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.