These guys have been doing it for 100 years...

[Ogre]

The narrative that big auto will destroy Tesla as soon as they start taking EVs seriously is starting to fall apart.



The whole thread is interesting, not just the teaser.

VW management is not just concerned about Tesla's head start in battery technology, but about their lead in manufacturing. They specifically call out the fact that Tesla is able to make the Model 3 in 10 hours while their own iD3 takes 3 times that.



That is the Model 3... and Tesla hasn't even brought the new front and rear unified assemblies or structural batteries to the table yet on the Model 3.

 

[John K]

An M3 takes 10 hours assembly from start to finish?

Interesting

 

[Ogre]

An M3 takes 10 hours assembly from start to finish?

Interesting

That is a number from a VW executive, not verified.

 

[CostcoSamples]

I heard a YouTuber say Model 3 only takes 4 hours (no idea where that number comes from). Point is, they are fast. I assume that is only counting general assembly start to finish. Obviously it takes way longer to get the parts ready.

 

[Ogre]

I heard a YouTuber say Model 3 only takes 4 hours (no idea where that number comes from). Point is, they are fast. I assume that is only counting general assembly start to finish. Obviously it takes way longer to get the parts ready.

Explains why Tesla has trouble with paint drying while other auto makers don't... Tesla needs that stall in the paint booth for the next car coming down the line!

Also explains why the Cybertruck has no paint step. If it only take 3 hours to build a truck, they don't have time to wait for paint to dry!

 

[Jhodgesatmb]

The narrative that big auto will destroy Tesla as soon as they start taking EVs seriously is starting to fall apart.



The whole thread is interesting, not just the teaser.

VW management is not just concerned about Tesla's head start in battery technology, but about their lead in manufacturing. They specifically call out the fact that Tesla is able to make the Model 3 in 10 hours while their own iD3 takes 3 times that.



That is the Model 3... and Tesla hasn't even brought the new front and rear unified assemblies or structural batteries to the table yet on the Model 3.

Nice, but I bet much of that 10 hours is in coatings. I wonder if QA is included or separate and if there is any difference between manufacturers for QA.

 

[Ogre]

Nice, but I bet much of that 10 hours is in coatings. I wonder if QA is included or separate and if there is any difference between manufacturers for QA.

Well the one raising the concern is the CEO of VW so it's not like there is some motivation to skew the numbers in Tesla's favor here.

 

[Jhodgesatmb]

Well the one raising the concern is the CEO of VW so it's not like there is some motivation to skew the numbers in Tesla's favor here.

I am sure that they want the ratio to be as low as possible unless they are trying to motivate their managers. It isn't the VW position that caught my eye, it was the 10 hours and thinking about what the majority of the difference must be. I suspect, now that I think about it more, that the biggest differences are in the single-piece die castings. Anyway, I should have stayed on topic and I veered off. Sorry.

 

[Challeco]

3 hours, 10 hours, 30 hours, days... I don't care about how long it really takes a car to be made. What I noticed is the fear of realization that the VW CEO proclaimed. Regardless of his bravado, the statement and the choir of comments on this string reveal there is an ocean of efficiency between Tesla's systems and those of the Legacy automakers. The differences in automation. The differences in part counts. The monumental effort Tesla has put into configuring the machine that builds the machine. Tesla isn't playing the game that the legacy automakers have rigged in their favor. Tesla is avoiding their bullying by making deals with sovereign Native American tribes to pivot around dealership laws. Tesla has avoided corrupt Union influence by offering their employees a sweeter deal than the Unions could offer (yes I am pro union). Tesla has vertically integrated to avoid third party mark ups and leveraged slow downs. They have invested in a charging network that has no competition in scope or power. There are many more advantages Tesla has that the Legacy automakers scoffed at yet are now realizing they are not just behind but they have been repeatedly lapped in this "race". There are two ways that Tesla could lose. The first is Legacy corporations bribe and influence legislators against Tesla. Which I doubt would work. The second is Tesla destroys itself from inside out. This second one...