It appears that Tesla Gigafactory Shanghai will be reopening a bit later than initially expected. As per an internal notice reportedly from the electric vehicle maker, Giga Shanghai is now looking to return to operations on April 2, one day later than the company’s previous target.
Earlier this week, reports emerged that Giga Shanghai would be suspending its operations from Monday to Thursday amid the city’s two-stage lockdown. Shanghai is currently battling an outbreak of the Covid-19 virus, and the city has initiated a series of assertive programs to keep the spread of the virus in check.
Tesla’s electric vehicle factory is located in the Pudong district east of the city’s Huangpu River. As per Shanghai’s current anti-Covid measures, the lockdown on districts east of the river was expected to lift on April 1. Thus, expectations were high that facilities located in the area like Gigafactory Shanghai would resume operations on the same day.
As per an internal notice retrieved by Reuters, however, Tesla is now looking to resume operations at Gigafactory Shanghai on April 2 instead. Two individuals reportedly familiar with the matter added that the electric vehicle maker had not secured permits from the Shanghai government for its trucks to deliver vehicles outside of the Pudong district to western parts of the city.
Following Shanghai’s two-stage lockdown plan, areas located west of the Huangpu River are expected to be locked down from the early hours of April 1 all the way to Monday, April 4.
Tesla Gigafactory Shanghai has been playing a larger role in the electric vehicle maker’s operations. Over the past year, the facility has effectively become Tesla’s vehicle export hub, supplying Model 3 and Model Y to territories such as Europe and Asia. Reports have also emerged suggesting that Tesla will be building a new plant close to Giga Shanghai, which should allow the company to ramp its output to about 2 million vehicles per year.
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