Stories Of Tesla Inc (TSLA) Model 3 Production Hell Continue To Trickle Out

Tesla Inc (NASDAQ:TSLA) originally planned to produce 200,000 Model 3 sedans by the end of 2017.

When the year ended, it had only made 2,700 of them. Instead of producing a futuristic army of fast-working robots to assemble the electric cars, Tesla has relied heavily on manual labor — even fabricating parts by hand — in order to get the job done.

Now, as Bloomberg reports, it appears that workers endured some extremely tough conditions in order to meet a recent quota:

To battle exhaustion, employees drink copious amounts of Red Bull, sometimes provided free by Tesla. New employees develop what’s known as the “Tesla stare.” “They come in vibrant, energized,” says Mikey Catura, a Tesla production associate. “And then a couple weeks go by, and you’ll see them walking out of the building just staring out into space like zombies.”

Four current employees say the pressure they felt to avoid delays forced them to walk through raw sewage when it spilled onto the floor.

Meanwhile, Tesla’s employees are considering unionizing. Considering the conditions they’re forced to work in, that seems like a really good idea — and a potentially dangerous development for a company that doesn’t appear close to making a profit on the Model 3 any time soon.

Tesla Inc shares closed at $318.87 on Friday, up $2.16 (+0.68%). Year-to-date, TSLA has gained 2.42%, versus a 5.66% rise in the benchmark S&P 500 index during the same period.

TSLA currently has a StockNews.com POWR Rating of C (Neutral), and is ranked #9 of 24 stocks in the Auto & Vehicle Manufacturers category.