Tesla received substantial help from authorities during the lead-up to Gigafactory Shanghai’s reopening. Dated May 1 and addressed to local authorities in Shanghai’s Lingang Special Area, Tesla’s letter provided some details about the help it received as it reopened its China-based electric vehicle factory.
Tesla expressed its thanks to Lingang officials for their support in its letter. The electric vehicle maker specifically mentioned the efforts of a company run by the Lingang Group, which arranged buses to transport 6,000 Giga Shanghai workers and suppliers. Tesla added that the company also carried out the disinfection work needed to shift Giga Shanghai into a “closed-loop” system.
“They fought for three consecutive days, working round the clock and non-stop to guarantee our company’s workers could return to the factory,” Tesla wrote in the letter, which was viewed by Reuters.
Interestingly enough, Tesla’s letter also provided an outline of the company’s plans to expand Gigafactory Shanghai’s operations further. According to the letter, Tesla would be building a new plant on a piece of land close to Giga Shanghai, which should add an annual capacity of 450,000 vehicles. This should make Giga Shanghai the “world’s largest vehicle export hub.”
Tesla Gigafactory Shanghai has played a key role in the company’s vehicle production. Last year, the Shanghai facility delivered 484,100 vehicles, about half of Tesla’s entire vehicle output for 2021. Considering Giga Shanghai’s role, it was then no surprise that Tesla’s followers were concerned about the facility’s three-week shutdown.
Estimates suggest that Tesla experienced an output loss of over 50,000 vehicles due to its recent shutdown. In recent comments, however, Elon Musk has noted that Tesla’s China-based plant would be pushing hard as it resumes its operations. Musk even mentioned that Giga Shanghai was “coming back with a vengeance” following its three-week shutdown.
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