In the world of electric vehicles, there is one clear dominating force. That force is Tesla. In fact, if you asked someone from the general public to name another exclusive EV manufacturer, they likely wouldn’t have an answer. Though Tesla is already a household name worldwide, it continues to grow as gas prices send the company’s sales through the roof. Despite material cost increases spiking the price of all Tesla models, the EV giant aims to produce a record-setting number of cars this year.

Producing 1.5 million cars would mark a 50 percent increase over 2021 for Tesla

According to Teslarati, Tesla’s CEO Elon Musk is confident that they’ll surpass the production of 1.5 million cars this year. This marks an over 50 percent increase over 2021’s total production number of 930,422, according to InsideEVs. Even more astonishing is the fact that 2021 showed an 82.5 percent increase over 2020. It seems, then, there’s no stopping the Tesla train.

“…we remain confident of a 50% growth in vehicle production in 2022 versus ‘21. I think, we actually have a reasonable shot at a 60% increase over last year. So, let’s see,” Musk said during the Tesla Q1 2022 earnings call.

This massive increase in production stems from the recent addition of two “Giga Factories,” as Tesla calls them, in Berlin and Texas. However, since they are just getting started, these factories are still finding their footing. Musk said it typically takes between nine and 12 months to reach full production volume at proper quality.

“Now, with new factories, the initial ramp always looks small, but it grows exponentially. So, I have very high confidence in the teams of both factories. And we expect to ramp those initially slowly, but like I said, growing exponentially with them achieving high volume by the end of this year,” said Musk.

This estimate still comes on the heels of the Shanghai, China Giga Factory being shut down due to strict lockdown restrictions due to an outbreak of Covid-19. China has a strict zero-covid policy, so effectively, the government shut down the entire city of Shanghai.

However, Musk is confident that the Chinese factory will meet or exceed its Q1 production numbers despite the temporary closure.

It seems the iconic EV manufacturer just can’t lose

Despite production setbacks and material cost increases causing massive spikes in the price of Tesla vehicles, the company continues to sell vehicles like they never have before.

At the moment, buying a Tesla means signing up for a six-month or longer wait before you’ll finally get your hands on your new vehicle. However, the production increase and Giga Factories may shave some time off the wait. Only time will tell.

As production resumes in China and the new factories in Berlin and Texas gain footing, we’re likely to see a massive influx of Tesla vehicles being delivered to customers.

So, if you’ve been on the fence about purchasing a Tesla, act now. You just might have a lesser wait than you might have thought in the near future.