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Tesla’s Jerome Guillen Talks Gigafactory 1 & Working For Elon With 60 Minutes

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Published on December 10th, 2018 |

by Kyle Field

Tesla’s Jerome Guillen Talks Gigafactory 1 & Working For Elon With 60 Minutes

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December 10th, 2018 by Kyle Field

60 Minutes spent some time with Tesla’s leadership over the last few weeks, including a sit-down with Tesla President of Automotive, Jerome Guillen, at Tesla’s Gigafactory 1 in Sparks, Nevada. The lighthearted interview touches on the current state of the Gigafactory and gets into what it’s like to work directly with Elon Musk. This perspective comes from someone who has been a clutch player on the Tesla team for the last 8 years.

Engineering Fundamentals
Jerome Guillen isn’t your typical business leader. Much like Elon Musk, he built up his own core competency in hardcore engineering, holding a doctoral degree in engineering from the University of Michigan. Before coming to Tesla, Jerome cut his teeth at Daimler subsidiary Freightliner before stepping up to lead central projects at Daimler, like the launch of its carsharing service, car2go.

Since joining Tesla, Jerome has led the Model S program, led the Tesla Service program, led the Tesla Semi program, and most recently, led the Model 3 program, including the establishment of the General Assembly 4 line — also known as the line in the tent.

I Dream In Giga
As anyone familiar with the company knows, the core of Tesla’s business is batteries. The company does happen to sell batteries in some sexy packages, like automobiles and cutting edge stationary energy storage products, but no joy can be had without thousands millions billions of lithium-ion batteries being produced first. Tesla has taken its battery business to the next level with Gigafactory 1, which Jerome shared already builds more batteries than the rest of the world combined. What’s mind blowing about that is that Gigafactory 1 as it stands today is only 30% complete.

That hurts my brain, but means that Tesla has plenty of room to grow at Gigafactory 1. The factory churns out gigawatt-hours of batteries thanks to endless hours of work put in by the 7,000 employees there and a few hundred robots. The video of the interview with Jerome shows some of Tesla’s battery cell conveyors that move the individual cells around in their own little conveyor carts. The segments remind me of minecarts from Minecraft.

The mainstream media focused its coverage on the Model 3 production ramp because that’s where the more visually exciting elements of the Model 3 are built, assembled, painted, and the like, but an equal amount of effort went into expanding and improving operations at Gigafactory 1.

Gigafactory 1 is where every 2170 battery cell that went into a Model 3 was put together. They also bundle up those cells into the battery modules and battery packs that power each car. The Gigafactory is the unsung hero in the Model 3 production ramp and it is clear that it will continue to be the backbone for Tesla’s projects moving forward, particularly since its Fremont, California, automobile factory is approaching or at full capacity.

Jerome said that the Gigafactory was a key component of Tesla’s strategy, since building everything in a single factory is seen as critical in lowering the cost of production as the company pushes for increasingly more affordable electric vehicles.

Working With Elon
Jerome also touched on his relationship with Elon in the interview, noting that Elon was not alone in asking for the impossible from his team during the Model 3 production ramp. Jerome was also pushing the team. That included long hours for Jerome, but no sleeping at the factory for him. While at the Gigafactory, Elon actually slept on the roof of the facility. Jerome said that the views up there are amazing but that “it gets a little cold at night,” with a laugh.

Keeping with the spirit of the 60 Minutes interview with Elon, she asked if Elon was just there as a cheerleader. The question speaks to either her lack of background prep on Elon or a desire to poke and prod at the raw edges just to provoke a response that might earn some headlines. Either way, it’s awkward, but Jerome said Elon is a leader and that he never seems to stop pushing:

“It’s always at the limit of the comfort zone. This is what it takes. What we’re trying to do is very difficult and it’s not going to happen just by cruising. There’s a lot of innovation, a lot of technology, and we are doing this to make the vehicle less expensive so more people can afford them and more people can drive electric,” Jerome said.

He closes by reinforcing the reason Tesla exists. They are doing all of this to make electric vehicles more affordable so more people can drive electric. It is so different than the way any other company operates and yet it just makes so much sense. We need revolutionary products and solutions and that’s what Tesla is bringing to market, but it requires painstaking, difficult, world-changing work. At the end of the day, Jerome is still able to smile and seems to enjoy doing what he’s doing at Tesla.

Source: 60 Minutes via Reddit

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Rivian announced a new electric pickup and SUV at the LA Auto Show—but apparently the startup electric automaker is so full of ideas it couldn't resist teasing yet another plan.

Rivian CEO R.J. Scaringe told British auto magazine Autocar that the company plans a third model that will take advantage of all the power and all-wheel drive that the company's pickup and SUV boast, but with a sporty twist: an off-road rally car.

The new model could share the R1T pickup and R1S SUV's four electric motors producing a total of 750 horsepower and 820 pound-feet of torque, as well as the smaller of its two battery packs, containing 105-kilowatt-hours, to save weight compared with the larger 180-kwh pack. (Not to rule out the larger pack, but even the smaller battery could give a smaller rally car a range in the neighborhood of 300 miles, driven conservatively.)

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Scaringe told Autocar that the company's third model will have a shorter wheelbase than the R1S SUV but have similar ground clearance for off-road capability.

Rivian has developed a “skateboard” chassis that includes the cars' structure, its battery pack, motors, and power electronics.

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Scaringe says the company plans on selling the skateboard architecture to other automakers as long as their products don't compete directly with Rivian's. One rumored potential customer could be Pininfarina, which is launching its own line of cars, starting with a $3 million supercar. Its second model is slated to be a luxury SUV, which could use Rivian's skateboard chassis.

Rivian will buy battery cells, but will assemble its own packs at its factory in Illinois when its cars go into production, Scaringe told Green Car Reports. These battery packs would likely be part of the chassis architecture that Rivian could sell to other automakers.

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The Autocar report is the first indication that the company also plans to build a third model of its own off the architecture and that it has considerable flexibility in at least the wheelbase of the machine. The R1T pickup has a wheelbase almost 15 inches longer than that on the R1S SUV. Such a rally-cross car would likely have a significantly shorter wheelbase.

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Real life safety: the Mercedes-Benz EQC and safety: Proven to be safe – the new Mercedes-Benz EQC

11.

December 2018

Stuttgart

combined power consumption: 22.2 kWh/100 km; combined CO2 emissions: 0 g/km, provisional figures [1]Stuttgart. The new Mercedes-Benz EQC (combined power consumption: 22.2 kWh/100 km; combined CO2 emissions: 0 g/km, provisional figures)[1] is also a genuine Mercedes when it comes to passive safety. In addition to the usual, extensive programme of crash tests, the brand applies stringent safety standards to the battery and all component parts carrying electrical current. In many cases these standards exceed legal requirements.
Mercedes-Benz's extensive experience of high-voltage drive systems has led to a special safety concept. The EQC's accident safety was validated at the Mercedes-Benz technology centre for vehicle safety (TFS), the most advanced crash test centre in the world. Here vehicles, including prototypes with large electric batteries, have been tested under harsh crash conditions. The result is a whole array of constructive measures which deliver the EQC's high level of crash safety:
A new subframe surrounds the drive components located in the front section, and this unit is supported by the usual mounting points. The battery is surrounded by a robust frame with an integral crash structure. Deformation elements are installed between the frame and the battery, and these are able to absorb additional forces in the event of a severe side impact. A battery guard in the front area of the battery is able to prevent the energy storage unit from being pierced by foreign objects. The high-voltage system can also be shut down automatically in a crash, depending on its severity. A distinction is made between a reversible and an irreversible cut-off. When it is shut down the voltage in the high-voltage system outside of the battery reduces to below the safety-relevant voltage limit in a very short time. Another feature of the comprehensive high-voltage safety concept is that the charging process is automatically curtailed if an impact is detected when stationary at a quick-charging station (DC charging). There are also shutdown points where emergency teams can deactivate the high-voltage system manually. In addition to assessing the occupant values during a crash, the battery's accident safety was also tested at the development centre of Deutsche ACCUMOTIVE, a wholly-owned Daimler subsidiary. Test criteria included the battery's behaviour under impact and when penetrated by foreign bodies, with overheating and overloading also simulated. Beyond the structural safety and the battery protection concept, the model's specially adapted restraint systems are particularly important for the occupants in the event of an accident.
Three-point seat belts with pyrotechnical belt tensioners and belt force limiters are installed for the driver, front passenger and passengers on the outer rear seats (normal three-point seat belt in the centre at the rear). i-Size (Europe) and ISOFIX (other countries) child seat attachment points for securely attaching appropriate child seats on the outer rear seats Window airbags in the roof area between the A, B and C-pillars for the head area of the driver, front passenger and passengers on the outer rear seats Combined thorax/pelvis side impact airbags for driver and front passenger. Additional optional side impact airbags for the outer rear seats. Airbags for driver and front passenger in the event of a severe frontal impact, with dual-stage, time-delayed deployment on the passenger side Knee airbag for the driver Numerous measures help to ensure that when Mercedes-Benz vehicles suffer an accident, consequential damage is reduced and rescue of the occupants is assisted. As soon as a protective system (e.g. belt tensioner and airbag) is triggered, an emergency call or a service call is made or a breakdown is detected, the following measures can be initiated depending on the accident type and severity:
Automatic activation of Mercedes-Benz emergency call to notify emergency services of the location and emergency situation and initiate rescue. Shutdown of the high-voltage system Activation of the hazard warning system to warn other road users Interior lighting switched on Front side windows lowered for ventilation in the event of airbag deployment Central locking system unlocked Lifting of the electrically adjustable steering column Notification of a detected breakdown or accident situation to Car-to-X communication and to the Mercedes-Benz service centre A rescue sticker provides a direct link to the vehicle's rescue data sheet. Corresponding stickers are affixed to the charging flap and to the opposite B-pillar of the vehicle for this purpose. In the aftermath of an accident, rescue services can scan the QR code with a smartphone or tablet PC for fast and reliable access to the rescue data sheet for the specific vehicle concerned, thus facilitating rescue operations. Alongside the rescue data sheets, the Rescue Assist App for smartphones and tablets also has three-dimensional views of the vehicle – now also offline in case there is no mobile network available at the accident scene. Video impressions from the EQC's crash testing can be found here.
[1] Figures for power consumption and CO2 emissions are provisional and were determined by the Technical Service. The range figures are also provisional. EC type approval and a certificate of conformity with official figures are not yet available. Differences between the stated figures and the official figures are possible.

Press Contact

Sarah Widmann

Intelligent Drive & Passive Safety

sarah.widmann@daimler.com

Tel: +49 711 17-97729

Fax: +49 711 17-79094388

Wolfgang Würth

Manager Communications EQ

wolfgang.wuerth@daimler.com

Tel: +49 711 17-46508

Fax: +49 711 17-79016071

Koert Groeneveld

Head of International Product & Technology Communications

koert.groeneveld@daimler.com

Tel: +49 711 17-92311

Fax: +49 711 17-94365

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