Tesla relied on too many ‘robots’ to build Model 3

san francisco — Tesla’s Elon Musk, who’s built up an aura around how automated his car assembly plant will be, has good news for humans: We still need your help.

“Excessive automation at Tesla was a mistake. To be precise, my mistake,” the CEO wrote in a tweet on Friday, hours after CBS aired an interview in which he acknowledged putting too many robots in Tesla’s lone auto factory. “Humans are underrated.”

It was a significant concession by Musk, 46, who boasted less than a year ago that Tesla was building a competitive advantage over established automakers by programming robots to quickly produce vehicles. Instead, Tesla has struggled to hit targets for the Model 3, the first sedan the company has tried to massmanufacture and eventually sell for as little as $35,000.

Excessive use of robots has

Yes, excessive automation at Tesla was a mistake. To be precise, my mistake. Humans are underrated.

Elon Musk @elonmusk

been one of the factors holding Tesla back from making more Model 3s at its factory in Fremont, California, the chief executive officer said in an interview with CBS This Morning.

“We had this crazy, complex network of conveyor belts, and it wasn’t working, so we got rid of that whole thing,” said Musk, wearing a black Tesla cap and safety glasses.

Analyst Max Warburton saw this mea culpa coming. He was the lead author of a Sanford C. Bernstein & Co report last month that called Tesla’s belief it could automate most aspects of making the Model 3 a “fallacy.” — Bloomberg