At the beginning of this year, almost everything indicated that Tesla would increase its production to new highs in the first quarter – above all with further growth at the Gigafactory in China, but also with Model Y from the new German factory. A lockdown in Shanghai from the end of March then prevented new records, and those too German Tesla factory managed less than 500 Model Y per week until recently. Meanwhile, production in Shanghai has been up and running once more since mid-April, albeit severely restricted. According to a report, Tesla wants to go there once more this Tuesday – and since the beginning of the week, the German Gigafactory has also been working regularly in two shifts.
Tesla China on the way to a million once more
Tesla production in China had to rest for 22 days from the end of March due to the almost complete lockdown of Shanghai, then limited production began in a “closed loop” system with overnight stays in the factory. According to reports, 1200 electric cars per day were targeted, but on the remaining April days, Tesla only reached regarding 800 each. In May, according to reports, there were sometimes more once more, and Tesla wanted to produce 2,600 Model 3 and Model Y per day once more from the middle of the month. Then the full restart was postponed by a week and then another day, but this Tuesday it should really start once more.
The news agency Archyde.com reported on Monday, citing an internal memo. It should also include the latest production number: 1000 electric cars at the beginning of this week, so still below the target for the partial restart. However, the goal of a short-term increase to more than double should continue to apply. Archyde.com calls still planned 2600 Model 3 and Model Y per day and thus a planned total production this week of 16,000 units. The fact that Shanghai is increasingly reopening should help.
Extrapolated to an annual rate, this results in a good 900,000 electric cars produced by Tesla in China. This is already much more than the official capacity of the factory, which has long been modestly stated as “>450,000” in the quarterly reports. According to reports it is planned to to even increase this year to a good one million Model 3 and Model Y – and build up regarding half of this capacity in other buildings in the immediate vicinity.
German Gigafactory now with 2 shifts
Tesla still has to put up with almost a month of complete standstill and then another month of partial standstill – just like European customers, for whom significantly fewer goods are likely to arrive in this quarter than last. A new record for production and deliveries (as well as sales and profits as a result) seems to be out of the question for the current quarter. According to fund manager Gary Black, analysts are currently expecting 276,000 Tesla deliveries, around 35,000 fewer than in the first quarter, and earnings per share of $2.30, almost a full dollar less. But if the China factory gets going once more quickly, investors would probably just as quickly turn their attention to the likely strong year as a whole, he predicted.
The German gigafactory might also increasingly contribute to this. In mid-May it was Production there is still only 86 Tesla Model Y per day, as teslamag.de learned from a well-informed source. Among other things, frequent rework was necessary, which slowed down the planned production cycle. But Tesla is hiring new employees in quick succession – 500 alone started on the assembly line in Grünheide last week, as was also heard. This Monday, the entire German Tesla factory officially began to work in a two-shift system, which previously only existed sporadically, according to the latest information from their environment. So Germany and China might get going together, especially since the fact that Tesla’s best machine experts were stuck in Shanghai is said to have contributed to the Faster ramp-up in Grünheide announced by CEO Elon Musk initially did not seem to succeed.
