Tesla teases an innovative assembly line for its cheap EV

As it is preparing to release a $25,000 electric vehicle, Tesla Inc. feels there is a need for a brand-new conveyor belt design in the industry. According to InsideEVs, the company calls it “Unboxed” and argues that it is much more efficient than the conventional designs.

It is speculated that Tesla may launch this new production line in late 2025 at the earliest. The main idea behind it is that there’s no single belt running from start to finish. The traditional designs are all based around a conveyor line carrying a car frame as various components get attached to it. Tesla mockingly calls it a “metal box approach”.

In the proposed new factory arrangement, the assembly takes place in separate facilities that then send their prefabs to a central facility for finalization.

The authors behind the idea reckon it could save up to 40% space while cutting the manufacturing costs by half – all while keeping the efficiency on the same level. With the processes streamlined like that, Tesla expects to undercut the end prices of EVs worldwide.

In early 2024, insiders reported that Tesla was in talks with vendors regarding the parts it needed for its most affordable EV so far. Back then, the sources said the earliest the car could arrive to the market was mid-2025. If all goes well, we might as well see the rumored Model 2 debut at the end of the current year – but we wouldn’t count on that, considering the company’s track record.