In exchange, Tesla agreed to partner with Toyota on the "development of electric vehicles, parts, and production system and engineering support."

[12] When Tesla first moved into the plant, it was about 10 times the size the company needed[11][26][27] and much of the activity at the site was concentrated inside the 5,500,000-square-foot (510,000 m2) main final assembly building.

[37][38] Tesla built a casting foundry in Lathrop in 2015 supporting the Fremont production,[39][40][41][42] and leased 1.3 million sq ft of warehouses in nearby Livermore in 2017.

[46] In August 2017, Tesla won approval from the Fremont City Council to double the size of the facility with about 4.6 million new square feet of space.

[89] Tesla stated in May 2016 that it does not have that capability and needs to acquire it,[90] which it partly did with the acquisition of Grohmann Automation in 2016[91] and purchase of mass production equipment.

[97] Other suppliers that have opened facilities in the area to be close to Tesla include Eclipse Automation and Futuris Automotive Group.

[105] Elon Musk announced at the 2021 Shareholder Meeting, October 7, 2021, that Tesla hoped to increase the production capacity at the Fremont Factory by 50% in the next couple of years.

The motor then undergoes a series of automated tests taking 4 minutes to ensure correct function, and then is moved to the general assembly area to be installed into the car.

[112][121] The Fremont Factory takes delivery of large aluminum coils from suppliers, unwinds them, then flattens and cuts them into sheets in a blanking machine.

[112] The blank aluminum sheet is stretched over the lower draw die and openings are cut with robots transferring the panels between processes.

In 2020, Tesla added an IDRA Giga Press to the factory, allowing the automaker to stamp out single-piece rear castings for the Model Y.

Placing the battery pack under the cabin floor adds strength and rigidity to the car and lowers the vehicle's center of gravity[112] to 18 inches (46 cm).

"I was so tired of the unwanted attention and the males gawking at me I proceeded to create barriers around me just so I could get some relief," one of the complainants Jessica Brooks told The Washington Post.

They cite his crude remarks about women's bodies, wisecracks about starting Texas Institute of Technology and Science that abbreviated to "T.I.T.S", and his generally dismissive attitude towards reporting sexual harassment.

In a statement to the Guardian, Tesla confirmed the company had fired her, saying it had thoroughly investigated the employee's allegations with the help of "a neutral, third-party expert" and concluded her complaints were unmerited.

[134] In May 2022, a California judge ruled that the sexual harassment lawsuit could move to court, rejecting Tesla's request for closed-door arbitration.

[135] From 2014 to 2018, Tesla's Fremont Factory had three times as many Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) violations as the ten largest U.S. auto plants combined.

[137] In September 2019, a California judge ruled that 12 actions in 2017 and 2018 by Musk and other Tesla executives violated labor laws because they sabotaged employee attempts to unionize.

[138][139] The California Civil Rights Department filed a suit in 2022 alleging "a pattern of racial harassment and bias" at the Tesla Fremont factory.

As of April 2023,[update] the Department is also conducting a probe of the factory based on a 2021 complaint and claims that Tesla has been obstructing the investigation.

[148] Approximately 100 former employees have submitted signed statements alleging that Tesla discriminates specifically against African Americans and "allows a racist environment in its factories.

"[149] According to the state's Department of Fair Employment and Housing, the Fremont factory is a racially segregated place where Black employees claim they are given the most menial[150] and physically demanding work.

[151] The accusations of racism culminated in February 2022 with the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing suing Tesla for "discriminating against its Black workers.

"[152] In July 2021, former employee Melvin Berry received $1 million in his discrimination case in arbitration against Tesla after he claimed he was referred to by the n-word and forced to work longer hours at the Fremont plant.

[156][157] In April 2022, federal judge William Orrick upheld the jury finding of Tesla's liability but reduced the total damage down to $15 million.

Musk had sought to exempt the Tesla Fremont factory in Alameda County, California from the government's stay-at-home orders.

[163] In May 2020, while Alameda County officials were negotiating with the company to reopen the Fremont Factory on the 18th, Musk defied local government orders by restarting production on the 11th.

[164][165][166] Tesla also sued Alameda County, questioning the legality of the orders, but backed down after the Fremont Factory was given approval to reopen.

[171] But in June, Tesla fired an employee who criticized the company for taking inadequate safety measures to protect workers from the coronavirus at the Fremont Factory.

[162][174] In November 2013 there was an accident when the low-pressure aluminum casting press failed, spilling molten metal on three workers and causing their clothing to catch fire.