Key to Tesla Model 3 Production Currently Sits in Germany

It’s no secret that Tesla is behind on Model 3 production. Tesla even admits that “bottlenecks” are a large part of why it lost so much money last year. But that could soon change now that a key piece of manufacturing equipment is ready to go. The only problem is, it’s currently on the wrong side of the Atlantic ocean.

Automotive News reports that Tesla has designed and built an automated battery module assembly line that’s expected to significantly speed up production. Unfortunately for the California-based automaker, the equipment still needs to get from Germany to its U.S. battery factory in Nevada.

“That’s got to be disassembled, brought over to the gigafactory and reassembled and then brought into operation at the gigafactory,” Tesla CEO Elon Musk said on a conference call earlier this week. “It’s not a question of whether it works or not. It’s just a question of disassembly, transport, and reassembly.”

The problem is, Tesla also recently told investors that by the end of next month, it expects to more than double Model 3 production. To avoid missing its goal of building 2,500 Model 3s per week, Tesla has only a few weeks to get its automated assembly line across the Atlantic.

Without the new assembly line, it’s hard to see how Tesla could build enough batteries to meet its production goals. But when that eventually does happen, expect to see a lot more Tesla Model 3s on the road.

Source: Automotive News