It appears Tesla Motors has found a place for its Gigafactory, with the company saying that it has broken ground on a new site near Reno, Nev., which could end speculation on which state will have the honor of the electric automaker's first major battery factory.
Despite the revelation, the location may not be the final destiny for the factory, as Tesla added that it was still looking into a number of other potential spots for the factory. California remains on the list.
In addition to the breaking of ground near Reno, the California-based company also revealed that it had delivered over 7,500 Model S sedans in the second quarter, an increase from the company's expectations for this year's deliveries, which pushed the expected number of vehicles to be delivered to over 35,000 for the year.
That goal is to continue to rise, as the company added it hopes the success of the Model S and the Model X, a crossover SUV, will help drive delivery rates to over 100,000 by 2015.
But the factory has received much attention, as it is seen as a potential economic boost for the state that gets Tesla inside its borders. The battle has been waging, as Tech Times reported, for a number of weeks, with rumors abounding over where the factory will be located.
Nevada, it appears, has everything Tesla Motors would need, including low costs, less regulation, its proximity to Fremont, Calif., where the Tesla headquarters is located and, most important, abundant lithium resources nearby. The state has become a leader in that sector, which is vital to electric vehicle battery production.
But there is still hope that California will win out. A number of recent tax incentives for companies were introduced and could be a huge boost to Tesla's decision-making process. And the governor's office has publicly spoken out in what could be a PR move to entice Tesla to place the factory inside its borders.
"Tesla was born in California and currently employs over 6,000 people, making them the largest automotive company in the state," said Brook Taylor, a spokesman for Gov. Jerry Brown's Office of Business and Economic Development. "The administration is working every day to help companies expand in California, and Tesla is certainly one of those companies."
