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Tesla’s Head of Policy Reveals “Many of His Colleagues at Tesla” Are “Surprised to Hear The EV Maker Has Decided to Build a Gigafactory in India” – Clarifies “It’s Another Totally Made-Up Media Story”

Since Elon Musk announced an upcoming India visit, Tesla’s head of policy revealed that he has had several conversations with his Tesla colleagues, who were surprised to learn that the EV maker had made a major decision associated with India.
Tesla Gigafactory

In 2023, Tesla produced and delivered over 1.8 million vehicles annually. That’s an astronomical rise for Tesla, which just a few years ago used to struggle to produce 100,000 cars a year.

Not only that but in a few years since the introduction of the Model Y, Tesla’s mid-sized crossover has grown to become the best-selling vehicle in the world, whether electric or internal combustion.

However, if you think what Tesla has achieved so far is impressive, hold on to your hats when you hear about Tesla’s long-term goal.

Related News: Elon Musk Harshly Reacts To Suggestions He is Personally to Blame for the Massive 20% Decline in Tesla Deliveries This Quarter

By 2030, Tesla plans to increase vehicle production to 20 million vehicles annually. For context, this is more vehicles than the Toyota and Volkswagen groups, with their numerous sub-brands built in a year.

When a company sets out to achieve this type of hyper-ambitious growth, it means massively increasing the company’s size, and in Tesla’s case, it means many more Gigafactories.

Currently, Tesla operates six major factories across three continents. The Fremont factory, Giga Texas, Giga Nevada, and Giga Buffalo are in the US, and Tesla operates factories in China and Germany—Giga Shanghai and Giga Berlin.

In addition to these “Gigafactories,” Tesla has a Megafactory in Lathrop, California, and is constructing another Megafactory in Shanghai, China.

These factories have helped Tesla significantly grow energy storage and vehicle production.

However, as stated above, over the next six years, Tesla plans to grow vehicle production by over 10X, and with those ambitious goals, it means many more factories.

Tesla has announced two new factories—Giga Mexico and a major expansion to Giga Nevada. Giga Mexico is expected to produce Tesla’s next-generation affordable $25,000 vehicle, whereas the Giga Nevada expansion is slated to produce the Tesla Semi.

So far, this is everything Tesla has confirmed regarding the EV maker’s upcoming factory locations. However, Tesla has also publicly communicated that it is actively assessing other locations for a potential new gigafactory announcement.

Since Tesla made this announcement, several reports have claimed that the EV maker has picked a new gigafactory site.

Countries that have been mentioned in the media as potential locations for Tesla’s next gigafactory include India, South Korea, the Philippines, Italy, Thailand, and France. At some point, there were even reports that Tesla had chosen Russia as a location for the company’s upcoming gigafactory.

All the rumors hinting where Tesla will build the next gigafactory have been exciting; however, the deluge of media information regarding Tesla’s next factory is starting to create confusion even among Tesla employees.

Elon Musk recently revealed that he will visit India to meet with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. This has led to a flurry of reports claiming that Tesla has decided to build a gigafactory in India and that Musk will make the announcement during his upcoming visit.

These reports include various details, such as the cost of the factory, the exact region in India where Tesla will build the plant, and the vehicle the EV maker will produce at the factory.

Given all these details and Elon Musk’s upcoming trip, it would appear that Tesla has settled on India as the location for the company’s next Gigafactory.

However, despite everything written to the contrary, Tesla’s head of policy and business development, Rohan Patel, revealed that Tesla had NOT made such a decision.

Patel made the announcement by writing on X: “Media speculation and false reporting exist everywhere. India is unfortunately not immune to this global dynamic, at least as it relates to Tesla news.”

Rohan goes on to state that reports of a Tesla factory in India have been so widespread that they are even causing confusion among Tesla employees, who erroneously believe that Tesla has made a decision to build a factory in the country.

Tesla’s head of Policy and Business Development shared a conversation he had with Tesla employees, writing, “Many colleagues at Tesla: “Hey—surprised to hear we decided to [build a factory in India]. Can you give me more background on it? Me: “Yo, another totally made-up media story - no clue where they got that.”

What’s surprising is that, given the persistent false information about Tesla, even the EV maker’s employees are not immune to erroneous media reports about the company.

Now that Tesla’s head of Policy and Development has poured cold water on recent reports that Tesla has decided to build a factory in India, it raises several questions.

Why is Elon Musk going to India?

Elon Musk has revealed that he will be traveling to India on April 21. During his visit, Musk is expected to meet with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

As Tesla CEO, given the multiple reports suggesting that Tesla has picked India as the location for the company’s next factory, it would suggest that Elon Musk is making the trip to announce Giga India.

However, in addition to Tesla, Elon Musk is actively the CEO of two other companies, SpaceX and X (Twitter), and it appears that Musk is making the trip to India to announce the commencement of Starlink satellite internet services in India.

Does this mean Tesla has scrapped plans to build a Gigafactory in India?

Although Rohan Patel all but confirmed that Tesla has not made any decision regarding India, it appears that during his latest visit, Elon Musk will meet with several Indian officials and will likely discuss the terms for a potential Tesla factory in the country.

For the longest time, the major hold-up on Tesla’s part from building a factory in India has been the country's strict requirements for foreign EV makers.

India has recently relaxed those rules, potentially allowing Tesla to start selling its vehicles in the country. After Tesla assesses demand, the company will eventually progress toward building a gigafactory in India.

This is all the information we have regarding the location of Tesla’s upcoming factory. We’ll be sure to keep you posted as we receive further information. Until then, visit our site, torquenews.com/Tesla, regularly for the latest updates.

So, what do you think? Are you surprised to learn that even Tesla employees have been duped into believing that Tesla has chosen India as the site for the company’s upcoming factory? Do you think India will be a good location for a Tesla Gigafactory? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

Image: Courtesy of Tesla, Inc.

For more information,  check out: Tesla Shares Details Regarding Cybertruck Premature Rusting Issue – Says The “Cybertruck Stainless Steel is not Rusting,” the issue is “Iron Containing Debris From the Environment” – Gives 7-Step Cleaning Instruction

Tinsae Aregay has been following Tesla and The evolution of the EV space on a daily basis for several years. He covers everything about Tesla, from the cars to Elon Musk, the energy business, and autonomy. Follow Tinsae on Twitter at @TinsaeAregay for daily Tesla news.

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