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Tesla installs fire protection for the Giga Press after fire at Fremont Factory

Credit: FremontFire/Instagram

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New permits reveal that Tesla is taking supplemental precautions to avoid fires at the Fremont Factory. Following a fire that affected the massive Giga Press machine at Tesla’s Northern California factory in mid-March, the automaker is presumably taking an approach to prevent this from happening again, especially as it could affect production efforts as the company continues to expand.

Teslarati uncovered several new permits that have been submitted by Tesla to the City of Fremont’s Development Services Permitting System. One permit reveals that Tesla is planning to have fire protection companies install fire sprinklers in the Casting Building located at the Fremont Factory. The permit will take care of the “DCM Castings 2 building,” DCM referring to “die-casting machines.”

Credit: IDRA

Along with the entire sprinkler system outfitting in Fremont’s DCM Castings 2 building, Tesla also filed for two permits that will oversee the installation of new Fire Alarm Systems at both DCM 1 and DCM 2. The alarms would alert any employees near the massive IDRA casting machines in the event of a fire, which is rare even though the machines house molten aluminum for the vehicles. However, Tesla is taking every precaution necessary to avoid what happened a few weeks ago.

Interestingly, the filings say that the installation of “new fire alarm devices to canopy” hints that the old alarms could have been damaged in the fire or malfunctioning. This is unclear, but it seems new devices will be installed near both die-casting machines.

On March 11th, it was reported that Tesla’s Giga Press machines caught fire. It was later reported that the molten aluminum and hydraulic fluid that are used to operate the machine ignited, and Fremont’s local fire department contained the fire using sand, not water. There were no reported injuries, and it was unclear whether the blaze halted or delayed any production efforts.

Tesla Giga Press involved in fire at Fremont Factory, no injuries reported

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While the sprinkler system and additional fire alarms are being installed, it also appears that a single stamping cell is being removed from the Fremont Factory. It is unclear whether this is the affected IDRA machine or if it is a different unit altogether. However, Tesla submitted this permit just a week after the fire at the Fremont factory, and it says that the removal of a stamping cell will be performed. However, it could be a separate machine and could simply need to be replaced after several years of high-volume vehicle production. 

The Fremont Factory constantly is the subject of revisions and new additions due to Tesla’s high-volume production efforts. The installation of fire alarms and sprinkler systems seems like an ideal solution to the possible outbreak of a fire at the facility. It could save lives and keep Tesla’s production efforts up and running as the company continues to expand and grow.

Joey has been a journalist covering electric mobility at TESLARATI since August 2019. 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 X @KlenderJoey. If you're looking for great Tesla accessories, check out shop.teslarati.com

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Tesla is offering a crazy choice on Model 3 to help with end of quarter push

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Credit: Tesla

Tesla is offering a crazy choice on the Model 3 to help with its end-of-quarter push, but it is only available in Canada.

Tesla has been offering some pretty crazy incentives to help move vehicles in various markets, including discounts, Supercharging, and other offers.

In Canada, it is offering something pretty crazy: a $5,000 discount or Free Supercharging for life:

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This would bring the price of the two Tesla Model 3 configurations:

  • Tesla Model 3 RWD – $49,990
  • Tesla Model 3 LRAWD – $56,990
  • Tesla Model 3 Performance – $64,990

The offer only stands if delivery is taken by September 30. The company describes the terms and conditions:

“Orders will default to $5,000 off total purchase price, deducted pre-tax. Requires you to contact Tesla to switch promotion to free Supercharging if desired. Supercharging promotion is tied to your Tesla Account and cannot be transferred to another vehicle, person or order, even in the case of ownership transfer. Used vehicles and vehicles used for commercial purposes (like taxi, rideshare and delivery services) are excluded from this promotion. You are still responsible for Supercharger fees, like idle and congestion fees, when applicable. Redeemable only at Tesla-owned Superchargers. Tesla reserves the right in its sole discretion to remove the free Supercharging from your vehicle in the event of excessive charging. “

The $5,000 discount in Canada, or the unlimited Free Supercharging, is a massive deal, as it benefits those looking for a deal or those who plan to use the car as a daily driver.

Tesla offers new deal on used inventory that you won’t want to pass up

Tesla has used a lot of different deals this quarter to help push cars out and bolster Q3 delivery figures.

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  • Lifetime Free Supercharging or $5,000 discount on Model 3 in Canada
  • 1 Year Free Supercharging on Inventory Cybertruck, Model S, Model X in the U.S.
  • 18 Months free Supercharging on Model 3 in the U.S.
  • Lifetime Free Supercharging with Luxe Package on Model S and Model X in the U.S.
  • Up to $2,000 off Model 3 and Model Y Inventory in the U.S.

These deals have all contributed to an increase in demand and minimal vehicle inventory in various markets.

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Investor's Corner

Wall Street firm makes shock move for Tesla Q3 delivery prediction

“[The company should have] strong deliveries in the US as Tesla pushes, and consumers take advantage of, the $7,500 IRA EV tax credit before its expiry at the end of September 2025.” 

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(Credit: Tesla)

A Wall Street firm is making a shocking move ahead of Tesla’s Q3 delivery report, increasing its forecast for the quarter.

Tesla is set to report its deliveries for the third quarter sometime next week at the beginning of October. There has been quite a bit of speculation about Tesla’s performance in terms of deliveries for the quarter, as many firms and investors are curious about how strong it could be.

There have been a few things working in Tesla’s favor, including the removal of the $7,500 EV tax credit, which stimulated demand as consumers wanted to take advantage of the discount before it was no longer available.

Tesla also has launched an attractive revamp to the Model Y this year, which was the best-selling car in the world for the past two years. These two points have helped Tesla with demand specifically this year, but this quarter has been especially strong because of the tax credit phase-out.

With that being said, one Wall Street firm chose to push its delivery prediction for the third quarter up about ten percent.

Tesla makes a big change to reflect new IRS EV tax credit rules

UBS analysts said they adjusted their delivery targets for Tesla from 431,000 to 475,000, stating it was “more in line with buyside expectations in the 470-475k range.”

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The firm continued:

“[The company should have] strong deliveries in the US as Tesla pushes, and consumers take advantage of, the $7,500 IRA EV tax credit before its expiry at the end of September 2025.” 

If it manages to reach what UBS thinks it will, deliveries would be the highest for Tesla since late 2024, and the firm believes it could “potentially [be] the highest ever” for the company in a single quarter.

Tesla delivered over 495,000 cars in Q4 2024, so it would truly need an anomaly to capture that crown in Q3.

For the full year, UBS believes Tesla will deliver 1.62 million cars in 2025.

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Tesla’s ‘Unboxed Process’ patent highlights affordability through efficiency

The process includes utilizing past methods that Tesla has brought into automotive manufacturing, including Gigacasting and structural battery integration, with more efficient “post-manufacturing” processes, like pre-painting. 

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Credit: Teslarati

Tesla has been granted a new patent for its “Unboxed Process” of manufacturing, which aims to enhance affordability for customers by increasing efficiency at the manufacturing stage.

This is one way the company aims to create a larger impact from start to finish, especially with upcoming vehicles. For those who are not familiar, the Unboxed Process was first unveiled by Tesla back in 2023 during its “Investor Day.”

The company brought forth the idea that vehicle manufacturing could shift from traditional assembly lines, making production more efficient, more cost-effective, and more scalable for the future, especially with mass-market models like Cybercab.

The process includes utilizing past methods that Tesla has brought into automotive manufacturing, including Gigacasting and structural battery integration, with more efficient “post-manufacturing” processes, like pre-painting.

Tesla describes the main advantages in the patent:

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“The present disclosure relates to an automated system and method for assembling exterior vehicle parts to a vehicle assembly structure. The system utilizes an automated assembly cell with fixtures corresponding to each exterior vehicle part and references a global datum for precise alignment…The method improves assembly efficiency by compensating for substructure irregularities with an engineered adhesive gap and allows for continued assembly during adhesive curing through tacking operations.”

Instead of traditional welding strategies, the company plans to use a different bonding method, through adhesives.

The patent goes on:

“In described examples, a modular vehicle architecture allows for the assembly of a vehicle in sections, which are then joined in a final assembly operation. This approach eliminates the traditional need for welding stamped panels and applying secondary coatings or painting at the full vehicle assembly level. Instead, the vehicle can be constructed in parts, with metal surface treatments like e-coating and painting applied beforehand.”

The goal behind this manufacturing process is that Tesla will be able to build more vehicles at a faster rate for a lower price, something it believes it will need to accomplish as it addresses autonomy and Robotaxis, which are in higher demand.

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With this rate of speed of manufacturing, Tesla says traditional manufacturing methods have the potential consequence of “compounding errors,” as “any slight misalignment or variance can add up.”

There is a refined focus on efficiency, while also recognizing the importance of build quality. This should eliminate most of the issues Tesla would confront with its current, more traditional, linear manufacturing processes.

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