

News
Tesla Model 3 single-piece casting will come, but not anytime soon, Elon Musk says
Tesla will “likely” switch the Model 3 sedan to a single-piece casting design in the future, CEO Elon Musk said in an interview with Sandy Munro. However, the design will not be on its way anytime soon, as Musk said the Berlin and Texas Gigafactories need to have production efforts well underway to sustain demand fulfillment.
The Model 3’s current design is not a single piece casting and is comprised of 70 different metal parts welded together to create the vehicle’s underbody. Tesla improved upon this design in its Model Y crossover by using a massive, single-piece casting to eliminate 69 total parts. The single-piece design is effective for manufacturing purposes and increases structural rigidity in the event of an accident.
As the Model Y and Model 3 dominate Tesla’s current sales and delivery figures, Munro mentioned to Musk that he was disappointed that his new Model 3 teardown did not reveal a single piece casting similar to the Model Y design. However, Musk indicated Tesla’s mass-market sedan would eventually use the single-piece casting, it would just take its next two production facilities to be in operation for it to happen.
Musk told Munro:
“At some point, we probably will switch to a single-piece casting, but I think we need to get the Texas factory and the Berlin factory going. We do have an issue. It is hard to change the wheels on the bus when it is going 80 MPH down the highway. So, Model 3 is…well, was most of our volume. Model Y will exceed Model 3, but we just need an opportunity to redo the factory without blowing the cash flow of the company.”
In its Q1 2020 Update Letter, Tesla showed the two designs. The Model Y casting (right) was two pieces at this point in time. Thanks to the introduction of Tesla’s Giga Press from IDRA, the automaker has eliminated the two-piece design in favor of a massive one-piece casting. The elimination of so many parts was a huge advantage for Munro, who detailed the casting advantages in several teardown episodes last year.
Tesla Model Y owner Tony Pham then showed the one-piece casting design on his vehicle while having a third-party accessory installed into his all-electric crossover. Pham’s Model Y was delivered in late 2020, proving that Tesla has been utilizing the one-piece design for several months.
Model Y single piece rear casting!
VIN 97k, delivered 12/23/2020. Thanks @TeslaFrunk for the rear kick sensor installation pic.twitter.com/jkIGwX265v— Tony Pham – “Quick Bandit” license plate mount (@TonyTesla4Life) January 10, 2021
Tesla’s single-piece design is widely thought by automotive engineers, including Munro, to be the most advantageous way to build a car. In Munro’s opinion, other automakers have ignored a single-piece design’s advantages due to their stubbornness to keep things the same. “Thousands of engineers, big-time executives, walk by [the idea]. They don’t do it,” Munro said.
One of Tesla’s manufacturing process’s main advantages is that it continues to refine its techniques and never admits that its current processes are the best way to handle things. Tesla is always looking to improve the situation of its manufacturing and production lines, always seeking different techniques and new ways to build its vehicles. The issue now is that Tesla’s vehicles are becoming so popular that its limited production lines cannot be halted to update some production techniques, especially to mass-market vehicles that have been produced for several years. Musk’s analogy of the bus going 80 MPH down the highway is extremely accurate, especially as Tesla is coming off of its largest production and delivery year in company history. Halting Model 3 production lines for an update to the vehicle’s casting design would be detrimental at the current time.
While it is likely that Model 3 single-piece castings could happen down the road, it is not something to expect soon. With Musk indicating that Giga Berlin and Giga Texas need to be in operation for this to occur, these facilities will likely need to have Model 3 production numbers high enough to offset the closure of lines at Giga Shanghai and Fremont. With Berlin focusing on Model Y production initially, it is likely that Model 3 lines will not be ramped for at least a year, so the single-piece Model 3 casting may not be seen until at least 2023.
Elon Musk’s full interview with Sandy Munro is available below.
Elon Musk
Tesla reveals it is using AI to make factories more sustainable: here’s how
Tesla is using AI in its Gigafactory Nevada factory to improve HVAC efficiency.

Tesla has revealed in its Extended Impact Report for 2024 that it is using Artificial Intelligence (AI) to enable its factories to be more sustainable. One example it used was its achievement of managing “the majority of the HVAC infrastructure at Gigafactory Nevada is now AI-controlled” last year.
In a commitment to becoming more efficient and making its production as eco-friendly as possible, Tesla has been working for years to find solutions to reduce energy consumption in its factories.
For example, in 2023, Tesla implemented optimization controls in the plastics and paint shops located at Gigafactory Texas, which increased the efficiency of natural gas consumption. Tesla plans to phase out natural gas use across its factories eventually, but for now, it prioritizes work to reduce emissions from that energy source specifically.
It also uses Hygrometric Control Logic for Air Handling Units at Giafactory Berlin, resulting in 17,000 MWh in energy savings each year. At Gigafactory Nevada, Tesla saves 9.5 GWh of energy through the use of N-Methylpyrrolidone refineries when extracting critical raw material.
Perhaps the most interesting way Tesla is conserving energy is through the use of AI at Gigafactory Nevada, as it describes its use of AI to reduce energy demand:
“In 2023, AI Control for HVAC was expanded from Nevada and Texas to now include our Berlin-Brandenburg and Fremont factories. AI Control policy enables HVAC systems within each factory to work together to process sensor data, model factory dynamics, and apply control actions that safely minimize the energy required to support production. In 2024, this system achieved two milestones: the majority of HVAC infrastructure at Gigafactory Nevada is now AI-controlled, reducing fan and thermal energy demand; and the AI algorithm was extended to manage entire chiller plants, creating a closed-loop control system that optimizes both chilled water consumption and the energy required for its generation, all while maintaining factory conditions.”
Tesla utilizes AI Control “primarily on systems that heat or cool critical factory production spaces and equipment.” AI Control communicates with the preexisting standard control logic of each system, and any issues can be resolved by quickly reverting back to standard control. There were none in 2024.
Tesla says that it is utilizing AI to drive impact at its factories, and it has proven to be a valuable tool in reducing energy consumption at one of its facilities.
Elon Musk
Tesla analysts believe Musk and Trump feud will pass
Tesla CEO Elon Musk and U.S. President Donald Trump’s feud shall pass, several bulls say.

Tesla analysts are breaking down the current feud between CEO Elon Musk and U.S. President Donald Trump, as the two continue to disagree on the “Big Beautiful Bill” and its impact on the country’s national debt.
Musk, who headed the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) under the Trump Administration, left his post in May. Soon thereafter, he and President Trump entered a very public and verbal disagreement, where things turned sour. They reconciled to an extent, and things seemed to be in the past.
However, the second disagreement between the two started on Monday, as Musk continued to push back on the “Big Beautiful Bill” that the Trump administration is attempting to sign into law. It would, by Musk’s estimation, increase spending and reverse the work DOGE did to trim the deficit.
Every member of Congress who campaigned on reducing government spending and then immediately voted for the biggest debt increase in history should hang their head in shame!
And they will lose their primary next year if it is the last thing I do on this Earth.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 30, 2025
President Trump has hinted that DOGE could be “the monster” that “eats Elon,” threatening to end the subsidies that SpaceX and Tesla receive. Musk has not been opposed to ending government subsidies for companies, including his own, as long as they are all abolished.
How Tesla could benefit from the ‘Big Beautiful Bill’ that axes EV subsidies
Despite this contentious back-and-forth between the two, analysts are sharing their opinions now, and a few of the more bullish Tesla observers are convinced that this feud will pass, Trump and Musk will resolve their differences as they have before, and things will return to normal.
ARK Invest’s Cathie Wood said this morning that the feud between Musk and Trump is another example of “this too shall pass:”
BREAKING: CATHIE WOOD SAYS — ELON AND TRUMP FEUD “WILL PASS” 👀 $TSLA
She remains bullish ! pic.twitter.com/w5rW2gfCkx
— TheSonOfWalkley (@TheSonOfWalkley) July 1, 2025
Additionally, Wedbush’s Dan Ives, in a note to investors this morning, said that the situation “will settle:”
“We believe this situation will settle and at the end of the day Musk needs Trump and Trump needs Musk given the AI Arms Race going on between the US and China. The jabs between Musk and Trump will continue as the Budget rolls through Congress but Tesla investors want Musk to focus on driving Tesla and stop this political angle…which has turned into a life of its own in a roller coaster ride since the November elections.”
Tesla shares are down about 5 percent at 3:10 p.m. on the East Coast.
Elon Musk
Tesla scrambles after Musk sidekick exit, CEO takes over sales
Tesla CEO Elon Musk is reportedly overseeing sales in North America and Europe, Bloomberg reports.

Tesla scrambled its executives around following the exit of CEO Elon Musk’s sidekick last week, Omead Afshar. Afshar was relieved of his duties as Head of Sales for both North America and Europe.
Bloomberg is reporting that Musk is now overseeing both regions for sales, according to sources familiar with the matter. Afshar left the company last week, likely due to slow sales in both markets, ending a seven-year term with the electric automaker.
Tesla’s Omead Afshar, known as Elon Musk’s right-hand man, leaves company: reports
Afshar was promoted to the role late last year as Musk was becoming more involved in the road to the White House with President Donald Trump.
Afshar, whose LinkedIn account stated he was working within the “Office of the CEO,” was known as Musk’s right-hand man for years.
Additionally, Tom Zhu, currently the Senior Vice President of Automotive at Tesla, will oversee sales in Asia, according to the report.
It is a scramble by Tesla to get the company’s proven executives over the pain points the automaker has found halfway through the year. Sales are looking to be close to the 1.8 million vehicles the company delivered in both of the past two years.
Tesla is pivoting to pay more attention to the struggling automotive sales that it has felt over the past six months. Although it is still performing well and is the best-selling EV maker by a long way, it is struggling to find growth despite redesigning its vehicles and launching new tech and improvements within them.
The company is also looking to focus more on its deployment of autonomous tech, especially as it recently launched its Robotaxi platform in Austin just over a week ago.
However, while this is the long-term catalyst for Tesla, sales still need some work, and it appears the company’s strategy is to put its biggest guns on its biggest problems.
-
Elon Musk1 day ago
Tesla investors will be shocked by Jim Cramer’s latest assessment
-
News7 days ago
Tesla Robotaxi’s biggest challenge seems to be this one thing
-
News2 weeks ago
Tesla’s Grok integration will be more realistic with this cool feature
-
Elon Musk2 weeks ago
Elon Musk slams Bloomberg’s shocking xAI cash burn claims
-
News2 weeks ago
Tesla China roars back with highest vehicle registrations this Q2 so far
-
News2 weeks ago
Texas lawmakers urge Tesla to delay Austin robotaxi launch to September
-
News2 weeks ago
Tesla dominates Cars.com’s Made in America Index with clean sweep
-
Elon Musk1 week ago
First Look at Tesla’s Robotaxi App: features, design, and more