Tesla Hints Canada for Future Plant, Discloses Lobbying in Ontario
It’s not the first time that Elon Musk talks about Canada as part of its gigafactory expansion plans. Last week, Tesla’s head honcho said at the company's annual shareholder meeting that an announcement regarding the next Gigafactory could be made later this year. When questioned on the location, Musk asked the crowd where it should be built. And after a group of shareholders were heard yelling "Canada,” Musk mention that "we've got a lot of Canadas” and “I'm half Canadian, maybe I should."
Earlier this year in June, Musk said Tesla is looking at sites in North America, and that it might not be in the United States.
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Today, Tesla Inc is lobbying the Ontario government as part of an effort to set up an "advanced manufacturing facility" in Canada, and to "identify opportunities for industrial facility permitting reforms." The filing was made at the Office of the Integrity Commissioner in Ontario.
Although everything seems vague and open to interpretation (like it often is, with Tesla), these are strong signs that Ontario could get one of the 10-12 gigafactories planned by the manufacturer.
Tesla manufactures vehicles from two factories in the United States, one in Germany and one in China.
With the political turmoil and supply issues that have been pulling the industry down during the last years, U.S. EV manufacturers are working hard to diversify their sources for materials to lower their dependence on current battery manufacturers.
