Ambitious and relentless in the push for sustainable energy, Tesla and CEO Elon Musk have taken decisive action to encourage (dare we say force?) the auto industry to make a noticeable transition towards the production of electric vehicles.
In the eyes of Tesla, realizing that objective boils down to increased production numbers, which will put more drivers in environmentally friendly electric cars. This year, the company has an expected production rate of 80,000 vehicles. By 2018, they hope to increase that number to 500,000.
To meet that goal and effectively encourage sustainability, Tesla constructed the Gigafactory, a $5 billion dollar project that opened in Nevada earlier this year. The Gigafactory contributes significantly to Tesla’s lofty production goals, as it permits the company to cut down on battery production costs by an astounding 30%, making overall production more affordable. Lithium-ion battery cell production will begin out of this facility by the end of 2017, with vehicle production slated to begin by the end of 2018.
Of course, you can’t save the environment without looking to make a splash across the pond. Musk also recently confirmed the company will select a location in Europe for a Gigafactory 2 that will produce batteries as well as vehicles. This announcement came shortly after one stating that Tesla will be acquiring Germany company Grohmann Engineering GmbH, a company that produces automated manufacturing systems for batteries and fuel cells. This tactical acquisition will no doubt also aid the company’s efforts to ramp up production and foster green living.
The march towards sustainability and the era of electric vehicles is a long and arduous one, but the aggressive strides Tesla is taking in their production goals, the means by which they intend to meet those goals, and their strategic acquisitions bode well for its eventual success. With the tenacity of Elon Musk behind it, Tesla will no doubt continue to surprise us with their innovation.