Tesla will demo and update a production line at Fremont, perhaps for new Highland Model 3

Credit: Tesla

Tesla is destroying and updating a production line at Fremont, perhaps to roll out the mass production of one of its revised vehicle designs, filings show.

Tesla applied to demolish “multiple equipment, tools, and utilities” lines at the Fremont Factory on Thursday, and the timing aligns with the recent images of the Project Highland Model 3 that continue to leak.

The demolition of the lines and installation of new ones seems to indicate the production process of the vehicle on this line is changing enough to need new lines altogether, and not just an update.

In the past, we have reported on Tesla updating lines at Fremont after the equipment used has aged or needs to be replaced for other reasons. Tesla does not demolish entire lines with the installation of updated equipment.

Instead, it files the line revisions as “Improvements,” “Upgrades,” or “Revisions,” but not as demolitions.

The demolition of a production line and the installation of a new one might suggest Tesla is moving forward with the imminent mass production of its Project Highland Model 3, which has already been shown to have a vastly different front-end design compared to the current vehicle.

Image Credit: u/ffiarpg/Reddit

Tesla could be preparing for mass production of the new Highland Model 3 with the introduction of completely new manufacturing lines.

Model 3 production has taken place at Fremont since the car was first built in 2017. The only other factory Tesla builds the Model 3 is Giga Shanghai in China. Rumors have recently suggested Tesla would build the new Model 3 there, but Tesla denied these rumors, which points the finger toward Fremont.

Perhaps these new filings are an indication that Fremont will be the initial location of Model 3 Highland production, and Tesla will begin rolling out the new design in the coming months as it prepares to update the vehicle.

Updates at Fremont have continued to occur for months, and battery manufacturing equipment has also been added or revised at the plant for several months to make way for Cybertruck pack production.

I’d love to hear from you! If you have any comments, concerns, or questions, please email me at joey@teslarati.com. You can also reach me on Twitter @KlenderJoey, or if you have news tips, you can email us at tips@teslarati.com.

Joey Klender: Joey has been a journalist covering electric mobility at TESLARATI since August 2019. In his time at TESLARATI, Joey has broken several big stories, including the first images of the Tesla Model S Plaid, the imminent release of the 4680 Model Y through EPA certification, and several expansions to the Lucid AMP-1 factory in Arizona, to name a few. His stories have been featured in several publications, including Yahoo! Finance, Fox News, CNET, and Seeking Alpha. In his spare time, Joey is playing golf, watching MMA, or cheering on any of his favorite sports teams, including the Baltimore Ravens and Orioles, Miami Heat, Washington Capitals, and Penn State Nittany Lions. You can get in touch with joey at joey@teslarati.com. He is also on Twitter @KlenderJoey.
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