Tesla‘s patent for the manufacturing ‘Unboxed Process’ was granted and published on Tuesday by the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).
The EV maker unveiled the new manufacturing approach a year ago, as it filed for a patent on the process.
Back then, it revealed that it departs from traditional automotive assembly lines by emphasizing modularity and parallel assembly.
The patent approval was first spotted by X user and Tesla enthusiast ‘seti_park.’
User ‘JoeTegtmeyer,’ known for his drone flyovers at the Texas’ Gigafactory, pointed out that some parts inside the plant already resemble the ones in the patent.
“Some of these parts ready for installation inside Giga Texas look similar to the patent in age of the assembly process,” he wrote.
With the ‘Unboxed Process,’ Tesla aims to work on different sections of the vehicle separately, only later combining them in final assembly.
Traditionally, the entire vehicle body moves along a single assembly line from start to finish.
By handling sections individually, Tesla can streamline production, reduce factory space, and improve efficiency.
Earlier this year, the company started testing the ‘Unboxed Process’ in its Gigafactory in Texas.
The upcoming manufacturing process will be implemented in Tesla‘s upcoming Cybercab model — which will be used for its Robotaxi service.
Tesla reaffirmed in its latest shareholder deck in late July that the Cybercab will “pursue a revolutionary ‘unboxed’ manufacturing strategy and is scheduled for volume production starting in 2026.”
The Elon Musk-led company unveiled the Cybercab, its fully autonomous robotaxi, nearly a year ago.
By then, Musk said that the Cybercab will be 6 to 7 times faster to build than a Model Y at Giga Shanghai, where a vehicle is built every 33 seconds.
The EV maker aims to produce a Cybercab every 5 seconds.
The vehicle is a compact, two-seat electric vehicle designed for ride-hailing. It operates without a steering wheel or pedals, relying entirely on Tesla‘s Full Self-Driving (FSD) software.
The company started offering its driverless ride-hailing services in Austin, three months ago, through invitation only and using Model Ys modified with the Robotaxi FSD.
It has since then expanded its geofenced area in the city and introduced similar services in California. The company has recently been granted permission to start testing in Nevada and Arizona.
Musk said multiple times through X that the public launch of the service would happen this month, with the Robotaxi app being included in the Apple Store earlier in September.
Earlier this week, Tesla shares hit a new 9-month high, after Piper Sandler raised their price target on the company from $400 to $500. The stock closed 1.9% higher at $434 on Monday.
Mizuho raised on Tuesday the price target on the company from $375 to $450. Analyst Vijay Rakesh wrote in a new research note that he sees Tesla “maintaining key leadership in the US BEV market despite some near-term challenges.”
