By Greg Gao

(JW Insights) Nov 9 -- Tesla's Gigafactory Shanghai in China is operating at full capacity, with a weekly production increase of 30% to 50% compared to 2019. Now, approximately one car rolls off the production line less than every forty seconds, according to online media outlet Jiemian News.

Staff members mentioned that production capacity was occasionally maxed out in the past, but currently, it is primarily to meet the delivery pressure of existing orders.

The China Association of Automobile Manufacturers estimates that Tesla's Shanghai plant delivered 72,100 electric vehicles in October, with over 43,000 destined for export. The cumulative delivery volume at the Shanghai factory this year has reached around 771,000 vehicles, surpassing the total for the entire previous year.

This factory is not particularly large for its class, covering an area of 860,000 square meters (approximately 120 soccer fields). Its 2022 production volume reached 727,000 vehicles, and its third-quarter annual production capacity for this year has already increased to 950,000 vehicles.

In comparison, BYD's Xi'an factory occupies an area of approximately 1.5 million square meters with an annual production capacity of 900,000 vehicles.

According to Tesla employees, through production line adjustments and process improvements, the weekly production capacity at the Shanghai factory has significantly increased, and the time it takes for a vehicle to come off the assembly line has been reduced to just over 30 seconds.

In September of this year, the Tesla Shanghai factory rolled out its two millionth vehicle, achieved in less than four years since the factory was established. With the continuous advancement of integrated die-casting and other production processes, Tesla's production speed for new vehicles and unit area capacity may continue to break new records in the future.

Tesla is also expanding its footprint with multiple factories globally to support its long-term goal of selling 20 million electric vehicles worldwide by 2030. In addition to the Shanghai plant, Tesla has vehicle factories in the United States and Germany.