Electric vehicle giant Tesla has been developing and employing cutting-edge technologies to boost production and maintain its dominant position in the rapidly growing industry.
Giga Berlin has its own “Godzilla”
Tesla welcomed a journalist to the Gigafactory Berlin in Grünheide, Germany, for the first time. Roland Tameling of the Fully Charged Show is apparently the first one to get a tour of the German factory.
Tesla has a history of playful and quirky approaches to its electric vehicles, even expanding them to its production hubs. According to the report, it calls two gigantic robots in Gigafactory Berlin “Godzilla” and “King Kong.”
Tesla’s Godzilla, one of the biggest industrial robots ever, is apparently the one responsible for lifting each electric car body into the paint shop after over six hundred robots put all the stamped body panels and chassis castings together.
As you can see in the video above, the enormous yellow robotic arm operates on its own axis and seamlessly lifts the Tesla Model Y. Unfortunately, Mr. Rameling did not disclose the “King Kong” robot’s functions.
About the Giga Berlin
Giga Berlin is currently the only electric vehicle production hub of the Musk-led electric automaker in Europe.
Tesla asserts that Giga Berlin is currently its most advanced and sustainable factory, surpassing those in Nevada, Texas, and Shanghai. The site spans across 1.2 square miles, approximately the size of 31 soccer fields.
The German factory produces the popular Tesla Model Y crossover. It also manufactures battery cells, packs, and electric drivetrain components for the world’s best-selling vehicle. It currently has an estimated annual production capacity of 375,000 units.
Giga Berlin manages to crank out such a high number of electric vehicles and critical components through its minimalist approach.
“We deleted a lot of processes that are not really necessary. This gives us the possibility of building a longer paint line to offer special colors.”
One of Tesla’s paint shop engineers stated in the video
It is also worth noting that the Tesla Model Y’s rear underbody consists of only one part. According to Tesla’s quality control engineer, they first melt aluminum at 700 degrees Celsius through the giga presses and then convert it into a large giga casting. This approach cuts the need to assemble 70 individual parts together. Impressively, the casting comes out within just seconds after the raw materials hit the giga presses.
Game-changer in EV production
The Godzilla’s enormous size and powerful capabilities can seamlessly and rapidly lift heavy components, such as the Tesla Model Y’s body, to bring it to its next destination within the production line.
This innovative robot has high precision, reducing mistakes and ensuring consistent product quality.
Tesla’s move to automate labor-intensive processes through robots like Godzilla can increase the overall production volume of electric vehicles, potentially enabling it to remain the leading all-electric brand amid the surge of aspiring rivals.
