LOS ANGELES (Bloomberg) -- Tesla Motors said three employees at its California plant that builds electric Model S sedans were injured by hot metal from a casting press during an industrial accident.
A ''failure" occurred in the press and we are making sure the injured workers at the Fremont, California, plant receive the best possible care, Tesla said today in a statement.
The workers suffered moderate to serious burns, Fremont Fire Department Captain Daniel Cardenas said, adding that there was no fire or explosion at the factory.
Tesla, based in Palo Alto, California, has had setbacks recently including fires in three Model S cars and a third-quarter earnings report that disappointed some investors. CEO Elon Musk said on Wednesday at a conference in New York that "there's definitely not going to be a recall" of the Model S. U.S. regulators haven't ordered a recall or announced whether there will be an official review of the accidents.
The factory where the industrial accident occurred today is across San Francisco Bay from Tesla's headquarters. The plant is the sole production site for the Model S.
Production goal
Alexis Georgeson, a Tesla spokeswoman, didn't have any further details about the workers' injuries or how the accident will affect production of the Model S.
Any production delay could make it tougher for the carmaker to meet its 21,500-unit delivery target this year. Tesla said last week when it reported quarterly earnings that it was producing 550 cars per week and planned to deliver almost 6,000 this current quarter.
The company bought the 50-year-old plant in 2010, after it had been a joint venture between Toyota Motor Corp. and the predecessor of General Motors Co. for 25 years. The deal that kept the only large auto plant on the U.S. West Coast in operation was arranged by Toyota President Akio Toyoda. Toyota also bought a stake in Tesla following the factory sale.
The plant opened in the early 1960s in its first incarnation as GM's Fremont Assembly facility. It closed in 1982 before reopening in 1984, rechristened New United Motor Manufacturing Inc.
