Tesla sponsored the Cyber Rodeo event on Thursday, April 7, to commemorate the formal launch of the electric automaker’s new facility in Austin, Texas. With music, pyrotechnics, and drones flying in formation with the automaker’s vehicles, Elon Musk, dressed in a cowboy hat and dark sunglasses, ascended the stage to talk about the company’s past, present, and future.
While Dr. Dre’s “Still D.R.E.” played, Musk drove onto the stage in the first production Tesla Roadster. The audience was ecstatic to see the CEO of the manufacturer. The first major statement made during his presentation was the release of a public beta of Tesla’s Full Self-Driving software later this year.
He then went on to brag about the Texas factory’s enormous size. The property is massive, covering 338 million square feet. It would be 3,826 feet (1,166 metres) tall if it stood upright. The Burj Khalifa, for comparison, is 2,722 feet (829 metres) tall.
Musk estimates that when the facility in Texas is fully operating, it will be able to produce roughly 1 million devices per year. The Model Y is said to account for around 500,000 of those. Musk claims that the Cybertruck, which will be available in 2023, will also be manufactured at this facility.
Looking ahead, Musk thinks that a robotaxi is on the way, and that it “looks extremely futuristic.” In addition, the first iteration of the Optimus robot will “ideally” arrive in 2023. Musk believes it will “change the planet to an even greater degree than autos.”
Musk intends to finish building the facility in Texas by the end of the year. A “huge flood of new items” is expected in 2023. This is said to feature the second-generation Roadster and the Semi, in addition to the Cybertruck.
sources: motor1