The transcript discusses Tesla's recent advancements and future plans, highlighting their innovative manufacturing techniques and potential new gigafactory location in Turkey.
Tesla has made a significant breakthrough with their gigapress technology, which has revolutionized their vehicle manufacturing process. The company uses gigapress casting machines to simplify the production of their vehicles, particularly the Model 3 and the new Cybertruck. This process involves casting large portions of the vehicle's underbody in powerful presses, eliminating the need for many parts to be welded together. This innovative approach has reportedly saved Tesla up to 40% of manufacturing costs.
Tesla is now looking to apply this efficiency to their upcoming vehicle platform, a compact design intended for both an affordable EV and a new take on the robo taxi. The company is planning to cast the entire underbody of this new vehicle in one piece, which poses significant challenges due to the size of the parts and the need for a larger press.
To overcome these challenges, Tesla is exploring the use of industrial sand in their manufacturing process. This sand, which is normally used in glass making, insulation, and other construction processes, can be 3D printed into intricate and detailed structures. This sand can form complex shapes with intricate details and is easily reusable, which means that new molds can be quickly made, discarded, and repurposed to design finished molds. These sand molds can be made in metal for as little as 3% of the cost of traditional mold making techniques and less than half the time.
However, there are still challenges to be addressed. The sand cores, which are necessary for the proposed 16,000 ton pressures, cannot be used at the pressures that would be needed to cast a single body. Tesla may need to switch to using injection mold techniques, which would make a higher quality cast but would be slower.
In terms of future plans, Tesla is reportedly in talks with Turkish President Erdogan about building a new gigafactory in Turkey. The company has already started importing their Model Y to Turkey and has plans to expand their offerings in the country.
The transcript also mentions a performance by Pepsi's Tesla semi during a "run on less" event, highlighting the impressive stamina and efficiency of the vehicle. The semi was able to cover 16,000 miles and transport 80,000 pounds of cargo in just 48 hours, with only five charging stops. This highlights the potential of Tesla's electric vehicles in the freight industry.
In conclusion, the transcript provides a detailed overview of Tesla's recent advancements and future plans, highlighting their innovative manufacturing techniques and potential expansion into new markets.
Here are the key facts extracted from the text:
1. Tesla has made a breakthrough with their gigapress technology, which could change the way they manufacture vehicles.
2. Tesla uses their Giga press casting machines to simplify the production of the Model 3, Model Y, and Cybertruck.
3. The Giga press casting machines cast large portions of the vehicle's underbody in a single piece, eliminating the need for many parts to be welded together.
4. This process has saved Tesla up to 40% of manufacturing costs for the Model Y alone.
5. Tesla replaced about 70 parts with two large castings and a structural battery pack in the Model Y.
6. Tesla is planning to use a similar process for their upcoming 25,000 vehicle platform.
7. The new vehicle platform will be a more compact design, intended for both an affordable EV and a new take on the robo taxi.
8. The vehicle was teased during Tesla's Investor Day event on March 1st.
9. The new production method would involve various sub-assemblies of a vehicle being put together at different stations simultaneously.
10. The process would allow workers to more easily reach parts and work alongside robots with less difficulty.
11. The current car assembly process is very linear, with vehicles moving from station to station while getting parts attached in a specific order.
12. Tesla wants to cast the whole underbody for the new vehicle in one piece.
13. The team learned how to cast larger pieces with the Cybertruck, which had parts much larger than their previous work.
14. Tesla is considering using a new press with a pressure rating of 16,000 tons of force.
15. The new vehicle is going to be smaller than even the Model 3, with a very small front and rear and almost no storage space.
16. Tesla will use sand to make molds for casting machines, which can form complex shapes with intricate details.
17. The sand molds can be made cheaply and quickly, and can be easily reused.
18. The sand cores can't be used at the proposed 16,000 ton pressures, but could be used with injection mold techniques.
19. PepsiCo put one of their brand new Tesla semis up for consideration in the "Run on Less" competition.
20. The Tesla semi spent two days hauling 80,000 pounds of cargo, stopping only for deliveries, three major charges, and two smaller ones to extend the range.
21. The semi went from roughly 5% battery charge to 80% in under an hour using a 750 kilowatt charger.
22. Tesla CEO Elon Musk met with Turkish President Erdogan in New York City on September 17th.
23. Erdogan hoped to convince Elon to make Turkey the new home of Tesla's next gigafactory.
24. Tesla began importing their Model Y to Turkey in May.
25. The company also opened a design studio and a series of supercharger stations in Turkey in April.