Tesla kicks out the radar, will launch Tesla Vision in the USA; Tesla Semi deliveries will begin later this year

27 April 2021, 03:24:43

Tesla's Q1 2021 report contains several interesting pieces of information. But first things first - let's talk about production and deliveries. In the first quarter, Tesla has produced just over 180,000 vehicles and delivered nearly 185,000 vehicles. The new Model S and Model X have been "exceptionally well received", with the new equipment installed and tested in Q1 and Tesla in the early stages of ramping production.

In Fremont, Model Y production continued to ramp successfully and is approaching full capacity. In Texas, the factory buildout continues to progress quickly, remaining on track to start production and deliveries late this year. Equipment is being moved into the building and is in the process of commissioning them in certain areas.

Model Y ramp in Shanghai is progressing well. The Shanghai factory is expected to continue to increase quarterly production output through the year. Gigafactory Shanghai will continue to expand further over time. Tesla Semi deliveries will also begin in 2021.

In Europe, the buildout of Gigafactory Berlin is continuing to move forward, with production and deliveries remaining on track for late 2021. Machinery for paint, stamping, castings, etc., continues to be moved into the building. In the meantime, import volumes to Europe will be increased.

Tesla will switch to Tesla Vision in the US market soon. This will be the final variant of what's now the V9 version of FSD City Streets beta. The developers believe that a vision-only system is ultimately all that is needed for full autonomy. Tesla's AI-based software architecture has been increasingly reliant on cameras, to the point where radar is becoming unnecessary earlier than expected. As a result, our FSD team is fully focused on evolving to a vision-based autonomous system.

In Q1, Tesla managed to deal with global chip supply shortage issues by pivoting extremely quickly to new microcontrollers, while simultaneously developing firmware for new chips made by new suppliers.

News related to Tesla

Yesterday, LG Energy Solution said that it will invest 730 billion won in its Ochang facility to expand the production capacity of cylinder batteries. 580 million won of those will go to the site's second factory, increasing the 4680 batteries' annual capacity by 9 GWh. The rest of the investment will be used in the first factory for increasing by 4 GWh the annual capacity of the 2170 batteries. The production...

14 June 2022

Korean news outlet The Elec reports that according to its sources Samsung SDI is testing at least two versions of 4680 cylinder batteries which it started developing for Tesla. One of the variants follows the original specification announced by the brand. Another variant has a lower than 80 mm height - between 40 and 60 mm, while retaining the 46 mm diameter. The change in height is to make Samsung SDI's batteries...

1 June 2022

The first quarter of 2022 was another record quarter for Tesla by several measures such as revenues, vehicle deliveries, operating profit, and an operating margin of over 19%. In terms of revenues, automotive ones for Tesla have increased by 87% YoY to $16.861 billion with automotive gross profit increasing by 132% YoY. The operating income improved to $3.6B in Q1, resulting in a 19.2% operating margin. In Q1 of...

21 April 2022

NHK reports that Panasonic plans to build a plant in the USA to build 4680 batteries for Tesla. According to the media's sources, the Japanese company ponders on buying land in Oklahoma or Kansas. The latest Tesla gigafactory is in Texas, which borders Oklahoma state. A week ago, Panasonic officially said that it will commence producing batteries for Tesla in two years in its Wakayama factory. There's no official...

4 March 2022

Panasonic today announced that its Energy Company will establish a production facility at its Wakayama Factory in western Japan to manufacture the 4680 lithium-ion battery cells for electric vehicles (EVs) in order to expand its business globally. To contribute to the rapid adoption of EVs, Panasonic has been working to enhance its line-up of automotive lithium-ion batteries. Currently, Panasonic is developing the...

28 February 2022

The zero-emission Audi Q4 e-tron has risen to the top amid a stellar field of all-electric finalists to earn the coveted honor as Green Car Journal's 2022 Green Car of the Year. It's joined by an exceptional field of winners in five additional Green Car Awards categories including the Lucid Air, Chevrolet Bolt EUV, Hyundai IONIQ 5, BrightDrop EV600, and Tesla Model S Plaid. All-electric vehicles, the environmental...

5 November 2021

Tesla produced 206,421 and delivered 201,250 vehicles in Q2 of 2021. The number of Model 3 and Model Y units produced is 204,081 and the delivered - 199,360. The corresponding accumulative figures for the Model S and Model X are 2,340 and 1,890, respectively.

2 July 2021

The Tesla Model S Plaid has been officially presented at a delivery event in Fremont today which was ended with the first 25 deliveries of the new model. Several hundred units of Model S Plaid should be produced per week to reach 1000 units per week in Q3. The vehicle is priced at $130,000. There's a version without the tri-motor powertrain that costs $80,000 and has a longer range of 412 miles. Presented as the...

11 June 2021

New research from Canalys shows that a record 1.3 million electric vehicles (EVs) were sold in China in 2020. But year-on-year growth was modest at only 8%. In comparison, worldwide sales of EVs rocketed by 39% in 2020, as reported here. The Chinese government has been supportive of the transition to EVs, but several changes to EV-related policies and consumer subsidies in recent years disrupted the market and car...

22 February 2021

The 2021 Tesla Model X refresh is largely similar to that of the 2021 Model S. For a more detailed overview, you can check out the report on the Model S. It includes the updated drivetrain and battery pack as well as the interior with the new steering wheel (Yoke Steering), 17" Cinematic Display, tri-zone climate control, etc. The Model X retains its panoramic windshield and can also be configured up to 7 seats. On...

28 January 2021

Tesla has unveiled the long-awaited refresh of the Model S introducing a new drivetrain with technology already used by the Model 3 and Model Y, including carbon-sleeved rotors and torque vectoring for the Plaid and Plaid+ trims. In addition, while using the same 18650 cells, Tesla has redesigned the battery pack with new coolant channels and added the hear pump introduced on the Model 3 and Model Y. The redesigned...

28 January 2021

The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) of China has issued its latest list for approved new vehicles for the local market and another list for new NEV vehicles that are approved for the government's tax exemption purchase. The China-made Tesla Model Y with model code TSL6480BEVBA0 is included in those lists, meaning it can now be sold and the new owners of Model Y unit produced at Tesla Giga...

30 November 2020

Reuters reports that Panasonic develops the new 4680 battery cells for Tesla's vehicles. The information comes from Panasonic's CFO Hirokazu Umeda who shared this information during a briefing earlier today. He also said that Panasonic started working on the 4680 battery immediately after Tesla's Battery Day. Moroever, Panasonic is preparing to set up a prototype production line in parallel. An additional production...

29 October 2020

Twenty days ago Tesla released its production and delivery report for Q3 2020 and earlier today it has released its financial report. The main highlights of the report are: Total revenue grew 39% YoY in Q3 2020. Operating income improved in Q3 to a record level of $809M, resulting in a 9.2% operating margin. Fremont capacity of Model 3 / Model Y has been increased to 500,000 per year. Shanghai capacity of Model 3...

22 October 2020