Drone Footage of Tesla's Fremont Factory Shows New Buildings For Increased Model 3 Production

A new building has popped up on the giant Tesla Fremont, California factory lot, drone footage shot by YouTuber California Phantom, shows the company is expanding to make room for Tesla Model 3 production. 

The expansion is no secret, Tesla introduced their plans last year to increase square footage, included in the plans were the addition of twelve new buildings to double the size of the factory from 5.3 million square feet to 9.9 million. The plan was first released by the San Fransisco Chronicle. See it below. 

A multi-story structure was spotted in the footage which was determined to be a giant "Automated Storage & Retrieval Systems," meaning a system that oversees the robotics and automation in a warehouse. 

Such a massive expansion is due to Tesla's plan to enable the production of over 500,000 Model 3 cars annually. They will do this in conjunction with Gigafactory 1 in Nevada which produces the Model 3 battery cells, battery packs, and drive units. 

Elon Musk plans to increase Tesla production to 1 million vehicles by 2020. 

Model 3

The simpler, more affordable version of their flagship sedan the Model S, the Model 3 will come with all the Tesla bells and whistles - including driveless autopilot features and over-air updates. All at the bargain price of $35,000 or $44,000 for a long-range version. “We have simplified the manufacturing process dramatically. In the same amount of space to build 50,000 cars, we can build 250,000 Model 3s," said Musk to a room full of journalists at a launch event for the Model 3. 

With the new facility growing at such a rate, it's apparent he's a man of his word. 

 Via: California Phantom