Which Tesla Gigafactory is designated as Gigafactory 3?

Tesla’s Gigafactory 3 is Gigafactory Shanghai in Shanghai, China.

The factory became Tesla’s third major Gigafactory designation and its first vehicle plant outside the United States. Tesla agreed to build the facility with the Shanghai government in 2018, secured land in October that year, and held its groundbreaking ceremony on January 7, 2019. Construction moved unusually quickly, with initial production beginning later in 2019.

Gigafactory Shanghai was built to manufacture vehicles close to one of Tesla’s most important markets while also reducing the need to import finished cars into China. Its early production focused on the Model 3, followed by the Model Y. The site later became a major export hub for Tesla vehicles supplied to other regions.

The numbering can cause confusion because Tesla increasingly uses location-based names such as Giga Shanghai, Giga Nevada, Giga Berlin, and Giga Texas. “Gigafactory 3” is the older numbered designation, while “Gigafactory Shanghai” identifies the same site more directly. Nevada is Gigafactory 1, and Berlin and Texas are later factories.