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Elon Musk Breaks Ground on Tesla's Shanghai Factory (cnbc.com)
Tesla CEO Elon Musk and Shanghai Mayor Ying Yong celebrated on Monday the ground breaking of the electric automaker's first non-U.S. factory. From a report: "China is becoming the global leader in electric vehicle adoption, and it is a market that is critical to Tesla's mission to accelerate the world's transition to sustainable energy," Musk said, according to a company statement coinciding with the ceremony for the Shanghai factory. In Twitter posts before the event, Musk said that the factory will produce "affordable versions" of Model 3 and Model Y vehicles for the Greater China region, and that the plan is to "finish initial construction this summer, start Model 3 production end of year and reach high volume production next year."
According to the company, the so-called Gigafactory in Shanghai "will allow Tesla to localize production of Model 3 and future models sold in China, with plans to eventually produce approximately 3,000 Model 3 vehicles per week in the initial phase and to ramp up to 500,000 vehicles per year when fully operational (subject to local factors including regulatory approval and supply chain constraints)."
According to the company, the so-called Gigafactory in Shanghai "will allow Tesla to localize production of Model 3 and future models sold in China, with plans to eventually produce approximately 3,000 Model 3 vehicles per week in the initial phase and to ramp up to 500,000 vehicles per year when fully operational (subject to local factors including regulatory approval and supply chain constraints)."
It had been leaked previously that the Shanghai factory would only be producing the Model 3 and Model Y. Model S and X would continue to be built exclusively in California. But earlier this morning Elon tweeted that it would only be producing the least-expensive versions of the 3 and Y. The Performance version of the 3 in particular is apparently going to be made only in California. That was a bit surprising. It looks like the rest of the world is going to have to pay a rather sizable premium for that top versions of the Model 3 compared to the price of the base vehicles.
I'm a leaf on the wind. Watch how I soar.
On the other hand, it's quite possible that the cheapest versions of the Model 3 will be cheaper in China than in the rest of the world. Labour and supplier costs are certainly lower there than in Fremont.
Battery cell costs are an open question. Panasonic isn't going to be as closely involved there as they are with Tesla's US operations; Tesla plans to use predominantly Chinese cell suppliers.
Musk needs a safer hobby than Twitter. Fire juggling? Cage fighting? Solo hot air balloon trips?
You're right - I'm everywhere. I'm everyone. Nothing happens without my nod; all that transpires is due to the sheer force of my will. I am a shape shifter. I live in the cracks. I'm watching when you least expect it. I live in the shadows of your darkest fears. In your weakest moments when you are naked and vulnerable, I'm there. Watching, waiting, posting. I live through you all, within you, and beside you. I am the breath on the back of your neck, the breeze in your hair, the moisture in the air.
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Musk needs a safer hobby than Twitter. Fire juggling? Cage fighting? Solo hot air balloon trips?
Has far more to due with the Chinese tariffs that existed long before Trump. Before you had to manufacturer there with ownership of the plant just under 50 percent (going from memory not sure of the number) to avoid the 25% tariff. Trump might be right about Chinese existing tariffs, I wish there was someone more competent than Trump to handle the situation. He is not so likely to handle it well
I am the breath on the back of your neck, the breeze in your hair, the moisture in the air.
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You are most welcome on my lawn!
Not that I would notice you anyway . . .
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Chinese battery tech has proven to be reliable and robust in harsh use cases such as commercial vehicles. Buses and taxis running them hard every day, that sort of thing.
With a battery made up for many, many cells it's not necessarily the case that you want the highest quality, because that pushes the price up a lot. It can often be better to over-provision and accept a slightly higher failure rate among individual cells.
For example Kia and Hyundai have both released 64kWh usable capacity cars with lifetime, unlimited mileage battery warranties. Most other manufactures only offer 8 years and 100-120k miles. They don't state the full capacity of the batteries, only the amount they guarantee is available when new and for warranty purposes. The full capacity is probably a trade secret, as it depends on LG's manufacturing capability and how much they need to over-provision to offer the lifetime warranty.
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SJW, n: "Someone I don't like, and by the way I'm a fuckwit" - AC
LG isn't Chinese; it's Korean. But I agree with your general point; Chinese li-ions have seen widespread use, and while they're generally not "top end", they're perfectly fine. Any differences vs. Panasonic will be compensated for with a higher cell count.
Musk needs a safer hobby than Twitter. Fire juggling? Cage fighting? Solo hot air balloon trips?
Tesla is cheaper than any ICE car in the > 450 HP range. Model S and X. Model 3 LR is cheaper than any car in the 290 HP+ range. Model 3 SR will be cheaper than any car in the 220HP+ range.
That's not quite true, based on the prices of 44K for a 3MR and S at 76K, without the autoplilot option, when ordered from Tesla. The Challenger, Camaro, Mustang, amongst others all have 300+HP models for a lot less than the Tesla's 30K base price. They and the Corvette, as well as Mercedes - AMG, Jaguar and Alfa, have have 500HP+ models less than the base X and S.
I'm a consultant - I convert gibberish into cash-flow.
I'm a leaf on the wind. Watch how I soar.
Musk gave away all of Tesla's patents years ago. Do you really think he cares that China might want to steal the IP?
Tesla doesn't have any intellectual property. They gave open access to their patents to any competitor. It's the primary reason I think investing in Tesla is a bad idea. Well, that and the strange interactions between Musk's businesses (bailing out SolarCity, etc.)
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