Tesla, County Reach Deal to Allow Automaker to Reopen US Plant Next Week

Tesla, County Reach Deal to Allow Automaker to Reopen US Plant Next Week
The Tesla plant in Fremont, Calif., on May 12, 2020. (Ben Margot/AP Photo)

Tesla Inc and officials in California have resolved their acrimonious clash over safety procedures at the automaker’s sole U.S. assembly plant with a deal that allows production to resume as early as Monday, county officials said.

The county said the automaker could take additional steps ahead of next week after Chief Executive Elon Musk had vowed to defy authorities, saying Monday he was resuming production despite the prohibition. On Tuesday, he also won the backing of President Donald Trump.

In a tweet, Alameda County said that following talks with Tesla it agreed that the electric carmaker can take steps “in preparation for possible reopening as soon as next week.”

Tesla did not immediately comment Wednesday but around the same time the county issued its statement, Musk tweeted, “Life should be lived.”

Tesla’s sole U.S. electric vehicle assembly plant is in Fremont, Calif., which is in Alameda County.

NTD Photo
A Tesla dealership offers cars for sale in Chicago, Ill., on March 30, 2018. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)

The county said it would work with police in Fremont “to verify Tesla is adhering to physical distancing and that agreed upon health and safety measures are in place for the safety of their workers as they prepare for full production.”

On Monday, Musk said production was resuming in Fremont, defying an order to stay closed and saying if anyone had to be arrested, it should be him.

On Tuesday, Musk won Trump’s backing.

“California should let Tesla & @elonmusk open the plant, NOW. It can be done Fast & Safely!” Trump wrote on Twitter. The White House did not immediately comment on the announcement.

Tesla shares were up 0.7 percent to $814.98.

On Tuesday, employee parking lots at Tesla’s factory in Fremont, Calif., were packed with cars. Trucks could be seen driving in and out of the factory grounds.

At the Fremont factory’s outbound logistics parking lot, where only a dozen Tesla cars were parked last week, hundreds of Tesla vehicles were seen on Tuesday.

The company had sued Alameda County challenging its decision that the plant should stay closed.

A county health official on Friday said the county had asked all manufacturers, including Tesla, to delay operations by at least another week to monitor infection and hospitalization rates.

Tesla on Saturday released a plan to keep workers returning to the factory safe.

The measures, which include temperature screenings, the installation of barriers to separate work areas, and protective equipment for workers, are similar to those set up by Detroit-based automakers General Motors, Ford, and Fiat Chrysler. Those automakers are set to resume most U.S. auto plants starting Monday.

Trump is eager for the U.S. economy to reopen and for Americans to return to work.

Musk over the weekend threatened to leave California for Texas or Nevada over his factory’s closure. His move has highlighted the competition for jobs and ignited a rush to attract the billionaire executive to states that have reopened their economies more quickly in response to encouragement from Trump.

SpaceX owner and Tesla CEO Elon Musk
SpaceX owner and Tesla CEO Elon Musk speaks at the E3 gaming convention in Los Angeles, Calif., on June 13, 2019. (Mike Blake/Reuters)

Last month, Musk was on a call with Trump and other chief executives to discuss the reopening of the U.S. economy in which Musk said he wanted to be able to resume production by May 1 or earlier, a person briefed on the call confirmed. Details of the call were reported earlier by the Washington Post.

By David Shepardson

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