Tesla's Next Super Factory Site Has Been Decided? Maybe It's Here
A number of foreign technology media reports have synthesized that global electric car leader Tesla has begun lobbying the Canadian government of Ontario with the intention of building a new electric car factory in the region.
Tesla wants the provincial government to speed up approvals to improve the region's competitiveness and ability to attract capital investment, according to documents recently submitted to the Ontario Lobbyist Registry, writes local Canadian media outlet Electric Autonomy.
Tesla does not want a repeat of the lengthy process used to build the Berlin plant, and the company made clear in the filing that a quick permit to build the plant would be very helpful to its business.
Several Canadian officials have now responded to this. Ontario Economic Development Minister Vic Fedeli said, "Ontario has become a key location for the electric vehicle supply chain and we expect to continue to see companies from around the world choosing Ontario for their expansion."
Canadian Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development François-Philippe Shang Pengfei told Canadian media, "It's great to see that our government's investments are getting the attention of automakers and companies around the world, and we will continue to do everything we can to ensure Canadians benefit from the global electrification of the automobile."
Musk has repeatedly hinted
Last week, Musk told shareholders that the company is aiming to reach a capacity of 2 million vehicles per year by the end of 2022, and that the next step for the company will be to continue building production plants, with details of an additional plant likely to be announced this year.
When asked where to site the new plant, Musk replied, "I'm half Canadian, so maybe I should?" That line, which many in the room and the media thought was a joke at the time, may now be getting closer to realization.
In other reports, a media recording of a company meeting in June heard Musk confirm that Tesla was exploring the possibility of building a new North American factory, and at the time he made it clear that the factory was more likely to be in Canada or Mexico.
Tesla has long been deployed
Musk has deep ties to Canada. His mother is Canadian, and he attended Queen's University, a prestigious Canadian institution located in Kingston, Ontario.
Ontario is rich in metallic minerals such as copper, nickel, gold, silver, platinum, cobalt, zinc and diamonds, as well as non-metallic minerals such as salt, gypsum, lime, and sand, stone and gravel, providing a good external environment for the production of electric car batteries.
Tesla acquired Hibar Systems Canada, a lithium equipment vendor based in Richmond Hill, Ontario, in 2019; later, Tesla also acquired Springpower International, based in Mississauga, Ontario, to acquire battery cathode technology.
In addition, Ontario has a seaport, which is convenient for exporting cars to other countries. Canadian companies can also provide most of the production materials for Tesla, which is also an important factor for Tesla to build a factory in Canada.
Last November, Tesla also opened a plant in Markham, Ontario, to manufacture battery equipment and increase production of the lower-cost, higher-range 4680 battery.
