In 2021, Tesla delivered a total of 936,172 vehicles, an increase of 87% from 499,647 vehicles in 2020. Tesla’s growth rate exceeded all previous analysts’ expectations. The Shanghai Tesla Gigafactory has delivered more than 400,000 vehicles in 2021, reaching 413,283 vehicles. The Chinese market has become Tesla’s largest single market in the world.
In December, Tesla sold more than 70,000 units in China, reaching 70,847 units. According to this production rate, about 850,000 units can theoretically be produced a year. Tesla’s Shanghai factory has also become the world’s highest-production electric vehicle factory, with an average production time of just over 38 seconds per vehicle (calculated on a 24/7 basis).
The latest drone footage shows that Tesla’s China Shanghai Gigafactory still appears to be operating at extremely high rates of production, at least during peak periods producing more electric cars. January 14, 2022, About 18 Tesla Model Ys are ready to be shipped in a 10-minute video, in other words, a Tesla electric SUV can be produced in less than 34 seconds, production is even faster than in December.
In addition, another 10-minute video of the Tesla Model 3 factory shows 11 cars leaving the production building. Converted to an average of every 55 seconds, a Tesla Model 3 can be produced. If calculated on a monthly basis, it will be reached 47,000. If the above production rate is used, the total output in one year will even be close to 1.5 million units, so it is reasonable to guess that the Tesla Shanghai factory will have a production capacity of 1 million units in 2022.
At present, preparations for the construction of the third phase of Tesla’s China Shanghai Gigafactory are in progress, and the area will be doubled compared to the current proportion.