Fukuta supply role to Tesla

[Johan]

Why would Elon Musk trust a ting obscure supplier for the most important component of the Tesla Model S and X?

It seems this sentence is the reason you believe this issue of Fukuta being a supplier for motor components is of such importance? Or is there some other reason you seem to think this is so important, than I'm not able to grasp?

Reading Stephen's post I'm inclined to think Fukuda isn't the only possible supplier in the whole world for steel lamination stacks suitable for use in AC induction car motors built by Tesla. I'm also very inclined to believe the fact that going forward to Model 3 even more of the motor production will be vertically integrated, as Stephen suggests.

So to answer your question as to why Elon would "trust and obscure supplier" for the "most important component" (I would argue there are many equally important components, but that's semantics) the likely answer is he wouldn't and he doesn't. But if your definition of who "makes" the motor is who supplies it's subcomponents then I suggest you go look up where Fukuta gets their materials and subcomponents, and then you could likely argue that it's not really Fukuta making the components but someone else "actually making" what Fukuta in turn supplies Tesla with.

 

[Avenger]

Here is a Fukuta image that will look more familiar to Tesla Motors fans FUKUTA ELEC. & MACH. CO, LTD.

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Very tough to sell a high end performance EV when you are using the lowest cost provider! Elon Musk and Tesla Motors avoid talking about the motor....when a friend buys a car ... all I want to know about is the motor and transmission. I have a Hybrid which I love, I love the CVT transmission and the regenerative breaking.

 

[Johan]

Very tough to sell a high end performance EV when you are using the lowest cost provider! Elon Musk and Tesla Motors avoid talking about the motor....when a friend buys a car ... all I want to know about is the motor and transmission. I have a Hybrid which I love, I love the CVT transmission and the regenerative breaking.

Not at all. In the last conference call the said explicitly that their internal longevity goal for the electric drive train would be 1 million miles or in principle that it "never wears out".

 

[Avenger]

They were telling fibs! A million mile electric motor is not likely in our lifetime......the motor will be available about the time that Elon Musk complete the first Martian Colony.

Electric motors - don't last forever. No mention of the special materials they plan to use???

 

[Johan]

Articles re Tesla—Fact or Fiction?

They were telling fibs! A million mile electric motor is not likely in our lifetime......the motor will be available about the time that Elon Musk complete the first Martian Colony.

Electric motors - don't last forever. No mention of the special materials they plan to use???

I'm not saying how likely or unlikely this goal is, my comment was a reply to your suggesting that Tesla is unwilling to speak about their motor/drivetrain which seems a strange statement to make considering they have talked in great detail about it and seem in general confident it will outlast most other parts of the car and they seem proud of the level of quality and durability they have achieved.

Also Avenger, since you keep posting these bits of information, screenshots from Fukuta's website etc, you must have some kind of point but it's lost on most of us. How is the information you bring up interesting or important? Please enlighten us.

 

[ggr]

They were telling fibs! A million mile electric motor is not likely in our lifetime......the motor will be available about the time that Elon Musk complete the first Martian Colony.

Electric motors - don't last forever. No mention of the special materials they plan to use???

They last a very long time. The only parts that can actually wear out are the bearings, and we've been making long lasting bearings for a very long time indeed. And what special materials? Very pretty copper wire, with epoxy resin, and some formed iron? (If you mention rare earth metals, bzzzt.)

 

[Avenger]

Elon Musk implies that the motor is built by Tesla - when it is not, big recall in Norway because of motor manufacturing issues, ConsumerReports and Edmunds both had comments about low reliability of motor. Luxury buyers would not be excited about a Taiwan built motor....by a company with limited experience in automobile industry.

Regards

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Automobile's stress everything. The long lasting electric motors in an industrial application are not cruising over bumpy roads at 40-80 mph, during winter and summer.

Nothing like having a straw man of the perfect electric motor and sadly that is not what Tesla Motors selected

 

[ecarfan]

FUKUTA ELEC. & MACH. CO, LTD.[/url]
Very tough to sell a high end performance EV when you are using the lowest cost provider!/QUOTE]You have posted over and over again that Tesla uses electric motors made by Fukata. Over and over again, multiple people have told you that you are wrong. Tesla makes its own motors and there is abundant evidence to support that, including many people who have seen the motor production line in the Tesla Fremont factory.
You never offer any evidence to support your claim. You just post photos of Fukata motors, which means nothing.

 

[EarlyAdopter]

Fukuta is a supplier of steel lamination stacks for the rotor and the stator.
The stator winding is done at Tesla in Fremont, as is the rotor assembly (insertion of conducting copper, shaft, machining, etc).
The lamination stack is just one part of the assemblies.

As Tesla ramps up production for Model 3, the lamination stack fabrication process will inevitably be in-sourced.

I would know, I worked there for 4 years and helped design the rotor production lines.

Quoting this again for truth.

Stephen uses terms of the art that are very accurate. Everything he says is consistent with what Tesla and Fukuta have said, first hand experience of people who have toured the factory, the National Geographic documentary, and yes even the manefests Avenger has dug up.

This is the most credible statement of the state of things I've seen and it works in all aforementioned world views. I call this 100% the story.

Thank you for taking the time to clarify this Stephen.

 

[JRP3]

Elon Musk implies that the motor is built by Tesla - when it is not,

It is built by Tesla, there is no question about that. Some parts may be supplied by Fukuta.

big recall in Norway because of motor manufacturing issues,

That was likely the spline grease issue Elon talked about. If it was an issue with an outside supplier Elon would have mentioned it, but it wasn't.

ConsumerReports and Edmunds both had comments about low reliability of motor.

Wrong again. At least you're consistent. The problems are with the drivetrain, which includes the motor, inverter and transaxle. They get removed and replaced as a unit so we don't really know where most of the problems are, and neither do Edmunds and CR.

 

[PeterK]

Articles re Tesla—Fact or Fiction?

Quoting this again for truth.

Stephen uses terms of the art that are very accurate. Everything he says is consistent with what Tesla and Fukuta have said, first hand experience of people who have toured the factory, the National Geographic documentary, and yes even the manefests Avenger has dug up.

This is the most credible statement of the state of things I've seen and it works in all aforementioned world views. I call this 100% the story.

Thank you for taking the time to clarify this Stephen.

And Stephen is my nephew I posted about up thread, who appears in the National Geographic video. He's the one who convinced me to reserve my S exactly three years ago today, after sending me links to the Automobile and Yahoo! Autos COTY awards (Motor Trend came a little later). I've seen the rotor production line he helped design.

Time to get over your Fukuta obsession, avenger.

 

[Drax7]

Thank you peterk, earlyadopter , Stephan and Jpr.
For unmasking this fraud .

 

[Avenger]

This is a bill of lading or shipping invoice , it shows Fukuta as the supplier of AC induction motors to Tesla Motors - 2015

 

[Johan]

View attachment 100851

This is a bill of lading or shipping invoice , it shows Fukuta as the supplier of AC induction motors to Tesla Motors - 2015

"Servo" motor. Steering?

 

[JRP3]

Seriously, why is it that Avenger can't seem to understand that a servo motor is not a drive motor?

 

[Avenger]

Fukuta - calls their electric motors for EV HomeProducts AC Induction Servo Motor


FUKUTA ELEC. & MACH. CO, LTD. -

 

[TexasEV]

What is your thing about this?

 

[Johan]

No they call their servo motors "servo motors" and their electric motors for EVs "UTV/Hybrid" motors as per your screenshots above. To be clear: the small black motors are servo motors used on robotics and could also be used in cars, for servo steering and similar applications.

 

[Krugerrand]

Seriously, why is it that Avenger can't seem to understand that a servo motor is not a drive motor?

I believe that Avenger knows exactly the difference. I also believe he knows what motor parts Tesla are supplied vs what Tesla makes in this regard.

 

[gene]

Avenger, your paste of the catalog page proves you are wrong. As Johan states, the servo motors are small. My guess windshield wiper motors in Tesla's case. Maybe air-conditioning motors. The UTV/Hybrid motors look nothing like Tesla's motor. But to top it off, I've been at Tesla's motor manufacturing location. I have seen with my own eyes the motors being made from scratch including the winding machine that Telsa designed and manufactured themselves.