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Some Allege Tesla Emissions Problem Has Delayed Model X Production

(Credit: Tesla Motors)

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Some Allege Tesla Emissions Problem Has Delayed Model X Production

Tesla Model S

Tesla Model S (Credit: Tesla Motors)

Tesla Motors already has quite the history of delays. Every vehicle it has produced so far has been significantly behind schedule, something that’s been a focus of investors’ and auto industry analysts’ concern. Now, some are saying that production of the Model X crossover has been delayed at least in part because of an emissions violation but that the automaker isn’t acknowledging this.

That might seem counterintuitive, because Tesla’s vehicles of course don’t produce any emissions – they run off electricity instead of combusting fuel. While that’s the case, the company’s plant in Fremont, California has been the source of too much NOx carcinogens, according to a report from Dailykanban. That’s noxious stuff tied to a number of health problems.

Apparently, Tesla didn’t try to hide the noncompliance, unlike some other automaker that won’t be named, and instead reported it. The supposed culprit was a malfunctioning oxidizer for the paint shop oven and cooling tunnel.

Executives at Tesla, including Elon Musk, have said that the Model X has only been held back by problems with the actual manufacturing process. This information uncovered by Dailykanban casts doubt on those claims.

Filings with the state of California reveal that the emissions problem at the Tesla plant in Fremont won’t be fixed for a while. The oxidizer is being swapped out with a refurbished model that should get things back on track, but it won’t be in place until January 30, 2016.

If you still haven’t seen a Tesla Model X in your neck of the woods, this could be part of the reason. Plenty of customers who put down deposits are waiting, and the electric car maker seems to not want to admit that an emissions issue is at least part of the holdup – that would be really bad for business.

Once the oxidizer is up and running, things should start flowing again in the Fremont plant. Musk has already said that he anticipates somewhere around 1,600 Model X crossovers rolling off the production line each week in the first quarter of next year. This should make soccer moms who want to run errands without combusting gasoline pretty happy.

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