Tesla temporarily suspends Model 3 production to improve automation

Tesla has temporarily shut down the Model 3 car production line. A Tesla spokesperson has confirmed to BuzzFeed that there is a hiatus so that automation can be improved.

This is a temporary break from the production process of a total of four or five days, Tesla employees report to Buzzfeed. They said the shutdown came out of the blue and no warning was given. Most of the employees reportedly have to take holidays or unpaid leave.

There was also a temporary pause in Model 3 production between February 20 and 24, Bloomberg reported in March based on statements from Tesla. Even then, production was shut down for a few days to ‘improve automation and eliminate bottlenecks’. This temporary hiatus was termed “not uncommon” by Tesla.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk recently announced that too many robots were used in the production of the Model 3. According to him, it is because of this that the production numbers of this model are still not at the desired level. Musk wants more people to be added to the production process. Two weeks ago, Tesla reported that the target of 2,500 Model 3s rolling off the production line has still not been met. In the first week of April, approximately 2020 copies of the Model 3 were built.

This relatively cheap Tesla model has been a source of concern for the manufacturer for some time, with the set production numbers invariably not being achieved. Earlier, Musk reported that this isn’t just related to the high degree of automation; battery problems also play a role and the fact that the Model 3 consists of much more steel compared to the Model S and X, which means more welding is required.