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Cost To Build a Tesla Model 3 Is $28,000, German Engineers Say (www.wiwo.de)
Rei writes: An interesting report came out the other day from Germany, where an engineering firm purchased four Tesla Model 3s on the grey market to study on behalf of an anonymous major German auto manufacturer. Among their key findings: due in part to a huge reduction in cobalt in the batteries (2.8% in the cathodes versus a typical 8%) and a number of simplifications, the parts cost of a Model 3 (in units of 10,000 vehicles per week) is estimated at $18,000, along with $10,000 in production costs. Note that the teardown was for the long-range version with the premium upgrades package.
On Reddit, users with access to the full report added further details. The 75kWh battery is 40% of the components cost ($7,200); the interior is completely symmetric (facilitating RHD); there are only 4 kinds of screws used in the underbody (a typical German luxury manufacturer uses 40); many parts of the car are designed specifically so as to be easier for robots to grab; and the battery pack is harder to remove than on the S/X (e.g. not battery swap capable). After studying the individual components, they concluded that German EV manufacturers would not be capable of producing a similar vehicle at this point in time. Asked on Twitter whether Musk agreed with their price conclusions at a rate of 10,000 vehicles per week, Musk replied: "Definitely." That said, Tesla is still in the process of moving from 3,500 to 5,000-6,000 per week by the end of this quarter, and is not expected to reach 10,000 vehicles per week until next year.
On Reddit, users with access to the full report added further details. The 75kWh battery is 40% of the components cost ($7,200); the interior is completely symmetric (facilitating RHD); there are only 4 kinds of screws used in the underbody (a typical German luxury manufacturer uses 40); many parts of the car are designed specifically so as to be easier for robots to grab; and the battery pack is harder to remove than on the S/X (e.g. not battery swap capable). After studying the individual components, they concluded that German EV manufacturers would not be capable of producing a similar vehicle at this point in time. Asked on Twitter whether Musk agreed with their price conclusions at a rate of 10,000 vehicles per week, Musk replied: "Definitely." That said, Tesla is still in the process of moving from 3,500 to 5,000-6,000 per week by the end of this quarter, and is not expected to reach 10,000 vehicles per week until next year.
Learned this in my first econ class ever.
"double your price of whatever you make it for. You will make money. We have all these formulas and tricks to tell us what it should do but we have no idea. 2x just works".
The class then ran dozens of simulations. The guy was right.
That's huge. Last weekend I helped a friend replace the motor in his 1993 Toyota, and IIRC there were 10, 12, 13, 14, 15, 17, 19, and 21 mm bolts plus several different other Phillips screw sizes. Better than GM which my friend had to buy several sizes of Torx drivers or my other friend that has a Harley we replaced a clutch on that needed a couple of exotic Torx drivers that we couldn't find locally. T25 was too loose and T27 wouldn't fit in one of the bolts. He also replaced one of the heads on it, and the special Torx driver from Snapon was more expensive than he paid for the used head!
Sounds reasonable. Keep in mind that the $28K is just parts and labor. It does not include a share of fixed costs -- overhead, debt servicing, operating costs, taxes ... etc. My experience with that sort of accounting is tangential (IANAA) and not really applicable to mass manufacturing. But the costs of running a business tend to be pretty impressive.
You can't see ANYTHING from a car, You've got to get out of the goddamned contraption and walk...Edward Abbey
I think you are confusing model 3 with model S. Model 3 is the 35k to 44k car. In fact the germans are saying that they cannot current meet how good the price is on the model 3, its not fud, it is the opposite.
When you cant win, ad hominem.
there are only 4 kinds of screws used in the underbody (a typical German luxury manufacturer uses 40); many parts of the car are designed specifically so as to be easier for robots to grab; and the battery pack is harder to remove than on the S/X (e.g. not battery swap capable).
The screw thing is awesome. As someone who has done a transmission swap on an Audi A8, I can tell you that it is a truly massive improvement for the technician.
When robots install parts, they are always designed to be installed by robots. That's how it's done.
The battery pack on the Model S was installed partially with adhesives, so....
"You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
This could be the reason why "Tesla is still in the process of moving from 3,500 to 5,000-6,000 per week by the end of this quarter".
Basically they might be stockpiling cars until after the next quarter starts (July) so that the maximum number of buyers can take advantage of the full tax credit.
The german manufacturers don't have the structure to keep up with Tesla at this point.
Tesla uses vertical integration to cut the costs of the middleman(the auto suppliers and the dealer network in this case). They produce a lot of key subassemblies themselves, where other's subcontract to various levels.
Traditionnal car OEMs can't do the vertical integration today.
aaaaaaa
However most EVs sold in Germany are french
To say "french" is a bit too generous. German can manufacturers have not put serious efforts into the EV business yet. Neither really has anyone else in Europe with the single notable exception of Renault.
That is changing. 2017 saw the Renault Zoe head and shoulders above all other EV manufacturers. German manufactures had position 3, 7, 8 and 10. With the remainder being a few Asian cars and some Teslas.
In January this year the e-Golf outsold the Zoe for the first time. Year to date paints the Germans in a very different picture:
1: Smart For2 ED 1947
2: VW e-Golf 1905
3: Renault Zoe 1719
4: Kia Soul EV 1668
5: BWM i3 1620
6: VW Golf GTE 1113
7: VW Passat GTE 1066
8: Smart For4 ED 1058
9: BMW 225xe 943
10: Mercedes E350e 813
Number 11, 12, 16 and 18 are also German manufacturers.
Expect to see many more German EVs on German roads.
2x is what you need to avoid losing money on each sale. It has to include unknowns like warranty costs, manufacturing issues and so on.
It's pretty standard to use 2x when costing anything in industry. You want to add a â5 widget to the car, you assume it will add â10 to the price.
const int one = 65536; (Silvermoon, Texture.cs)
SJW, n: "Someone I don't like, and by the way I'm a fuckwit" - AC