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Tesla Flips the Switch on the Gigafactory

Musk meets a deadline: Battery-cell production begins at what will soon be the world’s biggest factory—with thousands of additional jobs.

Tesla Motors Inc.'s Gigafactory, as of this week — Tesla Motors Inc.'s Gigafactory, as of this week
Source: Tesla

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January 4, 2017, 4:00 PM UTCUpdated onJanuary 4, 2017, 8:12 PM UTC

The Gigafactory has been activated.

Hidden in the scrubland east of Reno, Nev., where cowboys gamble and wild horses still roam—a diamond-shaped factory of outlandish proportions is emerging from the sweat and promises of Tesla CEO Elon Musk. It’s known as the Gigafactory, and today its first battery cells are rolling off production lines to power the company’s energy storage products and, before long, the Model 3 electric car.