Shanghai Bounces Back, Texas Makes Model Ys
Gigafactories Berlin and Shanghai are both ramping up their production numbers, increasing at roughly the pace predicted a week ago.
In Shanghai, over 8000 workers were recalled to the plant, and within the week, the plant was operating well enough to be producing about 1000 units per day. That’s about half of what the plant’s pre-shutdown numbers, but impressive in the short amount of time.
GigaShanghai was able to get this done because they’re operating in a “closed loop system”, a strategy that other companies in the area are adopting to keep their workers safe from COVID. Essentially, all 8000 workers will be living on site until the lockdowns are lifted, keeping them separated from the rest of the population, and easier to quarantine if an outbreak should happen.
But with the special precautions being put in place, and the supply slowdowns we’re seeing in Shanghai, it’s pretty great that we’re seeing these numbers.
Meanwhile across the Pacific, GigaTexas is pumping out more Model Ys.
The Austin plant has been producing Model Ys with the new 4680 cells and the structural battery pack we’ve all been excited about. But a recent flyover shows they’re also being made in a bunch of colours, including the usuals like Blue, Red, White and Black.
Given that CEO Elon Musk predicted that it would take about 9-12 months for the new Texas factory to really get going, we should see a more accurate output ration around the end of this year.
“So, as Zach said, we remain confident of a 50% growth in vehicle production in 2022 versus ’21. I think we actually have a reasonable shot at a 60% increase over last year. So, let’s see,”
Tesla reportedly is hoping to make about 1.5 million vehicles in 2022 across all their factories, so it’s good we’re seeing consistently rising numbers from all of the Gigafactories.