Tesla has submitted a new Master Plan to the city of Fremont, in which the company proposes to construct twelve new buildings around its existing factory. The new buildings could add as much as 4.6 million square feet, doubling the size of the facility.

The Disruptors of Detroit will need the new space to meet the massive demand for the upcoming Model 3, and reach its goal of building a million cars per year by the end of 2020. The company has also acquired several other properties in Northern California.

“We are pleased to work with the city of Fremont on a plan that reaffirms our commitment to California,” a Tesla spokeswoman said. “California continues to be the epicenter of Tesla’s manufacturing capabilities, and we are proud to be the state’s largest manufacturing employer.”

The city already has big plans for the area around the Tesla factory. This fall, BART plans to open its Warm Springs Station, just across a railroad line from Tesla, and city officials have approved three new projects that will add commercial space and thousands of housing units.

All of this fits nicely with Tesla’s plans. “The location of the factory offers unique opportunities to leverage mass transit to ferry our workforce,” the Tesla spokeswoman said. “Tesla’s factory is the only major automotive assembly facility in the United States that is located adjacent to a metropolitan rapid transit rail line.”

Source: San Francisco Chronicle via Electrek
Image: Steve Jurvetson (CC BY 2.0)