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New Tesla Gigafactory site in Austin, Texas
(Video by Steven Joyner/Austonia)
Arrive at the site in Southeast Travis County where Tesla just announced it will be building a $1.1 billion Gigafactory, and you'll find 18-wheeler trucks running in and out of the property. See the area from above, and it's a flurry of activity.
<p>Though the news is less than a week old, CEO Elon Musk said during<a href="https://austonia.com/technology/tesla-coming-to-austin" target="_blank"> the call where he confirmed that the company</a> had chosen Austin that work was already underway.</p><p>The $1.1 billion factory is expected to be producing the Tesla <a href="https://austonia.com/future/tesla-cybertruck" target="_self">Cybertruck</a> and Model Y by late 2021.</p><p>There are still a few more steps for the company—Tesla will need city and county approvals as further development gets underway—but a city staffer said July 16 that the company is allowed under existing permits to begin reclamation work, which "would be the first step in preparing the site for future development."</p>
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Here it comes: Elon Musk says 'stunning' $1.1 billion Tesla Gigafactory will be built in Austin area
22 July
(Mike Mareen/Adobe)
The Cybertruck pickup and the Model Y will be produced at the Austin Tesla factory.
The Austin metro will soon be home to a $1.1 billion Gigafactory, Tesla founder and CEO Elon Musk announced during the company's quarterly earnings update on Wednesday.
<p>"We're going to make it a factory that's going to be stunning," he told investors, adding that construction is "already underway."<br/></p><p>As proposed, <a href="https://austonia.com/technology/elon-musk-tesla/seeking-incentives" target="_self">the factory</a> will be located on a 2,000-acre site in Southeast Travis County. It will provide at least 5,000 jobs and produce <a href="https://austonia.com/future/tesla-cybertruck" target="_self">the Cybertruck pickup</a> and the Model Y, a midsize SUV. </p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image">
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</p><p>Both <a href="https://austonia.com/technology/tesla-factory-austin-2646383822" target="_self">Del Valle ISD</a> and <a href="https://austonia.com/business/austin-gigafactory" target="_self">Travis County</a> offered Tesla tax rebates to build the factory in their jurisdictions. In exchange for significant long-term incentives, Tesla agreed to a minimum wage of $15 an hour for all factory employees, including construction workers. </p><p>The proposed factory site has been owned for years by the construction supplier Martin Marietta and used for a sand and gravel mining operation.<br/></p><p>The finished factory will include a public-access boardwalk along the Colorado River, Musk said. "It's going to basically be an ecological paradise."</p><p>On Twitter, Mayor Steve Adler said that the factory will bring an "economic boost" to East Austin, while Gov. Greg Abbott welcomed the company.</p><p><br/></p><p><br/></p><div class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="5d86a298f03a4682bc93c9f20a5d4285" id="c7e0f"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-partner="rebelmouse" data-twitter-tweet-id="1286061037851156485"><div style="margin:1em 0">Tesla picks Texas for its Cybertruck factory.
Thanks to .@elonmusk & .@Tesla for embracing our great state.
Th… https://t.co/tKr7tU2piK</div> — Greg Abbott (@Greg Abbott)<a href="https://twitter.com/GregAbbott_TX/statuses/1286061037851156485">1595455819.0</a></blockquote></div><p>Tesla had support for the factory during the months of negotiation that preceded the announcement, but not from everyone.</p><p>Residents and union members <a href="https://austonia.com/technology/tesla-austin" target="_self">raised concerns</a> during public hearings about Tesla's track record of worker safety and adherence to incentive agreements.<br/></p><p><em>This story is developing and will be updated.</em><br/></p>
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(Katharine Jose/Austonia)
Samples of blue-green algae taken from Lady Bird Lake at Festival Beach and Red Bud Isle recently have been confirmed as containing toxins, the Austin Watershed Protection Department announced.
<p>Toxic algae<a href="https://austonia.com/city/blue-algae-austin" target="_blank"> killed several dogs</a> in Austin last summer. The city is recommending pets stay away from the lake and that people avoid handling the algae.</p><p>From the press release:</p><p style="margin-left: 20px;">"The toxin is contained within the algae and has not been released into the water. This is important because it means that currently exposure to the toxin would occur through touching or ingesting the algae, not through contact with the water."</p><p>The city is monitoring four locations and will post results on <a href="https://austin.maps.arcgis.com/apps/opsdashboard/index.html#/227b9eb1a55f4a1ca0ca110612c22d4c" target="_blank">its algae dashboard</a>.</p>
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The three-mile wide, 4.5 billion-year-old NEOWISE comet is currently visible over Texas and has brought out observers and photographers, like Austin-based Erin Newman-Mitchell, who took this shot in Cranfills Gap, Texas and posted the image to Instagram.
<p>It was <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CClbaZmF44D/" target="_blank">not the first time</a> Newman-Mitchell shot the NEOWISE comet, which first appeared earlier this month and will remain visible until about <a href="https://www.kbtx.com/2020/07/15/how-to-spot-comet-neowise/#:~:text=It%20will%20be%20visible%20until%20mid%2DAugust&text=The%20comet's%20moniker%20is%20Neowise,toward%20the%20outer%20solar%20system." target="_blank">mid-August</a>. It won't come this close to us again <a href="https://www.space.com/comet-neowise-strange-facts.html" target="_blank">for about 6,800 years</a>.</p><p>See where the comet will be in relation to other constellations <a href="https://earthsky.org/space/how-to-see-comet-c2020-f3-neowise" target="_blank">here</a>. Read tips on how to see it over Austin <a href="https://www.kxan.com/weather/weather-blog/comet-neowise-now-visible-as-it-approaches-earth/" target="_blank">here</a>.</p><p><br/></p><div class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="341b8ca25aea71820a8beac601f41d48" id="9c932"><blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-version="4" style=" background:#FFF; border:0;
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(Levan/Adobe)
As pharmaceutical companies and the federal government race to find a coronavirus vaccine, one Austin company is running clinical trials to see if the contenders have what it takes.
<p>
Benchmark Research is <a href="https://benchmarkresearch.net/" target="_blank">recruiting volunteers</a> for four coronavirus vaccine trials—and preparing for more than a dozen more in the next few months—across five different cities, including more than 8,300 in Austin alone.
</p><p>
"We're just trying to find the vaccine as quickly as we possibly can," CEO Mark Lacy told Austonia.
</p><p>
But there are some challenges, including the warp speed of these trials and finding enough volunteers to participate.
</p>
A speeded-up process
<p>The approval process for a vaccine is typically four to five years, Lacy said. But the coronavirus trials aren't typical.</p><p>"This is an extraordinarily speeded-up process," Lacy said. </p><p>Benchmark handles vaccine trials in the second and third stages—once they've already been tested on animals and are considered safe for humans. The goal of these later stages is to test for efficacy. </p><p>To do this, Benchmark recruits volunteers who meet the necessary criteria. In the case of the coronavirus trials, the company is largely focused on enrolling high-risk populations: essential workers, minority groups, individuals over 65 and those with chronic health conditions. </p><p>The government-funded trials are also focused on regions "heavily in surge," Lacy said. </p><p>Eligible volunteers will be enrolled in the coronavirus studies, which generally require a one- to two-year commitment, with regular in-person checkups and some other requirements. </p>The vaccine
<p>One of the vaccines Benchmark is helping to study is from the Boston-based biotech firm Moderna.</p><p>The company, in partnership with researchers from the National Institutes of Health, developed a potential vaccine and produced it for human trials <a href="https://cns.utexas.edu/news/covid-19-vaccine-with-ut-ties-arrived-quickly-after-years-in-the-making" target="_blank">in record time</a>—66 days after scientists sequenced the viral genome. </p><p>The first trial began in early March, and early results were published on Tuesday. Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease, <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-07-14/moderna-vaccine-produced-antibodies-in-all-patients-tested" target="_blank">told Bloomberg</a> the Moderna vaccine data is "really quite promising." </p><p>The vaccine trial entered its final phase this month, with Benchmark studying <a href="https://investors.modernatx.com/news-releases/news-release-details/moderna-advances-late-stage-development-its-vaccine-mrna-1273" target="_blank">whether it prevents symptomatic COVID-19</a> among volunteers. </p><p>At the current dose, the company is on track to deliver around 500 million doses a year by 2021, according to a June 11 press release. </p>The subjects
<p>While every stage of vaccine development has been rushed, finding volunteers to test it on takes time.</p><p>Over the last 15 years, Benchmark has worked with more than 28,000 trial participants and studied vaccines for everything from anthrax to the Zika virus. But these coronavirus studies have been different. </p><p>"It's a bigger challenge than anyone would expect, because while there is a great interest in finding and being able to be one of the first ones with a cure, there's also a tremendous amount of fear," Lacy said. </p><p>Volunteers have many reasons to participate, including altruism, but they are also compensated for their time—usually between $1,000 and $1,500.</p><p>Money is what drew Katlyn Hahn, a 32-year-old Cedar Park resident, to participate in a Benchmark trial studying an Ebola vaccine in 2015.</p><p>Initially, Hahn had some reservations. "But I felt more at ease when they let me know that I wasn't the very first guinea pig," she said. </p><p>Once enrolled, Hahn attended appointments every week or two, where a doctor would draw blood and review her diary, where she recorded her vitals and any side effects. Each time, she would walk out with almost $200.</p><p>"I would say that I was happy to help because I felt fulfilled that I was doing something to help my fellow man," she said. "And also—I think that I got the placebo." </p><p>Want to read more stories like this one? Start every day with a quick look at what's happening in Austin. Sign up for Austonia.com's free daily morning email.</p><!-- Begin Mailchimp Signup Form -->
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(Katharine Jose/Austonia)
Update 7/10 6:58:
The Austin Watershed Protection Department said in a statement that there is now some preliminary concern about algae found at Red Bud Isle last week, though so far results are not definitive.
<p>UT's laboratory "noted the presence, albeit low, of a cyanobacteria species of concern from the sample collected at Red Bud Isle," the statement says. "The species is undergoing further molecular identification, and toxin results are still forth coming."</p><p>The department is urging caution: "Conditions can change rapidly at a site. While we wait for test results, people should take extra care at Red Bud Isle."</p><p><strong>Original post:</strong><br/></p><p>As the <a href="https://austonia.com/city/austin-weather" target="_blank">summer heats up</a>, bringing with it ripe conditions for a harmful algae bloom, Austin officials said they have started tested local waterways and shared recommendations for how residents can keep their pets safe when going swimming. </p><p>Last year, at least five dogs <a href="https://austonia.com/city/blue-algae-austin" target="_blank">were killed by a deadly blue-green algae bloom</a> in Lady Bird Lake. </p><p>With help from UT researchers, the city took water and algae samples Thursday, <a href="https://mailchi.mp/austintexas.gov/increased-risk-of-harmful-algae-on-lady-bird-lake?e=995fbf6736" target="_blank">according to a Friday press release</a>, and should have the first updates about water quality next week. </p><p>Samples came from:</p><ul class="ee-ul"><li>Red Bud Isle</li><li>Vic Mathias Shores</li><li>Festival Beach </li></ul> <p>Another area, the mouth of Barton Creek, is also being monitored, but the city "did not observe any concerning algae," according to the press release. </p><p>Results from these samples will be listed on <a href="https://austintexas.us5.list-manage.com/track/click?u=1861810ce1dca1a4c1673747c&id=26b3980d87&e=995fbf6736" target="_blank">AustinTexas.gov/algae</a>. </p><p>The website also lists symptoms to watch out for in pets after swimming, and asks that residents report their pets getting sick to 311. </p><p>Anyone who wants to take their dog swimming in Lady Bird Lake should avoid warm, stagnant water and areas with floating mats of algae, according to the city. Owners should also rinse their dogs after swimming in the lake.</p><p>If the city or UT researchers detect potentially harmful algae, updated guidance for keeping dogs safe, including any bans on dogs swimming in the lake, will be posted on that website.</p>
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(Katharine Jose/Austonia)
Even on a sweltering summer afternoon, a few dozen people still made it out to Red Bud Isle on Lady Bird Lake Tuesday to escape their homes and walk their dogs. But the place—an idyllic 13-acre dog park hidden away in West Austin—has a dark chapter in its recent history.
<p>Exactly one year ago, a dog <a href="https://www.texastribune.org/2019/11/14/texas-climate-change-worsening-toxic-algae-blooms/" target="_blank">died after swimming near a mat of</a> what would later turn out to be a toxic algae bloom. Over the course of the next weeks, the neurotoxin-containing species killed several more dogs before the city banned pets from the water.</p><p> The ban lasted until November, when the tests run by the city finally showed that the algae bloom had dissipated.</p><p>Now, the city, with help from University of Texas molecular biosciences professor Schonna Manning, runs regular tests of water samples from all along the lake in hopes of catching the next bloom as soon as it becomes a problem.</p><p><strong>Developing a warning system</strong></p><p>By sheer luck, Manning had an existing contract in place with the city of Austin last summer to study algae in Lady Bird Lake, allowing them to draw a connection between the dogs' deaths and the algae bloom quickly. </p><p>The teams has created a swift warning system, with a 1-2 day turnaround, so that as soon as toxic algae appears, the city can begin putting up signs warning the public of dangerous areas and ban pets from the water, if necessary. </p><p>"We have kind of a gauged warning system from green to red, depending on the appearance of the lake, as well as what we've found both genetically and biochemically," Manning said.</p><p>For now, at least, Manning said her team has not noticed anything in Lady Bird Lake to cause alarm. But that can change in as little as a few days.</p><p><strong>Visiting the lake</strong></p><p>The first major samples of the summer were taken last week and are still being analyzed.</p><p>Jonie Mulder, a writer who lives in Tarrytown, brought her dog CJ out to Red Bud Isle Tuesday. She said it was one of the first times in more than a year that she had visited. When reports came out last year about dogs dying after swimming around Red Bud Isle, Mulder said she immediately stopped going, saying it wasn't worth the risk. </p><p>Now, however, Mulder said she just hopes her dog stays away from algae mats when she swims, but that there isn't any signage around the isle to warn of any potential danger.</p><p>"As soon as they said like it was killing dogs," Mulder said she stopped going. But Mulder said CJ is "squeamish as it is" and would have avoided sludge or large algae flats, anyway.</p><p><strong>No signs of harmful algae yet this year</strong></p><p>Stephanie Lott, a spokeswoman for the Austin Watershed Protection Department, which works with Manning on studying the algae, told Austonia that, "When we went out last week, we did not see any suspicious looking algae to send to the UT lab."<br/></p><p>Regardless of definitive tests on the presence of toxic algae, Manning said the most important thing for anyone letting their dog swim in any body of water, not just Lady Bird Lake, is to trust their eyes and nose. </p><p>"If you look at the water and it looks kind of scuzzy, and there is stuff floating on top, that's definitely a warning that, possibly, it's not going to be a healthy place to go in," Manning said. "So trust your eyes and trust your nose. I mean, if it smells bad, if it looks bad, it's likely bad."</p>
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(Mike Mareen/Adobe)
Texas is the home of the pickup truck—roughly one in five sold in the U.S. is bought here. But the next model to be made here may be one unlike any seen before.
<p>If Tesla<a href="https://austonia.com/technology/elon-musk-tesla" target="_blank"> decides to bring its next factory to Austin</a>, the unique-looking Cybertruck would be one of two models produced, and the electric carmaker is pitching it as a natural fit.</p><p>"I think you guys will really enjoy it down in Texas," Rohan Patel, Tesla's director of public policy and business development,<a href="https://austonia.com/tesla-austin-travis-county" target="_blank"> told Travis County commissioners</a>.</p>
<p><br/></p><div class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="7aa20cbf8012ec63296a27b5a119aca0" id="17600"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-partner="rebelmouse" data-twitter-tweet-id="1197753752343601153"><div style="margin:1em 0">I don't understand what the fuss is about the Tesla #Cybertruck. It looks ok to me. https://t.co/8vBl1jS74T</div> — dave appleby (@dave appleby)<a href="https://twitter.com/dave_apple/statuses/1197753752343601153">1574401722.0</a></blockquote></div><p>But others are enamored with the vehicle.</p><div class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="a2c810e9750b21937a19c592f395de9f" id="72c20"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-partner="rebelmouse" data-twitter-tweet-id="1277088627869102081"><div style="margin:1em 0">First, I thought it was a joke, then I thought it was ugly, then I thought it was interesting, then I was obsessed… https://t.co/3SINCp1fhd</div> — Michael Fink (@Michael Fink)<a href="https://twitter.com/Michael01996367/statuses/1277088627869102081">1593316630.0</a></blockquote></div><p>A Cybertruck recently went on display at the Petersen Automotive Museum in L.A.</p><div class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="28a084d5a63e1fd61f24aab9922c028c" id="39a7a"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-partner="rebelmouse" data-twitter-tweet-id="1275193216560558080"><div style="margin:1em 0">We are honored to have @mayemusk and @ToscaMusk, and @drsabrinakay visit the @Tesla #Cybertruck during our reopenin… https://t.co/0qeawgWMaL</div> — Petersen Museum (@Petersen Museum)<a href="https://twitter.com/Petersen_Museum/statuses/1275193216560558080">1592864729.0</a></blockquote></div><p>The proposed factory would also produce the company's Model Y, a midsize SUV, for East Coast markets, Musk tweeted on March 10.</p><div class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="29f56ee0a49f58a4d2d0bad93ba84db9" id="3cf7b"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-partner="rebelmouse" data-twitter-tweet-id="1237531699681980416"><div style="margin:1em 0">Scouting locations for Cybertruck Gigafactory. Will be central USA.</div> — Elon Musk (@Elon Musk)<a href="https://twitter.com/elonmusk/statuses/1237531699681980416">1583885524.0</a></blockquote></div><p>If approved by DVISD and Travis County commissioners, construction could begin on the factory as soon as this fall. </p>
<img lazy-loadable="true" src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yMzQzNDI4Mi9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY1MTMzODY5Mn0.-5Snhb_fWi526Vh_507S9PGREauJQXK4XlP6R0AgH5c/img.jpg?width=1200&coordinates=193%2C17%2C8%2C283&height=800" id="379ef" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="5b6560089fb2b8cbbfc7a5809394af52" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" alt="cybertruck interior" /><p style="margin-left: 380px;" class="caption"><em>(<a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/mrlewaynee" target="_blank">mrlewaynee</a>/<a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:20191121-tesla-cybertruck-driving-seat.jpg" target="_blank">Wikimedia</a> via <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/deed.en" target="_blank">Creative Commons</a>)</em></p><p>Both the Del Valle ISD school board and <a href="https://austonia.com/technology/tesla-factory-texas" target="_self"><u>Travis County Commissioners Court</u></a> are considering tax breaks for Tesla, which has proposed the<a href="https://austonia.com/technology/elon-musk-tesla" target="_self"><u> $1.1 billion "Gigafactory"</u></a> for a site in Southeast Austin and plans to hire 5,000 people to work there.<br></p>
Cybertruck
<p>The vehicle features "a nearly impenetrable exoskeleton" made of stainless steel, "vault-like storage" and an "ability to pull near infinite mass," according to the company's website.<br></p><p>Now available for preorder, production of the Cybertruck is expected to begin in late 2022. The price ranges from $39,900 to $69,900, depending on the motor type, with a self-driving add-on available for $8,000.</p><p>When Tesla CEO Elon Musk unveiled the Cybertruck on Nov. 21 at an event in Los Angeles, it prompted much feedback on its design.</p>From Your Site Articles
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