Tesla Gigafactory January 2018

It has been nearly a year since we've reported specifics regarding Tesla Gigafactory permitting and construction, but we've finally secured an official update.

A year ago, we published building permit information from BuildZoom showing Tesla Gigafactory permits exceeding some $1 billion. Not long after that, a few more permits were filed related to the Section G expansion, which now appears complete (at least from the outside). Below is a photo from about a year ago that further emphasizes the progress shown in the photo above:

Tesla Gigafactory January 2017

BuildZoom just pored over 2017 permits to get an idea of new developments related to the Gigafactory. The source points out that a majority of the structural work was permitted and completed prior to 2017, however, the year still brought 255 new permits. Of those 255, 112 are for new construction amounting to $379.9 million that wasn't previously reported.

These 112 "new" permits primarily apply to work inside of the factory's initial footprint and/or as supplemental construction or addendums to a prior permit. In fact, 50 of the 112 permits apply to an addendum, which collectively combine to increase anticipated construction costs by $165.6 million. Some are as simple as the installation of traditional manufacturing equipment, while others are for high tech contraptions that are clearly Tesla-specific. BuildZoom lists the most interesting of these additions, along with associated costs and dates (where applicable):

A metrology lab (November 8, 2017) A brazing oven to automate metal joining (November 8, 2017) $179,850 for a hazmat building addendum (November 1, 2017) $13.7M for hot oil skid systems to store and transfer heat fluids (March 13, 2017) $10.8M for air separation yards to separate atmospheric air into elemental components $2.6M for chiller yards to remove heat from liquids

The 20 most expensive permits for 2017 are listed below:

Tesla Gigafactory Updates - Top-20 Most Expensive Permits in 2017

Source: BuildZoom, 2