Tesla’s Gigafactory east of Reno produces the batteries that fuel the company’s electric cars. Production has created more than 7,000 jobs, and the campus that includes one of the largest buildings in the world is expected to triple in size by the time it is completed. Tesla Vice President Chris Lister leads a tour of the facility. (Bill Dentzer/Las Vegas Review-Journal)
The Tesla Gigafactory’s economic impact on Nevada has exceeded projections, bringing in more than 7,000 jobs. In 2014, Nevada agreed to give the automotive and energy company $1.3 billion in tax abatements. In return, Tesla promised to meet certain requirements in areas like employment and capital investment. As of June, Tesla has brought in a total of $6.05 billion in capital investment, surpassing the $4.95 billion projection. The original contract gave the company until 2024 to make $3.5 billion in capital investments in Nevada. Derek Armstrong, deputy director of the Governor’s Office of Economic Development.
Las Vegas Academy’s robotics team made it all the way to the world competition last year, the first year the team competed. Zackary Perry describes how they programmed their robot to compete. The team is an example of what Tesla wants to have in every school in the state. (Meghin Delaney/Las Vegas Review-Journal)
Tesla Driver Dies While Using Autopilot The automaker confirmed the driver didn’t have his hands on the wheel for about six seconds before the Model X collided with a highway barrier. The car then caught on fire. Tesla The accident happened days after an Uber self-driving test vehicle killed a pedestrian in Arizona.
Three men armed with knives attacked a Las Vegas couple. The home invasion robbery happened just after midnight in a southwest Las Vegas neighborhood. The robbers stole a 2017 Tesla Model S, and the homeowner was hit by the car as the robbers escaped.
The Hyperloop mode of transit was designed by Tesla CEO Elon Musk It has the potential to cut the travel time between Las Vegas and Los Angeles to about 30 minutes Cargo and passengers are slated to travel at over 700 mph “You take an autonomous vehicle pod, you put it inside a tube, you take the air out of a tube … then you use a linear motor … and passive maglev (magnetic levitation), and you put it in a horizontal line and it goes fast” — Nick Earle, Hyerploop One’s senior vice president of global field operations
