Tesla's Model S factory is full of advanced robotics

Jesse

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Tesla Motors has been turning heads lately with the new Model S electric car. A few weeks ago, Tesla CEO and founder Elon Musk showed off a battery swapping station that can change the battery in a Model S faster than it takes to fill up a tank of gas.

This week, we get to look into the Model S factory in Fremont, California, courtesy of Tesla and Wired. The video, embedded below, shows the stunning process a Model S goes through on the factory floors, starting as simple giant spools of rolled up aluminum.

Tesla’s manufacturing plant is putting out 400 cars a week--more than ever before for Tesla, but a relatively small number compared to major automakers. What’s truly awesome about the plant is the level of automation incorporated into the process.

Tesla bought the factory from Toyota in 2010, and spent the subsequent year and a half retooling the line with 160 robotic mechanics that assist the 3,000 line workers in every part of the assembly process.

The video briefly documents the process from raw material to completed assembly, and nearly every part of it is done in house at the Tesla factory. The giant articulating arms dwarf their human counterparts, and move in optimized patterns of motion to work as efficiently as possible.

A Model S takes about 3-5 days to make it to the end of the manufacturing process, and is a work of art by the time it rolls onto pavement. Check out the video below.

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Damn after watching such a display, I wish I had the cash to support this Tesla project. Especially knowing they are electric powered. Major downside though, there are no charging stations anywhere within my surrounding states. I'm thinking positive though; they will become common across the globe, and when they do prices should drop.
 
[URL='https://www.techspot.com/community/members/cliffordcooley.275204/'][B][U]cliffordcooley[/U][/B][/URL] said:
Major downside though, there are no charging stations anywhere within my surrounding states.
And another equally downside is that it's too expensive for mainstream buyers.
 
Damn after watching such a display, I wish I had the cash to support this Tesla project. Especially knowing they are electric powered. Major downside though, there are no charging stations anywhere within my surrounding states. I'm thinking positive though; they will become common across the globe, and when they do prices should drop.

When battery technology improves, people will be willing to fund electric vehicles. At the stage we are at now though, no one wants to invest in a technology that is considered inferior.
 
We just have to wait until the technology improves & matures. It'll then become a lot cheaper & every major manufacturer will produce electric cars. In about 30 years time it'll be inconceivable to buy a car with an internal combustion engine (I hope).
 
Electric cars are more refined than gas. A good electric car like the Tesla or Volt is superior to any gas car. They are considered inferior only to those that do not know any better.
 
Dont see the point of electric cars.

The electricity still has to be produced elsewhere, Most likely by fossil fuels.

Hydrogen or petrol for me.
 
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