Tesla Giga Berlin Has Begun Test Production of Front Single-Piece Castings for Model Y

Photo: Axel Turck/LinkedIn

Fixed: After writing this article, Axel Turck made it clear that this single-piece cast was made in Giga Texas and not in Giga Berlin.

Tesla Giga Berlin will be integral to the company's development strategy. By producing Model Y, and later other models for Europe and the Middle East, the factory will be able to meet the demand in these markets by gradually increasing Tesla's share of the global car market. After making significant progress in the construction of Giga Berlin, the company began test production of front-end single-piece castings for Model Y.

Managing Director of Emil Turck GmbH & Cie. KG Axel Turck shared a photo in his post on LinkedIn in which Tesla workers stand near a huge single-piece casting. In the background, they have a Giga Press OL 6100 CS which was started by Tesla in 2020 to produce chassis parts for Model Y. In the post, it is apparent that Turck was pleasantly excited to see the first cast produced by the massive machine.

"130kg shot weight, the big IDRA mother had to push hard. Congratulations to all Tesla "obstetricians."

The rest of the press could be a little thicker.

Luck on all foundries.

Now “our” arrogant automobile manufacturers with their bellies inflated by state aid are likely to get off their high horses.

Who would like to stay with us?"

The photo clearly shows that the cast piece made via Giga Press is significantly different from those that we have seen before. This gives confidence that this is not a rear-end single-piece casting for Model Y. Some community members have speculated that this could be a piece for Cybertruck or even Semi because, from the perspective, it seems much larger than it really is. However, the answer turned out to be obvious--that this is the front-end single-piece casting for Model Y.

At Battery Day in September 2020, Tesla said it will manufacture cars using front and rear single-piece casting. This will allow the company to arrange the new battery cells in a completely new way. With the new form factor, Tesla is able to minimize negative mass, thus increasing the density of the battery pack. The battery is then able to be positioned more efficiently, further reducing redundant structures within the packaging itself.

Source: Tesla

The car's chassis, with two one-piece molded parts for the front and rear, allows the battery to be placed in the middle. As a result, this greatly simplifies production. Also, because the battery can be located in the center of the car, its safety is increased. Now its cars can be even more protected from side impact. In addition, a centrally located battery enhances driving performance, namely agility. These improvements also result in a 10% weight reduction, a 14% increase in range, a significant reduction in the number of parts, and the overall increased structural integrity of the vehicle.



Comparison of the image from Battery Day and the part manufactured at Giga Berlin indicates that it was the front-end single-piece casting for Model Y. Cars made from the front and rear single-piece castings should be first to come from Giga Berlin, however delays in obtaining environmental approvals for the factory cast doubt on this.

Meanwhile, on May 16, the first front-end single-piece castings for Model Y were spotted at Giga Texas. This indicates that, despite the fact that construction there started after Giga Berlin, the deployment of operations at the factory is proceeding in parallel, which means that the overall speed is clearly faster. Thus, the start of production at Giga Texas of Model Y with the updated architecture could theoretically start even earlier than at Giga Berlin.

H/T @TeslaOwnersEBay/Twitter

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Article edited by @SmokeyShorts, you can follow him on Twitter

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