In the latest aerial flyover video of the Tesla Shanghai Gigafactory, the main roof structure is now essentially complete, the walls along the east side of the main structure are also complete, and the rest is rapidly being finished. The progress over the past month has been spectacular, as we can see when comparing images over that time period.
For this piece, I will use the information on Tesla’s website to determine if paying cash, taking a loan, or leasing is the best option if you want a Tesla Model 3 Standard Range Plus (SR+). The twist here is I did these calculations for Switzerland, Norway, the Netherlands, China, and the UK. These were some of the most popular markets for Tesla in Q1 2019. I added in the UK, since it has been suffering for 3 years and deserves some attention.
The latest flyover video of the Tesla Shanghai Gigafactory, courtesy of Jason Yang, clearly shows the construction progress accelerating towards completion of the external structures.
When it comes to electric vehicles, China has taken a lead role on the world stage. Chinese EV companies have flourished. And the country’s car buyers are increasingly intrigued by going electric. Now, Tesla is readying itself for a big push in China.
Welcome to the next issue of China x Cleantech, the March 2019 edition. For our full China × Cleantech history, stroll over to the “Future Trends” section of our website.
Another month has passed, and yet another 89 gigawatt-hours (GWh) of lithium-ion battery factory capacity has been added to the planning pipeline for production in 2023. This represents growth of 9% in just a single month (more than 100% annualized growth)!
Tesla CEO Elon Musk confirmed in a tweet this morning that the structure of the company’s new Gigafactory in Shanghai, China, is on track for completion in May. Equipment for the factory will come in later, taking several months to be installed, be calibrated, and get up and running.
The weekly Autoline show from the Detroit area recently invited Sandy Munro back to talk about Tesla in China. Munro was once one of Tesla’s most ardent skeptics, when he famously compared the Model 3 build quality to a “Kia from the ’90s.” After spending some more time tearing down the Model 3 and learning more about it, Sandy warmed to the company and had much more complimentary things to say about the company, including calling the Model 3 electronics “Like a Symphony of Engineering.”
Construction progress continues at breakneck speed at Tesla Gigafactory Shanghai (aka Tesla Gigafactory 3), with the latest video update from Wuwa Vision (烏瓦) showing roofs starting to go up on several of the site’s structures.
I’ve got a lot of numbers to crunch and articles to publish now that Tesla has released its 1st quarter production and delivery numbers. Stay tuned for approximately 20–30 more charts and several articles putting Tesla’s vehicle sales numbers into context.
