Tesla said it’s conducting normal maintenance work at the Shanghai plant. Its other vehicle-assembly plant in Fremont, California, has been idled since March 23 due to shutdowns aimed at limiting the spread of the coronavirus. The shutdown has made the Shanghai factory even more crucial for Tesla because the U.S. is weeks, if not months, behind China in reopening its economy.Tesla shares rose 0.6% as of 10 a.m. Thursday in New York trading. The stock has surged almost 90% this year.Some employees are on site in the China plant for equipment inspection, maintenance and repair, the people said. That helped boost Tesla’s China sales in March while others struggled.Tesla said in a statement that its Shanghai factory is conducting normal maintenance work and that the company made use of the Labor Day holidays to conduct production-line adjustments.

Source: Economic Times May 08, 2020 09:22 UTC