The Tesla Gigafactory 3 in China received its first comprehensive acceptance certificate on Monday, following an inspection of the facility by government representatives. The certificate was granted to the electric car maker just three days after it made an application for the inspection, setting a new approval timing record from the local government.
It has only been ten months since Gigafactory 3’s land grant contract was signed, and only seven months since the actual construction of the general assembly building began. This, as noted by local news site The Paper, highlights the Chinese government’s efforts to foster a better business environment in the Shanghai area for innovative companies such as Tesla.
Similar to the other forms of support that Tesla has received in Shanghai, the local government appeared to have gone above and beyond to ensure that the facility’s comprehensive acceptance certificate will be expedited. On July 11, for example, the Lingang government established a special group to hasten the inspection progress of Tesla’s construction efforts. This was done as a way to meet its target of “finishing inspection when the construction is done,” according to a Global Times report.
It should be noted that the Lingang government is expected to benefit from the presence of Gigafactory 3 in its jurisdiction. Earlier this month, reports emerged revealing that the Lingang area, which covers 119.5 square kilometers, will be formally added to Shanghai’s Free Trade Zone. The addition of the Lingang area, which currently hosts Tesla’s upcoming electric car production facility, will roughly double the size of the FTZ.
Wang Shouwen, China’s vice-commerce minister who is among the country’s delegation to the United States, noted that the addition of Lingang to Shanghai’s Free Trade Zone was a decision that was fully supported by Beijing. “The expansion of the Shanghai FTZ is also an important step to demonstrate China’s clear stand for all-round opening up in the new era and its active role in guiding the healthy development of economic globalization,” Wang said.
The Gigafactory 3 site will likely be graced by a visit from CEO Elon Musk later this month, as the CEO is expected to be in Shanghai on August 29 to attend the 2019 World Artificial Intelligence Conference. Musk’s trip will not be limited to just speaking and attending a high-profile AI conference, as the CEO also announced on Twitter that he would also be launching The Boring Company China in the same trip. Local media reports have pointed to Musk paying a visit to the Gigafactory 3 complex after the 2019 World Artificial Intelligence Conference as well.
