Cybertruck Gigafactory Location Will Be More Than Halfway to East Coast

[gunn.evtn]

Check out my blog: "Cybertruck Plant a No-Brainer for Texas" on evtransportnews.com Tom Gunn

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[ReddykwRun]

Tennessee definitely seems like front runner. Saw this in an article:

Separate reports from TechCrunch and Axios mention sources saying that Nashville is on a shortlist of locations competing for the “Cybertruck Gigafactory.”

Like with Gigafactory Nevada, the automaker is expected to get government incentives as part of the deal, but Musk says that he is looking for more than that.

In an email to the Wall Street Journal, Musk wrote about the search:

Tennessee would be an interesting choice because it is becoming a hub for electric vehicle manufacturing. Nissan has been producing the Leaf at its plant in Smyrna, and Volkswagen is currently building an electric vehicle factory next to its existing plant in Chattanooga.

About an 8 hour drive from the Gulf Coast, I like this idea.

 

[chphilo]

Are we talking about geographical center or population center? I would think population center is much closer to the east coast. (See the population 3-d map below)

Pittsburgh is a good option. Pitt and Carnegie Mellon Universities are good to have in your backyard.

 

[Administrator]

Morgan Stanley analyst Adam Jones (see his track record here) lays out 6 reasons why he thinks Texas is the most likely location for Tesla's Cybertruck factory -- here are the 6 reasons. Source.

First, there's inherent disadvantages with respect to location and logistics in having all of a company's North American production on the West Coast of the U.S. Tesla's vehicle factory in the U.S. is in Fremont, California; no other OEMs have vehicle assembly in the Golden State, he said.

Second, Texas ranks No. 4 in the U.S. among auto manufacturing jobs, Jonas said, citing Labor Department statistics.

Third, Jonas is of the view that Tesla might prefer to operate in states where labor union representation is less prevalent. Texas, being a right-to-work state with affordable labor costs, fits the bill, the analyst said. The cost of doing business is significantly lower than Tesla's current production in California, he said.

Fourth, Tesla, which pitches itself as an integrated renewable energy generation, storage and transportation company, would prefer a state with an abundance of predictable renewable solar energy to power its manufacturing operations, Jonas said.

Fifth, SpaceX/Starship operations are in Boca Chica, Texas. As SpaceX continues to make headway in developing its Starship, the analyst said it is only prudent for Musk to spend more of his time in the Lone Star State. "Synergies in management time and, over time, possibly increased cooperation between Tesla and SpaceX make Texas an appealing option for the next US Giga."

Sixth, Morgan Stanley said the U.S. lawmakers and the public might see a multibillion-dollar investment from a renewable energy and transportation company in the heart of the U.S. oil and gas industry as "symbolic and, in many ways, well timed."

 

[Cyber1qhorsey]

I'm impressed with Sandy's videos tearing down the model Y. Especially, the LR battery pack is smaller than one would have imagined! It's housed robustly, and looks safe! Never mind all that power! And the frame chassis castings are amazing. There's something about synergy between Tesla and a certain rocket maker, that's going to blow the competition away!

 

[Sirfun]

Hmmm, Elon has put his houses in So. Cal. up for sale. I wonder how much of a tax benefit it would be to reside in Texas as opposed to California.

 

[PAPAB]

Come on Charlotte! Renewable energy state, rail, interstate connections, large semi truck operations, large International airport, relatively close to East coast ports, college level schools concentrating on vehicles,NASCAR home, mid-Atlantic with easy access to all of East Coast and we love our trucks....

 

[lukefrisbee]

The only negative I see when it comes to putting ANOTHER huge aspect of his company in Texas is that he has less political power on a federal level. By placing it at a border to states with large populations he could garner favor with a larger % of the federally elected officials.

 

[Auric]

Tesla, Terafactoy, and Texas begins with the Letter T

so it would be 3T

(and I really don't care, I'm from Europe)

 

[cybrtrk_maybe]

Reminds me of what a public speaking instructor told me back in college... remember the 3Ts:
1. Tell em what you're gonna tell em
2. Tell em
3. Tell em what you told em.

 

[Cyber1qhorsey]

To help revitalize the heartland there's a big hole in there area of southern Ohio, and western Pennsylvania and West Virginia, where Tesla could draw manufacturing talent INTO an otherwise less populated, but beautiful people and countryside. More Ts !

 

[Administrator]

Update - May 9, 2020

Elon Musk may have just have tipped Texas as the location for the Cybertruck factory. Late this week, Tesla attempted to reopen the Fremont factory after the California Governor gave the go ahead for manufacturing to begin resuming operations with proper safety protocols in place. But, Alameda County, where the Fremont factory is located, shut down Tesla’s attempt to restart production.

In response, within the last hour, Musk announced on Twitter that Tesla is filing a lawsuit against the county:

“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!”

Musk then announced that Tesla will be moving its headquarters and future programs to Texas and Nevada:

“Frankly, this is the final straw. Tesla will now move its HQ and future programs to Texas/Nevada immediately.”

He then further suggested that Tesla might not even keep the Fremont factory:

“If we even retain Fremont manufacturing activity at all, it will be dependen on how Tesla is treated in the future. Tesla is the last carmaker left in CA.”

Since Tesla currently has no operations in Texas (it already has a Gigafactory in Nevada), this could be the biggest clue yet that Musk may have already decided on Texas as the location for the next giga (tera?) factory, which will be used for Cybertruck production.

 

[Mini2nut]

I smelled a lawsuit coming after the shutdown. I would not be surprised if Musk decides to build a massive manufacturing plant in another state and pull out of CA completely.

 

[ReddykwRun]

With the current news as of 5-9-20, in regards to the plans to "pack our $ H ! T and bail out of Cally" I say a great big YEE HAAW.
You are gonna love the people, the food and wide-open expanses and business-friendly environment.

 

[fritter63]

What if they instead moved all the painted cars to Texas, where they wouldn't be hobbled by California paint restrictions (I assume?), and then make the CT in Fremont?