Tesla is working to transform a constructing at the moment used as a warehouse in Fremont into a serious new R&D lab and automobile testing facility centered on bettering reliability.
In recent times, Tesla has been increasing its presence in Fremont approach past its manufacturing unit.
We reported final 12 months on Tesla moving 1,500 employees to large new office buildings in Fremont and the corporate additionally operates a number of different services within the metropolis.
Electrek obtained constructing plans that Tesla submitted to the Fremont Planning Division to switch the zoning of a constructing on Kato street final month.
Based on these plans, Tesla is engaged on changing a location at the moment listed as a “warehouse” into a serious R&D location that may embrace a automobile R&D lab, a “Future Power Reliability Lab”, a automobile testing facility and places of work.
Tesla’s beforehand “accepted use” of the 302,400 sq. foot constructing was principally for a warehouse, but in addition for a service heart and repair coaching facility.
Now the automaker is asking for the authorization to vary to facility right into a R&D heart the place over 250 workers could be working in labs and at a big automobile testing facility.
Listed here are the brand new plans for the constructing:
Based on the submitting, the primary R&D area could be outfitted with “automobile lifts, check chambers, workshops, and storages.”
The “Future Power Reliability Lab”, which goes to be situated in a smaller eight,500 sq-ft area, goes to be outfitted with “check chambers, a workshop, and Photo voltaic Power Product Testing Tools.”
Tesla plans to have about 100 workers engaged on analysis and growth on the location.
As for the automobile testing facility, which goes to take the majority of the area (165,500 sq-ft), it will have a “crash monitor, a crash sled, check chambers, autos lifts, and labs.”
The automaker plans for 146 engineers and technicians to be working on this division.
A few of the area is being “put aside for future R&D makes use of which haven’t but been additional outlined”, in line with Tesla’s proposal with the Metropolis of Fremont.
The main focus of the situation seems to be reliability testing.
Tesla is at the moment itemizing a few dozen positions for engineers and technicians associated to reliability in Fremont.
Right here’s the outline for a ‘Reliability Engineering Technician in Power Storage & Supercharging Techniques’ place listed on Tesla’s career website:
“Tesla’s vitality reliability group is in search of a talented and motivated technician to help the event of latest vitality and supercharging merchandise. The first work is situated in our well-equipped lab, constructing, debugging and testing our varied electronics, battery, and thermal programs and elements.”
Tesla can be in search of “Engineering Technicians for Reliability & Take a look at in Fremont”.
The automaker describes the place:
“This place will work as a member of Tesla’s Engineering Take a look at Workforce to help automobile degree testing for Reliability and Sturdiness checks carried out in-house and at exterior check labs. The first goal of this position is to keep up and guarantee secure and dependable efficiency of check autos and conduct automobile degree checks in accordance with Tesla check procedures. The profitable candidate for this place should have a broad background in automotive upkeep and testing.”
CEO Elon Musk just lately set some bold objectives in terms of the reliability of Tesla’s autos.
Musk said that they built Model 3 to last as long as a commercial truck, a million miles, and the battery modules ought to final between 300,000 miles and 500,000 miles.
He additionally added that Tesla is working on a new battery that lasts 1 million miles and it may come out as quickly as subsequent 12 months.
Electrek’s Take
It’s humorous as a result of Elon just lately mentioned that “the most effective service isn’t any service” and Tesla is specializing in bettering reliability in order that house owners will virtually by no means need to carry their automobile to service and Tesla is now actually turning a service coaching facility right into a reliability lab.
In fact, I’m positive that Tesla is planning on doing service coaching some other place and the corporate truly moved a whole lot of its coaching on-line, but it surely’s nonetheless an fascinating flip of occasion.
Elon seems to be critical about his bold reliability objectives for Tesla.
With the appearance of self-driving automobiles, autos are going to see much more hours of operation in a a lot shorter time frame. It is not going to be uncommon to see automobiles doing over 80,000 miles per 12 months.
Automakers who make their self-driving automobiles extra dependable are going to get much more worth out of them and obtain decrease price of per mile.
If you don’t have a driver and you’re operating on electrical energy, upkeep and the amortization of the automobile are beginning to play a much bigger position in the price per mile of a self-driving automobile.
Tesla is actually considering forward right here as a way to be aggressive in a future the place lots of people, if not most individuals, are going to be touring round in a shared fleet of all-electric self-driving autos for a set price per mile. It ought to significantly cut back the price of transport and each cent goes to depend as a way to be aggressive.
Subscribe to Electrek on YouTube for exclusive videos and subscribe to the podcast.
