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... READ FULL ARTICLE
Texas already has close to 30,000 Cyber Truck orders and is clearly the frontrunner in pre-orders of all the central states - this should be very compelling to Tesla. For more details google 'Worldwide Cybertruck Reservation Tracker'
Great that Texas has so many orders! But - for the factory itself, there need to be EV-friendly laws and politicians - or the factory will be bullied by oily interests. Lobbyists and politicians make the laws, not the people ordering EVs. (Btw. Trump is considering bailing out the oil industry because of the recent price collapse. So Texas oil could suddenly be "empowered" again. EV's could be less in demand anyway as the price at the pump gets cheap...)
While I'm not from TX, my heart has been there for over 15 years. I'd be a heavy advocate for the factory being built there, but the current culture (government) would have to do a complete 180 with some of their policies (in particular, manufacturer to consumer vehicle sales). I'd find it challenging for any local politician to not support Tesla wanting to bring a factory there (especially when they've already hinted at actually WANTING to build there). We're talking THOUSANDS of jobs being created for that local economy for generations to come!
I think Indiana should be near the top of their list. Tons of of automakers have their factories here (Honda, Subaru, Toyota, GM, etc) and we’re home to the largest steelworks in the US. We also have Purdue and Rose-Hulman which are some of the best engineering schools in the US, so they’d have no problems with finding knowledgeable, experienced workers. Indiana was also willing to give Amazon tons of benefits for their HQ2. Along with being a major interstate highway hub, there’s also direct access to Lake Michigan, so shipping logistics would be ideal.
So I hate being one to complain about something and not attempt to do anything about it... I literally just emailed my local congressman expressing my dismay about us not taking any action to make this come to fruition for TX.
Auto correct got me on Purdue lol! I think Indiana would be perfect for such a factory, plenty of land and workers to make it happen. I already emailed my representative and senator! This feels like Amazon HQ2 all over again haha
I have no doubt that they want "to bring a factory there" - local politicians in particular. My concern is what they will do once it's built, once Tesla is "captured" there. Will they continue to support it, or will they start to milk it (through various types of bureaucratic bullying) for revenue and politics. My point is - the culture in which Tesla locates factories is important. The Texas track record toward such ventures needs to be closely examined. Have they changed their ways? Why support them otherwise?
Wyoming seems good to me, from what little I know... I like it because of its progressive Bitcoin legislation. I bet they would offer Tesla a hell of a deal - and support it afterwards too.
I think Texas could work well but this article brings up some interesting points : Why Giga Mexico Offers Tesla Advantages That Giga Texas Can't Match | CleanTechnica
My bet is along 80. Major path between east and west. Indiana makes a lot of sense assuming you have the talent pool there and people willing to move to Indiana to work there - designers/engineers. Colorado also makes sense as well. Wherever they decide, they'll have considered all their variables and freebees.
A native Californian now fellow Hoosier here, I agree. This state seems to be very manufacturing friendly, and knowing incentives the state has granted in the past Indiana deserves a good look by Tesla. Crossroads of America!
Texas has a large tech industry (Austin is known as Silicon Hills), including semiconductor manufacturing. In fact, the HW3 chipset is made at the Samsung factory in Austin, and along with that Tesla has a software design team in Austin. Also, Texas is a HUGE truck buying state and is one reason why Toyota builds their trucks in San Antonio. Plus, Musk is already in Texas for both SpaceX testing facilities, McGregor and Boca Chica. Add to that the fact that Texas is one of the leading wind energy producers in the nation, and then combine all of this with the business friendly incentives the Texas Lege loves to tout and you've got a pretty solid argument FOR Texas. In fact, I think Elon would have quite a bit of persuasion with the jobs and influx of capital to persuade the politicians to update their laws.
I could see the advantages of manufacturing Model 3/Y in Mexico for these reasons, but not the CT. I don't see a high enough demand other than the cartels being able to afford the CT.
Surely Elon can do better than offering this plum, that will undoubtedly include plenty of jobs, and tax revenues, that many states would bend over backwards to be the recipients of, than one whose politicians are so under the spell of the dealership old boys that they still won't allow Tesla to sell their product there. Opening up some Tesla stores in the Lone Star State should be a non-starter at the negotiating table.