Last Thursday, Tesla announced that the first Model S would be delivered in exactly one month – June 22nd. As you can imagine, this is a very exciting time for Tesla, as well as the automotive industry as a whole. We’ve been following the development of the Model S since the beginning, and we’re glad to see it being brought to fruition.
It’s hard to believe it is has been just three years since the beginning of development, and less than two since the purchase of the former Toyota-General Motors NUMMI factory in Fremont, California. Everything has been completed in record time, and – so far – without a hitch. They’ve even managed to move the launch date up a month, unheard of for a startup effort.
Along with giving us an official date, last week the company also announced the Inside Tesla blog series. Each Tuesday leading up to the car’s launch, the company has promised to show off part of the car or its manufacturing process. The series will culminate with a launch event that is streamed live on the Tesla’s website. The first installment features Tesla’s stamping machine. Tesla says it is one of the few companies in the world to be producing a steel-reinforced aluminum car, which is a weight-saving measure. The Model S body production process begins with a nearly 20,000-pound aluminum coil.
It is fed into what is called the Blanking/Press Line. The machine is reportedly the largest of its kind in North America, with the ability to produce one part every six seconds – things like doors and hoods. Having this machine on site reduces the need to outsource component production, another hallmark of the Tesla production model – everything that can be in house is in house. Enough talk though, check the machine out in action via Tesla’s video below.
