The factory in Fremont, California, where Tesla produces its vehicles.
Tesla
Critics have argued that Tesla is too reliant on automation in its Model 3 production process.
Elon Musk said he agreed with his critics in an interview with CBS This Morning.
He said he believes the company needs more people working in the factory and that automation slowed the Model 3 production process.
Elon Musk has said using robots to build cars will make Tesla‘s production process more efficient and less expensive in the long run. But automation is also one of the reasons why Tesla has struggled to produce its first mass-market vehicle, the Model 3, at the scale it predicted when the vehicle was unveiled last summer.
The company has been criticized for its perceived overreliance on automation, and when Musk gave CBS This Morning a look inside the factory in Fremont, California, where the company makes the Model 3, he said he agreed with the critics.
Tesla has too many robots making the Model 3
“Yeah, yeah, I agree,” Musk said when asked about the perception that there are too many robots involved in Model 3 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.
Musk didn’t explain if or how the company plans to address the imbalance between robots and humans, and a Tesla spokesperson said the company didn’t have further comments on the matter beyond Musk’s remarks. The company currently has about 10,000 workers at its Fremont factory.
Tesla has increased the rate of Model 3 production
Musk has said the Model 3 was one of the company’s long-term goals since its early years, but it began with high-end, higher-margin vehicles like the Roadster sports car, Model S sedan, and Model X SUV so it could prepare for the scale the Model 3 would require. When the Model 3 was launched in July, Musk said the company would produce 20,000 Model 3 vehicles per month by the end of 2017, but it made just 2,425 in the fourth quarter.
Last week, the company reported that it made 9,766 Model 3 vehicles during the first quarter of 2018 and expects to produce 5,000 per week by the end of June.
Musk took over the Model 3 production line at the beginning of April and said in the interview that he has been sleeping at the factory to make sure manufacturing stays on target.
As the company has increased its rate of Model 3 production, it has also engaged in a public disagreement with the National Transportation Safety Board, which has been investigating a fatal Model X crash that involved the company’s semi-autonomous Autopilot system. Tesla has insisted the driver’s inattention caused the crash, and the NTSB has been frustrated that the company has revealed details about the accident during the agency’s investigation. On Thursday, Tesla claimed that it chose to stop being a party to the investigation, while the NTSB claimed it had removed the company’s party status.
You can watch the interview with CBS below.