Taizhou supplier lands Tesla Semi order

A tire is assembled automatically on a production line at PQ Wheel Technology (Taizhou). [Photo/WeChat account: lqfabu]

PQ Wheel Technology (Taizhou), based in Taizhou, Zhejiang province, has completed final testing of a wheel assembly and inspection line for Tesla Semi. The line is being prepared for shipment to Tesla's factory in Nevada, the United States.

The 50-meter-long line incorporates several self-developed technologies. A camera-based AI inspection system ensures that the valve stem is installed within 1 millimeter of the tire pressure sensor's center. The company's rapid-inflation technology completes inflation in about 3 seconds while keeping the line's operating noise below 90 decibels, eliminating the need for a separate soundproof room.

The production line handles tire and wheel hub inspection, automatic wheel assembly, and inflation. It operates with just three workers handling loading and unloading, turning out one finished wheel every 30 seconds.

Tesla selected the company after six rounds of screening and placed orders for two additional production lines.

Founded in 2010, PQ initially focused on equipment for automatic assembly and inflation for two-wheelers. It later expanded into four-wheelers, trucks, and agricultural vehicles.