Tesla Still Has Tooling For the Model 3 Waiting for Pickup a Continent Away
Tesla claims it’s closing in on its goal to produce 2,500 Model 3 sedans a week, even though the original deadline for that target is a few months past. However, a problem remains. Despite having all the tooling needed to hit its mark, some of the essential components are still in Germany when they should be in the United States.
While the automaker still claims it can reach 2,500 unit per week by the end of March, the new automated system for module production needs to be shipped from Grohmann Automation in Dausfeld, Germany, to the company’s Gigafactory, located outside Reno, Nevada. That’s a long distance to ship a lot of hardware in roughly a month’s time, leaving many wondering if Tesla is about to break another promise to investors.
On Wednesday, CEO Elon Musk explained the tooling situation during a conference call with analysts. “That’s got to be disassembled, brought over to the Gigafactory, and re-assembled and then brought into operation at the Gigafactory. It’s not a question of whether it works or not. It’s just a question of disassembly, transport and reassembly,” he said.
According to Automotive News, Cowen & Co. analyst Jeffrey Osborne said the ambitious relocation of so much hardware makes Tesla’s first-quarter output goals “extremely aggressive.” Meanwhile, George Galliers, an analyst with Evercore ISI, is concerned if the timing required to pull it off is even possible. “Should Tesla miss its 2.5k unit weekly production target, for the end of Q1, investors will be left disappointed and concerns will increase,” he said in a note to clients.
Musk doesn’t want anyone to worry, however. “If we can send a Roadster to the asteroid belt, we can probably solve Model 3 production,” he said during the conference call.
That’s a good point. If SpaceX can put a car into orbit and land rockets with pinpoint accuracy, why the hell can’t Tesla adhere to a production schedule it promised was possible while investors were raining money down on the company?
[Image: Tesla Motors]
A staunch consumer advocate tracking industry trends and regulation. Before joining TTAC, Matt spent a decade working for marketing and research firms based in NYC. Clients included several of the world’s largest automakers, global tire brands, and aftermarket part suppliers. Dissatisfied with the corporate world and resentful of having to wear suits everyday, he pivoted to writing about cars. Since then, that man has become an ardent supporter of the right-to-repair movement, been interviewed on the auto industry by national radio broadcasts, driven more rental cars than anyone ever should, participated in amateur rallying events, and received the requisite minimum training as sanctioned by the SCCA. Handy with a wrench, Matt grew up surrounded by Detroit auto workers and managed to get a pizza delivery job before he was legally eligible. He later found himself driving box trucks through Manhattan, guaranteeing future sympathy for actual truckers. He continues to conduct research pertaining to the automotive sector as an independent contractor and has since moved back to his native Michigan, closer to where the cars are born. A contrarian, Matt claims to prefer understeer — stating that front and all-wheel drive vehicles cater best to his driving style.
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“People on the wait list could buy a Bolt today if they didn’t need to be seen in a Tesla.” True, and I admit to being a little judgy about people who insist on waiting through any delay to have a Model 3 when they could take home a perfectly serviceable Bolt today. I mean, how green are you really if you're fine with spewing tailpipe emissions for another one, two, three years? But at the same time, I get it---for most of us, around 40 grand is a lot to drop on a car---and it's a lot easier to justify if in return you get a Supercharger network that makes road trips practical, and truly sporting acceleration and handling, and a sexy shape that looks expensive and makes you feel special. Forty grand on your lifetime's dream car (which is what a Tesla is for a lot of people) is a lot easier to swallow than forty grand on, essentially, a Honda Fit with a Chevy badge and a big-ass battery. I don't say this to bash the Bolt---I am a huge Bolt fan. It's an incredible engineering achievement and I was one of the first on the order list. But as insufferable as Tesla fanboys can be, they're not wrong that where EVs are concerned, Tesla makes a better mousetrap than anyone else...and buyers aren't wrong to behave accordingly. That said, if GM would get off their ass and deliver the Voltec CUV they keep promising, I'd be first in line---PHEVs are the one market segment that GM indisputably does better than anyone else, and it's insane that they limit that product line to ONE CAR.
Just fly the tooling over on Elon's electric 747. Inflight charging with Aircharger.