Tesla builds another Gigafactory in Shanghai

There is no end to Tesla’s global boom. For some time now, the company has been posting one record quarter after another. And the trend continues to point upward. In order to keep up with the ever-growing demand, the e-car maker naturally has to build suitable production facilities. After the European premiere in the form of the Gigafactory in Grünheide, another huge factory building in Asia is now on the agenda. Thus, the metropolis of Shanghai is to receive what is now the second production facility of gigantic proportions.

450,000 more Teslas a year

From Tesla’s point of view, the expansion by a second Gigafactory seems to have no alternative. There is no other way to meet the almost exploding demand. With the help of Asia’s second Gigafactory, 450,000 more Model 3 and Model Y vehicles should be able to roll off the production line each year. In total, the e-car maker under the leadership of the dazzling tech visionary Elon Musk would like to produce around one million vehicles per year in Shanghai. However, these are not intended for the US market. Rather, Tesla will offer vehicles from its Shanghai plant exclusively to customers in Germany, China and Japan.

Gigafactory modeled on Grünheide

The output of the soon-to-be-built Gigafactory in Shanghai can probably best be compared with that in Grünheide near Berlin in Brandenburg. For example, according to the company’s plans, around 500,000 vehicles a year will roll off the production line at Tesla’s recently opened European premiere. That puts the two factories on roughly the same level. While Corona seems to be slowly becoming yesterday’s problem in our climes, it is currently more present than ever in China. Due to the government’s zero-covid strategy, they are trying to do everything possible to stop the spread of the virus. Of course, quarantine measures also have an impact on the local industry, which is why the Gigafactory had to close temporarily.

In the meantime, however, the situation has improved again – at least for Tesla. Without further ado, the company has arranged for employees to be accommodated at the factory. From our western point of view, this may sound more than questionable in terms of labor law, but Tesla was able to resume operations in this way. Finally, the company minimized the risk of infection with this step. While one Gigafactory in Shanghai was able to resume operations, the second is currently in the construction phase. However, it is still unclear when the opening of the new gigantic factory hall will take place.