Tesla has posted a video on YouTube that opens the door to its Fremont, Calif factory floor and lets us take a peek at the magic inside.
The tour begins with a view of the enormous coils of aluminum that will be formed into doors, roofs, trunk lids and structural components of the car during the stamping process. Then it proceeds to show how computer controlled robots stitch stamped parts together to form the actual structure of the car. The enormous machines make the cars look like Matchbox toys as they proceed along the assembly line.
Next, the cars are hand sanded and prepped for the paint shop, where Tesla’s superhero robots apply just the right thickness of paint to give the cars the showroom luster. After the finished is baked, the installation of glass begins, followed by interior finishing.
Once the drive units are installed, each Tesla is run on a dynamometer to make sure it performs as expected and that all systems are working perfectly. It then makes its way to to the test track outside the factory before being put into the proper queue for delivery to its new owner.
What is striking in the video is how all the workers are moving at a normal pace. No one is hurrying, no shop foreman are strutting around trying to speed up the process. Perfection does not come when there is intense time pressure and perfection is what Tesla is striving for in every car it builds.
Word of mouth is what sells Teslas. (That and Elon’s tweets!) The entire Tesla factory is constructed to insure all new owners are completely happy with their cars when they get delivered.
