Tesla obtains license to produce BEVs at Shanghai Gigafactory 3

Shanghai (Gasgoo)- Tesla has already obtained the license to manufacture vehicles at Gigafactory 3 in Shanghai and sell them in China, marking its imminent take-off in the world's largest auto market.

The name of Tesla's Shanghai unit appears in an announcement released by China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology on November 13, saying Tesla (Shanghai) Company Limited has been given access to the production of all-electric PVs.

Registered in May 2018, Tesla's Shanghai-based subsidiary has a business scope covering the production, sale and maintenance of EVs, EV-related auto parts, batteries, energy storage facilities and photovoltaic products, according to TianYanCha, a Chinese enterprise information search platform.

Last month, on Tesla's Q3 earnings conference, the automaker confirmed that it had produced complete vehicles at the Shanghai plant on a trial basis. “We have cleared initial milestones toward our manufacturing license and are working toward finalizing the license and meeting other governmental requirements before we begin ramping production and delivery of vehicles from Shanghai,” the company said then.

（Photo source: Tesla China's WeChat account)

Gigafactory 3 is China's first fully foreign-owned car factory, and also Tesla's first fully functioning plant outside the U.S. On November 7, 2019, it witnessed the first batch of Model 3 sedans roll off the production line, only ten months after its groundbreaking in January. Chief Executive Elon Musk has said the facility would be capable of producing as many as 500,000 cars per year.

Following China, Tesla plans to build its next factory near Berlin, according to a recent report, which has been confirmed by Elon Musk himself. He said the Germany-based factory will make batteries, powertrains and vehicles, beginning with the Model Y crossover.

The decision is much welcomed by German government as it believes the move will turbo-charge the Europe's largest economy's shift into EV era.