Watch Tesla Model 3 get built, and see how the car has quickly evolved

5 years, 3 months ago - 2 January 2019, Autoblog
Watch Tesla Model 3 get built, and see how the car has quickly evolved
There are still issues with the electric sedan

Tesla has had its fair share of problems building the Model 3 electric sedan, though you wouldn't know it from the above video. It shows the construction of a Model 3, but it's sped up to show the entire process in just 48 seconds.

This recent video surely looks different from earlier builds. Tesla has changed things up since it started building the Model 3, when it was experiencing "bottlenecks," repeated delays and problems with automation during what Elon Musk called "production hell." But it's not just the process that has changed. The Model 3s rolling off the line now have a number of differences from earlier builds. The following video from Teslatunity shows the actually differences in the product — and there are many — between an early and more recent VIN of the Model 3:

Certainly, there are still issues with the final product, even though Tesla takes pains to make sure every Model 3 is in tip-top shape before it leaves the factory. Jason Fenske of YouTube channel Engineering Explained recently took delivery of his own Tesla Model 3. As you can see, he found his own fair share of issues with the brand-new vehicle from paint blemishes to panel gaps.

There are some issues, though, that Tesla can deal with from afar, via over-the-air updates. One such issue has to do with the cold weather. Some customers in wintry climes complained of the charge door becoming frozen shut, barring access to the charge port. According to the release notes, Tesla lists the following under "Cold Weather Improvements": "When you set mobile preconditioning to HI, the climate system will better thaw your charge port in freezing conditions." The update also includes a setting to keep your climate control on while parked, at least as long as the car has at least 20 percent charge or more. As one Reddit user notes, though, they're "Still waiting for the 'web browser that actually works' update."

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