Teslas shrinking its workforce at the Nevada Gigafactory because of the coronavirus

One week after Tesla said it would keep up “normal” operations at the Gigafactory in Nevada, the company now plans to scale back the workforce there by “more than 75 percent” as the state shelters in place to fight the novel coronavirus. Panasonic, which helps make Tesla’s batteries in a section of the Gigafactory, suspended its operations there last week. Legacy automakers have also halted manufacturing operations in the United States amid the pandemic.

Tesla has already paused some nonessential operations at the factory and is encouraging employees to work from home if possible, which has “significantly” reduced the number of people showing up to work every day, according to an email obtained by the Reno Gazette-Journal. The company...

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