Tesla’s highly-anticipated Model Y is currently only available in North America, though it won’t be like that for long, according to one of Tesla’s executives.
Grace Tao, Vice President of Tesla China shared in an online communication event lead by Tesla that the Model Y would enter production at Giga Shanghai in the first half of 2021, as reported by Tesmanian.
While the Model Y is currently only produced at Tesla’s Fremont factory in California, it will someday become available around the world, likely once it’s built at Gigafactory Shanghai, which is already exporting cars to Europe, Australia, and other surrounding areas.
The Chinese government recently approved Tesla to sell its Shanghai-made Model Y, which suggested production would be imminent.
Tesla Delivery and Service Center Opens in Chengdu, China https://t.co/9iASl7fssK
— TeslaNorth.com (@RealTeslaNorth) December 1, 2020
Tao also shared that the company’s Supercharger factory construction has already begun, and that production was likely to start as soon as Q1 of 2021. Initially, the factory will have a production capacity of about 10,000 Superchargers per year, primarily V3 in build.
Currently, Tesla’s Superchargers can only charge Teslas, though the company said it isn’t outside the realm of possibility that they’ll open them up to other electric vehicle (EV) owners in the future.
This morning, Reuters reported Tesla’s battery supplier for Giga Shanghai, LG Chem, will more than double its battery cell production lines, due to high demand for 2021 production.
As the world speeds forward towards a zero-emission automobile future, Tesla will and has already played a major role in the mainstream adoption of EVs. With its Model Y available worldwide in the first half of next year, and a whole slew of Superchargers being built in China, the company will surely encourage consumers to buy electric.
