So are you an engineer on a Tesla factory line or do you work in Tesla's finance department? Tell me more about why casting an entire car body at once is more economical than doing it in sections. What do they do with the entire car body when it gets a ding or a defect - scrap the whole thing? Does the process pass a cost on to consumers through higher costs of repairs? How does the undercoating process work, without risking getting material on the to-be painted surfaces? Is the rigidity of this carefully-tuned process why Tesla isn't introducing new models very quickly (to avoid "manufacturing hell"?)?
And how in 100+ years of car manufacturing history, across dozens of brands and hundreds of factories, is Tesla the only company that could ever pull off this apparently revolutionary process? What'll they think of next, stainless steel car bodies? :)
You didn't watch this last time. And again, show lack any reasonable effort to do any research before you speak.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WNWYk4DdT_E
Also, it's just the Model Y AFAIK, none of the other models. Maybe that's cool, but I don't know how it is a huge competitive advantage. It isn't the whole body either: https://electrek.co/2021/10/05/tesla-building-model-y-bodies-single-front-rear-castings-manufacturing-first/
Audi also has cool unibody/frame technology but no one bids their stock up to nosebleed heights: https://www.audi-technology-portal.de/en/body/aluminium-bodies/audi-spaceframe-en
Audi never got it to scale. 550,000 since 1994?...One of the issues Tesla has solved with their alloys is they don't require a heat treat after casting which reduces cost and errors if the cast warps before treating. Criticism is fair for Tesla not innovating everything. They don't, but one of the things other automakers can't replicate is the shared information on metallurgy skunkworks that Tesla and SpaceX collaborate on. As far as I'm aware, Audi and Lockheed Martin don't collaborate on alloys.
I watched the video, not impressed. Basically a dude mansplaining using a lot of superlatives and very little actual data. Even his evolution of the horse analogy didn't make sense.
Looking at the rear end of the single cast, it's obvious that repairs will be very expensive compared to vehicles where the rear quarter panel can be replaced.
ETA: To be clear, the single cast body may be very impressive, I just don't think the video is convincing. I'm skeptical by nature (though not cynical), show me the numbers on how much this saves, improves margins, scaling, etc. What's the hard data showing this is a competitive advantage, and why should anyone believe that other automakers can't easily replicate the process (looks like Volvo is already investing in megacasting). And again, what's the repairability story -- I don't mean the underlying frame which always results in a total loss if damaged -- but rather aesthetic body panels.
The man you deride as “mansplaining” the advantages of Tesla’s engineering and manufacturing process has roughly 50 years of direct industry experience. He worked internally as an engineer for the Detroit OEMs. He runs his own successful and reputable business doing vehicle tear downs. Many OEMs buy his detailed reports. What is your experience in this realm?
If you watched the video I question your comprehension skills. All the questions you are asking are answered in the video by an actual expert in the field. Munro prices out the entire vehicle, down to the smallest washer, nut and bolt. They price out the raw material and labor costs as well. They know precisely what it costs to manufacture each vehicle they tear down. Have you priced out every component and the manufacturing costs of the Model Y?
Intuitively, if you are replacing dozens of largely outsourced components and replacing it with a single, vertically integrated casting you are saving money and time (which is money). You no longer have to order, store, move about the factory, and assemble dozens of parts. Instead, a gigapress machine creates a single casting in a matter of seconds. Fewer parts means less things that can go wrong in the supply chain, during assembly, and down the road (recalls). This opens up factory floor space, requires far less labor, and less equipment (welders, etc.).
As for damage, Sandy says it right in the video. If the steel understructure of an OEM car is bent the car is totaled. The aluminum alloy casting of the Tesla is super strong. If it does crack, it can be welded and the vehicle is not totaled. You are talking about vehicle panels, but those are not part of the casting Tesla is using or Munro is praising. The entire understructure of the Tesla model Y consists of two mega-castings attached to a structural battery pack. The body panels are then attached to this structure, just like in other cars. If a Tesla panel is dinged, the body panel can be replaced.
You continue to ask endless questions to which the answers are readily available in most cases and play it off as healthy skepticism. Showing your ignorance in the process. Being skeptical is great, being intransigent or immovable in the face of direct, contradictory answers to your questions from subject matter experts is not.
As I see it you really have two choices. 1) Accept the conclusion of one of the leading experts in the field when he says the Tesla castings represent a major step forward in the industry and significant cost savings. 2) Buy Munro’s Tesla Model Y report. Buy a model Y. Tear down the Model Y, pricing out each component piece by piece. Compare your findings to Munro’s findings.
We look forward to your findings.
If my tone is snarky, understand its because I have no patience left for internet experts that have been proven wrong about Tesla time and time again over the years, but jump from “concern” to “concern" while offering no expertise. Most have no position in Tesla and aren’t considering one, but are “concerned" over how others invest their money. I wouldn’t even feel compelled to respond, but for the fear some may mistake their “concerns” for actual insight.
Meanwhile, the market makers have decided they’re unlikely to push TSLA down any further. So, after fleecing retail longs, those on margin, and option holders on the way down, they’ll now load up on cheap shares and fleece the retail shorts on the way back up. Wall Street loves volatility. My not advice, buy and hold for the long term (two years minimum). Stock is up 30% year-to-date, but still down more than 50% from ATH.