Where are Tesla’s gigafactories?
Tesla is dragging out its search for a new U.S. site
Tesla CEO Elon Musk perked up the ears of leaders around the country when he complained about reopening roadblocks for his California factory and expressed interest in moving his headquarters to Nevada or Texas in May.
Known for his love of the futuristic (both technologically and stylistically), Musk calls some of Tesla's plants "gigafactories." He was teasing a third U.S. gigafactory as early as February, but as of June 18, Tesla was still "considering several options," Musk wrote on Twitter.
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Leaders including Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and Tulsa, Oklahoma, Mayor G.T. Bynum were eager for Tesla to bring thousands of jobs to their areas. Now Austin, Texas, and Tulsa are considered the two main contenders for the gigafactory, although Musk is playing his cards close to the vest.
The new factory would build Tesla's upcoming “Cybertruck” as well as be a second site to build the Model Y small SUV, creating roughly 5,000 jobs.
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Here's where Tesla has built or is planning to build gigafactories around the world:
Tesla Inc. CEO Elon Musk stands next to a Tesla China-made Model 3 vehicle during a delivery event at its Shanghai factory in China January 7, 2020. REUTERS/Aly Song
Shanghai
Giga Shanghai was built and began assembling the Tesla Model 3 in 2019. Tesla is expected to begin assembling the Model Y there next year, too.
| Ticker | Security | Last | Change | Change % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| TSLA | TESLA INC. | 162.13 | +17.45 | +12.06% |
Reno
Tesla's gigafactory located near Reno, Nevada, makes electric motors and battery packs for the Model 3, as well as its energy storage products Powerwall and Powerpack. Tesla broke ground on the site in 2014.
Buffalo
Tesla manufactures solar panels, Powerwall home battery and commercial/utility-scale Powerpack battery system in its 1.2 million-square-foot Buffalo gigafactory. The site employs nearly 800 people and will scale up to 5,000 employees over 10 years, Tesla said. Tesla has owned the solar cell plant since acquiring SolarCity in 2016.
A Tesla electric car is seen parked at a charging station in Altamonte Springs, Florida, on Jan. 20, 2019. (Photo by Paul Hennessy/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Berlin
Musk announced in November that Tesla's first European gigafactory would be in Berlin. Tesla already has an assembly facility for the Model S and Model X in the Netherlands and plans to begin Model Y production in Berlin by 2021, according to its website.