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Highlights from Tesla’s Gigafactory Media Event
Tesla kicked off its Gigafactory Tour on Tuesday, July 26 with a media event. We’re providing the best curated Tweets from today’s event followed by a live Tweet from the official Gigafactory Grand Opening party scheduled for this Fiday, July 29.
Follow us on Twitter and join us Live from the Tesla Gigafactory!
July 25: Tesla Gigafactory Media Event (Pacific Time):
- 12:00-12:30 PM: Arrival at the Gigafactory and intro
- 12:30- 2:30 PM: Exterior and Interior tours
- 3:00-4:00 PM: Remarks and Q&A with Elon Musk and JB Straubel
- 4:15/30 PM: Shuttle departs Gigafactory
We’ll provide an update in a follow up post with results from the Q&A
Elon Musk and JB Straubel take the stage for Q&A
Alongside Elon and JB is an executive from Panasonic.
Elon Musk just arrived to talk Gigafactory pic.twitter.com/URTSoMP6e2
— Marco della Cava (@marcodellacava) July 26, 2016
Q&A with Elon Musk & JB Straubel coming up
Tesla #gigafactory tour complete. Now awaiting Elon Musk and JB Straubel. Musk running a bit late we are told. pic.twitter.com/pl5Z6LcCA4
— Marco della Cava (@marcodellacava) July 26, 2016
Tesla Gigafactory robots in action
https://twitter.com/danielsparks/status/758058708895092736
https://twitter.com/danielsparks/status/758058583426682880
Top 6 tidbits about Tesla’s Gigafactory revealed through building permits
Tesla continues its expansion on the Gigafactory as seen at outer areas of the main plant where steel construction beams are being put into place.
Section B Prime of Tesla #gigafactory – only a few days into construction as pace here quickens pic.twitter.com/3E69qgVUGM
— Marco della Cava (@marcodellacava) July 26, 2016
Tesla describes their relationship with Panasonic
Media was chaperoned to a no-photography-allowed section within the plant that housed proprietary equipment from Panasonic.
https://twitter.com/ByBenSpillman/status/758048060077289472
https://twitter.com/ByBenSpillman/status/758061212345085952
Tesla is already assembling Powerwall units
Inside Tesla's #gigafactory – where Tesla Powerwall battery storage units are now being built. pic.twitter.com/PpAAdKSF9C
— Marco della Cava (@marcodellacava) July 26, 2016
Area within the Gigafactory where battery cells will be produced
https://twitter.com/danielsparks/status/758044716273315841
Water treatment facility located on the east side behind the main entrance to the Gigafactory
https://twitter.com/ByBenSpillman/status/758038584393732096
The Gigafactory looks small by comparison to its expansive surroundings
https://twitter.com/danielsparks/status/758036769904263168
Tesla’s Gigafactory occupies a relatively small footprint within the overall 3200 acres of land purchased
- Tesla Gigafactory, July 24, 2016
- A newly perched white tent is seen near the entrance to the Gigafactory
This is just 20% of total #Gigafactory. 1.9 million sq feet of planned 10M = 107 football fields pic.twitter.com/kp9uteZMrN
— Marco della Cava (@marcodellacava) July 26, 2016
Miniature models of the Gigafactory office space and production floor
https://twitter.com/danielsparks/status/758039972121186304
A model of the Gigafactory is seen in the lobby showing robots in action on the production floor.
A “you are here” label reveals that the current size of the Gigafactory is only 14% of what it will ultimately be.
Model of Tesla #gigafactory production floor pic.twitter.com/Y5sToPJZKy
— Marco della Cava (@marcodellacava) July 26, 2016
https://twitter.com/ByBenSpillman/status/758021392272986112
Entrance to the Gigafactory
Tesla CEO Elon Musk will address reporters here at #gigafactory later today. Stay with @usatodaytech pic.twitter.com/fT95tZOeEy
— Marco della Cava (@marcodellacava) July 26, 2016
Tesla giving test drives in a Model S P90D before taking groups to tour the interior of the Gigafactory
Killing time before exterior tour at Tesla #gigafactory with test "flights" of Model S pic.twitter.com/HFKRr8pu4t
— Marco della Cava (@marcodellacava) July 26, 2016
Greeted by a beautiful Tesla Model 3 at the entrance of the Gigafactory
https://twitter.com/danielsparks/status/758020744747941888
Media making a pitstop at the security gate on Electric Avenue before heading into the Gigafactory
https://twitter.com/danielsparks/status/758015650560249856
New aerial photos of the Gigafactory taken on Sunday, July 24 shows a security guard shack located on the main road leading into the property.
News
Armored Tesla Cybertruck “War Machine” debuts at Defense Expo 2025
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Tesla Megapacks chosen for 548 MWh energy storage project in Japan
Tesla plans to supply over 100 Megapack units to support a large stationary storage project in Japan, making it one of the country’s largest energy storage facilities.

Tesla’s Megapack grid-scale batteries have been selected to back an energy storage project in Japan, coming as the latest of the company’s continued deployment of the hardware.
As detailed in a report from Nikkei this week, Tesla plans to supply 142 Megapack units to support a 548 MWh storage project in Japan, set to become one of the country’s largest energy storage facilities. The project is being overseen by financial firm Orix, and it will be located at a facility Maibara in central Japan’s Shiga prefecture, and it aims to come online in early 2027.
The deal is just the latest of several Megapack deployments over the past few years, as the company continues to ramp production of the units. Tesla currently produces the Megapack at a facility in Lathrop, California, though the company also recently completed construction on its second so-called “Megafactory” in Shanghai China and is expected to begin production in the coming weeks.
READ MORE ON TESLA MEGAPACKS: Tesla Megapacks help power battery supplier Panasonic’s Kyoto test site
Tesla’s production of the Megapack has been ramping up at the Lathrop facility since initially opening in 2022, and both this site and the Shanghai Megafactory are aiming to eventually reach a volume production of 10,000 Megapack units per year. The company surpassed its 10,000th Megapack unit produced at Lathrop in November.
During Tesla’s Q4 earnings call last week, CEO Elon Musk also said that the company is looking to construct a third Megafactory, though he did not disclose where.
Last year, Tesla Energy also had record deployments of its Megapack and Powerwall home batteries with a total of 31.4 GWh of energy products deployed for a 114-percent increase from 2023.
Other recently deployed or announced Megapack projects include a massive 600 MW/1,600 MWh facility in Melbourne, a 75 MW/300 MWh energy storage site in Belgium, and a 228 MW/912 MWh storage project in Chile, along with many others still.
What are your thoughts? Let me know at zach@teslarati.com, find me on X at @zacharyvisconti, or send us tips at tips@teslarati.com.
Tesla highlights the Megapack site replacing Hawaii’s last coal plant
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Elon Musk responds to Ontario canceling $100M Starlink deal amid tariff drama
Ontario Premier Doug Ford said, opens new tab on February 3 that he was “ripping up” his province’s CA$100 million agreement with Starlink in response to the U.S. imposing tariffs on Canadian goods.

Elon Musk company SpaceX is set to lose a $100 million deal with the Canadian province of Ontario following a response to the Trump administration’s decision to apply 25 percent tariffs to the country.
Starlink, a satellite-based internet service launched by the Musk entity SpaceX, will lose a $100 million deal it had with Ontario, Premier Doug Ford announced today.
Starting today and until U.S. tariffs are removed, Ontario is banning American companies from provincial contracts.
Every year, the Ontario government and its agencies spend $30 billion on procurement, alongside our $200 billion plan to build Ontario. U.S.-based businesses will…
— Doug Ford (@fordnation) February 3, 2025
Ford said on X today that Ontario is banning American companies from provincial contracts:
“We’ll be ripping up the province’s contract with Starlink. Ontario won’t do business with people hellbent on destroying our economy. Canada didn’t start this fight with the U.S., but you better believe we’re ready to win it.”
It is a blow to the citizens of the province more than anything, as the Starlink internet constellation has provided people in rural areas across the globe stable and reliable access for several years.
Musk responded in simple terms, stating, “Oh well.”
Oh well https://t.co/1jpMu55T6s
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) February 3, 2025
It seems Musk is less than enthused about the fact that Starlink is being eliminated from the province, but it does not seem like all that big of a blow either.
As previously mentioned, this impacts citizens more than Starlink itself, which has established itself as a main player in reliable internet access. Starlink has signed several contracts with various airlines and maritime companies.
It is also expanding to new territories across the globe on an almost daily basis.
With Mexico already working to avoid the tariff situation with the United States, it will be interesting to see if Canada does the same.
The two have shared a pleasant relationship, but President Trump is putting his foot down in terms of what comes across the border, which could impact Americans in the short term.