"Dark Factories" — Chinese Automakers Living Tesla's Dream - CleanTechnica

The article discusses the contrast between Tesla’s early struggles with factory automation and the current advancements made by Chinese automakers in this area. Tesla initially aimed to fully automate its Model 3 production line but faced significant challenges that delayed mass production. Ultimately, Tesla had to revert to manual labor to stabilize production, and while automation has since increased, Tesla’s factories are still not fully automated. In contrast, Chinese automakers, exemplified by the young company Zeekr (founded in 2021), have embraced extensive automation to the point of operating “dark factories”—highly automated facilities that can run with minimal human presence, even with the lights off. Zeekr’s welding workshop reportedly employs over 800 robots simultaneously, enabling near-complete lights-out production and an annual output capacity of around 300,000 vehicles. This reflects China’s leading position in deploying industrial robots at scale within the automotive industry, surpassing other countries in automation integration.