Benjamin Bate, Tesla’s Director of Vehicle Operations and Engineering in Fremont, has left Tesla after more than eight years. Bate is an experienced production manager and is completely changing industries.

The US-based EV news portal Electrek discovered that Bate had left Tesla via his LinkedIn account. 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 cited an annual production capacity of 100,000 units for the Model S and Model X at its Fremont facility, though the facility was not fully utilised. However, the production of more than 550,000 Model 3 and Model Y vehicles at Fremont remains unaffected.

Leaving the automotive industry?

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.