Futuristic entrepreneur and billionaire American Elon Musk in Hawthorne, California. - FREDERIC J. BROWN / AFP

After days of a media and legal war, Elon Musk, supported by President Donald Trump, has come to terms with California authorities. They announced the opening next week of the Tesla electric car production plant, which was closed in mid-March due to the coronavirus pandemic.

California should let Tesla & @elonmusk open the plant, NOW. It can be done Fast & Safely!

- Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 12, 2020

The company and the authorities of the county of Alameda, sheltering the city of Fremont, where the only assembly line of the group is in the United States, reached an agreement authorizing the manufacturer of electric vehicles to reopen "as of the week next ”, but under certain sanitary conditions. Production could resume on Monday, May 18, which would coincide with the resumption of activity in the General Motors, Ford and Fiat Chrysler factories.

"Productive discussions"

In a series of tweets, Alameda County officials say they had "productive discussions with Tesla officials" after presenting a plan to return to service taking into account the health requirements of the pandemic. This green light is accompanied by a battery of conditions, in particular taking into account the modifications to the recovery plan requested by the county health services and that the public health indicators remain stable or improve.

Elon Musk's acts of mistrust undoubtedly scalded the authorities. They state that the local police will be responsible for ensuring that "Tesla applies physical distancing measures properly, and that the health measures on which the parties have agreed are in place to ensure the safety of workers while they are away. prepare to resume normal production. "

"Fascist" measures

The agreement ends weeks of anger at the whimsical and unpredictable billionaire against containment measures deemed "fascist", preventing him from manufacturing his electric cars. He went on the offensive this Saturday by announcing to sue the county of Alameda. To make a good impression in the face of critics who saw it as a media artifice, he announced two days later, to everyone's surprise, the restart of the factory.

Active in the media, political and legal fields, Tesla, which employs 10,000 people in Fremont, also put pressure on employees, asking them to choose between returning to work or staying at home and run the risk of losing their benefits . Tesla is however one of the rare automotive groups to have been spared by the pandemic: the manufacturer generated a net profit of 16 million in the first quarter and now has a market share in the almost unsurpassable electric car.

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