I had not read this before. New, modular assembly to reduce time and manpower to produce electric cars for under $30k. to be deployed in their $5B factory in Monterrey Mexico. how will those cars qualify for US subsidies? Analysis: Tesla’s new car-making process stokes debate among industry experts | Reuters Martin French, managing director at consulting firm Berylls which focuses on the industry's rapid shift to electric and smart mobility, wondered if Tesla's move might supplant decades-old lean manufacturing methods pioneered by industry kingpin Toyota Motor Corp (7203.T). "I got the feeling when I watched the Tesla (presentation) that the Toyota Production System handbook has just been thrown up in the air and machine-gunned down," French said. German researcher Jan-Philipp Büchler of the Free University of Dortmund, believes Tesla's new process is "revolutionary," adding: “This is much more than modular production ... It's eliminating steps that were standard, creating new patterns of working, increasing speed, reducing complexity.” Tesla is still testing various elements of the system, including the use of large front and rear subassemblies built on single-piece underbody castings, which are then joined to a central structural battery pack. Body panels are painted separately, then joined together toward the end of the assembly process.
Some of their gigaCasting stuff is pretty cool. But it also means a repair is pretty cool. The structural packs off of the skateboard stuff seems logical as long as the packs keep longevity. Curious on repair costs and how it affects insurance. Reducing parts and refining design vs choosing a few cents less for subpar products. Some of the engineering talking heads videos talking about parts reduction is pretty fascinating.
If I were shopping for a Tesla I would want the dual drive version with an extended battery. Gotta' hope they can accomplish a few 'upgrades' within the base 'unboxed' model.
Yeah... that's the first think I noticed, too. A "structural battery back" that joins two halfs of the car together sounds like an expensive battery replacement. But I remember the days when phones had battery packs you could easily replace yourself, now it's a couple hundred bucks and you might as well just get a new phone... it's probably part of the plan, really...
This stuff is why the entire world has a love hate relationship with the guy. He can be so “off” as a person, even offensive, then he does stuff like this. You put up with the bad for all the good. He’s like the Draymomd Green of entrepreneurs.
If you have time, you'd likely find this interesting. A deep dive into some of Tesla's engineering achievements.
I see an embedded YT video. BTW, Autoline After Hours is an excellent channel for car related news with more engineering analysis than others. Highly recommended.
Thirty plus years of supply to the auto industry has taught me one thing: Revolutionary = steep rise in early life failures.
Aren’t Indy cars assembled this way? When a part breaks usually from a crash the pit crew loosens a body part, removes it, and replaces it with a new part. The car is back in action. Seems similar to me.
Toyota is a good bet to survive the transition to electric. Chrysler is a bet not to make it. I am up in the air on ford and gm.
