Tesla rolls off 10 millionth electric drive system at Gigafactory Shanghai

Beijing (Gasgoo)- On August 1, Tesla announced via its Weibo account that it has reached a significant milestone with its global 10 millionth electric drive system produced at the Gigafactory Shanghai on July 31.

Photo credit: Tesla

The electric drive system is a core component of electric vehicles, consisting of the drive motor, motor controller, and transmission. Tesla said its electric drive system has undergone four generations of technological iterations, according to information online.

The first-generation system was used in the Roadster, featuring an asynchronous induction motor licensed from AC Propulsion and IGBT single-tube parallel technology in the controller. This early version was less known and had limited production.

The second-generation electric drive system was used in the Model S and Model X, featuring a three-dimensional structure in the controller, with the asynchronous motor and controller symmetrically arranged.

The third-generation electric drive system debuted in the Model 3 and Model Y, which also marked Tesla’s inaugural use of a permanent magnet synchronous motor and silicon carbide power devices in the controller. The design became more compact.

The fourth-generation electric drive system optimized the protection for the output three-phase electrical connection and added an infrared temperature sensor. It also introduced friction stir welding for the controller's connectors, further reducing costs. Additionally, the motor oil filter housing was cast in one piece with an internal, non-replaceable filter element.