Tesla CEO Elon Musk in March said the company was looking to add a new vehicle plant in the United States for production of the Cybertruck and Model Y.
He said at the time that Tesla was looking for a location in the Central U.S., which led to a number of governors in flyover states devising incentives aimed at luring the EV manufacturer.
Citing multiple sources familiar with Tesla's plans, TechCrunch reported Friday that Austin, Texas, and Tulsa, Oklahoma, were among the finalists for the new plant and that Tesla officials had recently visited both cities.
Tesla Cybertruck
Citing its own sources, Associated Press also reported that Austin and Tulsa were finalists for the plant.
Musk said during Tesla's first quarter earnings call in April that a decision on the plant location would be made within three months and possibly as early as May. Tesla CFO Zachary Kirkhorn said during the same call that the new plant would be bigger than Tesla's previous US plants.
When it comes to Tesla's existing U.S. sites, the company has a plant in Fremont, California, where it builds the Model S, Model X, Model 3, and Model Y. It also has a plant in Las Vegas, Nevada, where it builds batteries and components, and a plant in Buffalo, New York, where it builds solar equipment.
Tesla Model Y
Outside the country, Tesla has a plant in Shanghai, China, for the Model 3 and soon the Model Y, and over in Europe it's about to start construction of a plant in Berlin, Germany, for the Model 3 and Model Y.
Musk in May also said that Tesla would move its headquarters and some programs outside of California in response to Alameda County, where the Fremont plant is located, blocking Tesla from restarting production due to local coronavirus shelter-in-place orders. Tesla defied those orders, arguing that it was allowed to operate the plant due to California Governor Gavin Newsom's permission for “critical infrastructure” to continue.
It isn't clear however if Musk will actually made good on his threat to move Tesla's headquarters. Stay tuned.
