Boring Co Tunnel Progress, Electric Upgrades, DIE load sys! 15 Nov 2024 Giga Texas Update (07:45AM)

Gigafactory Texas! This is where Model Y’s, and Cyber Truck production happens and soon, the Next Generation Car!

Another nice, but cooler day to fly at Giga Texas today and once again, a lot of interesting developments to see and discuss around the site!

As a reminder, I will be travelling to Starbase on Saturday through most of next week to cover the 6th launch of Starship! I will be live streaming with Ellie in Space on her channel again and I'll be producing additional content before, during and after the launch plus some updates about Starbase itself.

Also, I'll be stopping at the Tesla Lithium Plan near Corpus Christi, Texas to get an updated video and see what has changed since my last stop at the site back in October.

Timestamps:
Drone flight overview with discussion & illustration: 0:06 to 5:03
Drone flight footage & infographics: 5:25 to 29:45

A few highlights to look for in the images and the video today include:

The boring Company crews continue preparing the exit drive path from the Giga Texas W tunnel exit, with forms being installed to create an exit pathway while most of the paved roadway are finished. It looks like piers are going in near the tunnel as well.

Work continues to expand out the Giga Texas electrical system & a lot of this is at the S switchyard area where the graded area has now doubled in size in the past 48 hours. More work on the large slab & catchment for the huge 3rd transformer as well.

Tesla had a nice display of Cybertrucks at the Giga Texas flagpole area today, with the one decked out in Veterans Day regalia taking up the centerpiece position! Very cool to see this honoring the veterans that Tesla employs!

More work continues at the west exit point of the General Assembly section of the main factory that is used for the Model Ys including additional work on the perimeter grade beam and load levelling systems for the newly-cut in receiving doors

At the Cortex cooling plant, we see the new concrete apron around the huge pipes coming out of the ground has been cross cut, while more work on the ground floor systems continues.

Nearby, the natural gas pipe installation along the road continues and emergency repairs appear completed following a large gas leak on Wednesday. This was caused, I have heard by some crews working on hydrodynamic testing of the cooling plant pipes puncturing one of the gas pipes. No injuries and work stoppage was only for a few hours.

Finally, at the east side of casting under the new steel awning structure, we see installation of the new casting machine DIE loading system! This large red and gray system is used for accepting delivery of, and preparing for pickup of large dies used in the casting machines. These are loaded up and moved to the DIE shop for maintenance, repairs and even manufacturing.

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.

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Be sure to check out additional Texas Gigafactory footage on these channels:
@Jeff Roberts
@Brad Sloan

Video, photos, illustrations, and commentary on this video is by me, Joe Tegtmeyer unless otherwise annotated.

Music in this video is obtained from the YouTube 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

[kendiener]

Joe, Thank you for including me in your video. I am the one in the safety vest and hardhat walking towards the camera by the tunnel in the inside of SX. Time Stamp 2:21 You put the yellow arrow over me. :). I sold them doors for the Data hall.

[mycalltoadventure]

I know watching daily sometimes it’s hard to see changes. I just went back and watch videos from 1 year, 2 years, 3 years etc. it’s amazing to see that just over 4 years ago the site was basically a swamp.
Thanks for all the videos Joe!!

[accumapmodels]

Thanks Joe! Have a great trip down! Can't wait for Starship launch Monday! Hopefully TS Sara will continue moving slow and not interfere.

[bimmergeezer]

Thanks for completing my week, Joe! See you in a couple of days!

[nanaimoshoerepair]

Hey Joe, Have fun at the launch, can't wait to see the coverage.

[highlanderapparel]

Thank you, Joe. I don’t get to watch your videos often but I do enjoy them. The Highlander PS is always remember. Kindness is always free, but I got a feeling you’re the kind of guy that doesn’t need to be told that.😊

[DavidJohnson-tvnn]

Thanks Joe!
Tunnel entrance/exit:
Inside the building:
@ 2:21 Excellent view of the inside entrance! Thanks Joe!
West side:
@ 6:17, 6:20 and 6:33 Forms being built for retaining walls.
@ 7:03 Newly paved roads to connect the tunnel to the EOL facility.
Possible Megapack site:
@ 24:05 Site is getting much bigger. Continuing to raise the grade.
@ 24:22 (Bottom right) Two vaults that provide power to the Cathode building/Die Shop may end up inside the new site.
Also @ 24:22 Joe.... If those transformers are used here there will be Megapacks. Transformers in this area would be of no use with out the Megapacks due to the low secondary (output) voltage of 480/277 volts. But... It does match the input/output voltage for the Megapacks, which is 480 volts.
Substation expansion project:
@ 24:56 (Bottom left) Rebar cages for footings to support switch and busbar structures on the medium voltage (secondary) side of the transformer.
Red square marked in the dirt is for a pad to support a medium voltage circuit breaker set.
@ 25:14 Gravel spread around the new footings and circuit breakers.
Rooftop cable trays:
Data center:
@ 4:35 Cables in the tray to the right (only the cable tray on the right) going through the roof are energized and providing temporary power to the date center. Power comes from the existing main switchgear room below the roof in the casting/BIW area.
North end:
@ 21:55 and 22:14 Ongoing work to pull cable on the north end. 24 cables per tray, 48 total.

[ohtoah]

The pavement markings are for semi trucks to enter and exit thru the extension so thet they can unload steel coils in the stamping area,

[awsdfsdgf]

The purple pipe is for non-potable water, normally reclaimed

[lourdessilva]

Sem palavras esse documentário incrível apresentação acompanho seu trabalho desse o começou ah mal posso esperar para assistir o próximo da empresa dos foguetes nunca vou esquecer da apresentação do vídeo da subida do foguete muita emoção es como estivesse lá com vcs incrível mesmo sucesso sempre

[rb]

Looking forwards to the concrete panels painted white and pavement and grass growing!

[Fred-wr]

Does Tesla not make giga castings when manufacturing cars? Would this be due to air “pollution”. Would the baghouse air filter allow them to make giga castings and car assembly at the same time?

[amartart]

Nice flying, Joe and particularly the tunnel. Any idea how the finished cars/trucks get to the entrance of the tunnel (all inside, from finish build line, then driven to tunnel (all inside?)! also, any idea when will the Juniper Model Y refresh start being built here? Thanks!!

[DessieDoolan]

Thanks Joe
*Sort by Newest First or Top Comments if only the first few lines are visible*
1:41. Westside, Tunnel Project. Curved retaining wall formwork for the entry ramp. Slightly narrower than the tunnel diameter, but only needs to be the tunnel road surface width.
4 bored shafts, 2 either side of the tunnel for some sort of canopy. Shaft is very close to the NG pipeline. 6’ to 8’ 1.8m to 2.4m. Centre left, rebar cages and yellow form tubes for the shafts.
Right. 8 more bored shafts in the same configuration as those bottom right. Relocating perhaps.
2:05. W-WOW yard. Reclaiming the Tunnel Project site. Quite an elevation/grade difference.
3:26. Temporary switchyard site. Earthworks now extend south of the old site. This area is natural soil, was never strip mined. May only require compacted fill. Fill being extracted from the right.
9:24. Westside, storage north. Stacks of flat plate in amongst the steel.
13:06. Flagpoles. White base covers never got installed. Must have been satisfied with the concrete finish.
Blue surveyors flags in amongst the Cybertrucks. More digging.
13:37. GA, loading platform. Delivery of floor decking.
14:00. Southend, west. 8000gal. grease trap installed for the second time. See Joe’s 9 August video at 4.02.
16:11. Southend, east diagonal corner. Level 1. Installed the glazing channels on the retaining wall.
Level 2 perimeter beam. Welding on the brackets for the glazing channel.
18:32. Cyber Circle, pipeline works. Replacement pipe section connected at south (18:01) and north (top right).
Loading up the hot-tapping gear on a trailer.
18:50. Southend, east. Under the mezzanine is a road entrance. Arrow pointing westwards. Likely the other end of the road at 13:51. Likely used for general access through the building, including to Stamping 2.
20:33. East Main Entrance. Bottom left. HVAC system removed (the orange ducting). Stacks of circular components on the loading dock ramp.
20:50. Casting, east. Apron. Bottom left. Orange over-width trailer. Might be the one seen at the Die Shop in Joe’s 13 Nov video at 27.43. Likely method of transport dies back and forth to the Die Shop.
21:03. Casting, east. Canopy. Red and black rail mounted framework, no apparent advance. Lots of hydraulic/air lines visible in Joe’s photos.
Furnace charging machine likely.
Silver/grey components on the apron may be the charging bins to be assembled on the red and black frame.
22:03. Casting roof. Furnace gases visible from the flue.
23:45. BESS site. Bottom left. Small trailer with the Saber Power logo. I can’t access the website, been geo-blocked. Likely the switchyard/substation contractor. Another trailer at 25:24.
‘Engineering-led & construction-focused professional services company specializing in complex medium & high voltage electrical infrastructure.’
26:36. Crash Test Track. Semi wheels/tyres have been removed.
27:42. Cathode, west. Plant platform. North of. Stormwater drainage works. Installing a catch basin/pit for the tank overflows.
28:41. Die Shop, west. Left. Blue tarp was previously covering a trailer. See 20:50.

[TashiRogo]

Why are the concrete forms chopping off over a foot of width at the tunnel exit? Am I not understanding what they are doing there?

[davidanalyst]

Tesla really needs a giant charger lot. Right off the highway. So you can see the factory, the other buildings, and maybe a snack bar with drinks. You really don't want people wandering around the factory, but hes got 3, 000 acres, so he might as well put a charger lot there. Everyone knows the tesla supercharger horror stories on thanksgiving and christmas and any big holiday, so he should make a mega charger here. right off the highway.

[jimclester]

Holyeee Smoke, hey there is a hole under the highway.

[potencjalnypracownik]

500 not volts, kilowatts and there is no info that Cybertruck can take up to that yet still should be max 350, which still will be better than 250 on older chargers

[DanaOredson]

Kinda crazy that the boring tunnel, which is supposed to be quick operation, we are sitting around 10 months or so of working on that tunnel.

[garthbews]

woot woot see who.. winks..enjoy.. spaceport