Shanghai shutdown for Tesla factory

Rising coronavirus cases in the area force Tesla to keep the doors of its largest factory shut.   

Covid’s gonna covid 

With a spike in coronavirus cases throughout Shanghai, businesses have been forced to close their doors and keep workers home. Elon Musk’s Tesla factory is no different – production has so far been paused for more than a week, and there doesn’t yet appear to be a light at the end of the tunnel. 

The Shanghai factory is Tesla’s largest in the world. According to Reuters, it produces around 6,000 Model 3 and 10,000 Model Y vehicles every week. So, closed factory doors are a real spanner in the works for Elon.  

Hard times? Give us a break 

Tesla had initially hoped to reopen its doors yesterday (Monday 4th), but with ‘rona’ still raging, the shutters remain firmly down.  

Although a real pain, Musk is unlikely to be losing any sleep over the closure just yet. He called the first quarter of the year ‘exceptionally’ difficult – even though Tesla reported a record 310,048 vehicle deliveries. And with a new plant opening in Austin, Texas this week – along with last month’s grand opening in Berlin – we won’t be getting the tiny violins out just yet.