With two new factories ramping up production, Tesla's export hub in China cranking out cars, and plans underway for a new factory in Mexico sooner rather than later, the US EV maker's original factory in Fremont, California, may often get overlooked. However, upgrades are underway and new equipment seems to be coming in almost constantly.
Up until relatively recently, Tesla only relied on the lone factory in Fremont to produce EVs for markets across the globe. Now that Giga Texas and Giga Berlin are open and successfully ramping up, it's time for Tesla to push forward with more upgrades at its California factory.
A newly refreshed Model 3 "Highland" project is in the works and has been for some time. Tesla doesn't currently build the Model 3 in all of its factories, and camouflaged copies of the new Model 3 have been spotted near the Fremont factory.
More recently, we learned Tesla may also be updating the Model Y, which it build in all of its factories across the globe. However, the potential "Juniper" project may end up being less substantial than the Highland project.
At any rate, near-constant filings, along with the fact that physical work is nearly continuously underway at the Tesla Fremont factory, suggest that progress is imminent. In addition to repairing and upgrading manufacturing lines, Tesla is bringing in new machines and adding other related equipment inside the factory and in its permanent Sprung structures.
The upgrades are in preparation for the upcoming refreshed Model 3, and it's likely they'll also have an impact on the changes to the Model Y. Moreover, Tesla is also working on an area for Cybertruck battery production on the factory's second floor.
Filings discovered by Teslarati show that Tesla has made many improvements to its Fremont production lines, some of which include new installations and updated tools. The filings list such assembly line upgrades that occurred on five different days near the end of February and the beginning of March 2023. More recently, on March 9 and 10, Tesla installed new ground rollers and lifter tools at the plant.
Tesla has also been working on new automated quality control equipment, which should help it produce vehicles with more consistent build quality and fit and finish. As more compelling rivals come to market, especially those from tried-and-true legacy brands, Tesla stands to be scrutinized even more heavily over the quality of its EVs.
