[Digital Today intern reporter Seung-ah Yoo] Tesla CEO Elon Musk (일론 머스크) picked the manufacturing line as the biggest challenge in mass-producing the Cybertruck. Musk explained that mass-producing a vehicle is far more difficult than building a prototype.

On Sept. 10 (local time), IT outlet TechRadar reported that Musk appeared on the Joe Rogan podcast and said, "A production line is inherently thousands of times more difficult than a prototype."

Musk's remarks came as he described difficulties Tesla faced in moving the Cybertruck from the prototype stage to delivering vehicles to customers. When Joe Rogan asked how long remained until deliveries, Musk replied that at the time there was about 1 month to go.

The Cybertruck was first unveiled in November 2019. Musk explained that a key reason it took a significant amount of time to reach mass production was manufacturing difficulty in repeatedly producing the vehicle at consistent quality.

Musk said there is a big difference between building prototypes and mass production. Prototypes can focus on making the product itself, but mass production requires repeatedly making the same product at consistent quality. The process has tighter tolerances and also requires building a supply chain to secure resources needed for production, including materials and parts, in a stable way.

Cost is also an important variable in mass production. The cost to produce a vehicle must be recouped through the selling price, and companies must consider whether customers are willing to pay that price. It means implementing a product and making it a sustainable business are separate issues.

This is not the first time Musk has mentioned production difficulties. He has repeatedly used the phrase "production hell" in the past while scaling up production. During a manufacturing crisis in 2017 to 2018, Tesla shifted its production line to a futuristic automated process called the "Alien Dreadnought", but the robot-centered production system instead slowed manufacturing speed and disrupted vehicle delivery schedules.

The Cybertruck case shows that implementing a product through a prototype and mass-producing it in a real factory are different tasks. Tolerances and production methods that may be acceptable at the prototype stage are difficult to apply as-is in mass production, and increasing output while maintaining consistent quality requires stabilising the supply chain and the entire production process.

Ultimately, Musk's remarks can be seen as explaining the difficulties Tesla experienced in mass-producing the Cybertruck, while also serving as an example showing the complexity of moving a product from a prototype to actual mass production.