Tesla plans to build the Cybertruck at a new factory located in the central U.S., Chief Executive Elon Musk tweeted Tuesday.
The radically-designed all-electric pickup is slated for production in 2021, but it’s been unclear where Tesla will build the vehicle as it runs out of production capacity at its Fremont, Calif. location. There are reportedly more than 500,000 reservations for the Cybertruck.
Scouting locations for Cybertruck Gigafactory. Will be central USA.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) March 11, 2020
Musk previously teased the possibility of a factory located in Texas.
Giga Texas?
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) February 5, 2020
But, since Musk says the company is “scouting,” it doesn’t seem Texas is a done deal. Following Tuesday’s tweet from Musk, several government officials from centrally-located states and municipalities replied with offers to meet with the CEO.
Oklahoma piled on with pleas from the Secretary of Commerce and the Cherokee Nation.
I am a director for Cherokee Nation Busniesses and we would also like to attend that meeting. We are great partners and have a long history of being good stewards of the environment. I also happen to be a proud Model3 and Roadster ownerđ
— Brent Taylor (@BigNJN) March 11, 2020
And, the Chamber of Commerce in Joplin, Mo. quickly offered land and incentives to bring Tesla to the Show Me State.
đ Joplin Chamber President here. Iâm authorized to give you 100 acres in biz park at crossroads of I-44 and I-49 at the center of the USA, the historic home of battery tech, with four of the largest trucking companies in the world near here. Plus $50+ million in incentives.
— Toby Teeter (@tobyteeter) March 11, 2020
The middle of the country is certainly truck country. A big question for the Cybertruck has been if those blue collar pickup drivers will trade their F-150s and Silverados for an electric-powered hauler.
Delivering not only a better vehicle, but also local jobs, could be one of the best sales pitches to those resistant about an electric truck.