Electric vehicle giant Tesla has achieved another significant milestone – the production of the 10 millionth drive unit from its existing factories.
Tesla celebrates 10M drive unit production milestone
On Wednesday, Tesla proudly announced the 10 million drive unit production milestone on popular social media platform X.
As you can see in the post above, the production team posed for a photo behind the jubilee drive unit. While Tesla did not disclose the specific production location, the drive unit seemed to be produced in Giga Shanghai in China.
Tesla Chief Elon Musk reposted the X post and congratulated the team for this major accomplishment.
“Congrats to the Tesla drivetrain team!”
Tesla CEO Elon Musk
The announcement came just less than two months after Giga Nevada produced its five millionth drive unit. In this sense, the majority of Tesla’s drive unit production seems to be manufactured in Giga Nevada, which supplies the EV production in the Fremont Factory.
What does a drive unit do?
A drive unit is also known as a powertrain or propulsion system. It is a critical component of an electric vehicle that converts electrical power from the battery into mechanical energy. This converted energy will then power an electric vehicle’s wheels.
Notably, it consists of several components, including the electric motor, transmission, and inverter.
Tesla builds every part of its drive units from scratch, boasting a production rate of 1 drive unit per 5 seconds.
Tesla Manufacturing also noted that the current cost of its drive units is less than 50% of the original Model S drive unit.
Tesla’s EV deliveries in Q2 2024
Tesla published its Q2 2024 report nearly a month after Giga Nevada’s five millionth drive unit milestone.
The Musk-led company delivered 443,956 electric vehicles in the April to June 2024 period, bringing its total deliveries to over 6 million units since the original Roadster era in early 2008.
The recent 10 millionth drive unit milestone would undoubtedly aid Tesla in further expanding its global fleet. Most of these drivetrains went to the Model 3 sedan and Model Y SUV, as they currently account for the majority of the brand’s global sales.
Tesla’s drivetrain team will certainly become busier in the coming months as the company plans to launch new and affordable models in early 2025, including the robotaxi and Roadster, among others.
