Tesla Pitches Tent To Rush Out Model 3, Raising Quality Concerns

Under the gun to meet production goals for Tesla's Model 3 car, Elon Musk has developed a temporary solution all-too-common in the retail space to benefit his company.

Elon Musk, founder and CEO of Tesla and SpaceX
Elon Musk, Founder And Ceo Of Tesla And Spacex

Tesla has erected a 137K SF pop-up tent housing the general assembly line for the Model 3 beside its car factory in Fremont, California, Bloomberg reports. The pop-up factory was built over three weeks under temporary permits, some of which — like that for an overhead sprinkler system — are still pending. On Twitter, Musk boasted about the company's construction methods.

They also poured the concrete & built the whole assembly line using scrap we had in warehouses. And it’s way better than the other GA line that cost hundreds of millions!

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 19, 2018

Tesla has fallen far behind its initial production goals for the Model 3, which Musk has since blamed on faults in the Fremont factory's automated systems. Some manufacturing experts told Bloomberg the tent, which was made from spare parts in just three weeks, is cause for alarm.

“The chaos of how Musk is going about this makes it difficult for him to provide the standardized, repeatable work routines that allow people to function,” Lean Enterprise Institute founder James Womack said. “He’s going to need a second tent for repair and rework.”

The pop-up factory is already fully staffed by humans and will gradually integrate automation in stages. Musk pledged to produce 5,000 Model 3's per week by the end of June, and though time is running out, he exuded confidence in the tent system on Twitter.

Not sure we actually need a building. This tent is pretty sweet. Tesla Grohmann line is in place at Giga & spooling up now. They super kicked ass too. Heiliger Strohsack!

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 19, 2018

Continue reading this story with a free account

Log in or register
Related Topics: Elon Musk , Fremont , Tesla , Tesla Model 3
Sign up for more articles like this
Subscribe to Bisnow's National Newsletters
Related Stories

Hines And Rialto Close Office Credit Fund At $1.1B

Chipotle Adding Hundreds Of New Locations Worldwide

'Beyond A Routine Wobble': 10-Year Treasury Clears 5% Ahead Of Key Fed Meeting

Trump's DEI Crackdown Is Creating New Risks For Landlords That Lease To The Government

Airbnb Launches $250M Fund To Invest In Affordable Housing

Brookfield Buys Minority Stake In Hyperscale Data Center Developer AREP

Judge Dismisses Suit Alleging Alexandria Misled Investors Over Portfolio Strength

How Companies Can Eliminate Shadow AI And Gain Value From Artificial Intelligence Tools

Canadian CRE Investors Shrug Off Trade War, Spend $9B On U.S. Assets

Oxford Properties' U.S. Investment Head On Why It's Buying Office Again — And Where

Data Center IPO Wave Reveals A Variety Of New Strategies In Booming Sector

Lineage Suing Solar Company Altus Power Over Boyle Heights Warehouse Fire