Model Y

Make
Tesla
Segment
SUV

Tesla's Chinese presence is now what we might call "significant." The brand is very popular in China, but its Shanghai Gigafactory has faced some problems of late. China has seen another violent outbreak of the coronavirus, which led to some dire situations at Tesla's Shanghai factory.

Recently, it came to light that Tesla employees in the factory were sleeping on the factory floor to keep the "loop" closed and avoid potentially transmitting the 'Rona to anyone outside the factory or bringing it in. Now, it appears that the situation is going to get marginally easier for those workers. Not that the people screwing together a Tesla Model Y in the middle of a lockdown have it very easy right now.

The brand has been keeping the employees in a closed-loop system, but now the staff will be living in a dorm, taken to and from the plant instead of sleeping where they work. These employees will be consistently tested for Covid-19 as well. Apparently, this will go on until at least mid-June, when Tesla is hoping lockdown restrictions in China will ease. These employees are also working 12-hour shifts, 6 days a week to produce Musk's cars, which is reportedly being done to reboot production after lockdowns forced the Shanghai Gigafactory to close.

Initially, Tesla was hoping that workers could be bussed to and from their homes, instead of the dorms. However, Shanghai officials said that wasn't going to happen. Those officials said that if employees left their homes, they wouldn't be allowed back into the factory, as it would be a violation of the closed loop. Tesla also seems to be looking into starting a second shift at the factory, so that the Gigafactory can run around the clock.

With information like this leaking out in a very public way, it's sure to give consumers pause about buying a Tesla. Just because workers at the Austin Gigafactory have certain rights that can't be violated, and regulations that must be attended to, it would appear the situation is not the same in China.

Until lockdown restrictions begin to ease over in China, this is the reality for workers at the Shanghai Gigafactory. They'll be kept from anyone outside the plant to keep the loop closed, and how long this situation lasts still isn't clear. Publicly, it isn't a good look for Tesla, whose frontrunner is also facing allegations of indecent exposure.