What Elon Musk unveiled at the annual Investor Day – calling it Master Plan Part 3 – disappointed some investors as it didn’t go into detail by anticipating new models (including the long-awaited compact, smaller and cheaper than Model 3 ). The only preview is a premium electric minivan, rival of the Mercedes EQV.
But it has instead made the insiders’ eyes widen and above all the rival manufacturers who, if the announced plan were to meet the deadlines and objectives, would find themselves in an embarrassing situation to say the least.
Musk first ‘flagged’ an industrial milestone that it is no exaggeration to define as mega-galactic. In fact, on the fateful date of 2030, Tesla aims to invade world markets with 20 million vehicles a year, multiplying by 8 the current production capacity which is 2.5 million divided between the United States, Germany and China.
An extraordinary amount of electric vehicles, which would require an equally huge investment – explained Tesla CFO Zachary Kirkhorn – 150 billion dollars of which the 28 spent to date on the plants are part. With 20 million Teslas sold today – it should be emphasized – Elon Musk would forcefully snatch the scepter of the number one manufacturer in the world, making the 10 million registrations made in 2022 by the giant Toyota seem like a small thing.
Another ‘uppercut’ placed on the opponents is the technological and industrial plan that combines the rethinking of the hardware – in this case the combination of platform, battery and engine – and of the related manufacturing lines.
One of the charts shown by Elon Musk highlights the value of the project with its disruptive simplicity: 75% reduction in the use of silicon carbide in engines; ability to use any type of battery chemistry; 50% reduction of the CO2 footprint in production; engine cost around $1,000.
Tesla says the new platform will begin rolling out at a new plant in Mexico. And it will work – as is to be expected when efficiencies arise from a holistic approach – with the sum of smaller gains across the board. “If we intend to scale as we want, we have to rethink production again – said Tesla vice president of engineering, Lars Moravy – We started with the Model Y when we made these huge single pieces cast or pressed and eliminated hundreds of parts”.
Moravy recalled that Tesla simplified the assembly of the Model Y with the structural battery where the battery is the floor of the car. This made it possible to do things in parallel, completely rethinking the process and reducing the final assembly time by about 10%. This production method brings a higher work density (+44%) with operators spending less time doing nothing. And more cars produced. It is no coincidence that it was anticipated that “new generation cars, such as the one that will use the new platform, will be designed with automation in mind”.
The new production scheme presented by Tesla would seem to be doubly successful: faster and also cheaper.
It should help cut costs by up to 50 percent, making the future $24,000 electric model significantly more viable.
Source: Ansa
I am an author at Global happenings and I mostly cover automobile news. In my time working in the automotive industry, I have developed a keen interest in the latest developments and trends. My writing skills have also allowed me to share my knowledge with others through articles and blog posts.
