Shanghai helps fuel Tesla's electric car dreams

Tao Lin, vice-president of Tesla Inc, was right when she said the US electric carmaker had made the right choice in 2018 by choosing to build its first overseas plant in Shanghai.

"Thanks to the outstanding business environment in Shanghai, many of our innovative ideas have become realities. From what we have achieved, it is a correct choice," Tao told reporters on Tuesday in Shanghai.

Tesla's Shanghai story is more than just innovative. The plant broke ground in January 2019 and started trial production in October, without CEO Elon Musk pitching a sleeping bag in the factory to supervise the progress, as he frequently did in the US.