Tesla plans expansion at U.S. Texas factory

SAN FRANCISCO, Jan. 11 (Xinhua) -- Tesla has filed a plan to regulators of the U.S. state of Texas to invest about 770 million U.S. dollars for the expansion of its factory near Austin, according to a report by the TechCrunch on Wednesday.

The filings to the Texas Department of Licensing and Registration show the company plans to build new facilities at the site this year, including one for battery cell testing and another manufacture cathode and drive units. Tesla also plans to build a die shop at the factory site, according to the registration.

The expansion comes less than a year after the factory's official opening. The Tesla factory in Austin officially opened in April 2022.

The factory is used to assemble Model Y vehicles. Tesla CEO Elon Musk said once the Texas factory achieves volume production, the company will focus on the production of Cybertruck, which is supposed to begin this summer.