See How Tesla Tore Down The Model S Factory To Build Robots Instead

The Fremont factory built the world’s first truly modern EV. A part of it is now being converted into a humanoid robot plant.

Tesla Model S and Model X assembly line decommissioning

Photo by: Tesla

Iulian Dnistran

By: Iulian Dnistran

Jul 13, at 3:30am ET

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The assembly line that used to manufacture the Tesla Model S and Model X has been decommissioned.
Tesla shared a short video of the process, saying that the process took just 46 days.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk said that the Fremont factory will eventually churn out 1 million robots annually.

The assembly line that built the world’s first truly modern electric car has been decommissioned after 14 years. Tesla started mass production of the Model S at the former General Motors and Toyota factory in Fremont, California, in 2012, with the Model X SUV joining the lineup in 2015.

That chapter is now officially over, as the part of the factory that used to assemble the two flagship EVs has been stripped out to make room for humanoid robots. Tesla shared a short video showing the decommissioning process of the original Model S and Model X assembly line, saying that the whole process took just 46 days.

The company also builds the Model 3 and Model Y in Fremont, but they’re not going anywhere anytime soon, seeing how they’re still America’s best-selling EVs. In the case of the Model S and Model X, however, they went from headline-makers to afterthoughts. Their high prices, compared to the Model 3 and Model Y, slowly but surely led to low sales figures, to the point where they were bundled with the Cybertruck in the “Other Models” category in the company’s quarterly reports.

That said, their importance in the car industry should not be underestimated. The Model S revolutionized electric car ownership, paving the way for today’s EVs. The Model X was based on the same platform but offered a little more interior space and came with a set of extremely complicated “Falcon” rear doors.

Production of the Model S and Model X ended earlier this year, with the final units rolling off the now-decommissioned assembly line in May. On the same floor that churned out hundreds of thousands of EVs, Tesla will install factory equipment that will assemble its Optimus humanoid robot.

Tesla Optimus

Photo by: Tesla

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Elon Musk, the company’s CEO, said at the beginning of the year that the new robot plant will eventually churn out one million units every year, though a concrete timeline has not been established yet. What’s more, the company hasn’t released a meaningful public update on its two-legged robot since December of last year.

That said, Tesla has claimed that Optimus will be “the biggest product ever made.” The company has been running a pilot production line at its Fremont factory, and has ramped up hiring efforts this year.