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Poll: Which Finalist State Should Tesla Pick for the Gigafactory?

Which State Should Tesla Choose For the Gigafactory?

  • Total voters
    141
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#21
I have to say that I think Nevada should be the front runner. Proximity to the raw materials (new lithium mine in Nevada). Proximity to the NUMMI plant so shipping the battery packs would be quicker/cheaper. Attracting people to no-state-income-tax Nevada shouldn't be too difficult.

Arizona is anti-Tesla, but so is Texas and Texas has no state income tax and is a bigger market. So if you're dangling the factory and it's jobs to get the franchising laws overturned, Texas wins over Arizona.
I don't know where New Mexico's location is but the politics there seem much more Tesla-friendly so I'd put them 3rd.
 
#24
sublimaze1 said:
Probably similar to the line of thought of Moore county Tennessee, which is dry, being the home to Lynchburg and the Jack Daniel's distillery.
Click to expand...
Prohibitions of liquor sales in southern counties existed primarily to support the moonshiners and their direct sales model. An interesting counterpoint to the challenges in New Jersey and elsewhere.

- - - Updated - - -

purplewalt said:
There are many, many pieces to this puzzle.
Trying to tie it only to one facet of current sales structure may be short-sighted.

Tesla has announced there will be two sources of green energy for the gigafactory.
PV and wind turbines.
Texas already is the leader in the latter aspect of energy generation, and has a vast amount of projects under construction and yet to be under construction.
Click to expand...
This is an interesting line of thinking. Here are two maps that may be more relevant, showing the potential across the country for wind and solar. Potential is more important than actual: people have been building wind farms in Texas largely because Texas agreed to foot the bill for the transmission needed to get that power to market. But your point is still valid: Texas has much better wind resources than the other three competitors (although there are parts of New Mexico that do very well):
home_usmap.jpg

The solar resource is weighted towards Arizona; however, any of the four states has more than good-enough insolation:
map_pv_national_lo-res.jpg
 
#29
As elsewhere, I freely admit to a slight personal bias for AZ, but also as elsewhere, I find NV to have a toxic atmosphere toward manufacturing. Furthermore, there is zero benefit for its slightly greater proximity than the other states to a less-than marginal Li deposit. The least expensive lithium in the world comes from Atacaman Chile, and this will not alter perceptibly in any of our lifetimes.
NM I rule against for its sub-standard infrastructure and its marginal workforce.
That leaves AZ and TX. TX has the better geographic claim for the entire US market....but only if the factory is the node from which shipments leave, rather than mostly being transported back to Fremont. It also has a better wind profile, but mostly in far west TX which lacks the excellent work force and life style of the Austin, eg, region.
AZ has the best solar insolation profile, good infrastructure and better access to Fremont, but can its dishonest politicans stay bought? The $64 question....
 
#30
djplong said:
I have to say that I think Nevada should be the front runner. Proximity to the raw materials (new lithium mine in Nevada). Proximity to the NUMMI plant so shipping the battery packs would be quicker/cheaper. Attracting people to no-state-income-tax Nevada shouldn't be too difficult.

Arizona is anti-Tesla, but so is Texas and Texas has no state income tax and is a bigger market. So if you're dangling the factory and it's jobs to get the franchising laws overturned, Texas wins over Arizona.
I don't know where New Mexico's location is but the politics there seem much more Tesla-friendly so I'd put them 3rd.
Click to expand...

My vote is also Nevada for similar reasons. My sources in Southern Nevada (which has far better sun and somewhat better wind) is the only location being considered in Nevada is east of Reno, as opposed to the Las Vegas area. :(
 
#31
Texas is my choice. (If the package includes those anti-Tesla laws being overturned.)

Being able to say to those potential 26 million customers - "the battery pack is made right here in Texas" is very powerful. Customers won't be a problem. A powerful presence in the two most populous states also means that political opposition to Tesla becomes that much more difficult.
 
#33
Tesla is closely monitoring the behavior of each state's legislature along with site evaluations. The giga factory must be able to run entirely on sunlight. The state must have a great labor force to draw upon, trucking and train routes for easy accessibility to move massive amounts of product in and out of the facility. The giga factory will be in the state of Arizona. Think Elon think.... clean, renewable, non polluting, labor laws/regulations, forward thinking state.... I know!! I know!! ...but it is going to come to pass....
I have not met one......NOT ONE!! Arizonan who does not think the Tesla Model S isn't the greatest concept turned into reality EVER!!! .."AND IT RUNS ON SUNLIGHT" who has more sunlight than Arizona. The giga factory is going to model after the model S in its level of efficiency and recyclability of product. Arizonans are catching on very, very quickly that this is what they want. ... a clean, reliable, renewable, source of energy for their modes of transportation, housing etc. Arizonans strongly support this line of thinking .... and it is AMERICAN MADE!!! Home grown, good 'ole US of A taking the lead in changing the nation from foreign oil to domestic solar Arizonan energy via the giga factory!! oooooooohyea!!! It's gonna be Arizona!! The Giga Factory in Arizona is a home run and the Commissioners Trophy ... all in one!!
 
#35
Nevada is the only state on the short list that does not limit Tesla sales. Many so-called analysts discount the importance of the direct sales issue. I believe if all things were equal, and a state with a current restrictive position on direct sales made a firm commitment to assure the removal of those restrictions, that it would have a competitive advantage.

However, regardless of economics I find it difficult to believe that Elon would reward a state that continues to maintain restrictive sales policies, nor would he wait for the time-consuming process of legislative debate, before moving ahead.

In summary, my guess is that Nevada has the best chance, due to its proximity to the Fremont factory and its positive position on direct sales.

Larry
 
#37
wycolo said:
Fly the lithium in from Chile??
Click to expand...

On an electric plane?

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Tyl said:
Tesla is closely monitoring the behavior of each state's legislature along with site evaluations. The giga factory must be able to run entirely on sunlight.
Click to expand...

Sunlight and wind. The Plan even has both turbines and panels in the images. Wind can blow 24 hours a day and wind power is pretty cheap.
 
Last edited:
#38
#40
[X] Nevada
[_] Arizona
[_] New Mexico
[_] Texas

I'm predicting Nevada.

I believe that Nevada laws regarding processing environmentally unfriendly chemicals are somewhat more relaxed than in other states. That can be a real issue with manufacturing chemical batteries -- just look at the issue here in Los Angeles with Exide.

POWER:
Tesla could use Solar panels to power the plant, (or at least supplement it) in Texas, Arizona, or New Mexico. Maybe even Nevada if it was situated nearer to Las Vegas than Reno. If solar panels are not in the cards, then electricity cost is probably cheaper in Arizona or New Mexico. I'm pretty sure Nevada's Hoover Dam electricity is all spoken for. I'm not up on Texas electricity rates of today. But I'm soured on that subject. I lived in Austin in the 1970's, and the idiots never bothered to lock in the electricity rates during/after the Arab Oil Embargo. Austin had one of the highest electricity rates in the country. $325/mo for a 1-bedroom apartment (and the apartment was $310). :(

FREIGHT TRANSPORTATION:
Freight costs bringing raw materials in and finished goods out are going to be higher if the plant is located in the middle of nowhere, unless Elon is planning to build a "prototype" hyperloop to move the the raw materials in and the finished goods out. The right-of-way for the hyperloop tubes might be problematic, and construction time for the tube alone could be choked by red tape for decades -- unless it could obtain subsidies by providing terminals for more popular destinations along the way.

WATER:
One worry is that this kind of manufacturing will take a considerable amount of water, and there isn't much excess water available in any of the above choices except Texas. If it were in Nevada, then Tesla may be able to strike a deal with nearby Oregon.

LABOR:
Labor will take care of itself. In this day and age, people will relocate to where the jobs are.


-- Ardie
 
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