Is Tesla planning more than car manufacturing at its Austin gigafactory?

Site work is underway on $1.1 billion Tesla factory at Harold Green Road and State Highway 130 in far East Austin. The company could be creating more than just a car manufacturing plant.

According to documents filed with the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, Tesla plans to operate a “cell-manufacturing unit” to produce the battery packs that are used in its cars reported the Austin Business Journal.

Tesla executives have hinted that the company will start designing and making its own battery cells rather than buying them from its battery partner, Panasonic. It’s also posted jobs for “cell process development” engineering managers with the San Francisco Business Times, which is near another prospective cell-manufacturing site in Fremont, California.

It’s not clear from the documents whether Tesla plans to manufacture the cells at the 2,100-acre gigafactory site in East Austin or the nearby 381 acres that officials recently purchased, as reported by the Austin American-Statesman.

There were no similar job postings on Tesla’s website for Austin, and company officials did not return requests for comment by press time.

The filing with the TCEQ in July was for a permit-by-rule registration for the processes to construct equipment that will be used at the manufacturing facility.GHD Services Inc. submitted the registration on Tesla’s behalf, and the application said six nitrogen-blanketed tanks, each with a volume of 20,000 liters, will be necessary to manufacture the cells. Sources have said Tesla may be planning to mine lithium at the Austin site to create the cells, though there was no mention of lithium extraction in the application.

Tesla is moving at a rapid pace on its new gigafactory. Construction crews have been moving dirt for the 5 million square-foot manufacturing plant, which is expected to open in May 2021.

Companies are already flocking to Austin because of it’s booming manufacturing sector and its lithium-ion talent.

EnergyX, a technology company that focuses on lithium extraction, recently partnered with Dr. John Goodenough at the University of Texas at Austin to research future energy storage solutions, according to an announcement. Goodenough was the recipient of the 2019 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his invention of lithium-ion batteries.

EnergyX, headquartered in Puerto Rico, has several U.S. locations, such as its new Austin office and a presence in Silicon Valley, according to its website. Company officials were unable to comment on a potential relationship with Tesla.

Source: Austin Business Journal