Tesla to start operations at new Megapack factory in Shanghai

A Tesla booth at the BEYOND EXPO 2024, held in Macao between May 22-25, 2024. Credit: BEYOND EXPO

Tesla will complete construction of its first overseas factory for making Megapack lithium-ion battery units in Shanghai by the end of this month, and expects the facility to begin operations in the first quarter of next year, the state-owned Shanghai Observer reported on Tuesday. The news comes just seven months after plant construction activities began in May in the Lin-gang Special Area on the outskirts of the city, where Tesla’s Shanghai Gigafactory is also located. The US automaker is aiming for an annual production capacity of 10,000 Megapacks, which are large batteries for grid operators to move extra capacity between counties or states, creating a grid-scale energy storage capacity of 40 gigawatt-hours (GWh) and supporting Tesla’s Megafactory in California. [Shanghai Observer, in Chinese]