Cybertruck Manufacturing Is a Disaster, Tesla Insiders Say
It’s looking increasingly likely that Tesla is facing serious trouble with the production of its recently announced Cybertruck â and we’re not talking about the pickup’s highly unusual bulletproof stainless steel exoskeleton or massive glass panels. As Tesla insiders told Reuters, the EV maker’s main bottleneck when it comes to building the Cybertruck is actually producing the vehicle’s next-generation 4680 lithium-ion battery cells, roughly 1,360 of which are needed for each Cybertruck.
The Battery Cell Challenge
Tesla is attempting a new approach to producing the cells by dry-coating electrodes, a faster and cheaper process on paper. However, the company has yet to figure out how to scale up the process to power entire cars with them. According to battery technology consultant Yuan Gao, dry coating anodes and cathodes is unproven for EVs on a “mass scale and at a high enough speed,” making Tesla the first to attempt commercializing this technology.
Production Capacity
If Tesla plans to produce 250,000 Cybertrucks, it would need to produce almost one million 4680 cells a day. Currently, the Giga Texas factory is only producing at a rate sufficient for 24,000 Cybertrucks a year, indicating an urgent need to overcome the production constraints.
Challenges Beyond Batteries
Aside from battery cells, bending the thick stainless steel panels that cover the Cybertruck has also proven to be a challenging aspect of the manufacturing process. Additionally, the delivery of Cybertrucks has been slow, with reports suggesting only a limited number have been handed over following the chaotic delivery event.
Musk’s Perspective
Tesla CEO Elon Musk acknowledges the enormity of the challenges in reaching volume production with the Cybertruck and making it cashflow positive. Musk, who is familiar with production challenges at Tesla, emphasized the significant hurdles faced in bringing the Cybertruck to full-scale production during Tesla’s Q3 quarterly earnings call earlier this year.
Future of Cybertruck Production
Production volume of the Cybertruck, according to Musk, is expected to come to fruition only in 2025, signifying the magnitude of the task ahead for Tesla. As Musk stated, “We dug our own grave with the Cybertruck.” However, there is optimism that once the production challenges are overcome, there will be a substantial increase in speed and traction in dry coating technology.
Conclusion
The challenges in manufacturing the Cybertruck are evident, and it’s clear that Tesla has a monumental task ahead to overcome these obstacles. The innovative approaches taken by Tesla, particularly in the production of next-generation battery cells, demonstrate the company’s commitment to pushing technological boundaries. However, the road to achieving full-scale production and profitability with the Cybertruck remains paved with significant difficulties.
References
Reuters:”Tesla insiders: Cybertruck manufacturing is a disaster”
Source: futurism
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