[차이나 모빌리티] Tesla’second air strike’… Started production of V3 superchargers in Shanghai

Input 2021.02.05 17:18 | Revision 2021.02.05 17:35

Tesla, an electric vehicle manufacturer in the US, has started producing its own fast charger, a supercharger, in China. Analysis says that Tesla’s second air strike in the Chinese electric vehicle market has begun.

Tesla announced on the 3rd that it has started production of the’V3′ supercharger at its newly built factory in Shanghai. The plant said it would produce 10,000 superchargers per year.

The plant was built on a 5000 square meter scale next to Giga Factory 3, a battery manufacturing plant in the Lingang Free Trade Zone in Shanghai. It was completed in about six months after construction started in August of last year.

Currently, Tesla has installed more than 20,000 superchargers in over 2,000 supercharger stations around the world. So, if Tesla meets the annual production target of its Shanghai plant, it can be seen that the supercharger network will double in two years.

The expansion of the charging infrastructure is expected to accelerate Tesla’s attack in the Chinese market. Tesla began delivering the Model 3’made in China’ sedan produced at its Shanghai plant in January last year. The total sales volume of Tesla Model 3 in the Chinese market last year is estimated to be 140,000 units.

From January this year, the second vehicle model (SUV) made at the Shanghai plant, Model Y, also began sales and delivery. Tesla drew attention from Chinese consumers with a strategy of lowering the selling price of Model Y by 30%. The model Y long range version is set at 3,399,900 yuan (about 59 million won), and the performance version is set at 369,900 yuan (about 64 million won). With the surge in pre-orders for Model Y, it was reported that it would take several months for some buyers to receive the actual car.

Currently, Model 3 is subject to subsidies for electric vehicles from the Chinese government, but Model Y is not. Chinese electric car startups Nio, Xiaofeng, and Rioto are also competing with Tesla by unveiling new electric car models.