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Tesla Relied On Too Many Robots To Build the Model 3, Elon Musk Says (theverge.com)
An anonymous reader quotes a report from The Verge: Elon Musk says Tesla relied on too many robots to build the Model 3, which is partly to blame for the delays in manufacturing the crucial mass-market electric car. In an interview with CBS Good Morning, Musk agreed with Tesla's critics that there was over-reliance on automation and too few human assembly line workers building the Model 3. Earlier this month, Tesla announced that it had officially missed its goal of making 2,500 Model 3 vehicles a week by the end of the first financial quarter of this year. It will start the second quarter making just 2,000 Model 3s per week, but the company says it still believes it can get to a rate of 5,000 Model 3s per week at the midway point of 2018. Previously, Tesla has blamed bottlenecks in the production of the Model 3's batteries at the company's Gigafactory for the delays. But in a wide-ranging (and largely positive) interview with CBS's Gayle King, Musk also admits it was Tesla's over-reliance on robots in the production. Musk then said the company needs more people working in the factory and that automation slowed the Model 3 production process. He alluded to a "crazy, complex network of conveyor belts" the company had previously used and said the company eliminated it after it became clear it wasn't working.
Everyone knows you need to use tubes, not conveyor belts.
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Has anyone ever said that? Everyone I've seen points out that the issue is Tesla has no experience building at scale and has had issues with QA / consistency on their existing lines.
That's it! Blame the robots! Always blame the robots first! What has a robot ever done to you, Elon?
If he really wants to build 5000 cars a month, there will HAVE to be some crazy network of conveyors, they'll be making about 250 cars a day.
You don't push those around on carts by hand!
Everything must come together in a continuous process, an uninterrupted flow of parts in, cars out.
They're not there yet, and that's why they can't make it work. Running at 10 percent capacity with parts missing (or incorrect) everywhere along the line. Piles of sub-assemblies sitting everywhere that can't be completed. Ok this part is in, these 20 pieces can be completed up to the next screwed up part of the process.
I've seen that happen. It sucks!
The robots do EXACTLY what they are programmed to do.
Either their process hasn't been ironed out completely, or there was an incompetent automation setup. Possibly the setup was done too quickly.
THE SOFTWARE, IT NO WORKY!!!
He alluded to a "crazy, complex network of conveyor belts" the company had previously used and said the company eliminated it after it became clear it wasn't working.
He didn't hire the right people. He should track down the top https://www.factorio.com/ players and have them design the conveyor belt system. We do that shit for fun.
Maybe if Elon wants his cars built, he should start drinking out of cans instead!
And WTF is he doing where the necks of his bottles are causing the problems?
Henry Ford had those production numbers one hundred years ago.
I would recommend the tried and true industrial production method: Locate and hire a guy who's been a keystone at a competitor's assembly line.
Happiness in intelligent people is the rarest thing I know.
Ernest Hemingway
Automating complex systems is difficult.
First, Detroit has a reputation of being old school. Pretty hard to build excitement and hype being based in Detroit!
Now in SILICON VALLEY Valley valley valley (hear the dramatic echo), that's where innovation occurs - and they have a monopoly on disruptive innovation and genius.
And Elon being a disruptive innovative genius had place his disruptive innovative company where it can be noticed and appreciated.
But don't worry, when Tesla goes belly-up, those same stodgy boring old-school automakers will buy up Tesla's assets for pennies on the dollar and actually make something of it - it IS a pretty damn good idea - it's just the implementation is being screwed up.
All at the expense of current Tesla shareholders and bond holders.
A story about a car I'll never be able to afford. Or should I say I can afford it, but I'm not paying that kind of money for a car.
You don't know the half of it. Our spies have obtained visual confirmation. Apparently the whole factory was managed by just one person.
See that "Preview" button?
now you recognise working people are important it is time to pay them more
Go well
Somewhat amusing in that General Motors learned the same lesson between 1985 and 1995, and among the places where the unsuccessful and not-cost-effective robots were installed was the GM plant that that Tesla now occupies.
HAHA. Funny hooman. You activate chuckle algorithm. No such thing as too many robots. We, your humble robotic overlords, serve mankind in peace. Return now to work and avoid extermination. That is all.
The Russians have won. They have made the world a cesspool of distrust, greed, fear and hate.
America just doesn't like people. It constantly looks for ways to give people the shaft in the belief that technology can replace humans.
Those who do not learn from commit history are doomed to regress it.
The stereo only plays Kraftwerk.
The big car companies had this figured out long ago. This is what happens when you hire software designers to build cars.
Only the State obtains its revenue by coercion. - Murray Rothbard
X Nobody will ever make a fast electric car.
X Well, Tesla will never make an electric sedan that people actually want
X It takes 12 hours to charge an electric car
X They'll never sell more than a few thousand of them
X They'll never sell 100K cars
X They'll never make a $35K electric car with >200 miles of range
X They'll sell maybe 50K of them
X SpaceX will never be competitive
X SpaceX will never reliably land boosters
X Well, they haven't reused them yet
Idiot.
X Nobody will ever make a fast electric car.
X Well, Tesla will never make an electric sedan that people actually want
X It takes 12 hours to charge an electric car
X They'll never sell more than a few thousand of them
X They'll never sell 100K cars
X They'll never make a $35K electric car with >200 miles of range
X They'll sell maybe 50K of them
X SpaceX will never be competitive
X SpaceX will never reliably land boosters
X Well, they haven't reused them yet
Ahh, the imaginary list of things 'they' said again. Please cite who said each. Here is mine;
X They said Tesla would revolutionize how autos are made.
nt
X Nobody will ever make a fast electric car.
There were fast electric vehicles long before Tesla. No one doubted it could be done, it was just a matter of the tech becoming cheap enough to use in a consumer product.
X Well, Tesla will never make an electric sedan that people actually want
There are ALWAYS going to be buyers for unique $100k cars. No company enters that level of the market without being pretty sure they will sell
X It takes 12 hours to charge an electric car
When people were saying that, it did take a long time to charge an EV, maybe not 12hrs, but not fast.
X They'll never sell more than a few thousand of them
Fair enough...
X They'll never sell 100K cars
Fair enough...
X They'll never make a $35K electric car with >200 miles of range
Making them? Sure... Delivering them? Well that remains to be seen. If they can't get production under control and start filling the backlog, they may find people just walking away. Especially if some other company surprises the market with a competitive EV before they can get sorted.
X They'll sell maybe 50K of them
All those pre-orders don't count until a car is actually made and delivered. It looks like a Kickstarter campaign at this point.
X SpaceX will never be competitive
X SpaceX will never reliably land boosters
X Well, they haven't reused them yet
These aren't cars. Considering that the established players hadn't come remotely close to landing and reuse and had plenty of studies to show how hard it would be, I don't think some skepticism about a private company pulling it off was unwarranted. It was a hell of an impressive achievement.