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Almost one month ago to the day we announced one of the biggest milestones in Tesla’s history…our first customer deliveries of Model S. Over the past four weeks we have enjoyed welcoming you into the birthplace of Model S and sharing with you a collection of images highlighting each segment of the Model S manufacturing process. This week we share with you the final video of our Inside Tesla series. Watch as we infuse soul into your Model S on the Final Assembly line.
FINAL ASSEMBLY
After a final coat of paint and clear coat, Model S is transported to the assembly center on automated SmartCarts that follow magnetic tape strips on the floor. Along the way, robots use high-definition 3D cameras to accurately position the panoramic roof. The interior seats, center console, and instrument cluster are all installed as SmartCarts continue to move Model S through the assembly line. Then the drivetrain and battery modules are precision-lifted and secured. After the final exterior components, such as tires, wheels and emblems are added, your car is powered up for the first time.
Before leaving the factory, every Model S undergoes stringent quality tests on a uniquely designed final inspection platform with premium quality bamboo flooring and LED lighting. The car is inspected by Tesla associates for perfect body fit and appearance. Your Model S then enters the industry’s first all-glass water test booth, where it is sprayed by water from 360 stationary nozzles to ensure your car has perfect water tightness. Tesla’s water test booth holds 1,500 gallons of water that is purified and re-used for each test to minimize wasted resources.
As a final quality test before Model S is ready to be shipped, every car is tested on Tesla’s indoor confirmation track – North America’s first. Though most confirmation test tracks are outdoors, Tesla’s zero emissions powertrain makes an indoor test track possible.
We’ve included more photos of the Assembly Center in our Tesla Gallery.
GET AMPED MODEL S TOUR UPDATE
We sent out invites this past weekend to our first stop on theGet Amped Model S Tour. All test drive slots for the Fremont, California event have now been filled. We are looking forward to seeing 700 smiling faces this weekend. We will start sending out invitations later this week for the Los Angeles tour stop.
We learned a lot from the first set of invitations, and will be making a few changes in response to suggestions we received this past weekend, after our first set of invitations went out. Invitations will continue to go out exactly as previous described, in sequence number order to Model S Reservation Holders who did not sign up for a test drive this past weekend. However, we will be including three RSVP options going forward. We heard from numerous Reservation Holders that they do not need a test drive, and others who would prefer to wait until the Get Amped Tour comes to their area. With that in mind, there will now be three RSVP options to choose from going forward:
- RSVP yes and choose a test drive time slot for the current tour stop
- Decline the current invitation, but stay on the invite list for future tour stops
- Decline the current invitation and all future invitations because you prefer not to test drive
Having these three options will make it easier for us to know how many invitations to send out for each tour stop, and will prevent emails from going to people who prefer not to test drive. Thanks to everyone who sent us these suggestions. We appreciate your input and always try to accommodate them when possible.
We are looking forward to this weekend as we get you behind the wheel for the first time. I can hardly wait!
OPPORTUNITY CONSOLE
Last week we announced that all ten colors of Model S will be at our first two Get Amped Tour stops and I can’t wait to hear what you think of them. In fact, I’m also looking forward to hearing your thoughts on something else we have been working on for the past several months.
There have been a lot of suggestions about what could be done with the area between the two front seats. It was initially designed to be an open area for you to easily store everything from a backpack to a purse, and many people are looking forward to doing exactly that. However, we have received several requests to add compartments, shelves or phone holders to make this area more organized. This seemed like a great opportunity to make Model S customizable to be what YOU WANT it to be. So, we have officially dubbed this area the “Opportunity Console,” and set out to design exactly the type of functional enhancements you have requested.
This weekend, we will be displaying the first prototypes of our Opportunity Console elements for you to see. These are not yet finalized, so we look forward to hearing your feedback and suggestions. The prototypes we will be showing this weekend are not for sale, but are being shown to you, our customers, to get your input so we can focus our effort on functionality that is most important to you. After your test drive, let us know what you think, or feel free to leave a comment on the Tesla Motors Club forum. We’ve created a thread on the forum to gather your input.
As I said above, many people like the area between the front seats exactly the way it is, so we will continue to offer this area as originally planned. The additional Opportunity Console options are in response to customer requests, and will be made available as soon as we finalize designs based upon your input.
FRIDAY, JUNE 22, 2012 at 3:30 p.m. PDT
It’s really happening. In three days, we will be delivering Model S. I've heard from many of you that you would like to be a part of this incredible occasion, and we definitely want you to be there. In order to make this happen we will be providing a live webcast of the event on our Inside Tesla page. Join us from your home, office, or mobile device at around 3:30 p.m. PST this Friday to watch some of our very first Model S customers receive their keys. For many of us, this is something we have been looking forward to for a long, long time. We hope you join us to share this incredible moment.
I look forward to seeing many of you this weekend at the Fremont test drive event and look forward to your recommendations on the Opportunity Console. Next week will be the final installment of Inside Tesla. It will be filled with lots of images and anecdotes from our delivery event.
The countdown is now almost complete and it’s time for you to drive Model S. See you on the road!
GeorgeB
