Tesla Giga Texas Adds Night Shift, Moving to Two 12-Hour Shifts

Tesla’s Gigafactory in Austin, Texas, has added a night shift and moved to two 12-hour production shifts, according to drone observer Joe Tegtmeyer, who has filmed the site since construction began. In his Nov. 2 update, he said the plant also plans to skip the multi-day holiday shutdowns it has taken in past years around Thanksgiving and the Christmas to New Year period.

Tesla has not confirmed the change or said which vehicles would get the extra output. If the schedule holds, the plant would run close to around the clock through the end of 2026, as Teslarati reported. Not a Tesla App described the move as Tesla doubling production at the plant.

What changed on the factory floor

Until now, Tegtmeyer said, production ran on a single day shift of roughly 10 hours, Monday through Friday. Teslarati reported that General Assembly, the area where vehicles are put together, usually worked Monday through Thursday or Friday. Under the new setup, General Assembly keeps its Monday-to-Thursday schedule but gains overnight hours, while most other parts of the factory keep working the full week with some weekend work.

Not a Tesla App noted that the final arrangement may differ from what has been reported. Three eight-hour shifts would be another common way to run a plant around the clock.

Giga Texas builds the Model Y, the larger six-seat Model Y L, the Cybertruck and the Cybercab, Tesla’s robotaxi.

Who the extra output could serve

The two outlets point to different likely beneficiaries. Teslarati said recent comments suggest Cybercab output has been held back by how fast the Robotaxi fleet can take on new cars, which makes the Model Y and Model Y L the more likely targets as Tesla works through order backlogs.

Not a Tesla App laid out the case for both. During a recent Munro Live tour of the Cybercab line, Tesla said production was running ahead of Robotaxi deployments, so the lines do not run every day. Tesla already has more than 300 Cybercabs operating in Austin, plans to start Cybercab rides in Dallas this month and has launched unsupervised Robotaxi rides in Fort Worth. It also aims to deliver the first Cybercabs to customers before year end. Tegtmeyer’s drone footage showed outbound lots filled with rows of gold Cybercabs.

What it means for Model Y L buyers

Tesla launched the Model Y L in the U.S. in July. Deliveries began in September as planned but have moved slowly, according to Not a Tesla App. Some early buyers have had deliveries pushed back by three to four months, and new orders now show delivery windows of January to March 2027. Tesla has also said its FSD driver-assistance software is driving U.S. demand.

A second production shift would raise the number of vehicles the plant can build each week. If that capacity goes to the Model Y L, buyers in the queue could see shorter waits, although Tesla has said nothing about delivery timing.

Other work at the Austin site

Tegtmeyer’s footage also showed construction elsewhere on the campus, Teslarati reported. The Cortex 2 computing building is growing, with more computing capacity coming online, a roughly 25 percent extension on its north end and a third cooling plant under way. Work continued on the Advanced Technology Chip Fab, a joint research facility of SpaceX and Tesla, and activity increased at The Boring Company’s tunnel launch pit.

What to watch next

Tesla holds its shareholder meeting on Dec. 3, and it reports fourth-quarter deliveries in early January. Not a Tesla App said either event could bring more detail on the production increase.

Sources: Teslarati, Not a Tesla App