Tesla is starting to get the taste of big, flashy launching events, even though it did have its fair share of complaints in the past - most notably during the Model X release, a car that seems to consistently bring more negatives than positives for the company.
The Model 3 preview went a lot better, but it's safe to say that no matter how much people like crossovers and SUVs these days, the smaller sedan was definitely the most eagerly anticipated car Tesla ever thought about producing. There was a lot of hype built prior to the March 31 reveal, but in the end, it all came down to the people's reception of the car, not the event itself.
And that part went great. So great, in fact, that Tesla had to rethink its short to medium term plans and accelerate some parts of its production development. The Gigafactory wasn't one of them, though, as work on this huge plant near Reno, Nevada, had started well in advance, but as hard as it might be to imagine, this huge facility will only build batteries.
Its construction was closely monitored by all kind of helpful people who flew drones over it filming every step of the process, but it would seem that it is finally ready for an official opening. Yesterday evening, Tesla sent out the final invitations to its customers who took part in last year's Referral Program and won. The invite clearly states that the event will be held on the site the evening of July 29.
Tesla took the decision to build its own batteries, and considering how they could become the most sought-after commodity in a few years from now, it was clearly the smart choice. It's past experiences with suppliers - which postponed the launch of the Model X - showed how important it is not to depend on third parties, and since Tesla now wants to move into the mainstream segment, volumes will become very important.
Yesterday came a possible sign that this was a smart decision when a German publication claimed (quoting some undisclosed sources within the company) that Volkswagen too is planning to build a similar project of its own, but the information hasn't been confirmed yet. With the recent emphasis on EVs put by the company, however, such a move would make perfect sense.
For now, though, there's only one Gigafacotry belonging to Tesla, and it will have its official opening on July 29, confirming once again that everything important at Elon Musk's company happens in the last days of a month.
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