Tesla Idles Plant For Two Weeks For Model X-Related Production Upgrades

by Cameron Aubernon

July 22nd, 2014 12:58 AM

tesla idles plant for two weeks for model x related production upgrades

Those who just ordered their Tesla Model S may need to wait a bit, as the premium EV automaker has idled its California factory in order to tool up for the upcoming Model X SUV.

Bloomberg reports the reconfiguration — including 25 new robots on the floor and other modifications — began June 20, and will conclude in two weeks to the tune of $100 million and a 25 percent increase in production.

Tesla has given its assembly workers the option of reporting for maintenance and training shifts during their time off, as well as using that time for vacation.

Once completed, the newly upgraded floor should pump out some 1,000 units of the Model S per week, as well as allow for both the S and the X to be screwed together next to each other. Pricing for the EV-SUV has yet to be announced.

#CapitalInvestments #ElectricVehicles #FactoryUpgrades #IdledProduction #ModelS #ModelX #PremiumVehicles #ProductionIncreases #Retooling #Sedans #Tesla #SUVs

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9 of 20 comments

HerrKaLeun on Jul 22, 2014

So they actually will make 45K model S based on 1K per week accounting for downtime? I' m impressed, that is great for an EV, and / or any luxury car. Yeah they need to retool soon again - when they realize no-one buys a car with doors incompatible with garages and parking ramps. Especially one that depends on being in a garage to refuel and whose owners most likely have a garage. Wonder what the exact height is. But I assumr my overheaddoor track would get hit.

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- Luke42 on Jul 23, 2014
  
  The Model S is longer and lower than it looks in pictures, so I wouldn't be surprised if the X had a couple of feet for the doors below a standard 7' garage door. The gullwibn doors are also hinged near the middle, so they require less horizontal space to open, but some vertical space. Judging by how silicon valley engineering works, I'm sure they had standup after standup with some engineers assigned to worry about this. The standing question with all businesses, of course, is if they actually listen to their own engineers. But I don't see any reason why the gullwing doors wouldn't work, just so long as the rest of the vehicle's dimensions were chosen to make it work from the outset. You do give up rooftacks for a set of f-ing batwings. I'm probably the only person on earth practical enough to think twice about that.
  
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- Vulpine on Jul 23, 2014
  
  You puzzle me with your assumptions; why do you say the car's doors will be "incompatible with garages and parking ramps"? The typical garage has seven-foot ceilings and honestly I'm puzzled about the term, "parking ramps"; exactly what are "parking ramps" that these gull-wing doors would be incompatible?
  
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- 3Deuce27 on Jul 23, 2014
  
  @Vulpine The typical post-war garage has 8' to much higher ceiling heights and it varies due to the slope of the garage floor. You can usually figure 8-ft, plus the foundation height, typically 2-ft because of minimum crawl space requirements, plus the mud sill. So at the door it is about 10ft, and at the back, around 9'-6". Garage doors are 7ft minimum, though, higher heights are now being utilized because of the trend to SUV/CUV's with cargo roof racks.
  
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Brianyates on Jul 22, 2014

If one can afford to buy a Tesla thensurely one can afford to have a new garage built to comfortably accomodate it

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Discoman on Jul 23, 2014

Dang. How do you put your bike rack on that? Well , you could always just crawl through the back hatch.

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Martinwinlow on Jul 23, 2014

"How do you put your bike rack on that? " Get one that mounts on the rear of the vehicle. Only the rear doors are GW, BTW. MW

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- Mcs on Jul 23, 2014
  
  >> “How do you put your bike rack on that? ” Get one that mounts on the rear of the vehicle. One does not attach a Parlee or a Seven to a bicycle rack. Such barbarians. It is placed within the vehicles interior and should reside within it's protective hard case. The case route is so much better than a rack - if you're not hauling an entire families bikes. I can even fit my bike (in it's soft case) into my son's Yaris trunk. I've also fit it into the back of a rental Versa Hatch. Wheels off, they don't take up a lot of space.
  
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- 3Deuce27 on Jul 23, 2014
  
  Hauling bikes on the roof is a poor idea for a number of reasons, damage to the roof, increased interior noise, MPG robbing drag, low clearance situations(garages), getting the damn thing up there and off. I consider roof top mounted bikes as show off bikes, 'Look what I have and you wish you did'. The bikes do stay a little cleaner on the roof. A hitch mounted rack can carry up to 6 bikes, maybe more. I use a Yakima 'Swing Daddy' for access to the vehicle cargo area. http://www.rackattack.com/product-pages/yakima-swingdaddy-4-bike.asp?utm_source=google&utm_medium=ppc&utm_content=Yakima+Swingdaddy+4-Bike&utm_campaign=google+merchant
  
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