You could probably forgive the 400,000+ folks waiting their Tesla Model 3 for being a tad peeved Elon Musk sent a Roadster into space this week.
“So space can get a Tesla delivery, but we can’t?” you can envision some Model 3 pre-order customers — who slapped down $1,000 for the privilege — saying.
Thankfully, with the SpaceX Falcon Heavy launch (Roadster cargo ‘n all) out of the way, Musk is back to addressing the bottlenecks holding up Model 3 production.
Musk says Tesla is closing in on its goal of producing a whopping 5,000 Model 3 sedans per week.
During the firm’s latest earnings call, the entrepreneur said: “If we can send a Roadster to the asteroid belt, we can probably solve Model 3 production. It’s just a matter of timing.”
“What we can say with confidence is that we are taking many actions to systematically address bottlenecks and these actions should result in our production rate significantly increasing during the rest of Q1 and through Q2.”
The losses are mounting
During the final three months of 2017 the company delivered only 1,542 Model 3 cars, compared to 29,967 motors overall. That means Tesla is going to have to dramatically increase production in order to live up to its lofty goals.
Related: New Telsa Roadster speeds revealed
Last month the company hit back against reports it was experiencing major and potentially dangerous production issues. CNBC sources claimed the company is “not close” to producing the batteries required for its most affordable electric car yet.
Musk admitted this week: “Module production is the limiting factor in Model 3 production, which is ironic because that should be the thing we’re best at.”
The next problem for Tesla is to start making some money. It just announced quarterly losses of $675 million. Hitting that production goal Model 3 production goal could be key to securing the e-car pioneer’s long-term success.
Are you a Model 3 fancier patiently waiting for delivery? Have you resigned yourself to long delays? Or does this give you hope? Let us know @TrustedReviews on Twitter.
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.