Tesla Motors has finished the upgrade of its plant in Fremont, California as it prepares for the production start of the new Model X crossover. Tesla’s production has grown from 22,000 units in 2013 to 35,000 units expected this year.
Furthermore, by the end of 2015 the company hopes production will be increased by another 50 percent. It was clear that Tesla needed more capacity, with the Dual Motor Model S entering production and the Model X on the horizon. To increase the Fremont plant’s production capacity, Tesla temporarily paused production this summer.
During the two-week pause, the company upgraded the assembly line, added capacity to the body shop, enhanced powertrain assembly, and revamped facilities for employees. As a result, the plant can now build more cars faster, thanks to increasing automation and “a more inviting work environment.”
The most significant changes took place in general assembly, where a lot of overhead steel and mechanical structures were eliminated in favor of advanced robots that can lift and maneuver entire cars with precision while taking up less room. Tesla says the new robots, which are named after X-Men characters, will soon be able to install battery packs in the cars, relieving humans of the most labor-intensive operation in the factory as well as reducing installation time from four to two minutes.
The plant now has a more efficient floor plan with significantly more automation, with the cars moving down the assembly line as employees work on them. The line is now running at about 1,000 cars a week, but Tesla says there is potential for significantly more with minor adjustments.