The US-based EV news portal Electrek discovered that Bate had left Tesla via his LinkedIn. Over his eight-year tenure at Tesla, Bate held several key positions at the Fremont plant, beginning with the maintenance and control of the paint shop. From December 2020 to August 2023, he served as Director of Manufacturing for the Model 3 and Model Y, overseeing the production of Tesla’s two most important models at the California plant for nearly three years. Since then, he had been Director of Vehicle Operations and Engineering.
Bate will thus not be involved in the restructuring of the Fremont plant recently announced by Elon Musk. During the announcement of the 2025 financial results, Musk stated that the two premium models, S and X, produced in Fremont will be discontinued in the second quarter of 2026. Tesla plans to repurpose the freed-up space to produce its humanoid robot, Optimus. Until recently, Tesla had cited an annual production capacity of 100,000 units for the Model S and Model X at Fremont, though the facilities were not fully utilised. However, the production of more than 550,000 Model 3 and Model Y vehicles at Fremont remains unaffected.
Bate is not only leaving Tesla but also the entire automotive industry. According to his LinkedIn profile, he has taken up the role of Plant Manager at Chemelex in Redwood City, California. Chemelex describes itself as ‘a global leader in electric thermal and sensor solutions.’ It is not yet known who will succeed Bate at Tesla’s Fremont plant.
During the announcement of the financial results, Musk reiterated his strategy to transform Tesla from a manufacturer of electric vehicles and energy solutions into a technology group focused on AI, autonomous mobility, and robotics. Robotaxis and the Optimus robot project are therefore set to take precedence over sales of conventional electric vehicles to private customers or large fleets.
While Tesla holds nearly $44 billion in cash reserves and can sustain investments for some time, ‘someone still needs to run the factories that generate the cash to fund those AI dreams. People like Benjamin Bate,’ notes Electrek author Fred Lambert in a brief opinion piece below the article. “Manufacturing expertise takes years to build. It can be hard to replace an 8-year veteran who knows every inch of the Fremont paint shop and general assembly line with a fresh college hire, a strategy Tesla has pursued in recent years.”
