Nevada, home of gambling, legal sex work, Celine Dion, and Cirque du Soleil — and now Tesla?
Apparently, electric car company Tesla will plant its new $5 billion battery factory in Nevada, according to CNBC and Wall Street Journal sources.
Moreover, Nevada Governor Brian Sandoval is scheduled to speak at a press conference tomorrow afternoon at 4 p.m. and will likely announce Tesla’s new factory plan. Sandoval sent a tweet earlier today hinting at the announcement:
Stay tuned for a major announcement tomorrow at 4PM related to economic development in #NV.
— Governor Sandoval (@GovSandoval) September 3, 2014
California and Texas were also previously in the running for the factory. California lawmakers scrambled to put together proposals for Tesla, though the company didn’t commit before the end of the state’s legislative session last month.
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Texas also courted the company, with Governor Rick Perry taking at least one trip to visit Tesla in California, according to the Journal.
With that said, it appears that the work Tesla began near Reno, Nevada earlier this year, along with the proximity to its Fremont, Calif. headquarters, convinced the company to stick to Nevada in the end. In late July, reports suggested that Sparks, Nevada would be the likely location.
Tesla originally announced its factory plans in February, and in July we heard that Panasonic was investing between $194 million and $291 million in the battery factory, although it could potentially invest up to $1 billion. Tesla decided to use the same type of lithium-ion batteries used in laptops, making Panasonic a great strategic partner. Thanks to the deal, Panasonic now owns 39 percent of the $660 million annual market for electric-car batteries.
Last month, Tesla revealed its next model, a BMW 3 Series rival named “Model III.”
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