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Tesla Is Building the 'World's Most Advanced Paint Shop' at Berlin Gigafactory

The paint shop will apply multiple layers of paint to a vehicle for a 'change in color with curvature' and overall '3D feeling' according to Elon Musk.

 & Matthew Humphries Former Senior Editor

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Tesla already has the most advanced electric vehicles in the world, now those vehicles are set to get the most advanced paint jobs according to Elon Musk.

As CleanTechnica reports, the Third Row Tesla Podcast spoke with Elon Musk during its latest episode where they mainly discussed manufacturing the Model Y. However, 33 minutes into the podcast the subject turns to paint and the Gigafactory in Berlin. You can watch it below:

Musk explains how the factory in Berlin will be equipped with the "most advanced paint shop," allowing it to carry out multi-layer paint coating so that you can see "dimension" and then a "change in color with curvature" around the vehicle. The idea being that you lay down a coat of paint with color tint, then gloss, then another tint coat etc. and it results in a "3D feeling." According to Musk, "it just pops."

For now, Berlin is the only Gigafactory getting the new paint shop, but Freemont and Shanghai will be upgraded eventually. Musk says it's difficult to perform the upgrades, though, as you need to take down the old paint shop and then construct the new one, which is time lost for painting new vehicles.

Musk also took to Twitter to confirm, "Giga Berlin will have world’s most advanced paint shop, with more layers of stunning colors that subtly change with curvature." The multi-layer paint option will initially be offered for the Model Y compact SUV as that's what Berlin is producing first, which should make it stand out from other Tesla models and the vehicles it's competing against. As for cost, Musk claimed on the podcast that it only costs around 50 euros ($55) to apply the paint, but adds around 500 euros ($550) of value to a vehicle.

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About Our Expert

Matthew Humphries

Matthew Humphries

Former Senior Editor

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I started working at PCMag in November 2016, covering all areas of technology and video game news. Before that I spent nearly 15 years working at Geek.com as a writer and editor. I also spent the first six years after leaving university as a professional game designer working with Disney, Games Workshop, 20th Century Fox, and Vivendi.

I hold two degrees: a Bachelor's degree in Computer Science and a Master's degree in Games Development. My first book, Make Your Own Pixel Art, is available from all good book shops.

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