Car stuff (public number: chedongxi)
Author | Haohan
Edit | Juice
According to foreign media Electrork reported that recently, several employees and contractors from Tesla's Texas Gigafactory posted a video on social networking sites, which showed the internal details of many Tesla's Texas Gigafactories, which for the first time filmed a large number of tires stacked inside the factory and body components, robotic arms running on the production line, new cars with perception calibration and other production details.
In the 2021 annual financial report document released by Tesla before the Spring Festival, several pictures of the interior of Tesla's Texas factory were also displayed. If combined with the internal video exposed on the Internet, Tesla's Texas factory has begun to operate in stages, and it has also begun to roll off the production of some Tesla Model Y trial vehicles.
In addition, based on the information previously exposed by Tesla and the speculation of the outside world, the Model Y model produced in the Texas factory in the future will use CTC technology and be equipped with 4680 batteries.
In addition to the internal video of Tesla's Texas factory circulating on the Internet, many foreign media have also revealed the external details of Tesla's Texas factory through drone aerial photography.
So, with the node close to the official production, the secrets of Tesla's Texas factory are getting less and less, so when will the energy production delivery of a new car equipped with a 4680 battery? How does the new car perform? Perhaps the thing people are most concerned about right now.
First, the factory production line or start to operate The giant die casting machine has also entered
In this video inside Tesla's Texas factory, viewers can clearly see that the factory has many different functions of the robot arm, and some employees wearing yellow warning vests are patrolling. This may indirectly prove that the production line photographed in the video has been installed and commissioned.
However, judging only from the details shown in the video, it is not possible to accurately discern the specific functions of the area. If you look at the overall layout of the area in the video, it is similar to the battery module workshop in the SAIC-GM Aoteneng plant.
▲The internal production line of the Texas plant
In addition, the video also filmed the suspected Model Y assembly line, and there is a black Model Y body that has been painted on the production line, but the car is not installed with window glass, seats and other parts, so the shooting location is likely to be the starting area of the entire assembly production line.
Interestingly, there is a vending machine and temporary storage cabinet in front of this production line, so that the production line employees can replenish their energy at any time and store their personal belongings. For the entire production line and the construction process of the factory, most of the employee support equipment such as vending machines will be placed when the commissioning of the entire production line is basically completed, and will be opened successively.
▲Vending machine in front of the final assembly production line
This can prove that Tesla's Texas factory may have entered the final stage before the official production. Of course, if you enlarge the picture a little more, you can find that the vending machine is not empty.
In addition to this video circulating on the Internet, the day before yesterday, some netizens also photographed the storage area of the Texas factory through a drone.
As you can see from the picture, a large number of one-piece die-cast rear (or front) body components are stacked on the area, and every three groups are stacked, if you estimate from the picture, the area was stacked with about 300 one-piece die-cast parts at that time.
▲There are many body parts stacked
On the picture, a huge box with the IDRA logo was also found in the car. IRA is one of the world's oldest manufacturers of non-ferrous metal die casting machines and a supplier of Tesla Giga Press giant die casting machines, so it is speculated that this giant box may contain a Giga Press giant die casting machine.
▲There is an IDRA trademark in the red circle
Therefore, the one-piece die-cast parts currently stacked in the area may be transported from other factories to meet the production needs of the initial production, and then start "self-sufficient" after the giga press is installed and commissioned.
In addition, in addition to the rear (or front) body components of the one-piece die-casting and the Giga Press giant die-casting machine, vehicle parts such as vehicle motors and tires can also be seen from the exposed pictures and videos.
Second, a number of Model Y appear in the factory or are undergoing visual calibration
The production line is almost debugged, the parts are also prepared, then the next step is production
In the video circulating online, about 10 Model Ys appeared and were neatly parked inside the factory, and the body colors were mostly blue, black and gray.
▲Model Y parked inside the factory
As can be seen from the video, there is a small gantry crane opposite the above parking area, and three circular targets are hung, and behind the gantry crane there is also a lower shelf with three circular targets, and there is a black Model Y parked opposite these targets, so it is likely that the vehicle will calibrate the perception components such as the vehicle camera after the production line is off the line.
▲Suspected vehicles are subjected to sensory calibration
In addition to the new cars in the factory, foreign media have recently photographed trailers equipped with the new Model Y car near the Texas factory. From the appearance of the configuration, the vehicle on this batch of pallets has a black tail at the rear and is equipped with black vortex wheels, which is likely to be a Tesla Model Y high-performance version, and the Model Y parked in the above video may not be the same model.
▲Model Y suspected of being produced at the Texas plant
Previously, from the pictures in Tesla's 2021 full-year financial report file, the seats of the Model Y model produced at the Texas factory were directly mounted on the chassis of the vehicle.
In the 4680 battery pack photo that Tesla previously showed, the batteries were densely arranged in the chassis of the vehicle, and the module design in the previous battery pack was canceled, which is the so-called CTC technology in the industry.
▲ Tesla 4680 battery pack photo
With the adoption of CTC technology, the assembly process of the vehicle has also changed, and some netizens have found through the battery structure and the color of the paint in the photo that the seat of the vehicle equipped with the 4680 battery is directly installed on the battery pack shell. If combined with the pictures of Tesla's earnings report, then the Model Y model produced by Tesla's Texas factory is likely to use CTC technology and carry a 4680 battery.
▲ Netizens photographed the suspected Tesla 4680 battery production line
Third, the façade is basically completed The factory area is brightly lit at night
In addition to the inside of the factory, the video also captures the external situation of many Texas factories.
Previously, some netizens used drones to photograph the external situation of the factory, when the façade of the factory area was not completely completed, there were still many large construction machinery around the factory, and there were still some locations of the façade glass outside the factory that were not installed or were being installed.
From the perspective of the factory exterior from multiple angles photographed by netizens this time, there is basically no earth and stone construction area outside the factory, and the external glass outside the factory has been basically installed in place.
▲The façade of the main body of the factory is basically completed
The videographer stayed from dawn until dark, and it can be seen from the video that when night falls, Tesla's Texas factory looks brightly lit from the outside, like a huge starship.
If you estimate through the geographical location of the Texas factory, in the current season, the sunset time in Austin, where the Texas factory is located, is about 5:40 p.m., if combined with the pictures in the video, it can be estimated that the shooting time of the video is around 7 p.m. to 8 p.m., and it was Friday, which shows the lively situation of Tesla's Texas factory.
▲ Friday night is brightly lit
Conclusion: Texas factory progress or super Berlin
Fast forward to late February 2022, and according to previous news, the Progress of the Berlin factory seems to be slightly behind that of the Texas factory, and the recent "spoilers" of Tesla's Texas factory are far more than the former.
In March, the Berlin plant and the Texas plant will start production one after another, and it is question whether it will directly produce a new car equipped with a 4680 battery using CTC technology. How about the battery life of models equipped with new battery technology? These problems will also be solved with the delivery of new cars.