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Tesla Model 3 production appears to have surpassed the 6k/week mark

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Less than a week after crossing the 100,000-vehicle mark in new Model 3 VIN registrations, Tesla has seemingly achieved yet another milestone in its efforts to ramp the production of the electric sedan. After more than a year filled with bottlenecks, missed deadlines, and intense “burst production” weeks, Tesla appears to have achieved a production rate of more than 6,000 vehicles per week.

The updated estimates for Tesla’s Model 3 production are reflected in Bloomberg‘s online tracker, which uses data from official US government resources, social media reports, and direct communication from Tesla owners themselves. The publication’s tracker has gotten more accurate over the past few months, to the point where its Q2 estimates were only off by around 2% from Tesla’s actual figures.

Bloomberg‘s tracker has been showing a steady upward trend in terms of the Model 3’s production since August started. When Tesla registered its 100,000th VIN for the Model 3, the publication’s tracker estimated the company’s weekly production rate for the electric car to be at around 5,800 per week. These figures were updated today, with the production tracker now showing an estimated weekly production rate of 6,278 Model 3 per week.

Bloomberg‘s Tesla Model 3 production tracker as of August 23, 2018. [Credit: Bloomberg]

Tesla’s seemingly improving Model 3 ramp was the product of a long year filled with trials and tribulations for the company and its CEO. Elon Musk recently noted in an interview that the past 12 months, much of which was spent ramping the production of the Model 3, had been one of the most difficult and painful years of his career. Nevertheless, Tesla’s production ramp for the Model 3 appears to have reached a breakthrough sometime in July, following the “burst production week” implemented in the final week of June that enabled the company to produce 5,000 Model 3 per week for the first time. 

During the first weeks of Q3, Tesla exhibited signs that the Model 3’s production was moving at a healthy pace. More than 19,000 new VINs were registered during the first half of July, vehicle delivery systems were optimized, and hiring was also ramped. Musk mentioned the vehicle’s improving production figures during the Q2 2018 earnings call as well, when he stated that Tesla was able to sustain a weekly production rate of 5,000 Model 3 during “multiple weeks” in July.

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It should be noted that while manufacturing 6,000 Model 3 per week is a notable feat for Tesla, the vehicle’s production ramp is only a bit more than halfway done. Tesla intends to produce as many as 10,000 Model 3 per week sometime next year, which would enable the company to saturate both the United States and other territories with the electric car. Despite being only halfway complete, the production ramp of the Model 3 is already starting to be felt by the US auto industry. In July alone, the Model 3 was able to outsell the Chevy Bolt EV — arguably its most formidable competitor today — 12:1. The Model 3 was also listed at No. 7 in GoodCarBadCar‘s list of America’s Top 20 Best Selling Cars, which included gas-powered vehicles like the Toyota Camry and the Honda Civic.

Simon is an experienced automotive reporter with a passion for electric cars and clean energy. Fascinated by the world envisioned by Elon Musk, he hopes to make it to Mars (at least as a tourist) someday. For stories or tips--or even to just say a simple hello--send a message to his email, simon@teslarati.com or his handle on X, @ResidentSponge.

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SpaceX Starship Flight 13 aborted at Zero and Musk just told us what broke

Four Raptor engines failed to ignite at T-zero, forcing SpaceX to scrub Starship Flight 13 Thursday.

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SpaceX scrubbed the Starship Flight 13 launch attempt Thursday evening at the last possible moment, after four of the Super Heavy booster’s 33 Raptor 3 engines failed to ignite during the startup sequence. The 90-minute window had opened at 6:45 p.m. EDT from Starbase in Boca Chica, Texas, and the countdown had proceeded without issue all day, with more than 11.5 million pounds of liquid methane and liquid oxygen being fully loaded into the rocket before the automated abort triggered. SpaceX’s launch directors posted on X, “Standing down from today’s flight test attempt,” and shut down the livestream shortly after.

Musk confirmed the root cause within hours. “Some of the engines didn’t start, triggering an automatic launch abort,” he wrote on X. “To be confident of a good flight, 2 Raptors will be removed and replaced. Most probable launch timing is early next week.” SpaceX engineers began draining propellant tanks immediately and Booster 20 was rolled back to its hangar for inspection.

SpaceX comes with a slew of changes for Starship Flight 13

 

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The timing adds a layer of significance that did not exist during any of the previous 12 Starship flights. This is the first time SpaceX has attempted to launch Starship since the company made its stock market debut in June, listing under ticker SPCX at $135 per share. Public investors are now watching every Starship outcome in real time, and a last-second abort carries more visibility than it would have six months ago.

Flight 13 was designed to be one of the most consequential tests in the program’s history. It was set to carry 20 Starlink V3 satellites, the first operational payload Starship has ever attempted to deploy. Six of those satellites carried external cameras to photograph Starship’s heat shield from the outside during flight, which would act as a self-inspection approach SpaceX has never attempted before. The mission also needed to complete a Raptor engine relight in space, a step SpaceX skipped on Flight 12 in May after losing an engine during ascent. That Flight 12 booster also flipped 90 degrees off course during its boostback burn when five engines failed to reignite.

SpaceX has not announced an official next launch date. Musk’s “early next week” window points to July 21 or 22 at the earliest, pending the engine swap and a return to the pad.

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Lucid CEO dispels any rumors of bankruptcy: ‘So far from the facts’

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Credit: Lucid

Lucid CEO Silvio Napoli responded to rumors of an imminent bankruptcy that was reportedly being mulled after a report stated the automaker was working with the firm AlixPartners to iron out its next steps.

The company felt a massive loss on Wall Street yesterday, as the report essentially pushed the stock down as much as 55 percent on Tuesday.

The report, published initially by Eletric-Vehicles.com, claimed Lucid was essentially in dire straits and was told by AlixPartners, a commonly used restructuring advisor, to either take shares private or file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.

Lucid denies rumors of bankruptcy after over 40% stock drop

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Lucid’s head of Communications, Nick Twork, immediately challenged the report and stated the company “has sufficient liquidity to carry its operations well into next year.”

Now, the company’s CEO is chiming in as well, stating that the report is “so far from the facts that they require a direct response.”

Napoli said:

“Lucid is not considering bankruptcy or a transaction to take the company private. Those reports are false. The Board did not explore either scenario. Period.

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As disclosed in our most recent quarterly filing, Lucid has sufficient liquidity to fund its operations well into next year.

We work with outside advisors to improve operational performance and execution. They are not advising Lucid on a take-private transaction or bankruptcy, and any suggestion that they have recommended either course of action to management or the Board is false.

My priority is clear: turn this company around. That is where the leadership team and I are focused.

I look forward to providing a full update during our quarterly earnings call on August 4th.”

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It seems pretty clear that Lucid is confident things will be okay, and, to be honest, they should not have much to worry about, especially considering the company has been backed by the Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF) for years. It has solid financial backing, and its sales, while weak, are pretty much right on par with a company of this age.

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Lucid also sent a Cease & Desist letter to the publication for their report.

Lucid shares have rebounded nicely and are up nearly 21 percent at the time of publication. As soon as the company dispelled the rumors of bankruptcy yesterday, the stock began to climb back toward more reasonable levels.

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Investor's Corner

Lucid denies rumors of bankruptcy after over 40% stock drop

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Credit: Lucid

Electric vehicle maker Lucid Group has denied rumors of an imminent bankruptcy after a report from this morning sent the stock on a dramatic drop on Wall Street, seeing losses of more than 40 percent during trading hours.

Lucid’s Director of Communications, Nick Twork, responded to the report from Eletric-Vehicles.com, which stated the company’s restructuring advisor, AlixPartners, was asked to review two decisions: taking Lucid shares private or filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.

The report also claims AlixPartners told the Lucid board to “concentrate on Gravity production while improving its quality, and to temporarily hold back the Lucid Air, the sedan that has defined the company since its launch.”

Twork said:

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Shares rebounded after the response to the report, halving its losses as the trading day neared 3 p.m. Eastern.

Lucid has struggled to get its sales off the ground and into more respectable numbers, but the company is in its early years, when things are hard to begin with. It is also backed by several notable investors, including the Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF), which has nearly limitless money and likely would not ditch an investment of this size so soon.

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Lucid shares were down just 14 percent at the time of publication, a far cry from the 55 percent its losses topped out at during the day.

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