Tesla will increase production at its Shanghai plant in China this week to levels not seen since the country recently introduced the COVID-19 lock.
The carmaker’s internal memo showed that it would more than double its daily output at the plant from Tuesday, jumping significantly from 1,000 vehicles made on Monday to 2,600 EV.
Since Tesla was forced to close the plant for 22 days, it has sought to increase production in Shanghai. The carmaker had hoped to return to pre-lock production levels by May 16, but was forced to postpone that goal. It was only on April 19 that production was allowed to resume on a “closed-loop” system that required the isolation of workers to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
Also read: Tesla slows Shanghai production due to lack of parts when reopening plant
Elon Musk’s company also struggled with transportation constraints, limited supplies of essential parts such as cables, and staff shortages.
Tesla’s Shanghai plant operated in three shifts before the lock. In April, the company sold 1,512 vehicles through China, down sharply from 65,754 vehicles sold in March. Reuters notes.
Due to Tesla’s help from local authorities, production at the site was partially resumed. Earlier this month, authorities in Shanghai’s Ligang Special Zone arranged for 6,000 workers to be transported and disinfected to allow the company to enter a “closed-loop” system. The closure of the site has reduced Tesla’s production by about 50,000 vehicles.
