Tesla managed to increase production in the first quarter of 2022 despite ongoing supply chain issues, factory closures prompted by COVID-19 restrictions, and other challenges.
The company announced on April 2 that it produced 305,407 vehicles—291,189 units of the Model 3 and Model Y, 14,218 units of the Model S and Model X—last quarter. Deliveries were up, too, with Tesla saying it delivered 310,000 vehicles between January and March.
Engadget notes that deliveries are up 68% year over year; Tesla shipped roughly 184,400 vehicles in the first quarter of 2021. That’s a remarkable increase given the supply chain problems that have forced Tesla and other automakers to adapt to component shortages.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk addressed some of these challenges on Twitter:
The pandemic will continue to impact Tesla’s production capabilities in the short term. Bloomberg reports that the so-called Gigafactory in Shanghai will remain closed on April 4 as the city keeps its residents in lockdown in response to a rising number of COVID-19 infections.
Tesla opened another Gigafactory in Germany on March 22, however, and it’s expected to be able to produce half a million vehicles a year once it starts operating at full capacity. But the company doesn’t expect to output that many vehicles from the Gigafactory until 2025.
Tesla says it will share its financial results for the first quarter of 2022 on April 20, when it also plans to “discuss the Company’s financial and business results and outlook” in a webcast.
