The saga around Tesla’s Fremont factory continued this afternoon, with Elon Musk announcing on Twitter he has re-opened the factory against county orders, and in doing so is prepared to be arrested.
Tesla is restarting production today against Alameda County rules. I will be on the line with everyone else. If anyone is arrested, I ask that it only be me.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 11, 2020
For much of the morning, there were reports that the parking lots at the factory were full of vehicles with employees returning to work. There were also several trailers loaded with vehicles leaving the plant, while the staging areas were also full of Model 3’s ready to be transported to their new owners.
Tesla’s leaving the factory in Fremont on back of car carriers. Employee lot full, especially compared to Friday morning at this time. Company hasn’t confirmed whether manufacturing has ramped back up in defiance of Alameda County shelter in place order. #Tesla @nbcbayarea pic.twitter.com/sJakGxrrA2
— Bob Redell (@BobNBC) May 11, 2020
Musk have been boosted by some early morning support from US Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin, who said during an interview on CNBC that the state should be working with Tesla to reopen the factory as quickly as possible.
Later in the morning, California governor Gavin Newsom also showed his support for reopening the Fremont factory, saying during a news conference he hopes to work with Tesla and Alameda County to come to a resolution in the coming days.
$TSLA @elonmusk here is what Gov. Gavin Newsome has said about Tesla in a live conference few minutes ago! #Tesla @thirdrowtesla pic.twitter.com/Iqx61knCWJ
— JoeAlerts (@joealertz) May 11, 2020
This is a developing story, stay tuned for updates…
