Tesla’s Model Y factory shell at the Shanghai Gigafactory (Giga Shanghai) is now complete. The Global Times shared this news in a recent report. The construction of this phase, 2A, took less than 5 months. This achievement follows on the heels of the coronavirus pandemic and ensuing shutdowns. When the lockdown was lifted and everything was reopened, Tesla China and its local construction partners quickly resumed their work.
The Global Times points out that this phase of Giga Shanghai will be solely used for the production of the Model Y and that it started on January 7 of this year.
“The entire second project has entered a comprehensive state in less than five months.” Photos of the completed Model Y factory shell paint an almost mirror image of the Model 3 factory design. However, there are some taller parts in phase 2A.
Made-in-China Model Ys will become very important to Tesla. The Chinese EV market is the world’s largest. It’s also the most competitive. Though, the Model 3 is doing very well there, sitting at #1 in the market by a wide margin looking at the first 4 months of the year. As a crossover, the Model Y is expected to do even better. Overall, the Model Y is expected to outsell the Models S, 3, and X combined. China will be a key market if it’s going to achieve that.
Critics Becoming Supporters
Last year, critics of Tesla and its CEO, Elon Musk, believed that Giga Shanghai wouldn’t even be completed. They cited mud fields and pointed at false predictions of disastrous failure to make their cases. Today, that factory is producing thousands of cars a month and Tesla is finalizing its second phase.
Tesla also has plans for a Gigafactory in Germany (Giga Berlin) and another one in the U.S. (presumably, Giga Texas, or maybe Giga Tulsa). It’s easy to see that Tesla is meeting each of its goals quickly and successfully. Fortunately, there are more supporters than critics. Another bonus is that some critics have reversed their stance in favor of Tesla. Stuart Varney of Fox Business is the latest. “I’ve been wrong about Elon Musk,” he recently said.
A version of this article was originally published on EV Obsession.
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