We entered the Tesla Gigafactory. Here is what it looked like

Elon Musk called the Tesla Gigafactory "the machine that builds the machine".

The $ 4.5 billion plant, located outside Reno, Nevada, is where Tesla and Panasonic, its lead partner, produce batteries for the Tesla Model 3 sedan, as well as energy storage products, etc.

CNBC went inside the Gigafactory to visualize the production process and understand how the company's first fully-built plant will serve as a model for what could possibly be a dozen huge Tesla factories around the world.

"In order to make the transition from the world to sustainable energy, we really needed to build this big, bold and build as many battery cells as possible to really accelerate this transition," said Chris Lister, Tesla's vice president of operations. CNBC.

At present, only about 30% of the factory is built, but once completed, it could be the largest building in the world in terms of area.

The partnership between Tesla and Panasonic has recently been undermined.

Last month, Tesla denied the information that it was putting Gigafactory's plans on hold. Musk claimed that Panasonic was not able to achieve battery cell production goals.

Tesla, meanwhile, said that US orders for Model 3 had exceeded its available production in the first quarter.

The Gigafactory, open 24 hours a day, currently employs 7,000 people.

Still, the men were few during CNBC's tour, with automation being very obvious, part of the facility benefiting from a 90% automated process, according to Lister.

However, he added that the company had to give up automation in some cases to the benefit of human labor.

"It's easier, you know, to take things like pipes in the air and tie them together as a person looking at them, instead of trying to use a robot to do it," he says. did he declare.

At the same time, Gigafactory in Shanghai, worth $ 2 billion, or Gigafactory 3, which started this year, is expected to produce Tesla's Model 3 on a full production line before the end of the year. 39; year.

Lister said Tesla was using the knowledge gained at its Nevada facility for the construction of its future plant in China and hoped to use the original Gigafactory as an operational model for all future installations.

"So many people have invested so much of their lives to make that happen," Lister said. "It's really a competitive advantage, but it's also very important to accelerate the advent of sustainable transportation."