Tesla opens $200m battery factory in China despite trade war tensions - Tesla opens first energy storage gigafactory outside the US

The opening of the $200 million Megapack battery plant in Shanghai highlights Elon Musk’s unusual position as Tesla CEO and Trump administration adviser.

After nine months of construction, Tesla's Megapack battery factory in Shanghai went into operation on February 11, with significant importance for both the US-based electric carmaker and China's massive energy storage industry. The launch of the new plant was a bright spot in a week of woes for Tesla.

Tesla (NASDAQ: TSLA) has officially started production at its Shanghai battery megafactory, dedicated to manufacturing its high-capacity Megapack energy storage systems, according to Chinas state news agency,

Tesla Shanghai energy storage Megafactory launches production on February 11. Photo: courtesy of Tesla. Tesla held a ceremony on Tuesday to mark the production launch of its Megapack energy storage plant in Shanghai’s Lingang New Area,

U.S. carmaker Tesla's new Megafactory in Shanghai, dedicated to manufacturing its energy-storage batteries, known as Megapacks, launched production on Tuesday, marking a significant expansion of the company's presence in China.

Tesla's gigafactory for EV production in Lin-gang, which is also the first plant of its kind that the US EV maker has built overseas, was the largest foreign-invested manufacturing project in Shanghai with a total investment of 50 billion yuan.