building that will cause a security risk. They would then need to put doors at the opening or security or both. To also dig up and not hit Support structure foundations, electrical lines and pipes . Be very surprised if it goes into the building.
Yes, you will.
The tunnel size can clear the foundations. Main speculation is will it surface inside the building (in which case it has to pass below some deep water tanks previously constructed) or will it surface just outside the building (where the gap in the perimeter wall has been left). As other things develop I think it is the latter, but wouldn't put money on it.
Almost a disaster….@19:10 a close call with a water truck & cybertruck not looking & backing up
I vote for bus stop
Seems like a 'bus stop' would not have to be so heavy duty. Too bad it's so hard to find out what's going on at the Tesla site. There are always more questions than answers.
It does appear as a bus stop.
Could that "mystery structure" be meant for housing computers?
Why pour concrete on the intermediate floors of the parking garage? There is a need to have the roof water tight and the ground floor to have a paved surface. I would design it for the intermediate floors to simply be the precast concrete.
Lateral stability of the structure depends on it. The poured concrete helps lock the precast sections together.
Water control. The sides are open and wet cars bring in a lot of water. And to transfer weight between the 'T' panels.
I have seen dilapidated buildings with crumbling concrete and corroded rebar sticking out that brings tears to the eyes, what a waste! So I googled what is Best Practice for the top floor of a concrete parking garage with 24/7 utilization and there was almost unanimous agreement that water seeping in, in combination with frosty/adverse climate conditions, requires some form of coating to avoid fast decay. Although this may be self-serving advice from the specialists to advance their business, I can well believe it, as mentioned. Yet, we get the bare-bones finishing of this parking garage, not even using mechanical troweling like for the main building to compact the concrete maximally and avoid mini-cracks. I must add that another commenter mentioned earlier that a concrete floor like this, with rebar, is "nuclear proof", so don't worry, but I have my doubts regarding the longer term.
Just the other day Tesla mentioned they are focussing on (minimal-) Capex, so this may be an example...
@@hardernl8893 I agree. I've seen some examples of parking garage degradation in my home town. But with thoughtful design including coatings, drainage and structural integrity, there can be a good, long lasting structure. It would be interesting to get a handle on the design details of the parking garage. I remember learning about the need for "painting" of the main building even though prefab concrete can include coatings and internal additives.
@@ThreeNoTrump_100 What’s not obvious when looking at the completed structure is that none of the floors are level. Some of this for drainage, some for ramping between ‘the ramps’.
Earlier videos show this particular well in low level views. Jeff’s 23 December video at 4:53 has a good view from the north, Joe’s 15 December video at 7:20 has a good view from the east.
Would be a nightmare for a precast yard to manufacture all the Double Ts (floor segments) with these custom variations built in, and be sufficiently accurate to not create (at a minimum) tripping hazards along the joints.
There is also upward camber in the Double Ts, and that camber wouldn’t need to vary by much to create an issue on the long joint between segments.
The topping concrete over these Double Ts covers these variations. Plus as mentioned above, is part of the overall structural design.
If there was no topping concrete over the Double Ts, the beam column/connections would be a different design, there might also need to be additional bracing. Cross bracing between columns, plan bracing between beams.
I still think this "mystery structure" will be a Boring tunnel entrance/exit
Starting to think that as well. Split it in half in half in the middle to get two tunnels.
Joe, I'm confused, was some of the re-work going on inside the factory related to starting up the pilot production line for the model 2? (which now has been cancelled or postponed). Or was all interior work to date related solely to model Y and the cybertruck?
Do you think the Model 2 has been postponed or canceled?
Will Giga Texas produce a Cherry Red Model Y?
Surprised that they don’t park new cars using fsd instead of drivers
Not certified for use without a human driver.
Although a human driver is not required to drive on private property, I would rather my car be tested by a primate at this point in time.
@@jbbuzzable Are you suggesting that it is perfectly legal to risk the lives of their employees, delivery drivers, construction workers, and visitors?
@@DavidJohnson-tv2nn Just stating facts, not opinions.
Edit: I did express an opinion. Just curious as to why you latch on to anything anti-Elon. Not everything he does is not wrong.