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The Redesign Of The Tesla Model Y Body Was Inspired By A Toy Car

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Published on April 14th, 2020 |

by Kyle Field

The Redesign Of The Tesla Model Y Body Was Inspired By A Toy Car

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April 14th, 2020 by Kyle Field

Tesla Overhauls The Body Shop For Model Y In Push For Full Body Casting
In their latest podcast, the Third Row Tesla crew talked with Elon Musk and Sandy Munro about some of the innovations Tesla brought to bear in optimizing the design of the Tesla Model 3. The new episode was released to Third Row Tesla’s Patreon supporters this morning and will be released on all your favorite media channels shortly: Website | Twitter | YouTube | Stitcher | Spotify.

The Tesla Model 3’s body was criticized by Sandy Munro in his early teardowns for an excessive amount of glued parts, unnecessary complexity, and potential failure points. “As Sandy accurately pointed out, the rear of the Model 3 looks like a patchwork quilt,” Musk said. “It’s not great.” Tesla improved upon this in the Model Y and has plans to do far more than it is already doing with a new unibody casting that came into existence as a result of looking at Hot Wheels versions of the Tesla Model S. When looking at the small toy cars, Musk wondered if the same single casting concept could be applied to their full-scale vehicles.

The Body Shop at Tesla’s Fremont Factory. “It’s sort of cool in a steampunk way, but not something you want to repeat,” Musk said. Image credit: Kyle Field, CleanTechnica

Today, the Tesla Model Y utilizes castings to bring together many of the small stampings, extrusions, and whatnot that comprised the rear of the vehicle into a handful of larger cast parts. “The current version of the Model Y has basically two big high-pressure die-cast aluminum castings that are joined.” That is a clear improvement over the Tesla Model 3, but Tesla wants to do more. “Later this year, we will transition a single piece casting that also integrates the two rear crash rails,” Musk said. Upon hearing this, Sandy Munro simply said, “Whoa!”

Consolidating the design of the body of the vehicle from a ton of parts built with dozens of disparate processes cuts down the amount of inventory, spare parts, raw materials, assembly processes, potential failure points, and more. Said another way, it’s cheaper, faster, and more efficient. “The current castings, because you have to interface with so many things, you have to CNC machine the interfaces and join all these things,” Musk said. “It’s quite difficult.”

Consolidating all the various welding, gluing, bolting, and riveting tasks from the Tesla Model 3 body shop into a single casting also translates to a smaller manufacturing footprint. “The manufacturing cost is much less and we see a 30% reduction in the size of the body shop, which is huge,” Musk said. That’s massive. Having walked through the Tesla body shop for the Model 3 last year, I can say that while it was extremely impressive to see so much automation being leveraged to build the body of the vehicles, the prospect of eliminating all those individual processes for a single casting that requires minimal processing after the fact is exciting.

The new rear assembly in the Model Y represents a drastic improvement over the Model 3, and Tesla is already hard at work on the next generation. “The single piece casting has no CNC machining,” Musk said on the Third Row Podcast. “It doesn’t even have datums. That’s profound, really. It took us a lot of iterations to get there. It sounds obvious.”

To bring the vision of massive cast body components to reality, Tesla bought not one, but two of the world’s largest casting machines. “It’s the size of a small house,” Musk said. “We should be starting to set up the one from Italy next month.”

Musk said that it was likely the tech would make its way into the Model 3 as well. “It’s probably something we would do, but maybe in like 2 years.” He commented that the design of the Model 3 body was a pain in the ass, but it worked. “We have to deal with the pain in the asses that don’t work. Those are the higher priorities,” he said.

Tesla continues to hire and inspire some of the best engineering minds of our day, but capacity continues to be a limiting factor for them. “There’s a lot of fish to fry here,” Musk said. From the outside looking in, the culture of continuous innovation and improvement is inspiring, but the frayed edges are maddening just the same. It’s a delicate dance that’s churning out some of the most exciting innovations in software, hardware, electronics, computing, chemistry, and mechanical engineering the world has ever seen. What an exciting time to be alive! The future is now, peeps.

For more direct insights from Sandy Munro and his team at Munro & Associates, head over to https://munrolive.com/ to see their teardown of an early build of the Tesla Model Y.

If CleanTechnica has helped you learn about Tesla or Tesla’s Energy products, feel free to use my Tesla referral code — https://ts.la/kyle623 — to get 1,000 free Supercharging miles with the purchase of a new Tesla vehicle or a $250 award after activating a new Tesla solar system. If you’re anything like me, the award serves as a nice bonus after doing something great and feels a lot like finding a toy in a box of cereal, back when that was still a thing.

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Kyle Field I'm a tech geek passionately in search of actionable ways to reduce the negative impact my life has on the planet, save money and reduce stress. Live intentionally, make conscious decisions, love more, act responsibly, play. The more you know, the less you need. TSLA investor.

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Automotive Expert Sandy Munro On The Tesla Model Y “Lots of Room in There”

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Published on April 1st, 2020 |

by Kurt Lowder

Automotive Expert Sandy Munro On The Tesla Model Y: “Lots Of Room In There”

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April 1st, 2020 by Kurt Lowder

We have covered expert Sandy Munro and his company Munro & Associates multiple times on CleanTechnica over the years. When the Tesla Model 3 first came out, Munro led the charge to call Tesla out for out of spec panel gaps. For a short period, the corporate media preceded to interview and quote him often. Then, for the last two years, Munro changed his tone as Tesla improved its quality systems and has consistently praised Tesla. Accordingly, the mainstream media has hardly mentioned Munro.

CleanTechnica and a few others have been doing the reporting other outlets should have done. Mr. Munro should have weekly appearances on CNBC, Fox, CNN, and others. However, because he gushes about Tesla, the media now largely ignores him. Of course, it’s in the media’s massive financial interest to not praise Tesla too much. Tesla does not advertise, while GM spends billions a year on advertisements with mainstream media networks.

In an earlier piece, we discussed why Munro stated Tesla had a 10-year lead over its competitors. The truth is, from the talks that Munro has given, there are hundreds of articles even CleanTechnica hasn’t been able to cover. I have been meaning to cover his comments on the Cybertruck. In a recent interview, Munro marveled at how inexpensive the capital costs of the Tesla Cybertruck factory would be, primarily because no paint shop is required, but also because cutting and bending the cold-rolled steel is simple and inexpensive.

Munro is making decent money off of his Tesla reports. He is particularly in demand in China, as everyone is rushing to learn from Tesla’s innovation. However, the money seems to be only a little part of his motivation. Munro has no shortage of other clients. He even has clients in the defense industry. You have to understand that Munro is a workaholic engineer who absolutely loves what he does. He is the type that will never retire. From his videos, interviews, and even his reports, it’s clear that he lives and breathes engineering, manufacturing, and business. He has traveled the world to give detailed talks and presentations exclusively on Tesla. Many employees of Munro and Associates have enthusiastically bought Tesla vehicles as a result of their research.

After much anticipation, Munro recently took possession of a red Tesla Model Y. The video below is just his initial reaction and is only a few minutes long.

Munro and Associates will do a complete teardown of this Model Y, and the details will undoubtedly be doled out over the coming months. So, stay tuned. In the meantime, here are a few key quotes from what they have shared so far:

“This is like a Bentley trunk.”

“Lots of room in there.”

“Everything appears to be really, really nice.”

Munro did notice a few small gaps in this early edition Model Y, but having experienced Tesla’s rapid learning curve with the Model 3, he fully anticipates they will be corrected over time. He noted he correctly predicted this with the Model 3, which has seen dramatic improvement over the last two years to its near-perfect quality today.

Let’s focus on the quote, “there is lots of room in here.” In a previous article on the Tesla Model Y, we compared the cargo capacity of the Model Y to other vehicles. The Model Y, at more than 66 cubic feet of cargo space, dominated other EV crossovers in this key metric. Even compared to the gasoline-powered Toyota RAV4, the Tesla Model Y competed well, with only a few less cubic feet of cargo space. To get precise numbers, check out that earlier coverage of the Model Y.

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Kurt Lowder I am a jock turned wannabe geek. I fell in love with science later in life thanks to the History Channel show the “Universe.” Having taught middle school science, I strongly feel Astronomy should be taught every year because nothing excites students more than learning about the cosmos. I became an avid cleantech fan because it gives me hope about the future. My wife, my dogs, and I live simply because we love to travel the world backpacker style.

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Tesla Suspending Production At Fremont & Buffalo Factories, Initiates “Touchless Deliveries”

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Published on March 20th, 2020 |

by Steve Hanley

Tesla Suspending Production At Fremont & Buffalo Factories, Initiates “Touchless Deliveries”

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March 20th, 2020 by Steve Hanley

There has been much backing and forthing at Tesla about whether it should keep its US manufacturing facilities open during the coronavirus pandemic. According to a press release from Tesla, the decision has now been taken to temporarily suspend production at its automobile factory in Fremont, California and its solar factory in Buffalo, New York, as of Monday. The last cars in Fremont will come off the assembly line Monday night. Tesla’s Gigafactory in Nevada will remain in full operation.

Both states have been hit hard by the virus and California’s governor announced on Thursday he is ordering all 40 million inhabitants of the state to stay home. That action by the governor may have been the final piece that convinced Tesla to cease operations, after several days of uncertainty during which the company and local authorities wrestled over whether it would shut down or stay open.

Tesla said in a statement, “In the past few days, we have met with local, state and federal officials. We have followed and are continuing to follow all legal directions and safety guidelines with respect to the operations of our facilities, and have honored the federal government’s direction to continue operating. Despite taking all known health precautions, continued operations in certain locations has caused challenges for our employees, their families and our suppliers.” The company says it will continue to operate some basic operations such as its Supercharger network and service centers.

It is still considered an open question whether automobile production is considered an essential service on the federal level. We will update you have something notable changes with Tesla’s production plans. Tesla’s factory in Shanghai, China, is producing cars at this time, with its full ecosystem of suppliers back in operation following China’s earlier shutdowns.

Touchless Delivery
“In many locations, we are in the process of implementing ‘touchless deliveries’ so customers can continue to take delivery of their vehicle in a seamless and safe way,” the company statement said. How does that work? People picking up their new Tesla can now open the doors with their Tesla app, sign the delivery paperwork left for them inside the vehicle, drop it off at the delivery location, and drive away without ever coming in contact with another person.

Tesla is also still doing home deliveries in some cases. The following is a photo from a friend of CleanTechnica. He bought a Tesla Model 3 after test driving his son’s VW e-Golf, reading this article about 70 reasons Tesla Model 3 owners love their cars, going on a test drive, and ordering that night. He had it delivered to his home yesterday. We have an article on that coming soon.

Photo © Frank Semmens

Dazed & Confused In Fremont
Tesla employees are understandably confused. A few who spoke with BuzzFeed indicated they received an internal email saying they would be paid through Monday and would be provided with “paid leave during suspended operations.” Asked what that means, one worker admitted “none of us are really sure,” but that “some money is better than none.” That person, who asked to remain anonymous, told BuzzFeed he and his colleagues will keep showing up for work until the facility is closed.

As of this moment, no one knows how long the production shutdown in Fremont and Buffalo will last. Ford, General Motors, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, Honda, Toyota, and Nissan have all said they will close their factories in the United States. Hyundai has already shuttered its Alabama factory after a worker tested positive for the virus, according to USA Today.

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Steve Hanley Steve writes about the interface between technology and sustainability from his homes in Florida and Connecticut or anywhere else the Singularity may lead him. You can follow him on Twitter but not on any social media platforms run by evil overlords like Facebook.

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Rumor: Tesla Close To Deal With CATL To Use Cobalt-Free Batteries For Chinese-Made Cars

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Batteries

Published on February 18th, 2020 |

by Steve Hanley

Rumor: Tesla Close To Deal With CATL To Use Cobalt-Free Batteries For Chinese-Made Cars

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February 18th, 2020 by Steve Hanley

A report by Reuters, based on information supplied by unnamed sources, claims Tesla and Contemporary Amperex Technology Company (CATL)* are in the “advanced stages of talks” that may lead to Tesla using cobalt-free battery cells developed by the Chinese battery company. Cobalt is expensive — around $33,500 a ton — and much of it is sourced from operations that may exploit child labor. Tesla already chooses to not get cobalt from the most notorious sources, and Elon Musk has indicated he would like to drastically reduce the amount of cobalt used in Tesla batteries. In fact, the company uses far less of it today than it did a few years ago.

Those sources tell Reuters the two companies have been talking for more than a year and the talks could result in an agreement soon. Tesla and CATL both declined to comment on the story. In addition to avoiding the toxicity and environmental concerns associated with using cobalt, the latest lithium-iron-phosphate batteries from CATL are said to be cheaper than nickel-cobalt-aluminum (NCA) or nickel-manganese-cobalt (NMC) batteries by a “double digit percent,” according to the sources.

To boost the density and safety of its LFP batteries, CATL has been working on cell-to-pack technology, the sources told Reuters. They also indicated Tesla has no plans to stop using its NCA battery technology for its automobiles.

LFP batteries are typically less energy dense than NMC batteries, which means the company would have to use more of them to get the same range in its vehicles — unless there has been a big advancement in that territory. That also means they would take up more space (if range was kept the same). Where would Tesla find room in its cars for larger, heavier battery packs?

We know that Tesla is at the cutting edge in battery technology and knows far more than it is sharing publicly. Elon has indicated the company is constantly talking to everyone involved in battery research at a significant level anywhere in the world. Is this one of those cases that actually warrants a change in commercial products?

Lastly, is Maxwell Technologies, the battery and supercapitor startup Tesla bought last year, involved somehow? CleanTechnica contributors Chanan Bos and Max Holland will be along shortly to give you their take on this story. See: “Tesla Shanghai Model 3 May Go Cobalt-Free Using CATL’s LFP Cells — Diving Deeper.”

*Disclosure: CATL was a sponsor of our newest report, Electric Car Drivers: Demands, Desires & Dreams.

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CATL-Built Tesla Model 3 Battery Pack Will Use Prismatic Cells

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Published on February 19th, 2020 |

by Chanan Bos

CATL-Built Tesla Model 3 Battery Pack Will Use Prismatic Cells

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February 19th, 2020 by Chanan Bos

The battery news keep getting crazier each day. Exactly one week ago, we learned that Tesla might be assembling a battery cell production line in Fremont, then a few days ago that they are buying some battery startups in Denver and even Elon seems to have visited. Then, yesterday, we learned that Tesla in China might use lithium-iron-phosphate (LFP) batteries from CATL* in the Model 3 SR+, and that it’s all made possible by putting cells straight into the battery pack without modules. What we learned in today’s revelation is that those LFP batteries will be prismatic, and the pack might be built — or is at least designed by — CATL utilizing its cell-in-pack technology, something that Tesla is also working on but has thus far not yet implemented.

Only with LFP batteries
To repeat: Tesla in China will have a Model 3 battery pack that uses prismatic batteries instead of cylindrical ones and also has no modules. When I heard this news, there was only one thing that felt at least somewhat certain, that this is only possible with LFP cells. Most EVs lose their battery capacity after a few years, but Tesla’s hardly lose any capacity. By having so many cylindrical cells working together, each is only taxed slightly during discharge. Also, the batteries have little volume and plenty of surface area for some really good cooling.

In this strange circumstance, Tesla can maintain its quality, reduce the price, and use LFP prismatic cells. While each cell is taxed more, LFP batteries last longer, so that makes up the difference. The main disadvantage LFP batteries have is lower energy density. However, with this rare cell-to-pack technology, we can make up the difference to create the 50 kWh pack that the Model 3 SR+ needs.

Getting a picture of what this will look like

Quickly drawn render of prismatic cells on a Model 3’s battery pack

My first research effort was to take a look at the Model 3 battery pack as well as its insides, and then try to calculate what kind of cells will be used as well as how many and in what way they will be placed. Here are the approximate external dimensions of the Model 3’s battery pack: 216.63 cm by 147.32 cm by ~10.5 cm (L x W x H). Inside are 4 modules, each 9 cm high, 29.2 cm wide, and 185.4 cm long for the longer modules.

Here is what we can be somewhat certain of: even without modules, the height of each prismatic cell cannot be more than 90mm, and it is somewhere in that range. Almost all EV prismatic batteries are approximately 48mm thick, in which case we would could fit something like 38 rows of batteries in there. As for how many columns there will be, that could be something like 5 or 6.

Conclusion
Today’s news will take some time to process. Calculations need to be made and long showers need to be taken before we get any big new revelations about this. If there is one important takeaway from today’s news, it seems to be that the collaboration between CATL and Tesla is more serious than previously thought. It really does appear that CATL did a lot of legwork to design this unique new pack for Tesla without significantly altering the Model 3’s battery pack dimensions.

Either Tesla is going out of its way to make the Chinese authorities happy, or this arrangement really benefits Tesla and CATL, enough to design a whole new battery pack and risk exposing CATL’s cell-to-pack technology to the competition. When it comes to using prismatic cells, there are two concerns: how well these cells can be cooled and what kind of acceleration we can expect with this battery pack. One question that we saw a lot of people ask is, does this technology have a future if energy density can be significantly increased with Maxwell’s dry electrode technology? Who knows?

Have you had any good shower thoughts about what this news could mean? Make sure to share in the comments below.

*Disclosure: CATL was a sponsor of our latest report, Electric Car Drivers: Demands, Desires & Dreams.

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About the Author

Chanan Bos Chanan grew up in a multicultural, multi-lingual environment that often gives him a unique perspective on a variety of topics. He is always in thought about big picture topics like AI, quantum physics, philosophy, Universal Basic Income, climate change, sci-fi concepts like the singularity, misinformation, and the list goes on. Currently, he is studying creative media & technology but already has diplomas in environmental sciences as well as business & management. His goal is to discourage linear thinking, bias, and confirmation bias whilst encouraging out-of-the-box thinking and helping people understand exponential progress. Chanan is very worried about his future and the future of humanity. That is why he has a tremendous admiration for Elon Musk and his companies, foremost because of their missions, philosophy, and intent to help humanity and its future. He sees Tesla as one of the few companies that can help us save ourselves from climate change.

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Tesla Employee Handbook Is Nothing Like Other Employee Handbooks

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Published on February 16th, 2020 |

by Steve Hanley

Tesla Employee Handbook Is Nothing Like Other Employee Handbooks

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February 16th, 2020 by Steve Hanley

Fifty years ago, Robert Townsend, the new head of Avis, wrote a book entitled Up the Organization: How to Stop the Corporation from Stifling People and Strangling Profits. It was a response to the highly organized, button-down, gray-flannel corporate culture epitomized by such corporate giants as IBM and Xerox. It was unorthodox, brash, and unsettling to many corporate types who believed the way to get ahead was to conform to the dictates of the boss at all times.

The book was divided into several chapters, each one dealing with a different facet of corporate culture. One in particular is memorable. Entitled “Meetings,” it offered this cogent advice: “Cancel all meetings.” End of chapter. Somewhere along the way, Elon Musk must have read this book (or simply came to the same conclusion on his own), because the company he heads has a guide for new employees with a similar title — The Anti-Handbook Handbook.

Photos of that document were leaked recently to Mark Matousek of Business Insider. It has been downloaded to Scribd as well. Matousek has kindly reprinted the entire 4 page document (that’s right — it is only 4 pages long) at the end of his article if you want to read it for yourself. He also highlighted some relevant portions, however, starting with the introduction. Tesla did not respond to his requests for comments about the story.

“We’re Tesla. We’re changing the world. We’re willing to rethink everything,” the handbook begins. “We’re different and we like it that way. Being different allows us to do what no one else is doing; to do what others tell us is impossible.

Your #1 job — everyone’s #1 job — is making this company a success. If you see opportunities to improve the way we do things, speak up even if these are outside your area of responsibility. You have a personal stake in Tesla’s success so make suggestions and share your ideas. Your good ideas mean nothing if you keep them to yourself.

Not your typical employee manual. Not at all. And the hits keep on coming. Inc. has a few more details:

Anyone at Tesla can and should email or talk to anyone else according to what they think is the fastest way to solve a problem for the benefit of the whole company. You can talk with your manager, you can to to your manager’s manager, you can talk directly to a VP in another department, you can talk to Elon.
“No one told me” is an excuse that will never fly here.
If you can’t be reliable, this isn’t the place for you.
“You’re tardy” is something kids are told in school. This isn’t school. Plan to be here on time ready to start work when you are scheduled. Traffic accidents happen. We get that. But not every Monday during football season.

Here’s one more for your consideration: “Our assumption will be that if you don’t call and don’t show up for work, you’re a jerk. You better have a really good reason for not letting us know why you didn’t come in or you’re out of here.”

What is missing from the Anti-Handbook Handbook is a bunch of “party of the first part,” “heretofore,” and “notwithstanding” language beloved by corporate attorneys everywhere. There is a link in the text to an internal webpage that has more specifics about such legal niceties.

The Coen brothers may have done the best send-up of a traditional company orientation in the movie The Hudsucker Proxy. Here is a clip you may find amusing:

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Tesla Autopilot Mystery Solved — HW3 Full Potential Soon To Be Unlocked

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Autonomous Vehicles

Published on January 31st, 2020 |

by Chanan Bos

Tesla Autopilot Mystery Solved — HW3 Full Potential Soon To Be Unlocked

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January 31st, 2020 by Chanan Bos

In June 2019 after Tesla’s Autonomy Investor Day, we did a deep dive into Tesla’s HW3 chip that explored the various capabilities and potential of the HW3 processor system on a chip (SoC). I may have geeked out a little and made that a bit too technical, so I will try not to repeat that mistake in this article. Long story short, HW3 is a total beast. It is very different from the NVIDIA chip Tesla was using in the previous generation. So, it was very surprising when Elon said that there was no big rush to retrofit existing cars because “right now” (back then) you would not notice much of an increase in performance over HW2.

For the next bit, you are going to need to take a good look at the image below, so take a moment to study it and return to it if necessary.

So, retrofitting HW2 to HW3 in H2 2019 does not improve performance. What this likely means is that Tesla pretty much just took the existing Autopilot software designed for HW2 and emulated it to run on HW3. Now, for those of you unfamiliar with emulation, a good explanation is the movie Inception, but for computers. Imagine a Windows 10 computer running the Android operating system in a window — basically, Android is a program on the computer, not the operating system.

In this case, HW3 emulated HW2 to get the existing Autopilot software to function. The only problem is, HW3 is supposed to run most tasks not on the processor or graphics card but on its Neural Processing Units (NPUs), which are not designed for direct software emulation and are probably not capable of that. In principle, the Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) and the Central Processing Unit (CPU) together are capable of emulation. However, the CPU and GPU components of HW3 are less powerful than the ones in HW2, so they physically cannot directly emulate it. So, Tesla did move some tasks to the NPUs to make it work — but Autopilot needed a major rewrite of the base code to truly unlock HW3’s potential.

On a side note, HW3’s CPU and GPU are unnecessarily powerful for the minor tasks an NPU is not capable of. What this likely means is that those components were chosen to allow Autopilot to transition from HW2 to HW3. HW4 will likely have a much smaller GPU and CPU and either make more room for even more complicated neural nets plus higher-resolution/frame-rate cameras or simply reduce the power requirements of the SoC.

Thanks to Third Row Podcast’s interview with Elon Musk, we now have confirmation of the above theory and some really juicy new details. All these months, Tesla was rewriting Autopilot’s base code behind the scenes and will soon(ish) push that update to all vehicles running HW3. This could even signal the end to major updates for HW2 and HW2.5 Autopilot systems.

Making the Neural Networks Work Collectively
The next thing that we find out is what kind of changes under the hood Tesla has been allocating those extra neural nets to. Basically, the first of two major improvements is intertwining the different systems and decisions and making the neural networks work collectively. In other words, the car will be better at predicting that A results in B rather than observing A and reacting only after seeing B. We made a short 30 second clip for the occasion.

360° Camera View
The other change pertains to how Autopilot looks at the world and interprets information from the cameras. Elon once described a human driver as 2 cameras on a gimbal powered by a supercomputer — so, that’s the eyes, neck, and brain. Here is how to visualize how Autopilot works now: imagine a person is sitting behind the desk. He is tasked with drawing on a blank piece of paper a layout with the positions and trajectories of all the cars around your vehicle by looking at 6 different screens that are positioned in front of him — hard work. Now, the new Autopilot system is one camera, a 360° camera. People sometimes joke that you need eyes in the back of your head, but imagine being able to see in 360 degrees and fully comprehend in your vision all that happens around you intuitively. So awesome. Well, that is how the new Autopilot system works. It stitches together the data from all the cameras into one 360° camera. This should significantly improve the system’s ability to learn from driving experience.

Third Row Podcast’s Full Part 2 Sneak Preview

Third Row Podcast’s Interpretation of Elon’s Words

Conclusion
Tesla’s HW3 computer is an absolute beast. It can handle 7 times as many frames, has 7 times larger neural nets, and as was said in the presentation, “There are a lot of ways you can spend that.” Tesla has indeed slowly been allocating the SoC’s resources, and by the sound of it, they will soon be done rewriting Autopilot’s existing functions, will add a few more vital ones, and will publish that and then continue building on top of it.

A lot of people don’t believe that Tesla’s robotaxi autonomous network is less than a decade away, or could even be 4 or 5 years away. I say that those people underestimate exponential progress and machine learning, and do not fully comprehend how HW3 raises the playing field. Just to clarify, that does not mean that level 5 autonomy on all roads and off the road will be available all over the world, but at least one country with very good roads and infrastructure will have it and other countries will follow suit.

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Norway Hits 64.4% EV Market Share In January, Up 24% Year On Year

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Cars

Published on February 5th, 2020 |

by Dr. Maximilian Holland

Norway Hits 64.4% EV Market Share In January, Up 24% Year On Year

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February 5th, 2020 by Dr. Maximilian Holland

Norway, the undisputed global leader in the EV transition, hit 64.4% EV market share in January, with over 44% share for pure electrics and 20% for plug-in hybrids. This best-ever-January result was achieved before 2020 shipments of the top selling Tesla Model 3 have even arrived in the country, with the Audi e-tron (902 units) and Renault Zoe (533 units) seeing the highest January volumes.

Click on the chart to zoom in. I’ve added the trend line (January 2019 to January 2020, rising 24% in relative terms) to cut through the monthly noise. January 2020 not only trends higher on a year-on-year basis, but also higher than 2019’s overall market share of 56%. Norway’s EV transition is well past the halfway mark, and is still moving quickly towards completion.

End-of-quarter periods clearly show the Tesla European shipping cycle, which will continue until Tesla Gigafactory Berlin starts production at some point in the coming 12 to 24 months. In 2020, with growing European EV supply volumes from other automakers, the quarterly cycles will be less pronounced, but still noticeable.

With Tesla’s European deliveries coming on strong towards the end of the quarter, we should again see record EV market share being broken in March 2020, with likely 75% to 80% or more of all passenger auto sales being EVs, up from March 2019’s 69%.

Rest of Europe
Back in 2015, Norway saw 14% EV market share, which is approximately the share that Sweden saw last year (2019, 15% market share). Does this mean it will take another 4 or 5 years for Sweden to reach where Norway is today?

Not quite. January 2020 has already seen Sweden hit over 30% market share (look out for more detail coming soon), though it remains open whether the full year share will maintain these levels. Important to note — Sweden’s auto market, at around 350,000 units per year, is around 2.5× the size of Norway’s.

Renault Zoe. Image courtesy Renault Press Images

We’ve seen that France — Europe’s second or third largest auto market (vying annually with the UK) — has just hit 11% EV market share in January. We’re currently waiting on January figures from Germany and the UK. The other large European markets of Italy and Spain also hit record market shares last month (2.1% and 4%, respectively).

A smaller market (~225,000 annual auto sales) punching well above its weight in EVs is Portugal, having just hit 11% market share. We’re currently on the lookout for strong January performances from Switzerland, Finland, and Iceland (no data just yet, stay tuned).

What’s your best guess as to European EV market shares in 2020? Please give us your thoughts in the comments.

For more EV sales reports, head over to: cleantechnica.com/tesla-sales/

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About the Author

Dr. Maximilian Holland Max is an anthropologist, social theorist and international political economist, trying to ask questions and encourage critical thinking about social and environmental justice, sustainability and the human condition. He has lived and worked in Europe and Asia, and is currently based in Barcelona. Follow Max on twitter @Dr_Maximilian and at MaximilianHolland.com, or contact him via LinkedIn.

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A Tesla Model 3 Goes From Rolled Aluminum To A Finished Vehicle In 48 Hours

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Published on January 31st, 2020 |

by Kyle Field

A Tesla Model 3 Goes From Rolled Aluminum To A Finished Vehicle In 48 Hours

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January 31st, 2020 by Kyle Field

Tesla takes raw sheets of rolled aluminum and turns them, along with hundreds of other parts, into finished vehicles at its factory in Fremont, California, in less than 48 hours.

Screen capture from: Third Row Tesla Podcast

The insight came from one of the longest interviews Elon Musk has ever given, which was with the crew from the Third Row Tesla podcast (Apple, Stitcher, Spotify, Twitter, YouTube, Podbay), with a special bonus appearance from Elon’s brother and fellow Tesla board member and cofounder Kimbal Musk. Their mother, Maye Musk, was also present and occasionally chimed in from an adjoining room. The combined effect was a very personal, insightful two-part interview (so far) that delved into the more human side of Elon.

On the manufacturing front, Kimbal was the one who broached the subject. “What I find amazing is from start to finish, a car is made in 48 hours,” Kimbal said. He talked about the reels of aluminum stock that Tesla uses in its stamping press to form body panels and how the company turns jumbles of parts and raw materials into fully formed vehicles in less than 48 hours. “You can see the rolled aluminum in one section of the factory and you can see the cars coming out the other end.”

Body parts come off of Tesla’s stamping press at its Fremont Factory. Image credit: Kyle Field | CleanTechnica

“You don’t appreciate when you’re driving a car how much goes into the level of detail,” Kimbal continued.

In a Tesla Model 3, there are 10,000 unique parts in every vehicle, according to Elon Musk. “The pack alone is several thousand cells,” he said. Assembling all of those parts with as close to a zero failure rate as possible is hard to imagine for folks who have not lived it firsthand.

That’s why automation seemed like the obvious solution to Tesla when it came time to build the “affordable” Model 3. Installing robots that don’t mind doing the same task over and over thousands of times per day with unparalleled precision was part of the plan from day 1.

“Manufacturing is insanely difficult. It’s under-appreciated in its difficulty,” Elon said. After installing robots on the Model 3 production and assembly lines, Tesla had to walk it back a bit to strike the ideal balance.

Kimbal unpacked the journey more, noting that, “skills are changing as things become a little bit … there’s more autonomy, but autonomy isn’t perfect, so you do need to have a lot of people there. These cars have to be perfect.” It took Tesla a solid 12 months of living through what Elon called “production hell” to work through all the bugs in Tesla’s first real deep dive into building and streamlining the mass manufacturing process.

Screen capture from: Third Row Tesla Podcast

The process included the integration of Tesla’s own operating system into the human-machine interfaces (HMIs) of the equipment in the factory. Tesla’s ability to master and actively develop new manufacturing processes in the physical world with new equipment and in the digital world with custom software continues to be a significant advantage. The advantage stretches beyond just the automotive world and into the broader landscape of manufacturing companies, as other companies that build products don’t also design and program the equipment to build them at this scale.

“Given how much complexity is in a car, it’s remarkable they cost as little as they do,” Elon said.

If you haven’t watched it yet, part two of the podcast gives an exciting look behind the scenes of Elon’s life and the world of Tesla.

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Elon Musk Shares History Of Tesla Battery Modules & Why They Are Going Away

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Published on February 2nd, 2020 |

by Kyle Field

Elon Musk Shares History Of Tesla Battery Modules & Why They Are Going Away

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February 2nd, 2020 by Kyle Field

Tesla CEO Elon Musk shared in an episode of the Third Row Tesla podcast that went live this week that the company is moving away from the concept of battery modules in future pack designs.

The comment came about as the group talked about the battery in the original Tesla Roadster and how, due to the number of problems with battery packs they were having, they built the batteries to be modular. “The reason there were cells, modules, and packs goes back to the original Roadster days,” Elon said. “The original reason why the Roadster pack had like 16 blades or modules was that if one of them didn’t work, you could pull it out and put another one in.” The design choice allowed them to swap out a failed battery module to replace it with a new one in the event of a problem.

A Tesla battery pack at the Fremont Factory. Image courtesy: Tesla.

The concept of modules carried through to the Model S, which also leverages a battery pack comprised of a bundling of a dozen or so battery modules that were similar in shape and size, with the number of modules per pack varying slightly depending on the capacity of the battery. In addition, the Model S and X were designed to have a rapidly swappable battery pack, an idea that was later scrapped. Regardless, every Model S and X built even today is capable of swapping its battery pack, even though no stations exist to perform the task.

The early design choice to build battery cells into modules resulted in dedicated teams within Tesla to design the battery modules themselves even today. This organizational decision resulted in battery modules showing up yet again in the Tesla Model 3, even though splitting the battery pack up into modules no longer served an actual function. “The modules in the Model 3 are not actually interchangeable, so there’s no point in having modules really, we should just have a pack.” It’s a remnant from times long past that Elon is now working to correct.

According to Musk, he is now considering rolling the people assigned to battery module teams within Tesla into the pack team to help remedy the situation. “You don’t really need modules in my view. Just take cells and put them in a pack.”

Tesla is more innovative and dynamic that any other automaker operating at scale, but this tale of the history of battery modules at Tesla makes it clear that even Tesla struggles with maintaining a perfectly streamlined organization and avoiding inefficient corporate inertia. Imperfections in the organization translate directly into the product, as was the case with battery modules. Fortunately, Tesla has already identified this as an opportunity to streamline the product and increase the company’s efficiency.

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