Photo: Tesla Motors
A fire started at Tesla’s state-of-the-art factory in Fremont, California, but it was quickly extinguished by the firefighters.
Although the cause is yet unknown (and no, it wasn’t because of a car’s battery pack), had it not been seen on time, the fire could have made quite a damage to the 5.3 million-square-foot manufacturing and office space.
“There was a small fire this morning in an air handling unit in the ceiling of the north end of the factory. No one was harmed, there was no damage to the production line. Our on-site safety team was able to extinguish the fire quickly,” a Tesla spokesman told CNBC.
Apparently, this is not the first time the local fire department is called at the Tesla factory. Last year, a crane knocked down a power line and also led to a fire, which was quickly contained.
One of the world’s most advanced automotive factories, the facility was bought by Tesla Motors in 2010. Four years later, the company upgraded the assembly line that is now able to produce more than 100,000 cars annually.
Before Tesla, the building was home to General Motors and Toyota’s New United Motor Manufacturing, for more than 20 years.
Apart from this factory, Tesla intends to build another one in China as the company plans to make cars in that country, including its first mass-market car, the Model 3. The reason behind this decision is very straightforward, as currently Tesla is not eligible for local incentives in China, so all vehicles sold there come with a high import duty. Once the company starts local production, it will qualify for incentives.
There are also voices claiming that Apple convinced Elon Musk to expand its production. Why Apple? Well, because since the inventor of the iPhone began to produce its smartphones and tablets in China, it recorded a constant growth in sales. Not to mention that China is a very important market that every carmaker is trying to conquer.
“There was a small fire this morning in an air handling unit in the ceiling of the north end of the factory. No one was harmed, there was no damage to the production line. Our on-site safety team was able to extinguish the fire quickly,” a Tesla spokesman told CNBC.
Apparently, this is not the first time the local fire department is called at the Tesla factory. Last year, a crane knocked down a power line and also led to a fire, which was quickly contained.
One of the world’s most advanced automotive factories, the facility was bought by Tesla Motors in 2010. Four years later, the company upgraded the assembly line that is now able to produce more than 100,000 cars annually.
Before Tesla, the building was home to General Motors and Toyota’s New United Motor Manufacturing, for more than 20 years.
Apart from this factory, Tesla intends to build another one in China as the company plans to make cars in that country, including its first mass-market car, the Model 3. The reason behind this decision is very straightforward, as currently Tesla is not eligible for local incentives in China, so all vehicles sold there come with a high import duty. Once the company starts local production, it will qualify for incentives.
There are also voices claiming that Apple convinced Elon Musk to expand its production. Why Apple? Well, because since the inventor of the iPhone began to produce its smartphones and tablets in China, it recorded a constant growth in sales. Not to mention that China is a very important market that every carmaker is trying to conquer.
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