Cost to build a Tesla Model 3: $28k (German teardown study)

Rei writes: An interesting report came out the other day from Germany, where an engineering firm purchased four Tesla Model 3s on the grey market to study on behalf of an anonymous major German auto manufacturer. Among their key findings: due in part to a huge reduction in cobalt in the batteries (2,8% in the cathodes versus a typical 8%) and a number of simplifications, the parts cost of a Model 3 (in units of 10k/wk) is estimated at $18k, along with $10k in production costs. Note that the teardown was for the long-range version with the premium upgrades package. On Reddit, users with access to the full report added further details. The 75kWh battery is 40% of the components cost ($7200); the interior is completely symmetric (facilitating RHD); there are only 4 kinds of screws used in the underbody (a typical German luxury manufacturer uses 40); many parts of the car are designed specifically so as to be easier for robots to grab; and the battery pack is harder to remove than on the S/X (e.g. not battery swap capable). After studying the individual components, they concluded that German EV manufacturers would not be capable of producing a similar vehicle at this point in time.

Asked on Twitter whether Musk agreed with their price conclusions at a rate of 10k/wk, Musk replied "Definitely." That said, Tesla is still in the process of moving from 3,5k to 5-6k per week by the end of this quarter, and is not expected to reach 10k/wk until next year.