Elon Musk invites arrest

Tesla CEO Elon Musk has invited authorities to arrest him after reopening the US EV-maker's Californian factory over the weekend, in contradiction of local COVID-19 laws.

Officials from Alameda County made it clear that Tesla should not resume manufacturing amid social distancing rules to combat the coronavirus pandemic, but Musk was unapolagetic.

"Tesla is restarting production today against Alameda County rules. I will be on the line with everyone else. If anyone is arrested, I ask that it only be me," he said.

Musk's response to continuing statewide restrictions in California has also included legal action to attempt to overturn Alameda County's decision.

The billionaire CEO Tweeted: "Tesla is filing a lawsuit against Alameda County immediately. The unelected & ignorant "Interim Health Officer" of Alameda is acting contrary to the Governor, the President, our Constitutional freedoms & just plain common sense!"

He later stated that he would move Tesla operations out of California.

"Frankly, this is the final straw. Tesla will now move its HQ and future programs to Texas/Nevada immediately. If we even retain Fremont manufacturing activity at all, it will be dependen [sic] on how Tesla is treated in the future. Tesla is the last carmaker left in CA," he Tweeted.

In a lengthy interview with Joe Rogan, Musk agreed that people shouldn’t be arrested for going to work.

"Fundamentally [it's] a violation of the constitution, of freedom of assembly. I don't think these things stand up in court really."

The Tesla boss, who also runs SpaceX and is working on a brain implant called Neuralink, said the number of COVID-19 cases were overblown and that the lock-down laws violated civil liberties.

"Objectively, the mortality is much lower, like at least a factor of 10, maybe a factor of 50 lower than initially thought," he told Rogan.

"In general I think we should be concerned about anything that's a massive infringement on our civil liberties."

Tesla has built more than one million EVs.

The top-selling EV in Australia in 2019 was the Tesla Model 3 and the brand is planning to launch a mid-size SUV, the Model Y, to join the larger Model S sedan and Model X SUV.

Musk confirmed to Rogan that the highly-anticipated second-generation Tesla Roadster would be delayed until 2022 due to the upcoming Tesla Cybertruck dual-cab ute, which is expected to arrive in US homes from late 2021.

There's currently no Australian launch date for the Tesla Cybertruck, despite Australia expected to be the world's third-largest market for the vehicle.