Austin-based automaker Tesla plans to build a $3.6 billion plant in Nevada to manufacture its electric semi-trailer, federal and state officials have said.
The facility is planned to be built in northern Nevada, who first mentioned the proposed plant on Monday night, according to Nevada Gov. Joe Lombardo. Lombardo said in his State of the Union address that he is “looking forward” to join Musk and Tesla in unveiling plans to build a plant that will make batteries and semi-trucks.
The White House on Tuesday confirmed plans for the facility, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
Tesla already has a plant in Nevada, east of Reno Sparks, where it makes lithium-ion batteries and other electric vehicle components. It is possible that the new object may be in the same location.
More:‘Like it came from the future’: Austin-based Tesla delivers its first Semi truck
Last month, Tesla officially delivered its first PepsiCo semi-trailers during an event streamed live on Twitter. This comes about three years after CEO Elon Musk announced that the company would start making trucks. Rivals Renault Trucks and Daimler have made heavy-duty electric trucks in recent years, while Nikola has made hydrogen-powered trucks.
Musk said the Tesla Semi has a range of 500 miles when pulling an 82,000-pound load, and said the trucks have similar features to other Tesla vehicles, such as rapid acceleration and regenerative braking. At the time, the company did not disclose pricing.
Musk also said that the Tesla Semi looks like it “came from the future.”
In October, Musk Tesla looked to ramp up production of the Semi quickly this year, with a goal of producing 50,000 trucks in North America by 2024. to an update for investors.
More:Elon Musk lays out Tesla’s ambitious vision for its Austin operations
Tesla is also continuing to ramp up production at its Austin facility. The automaker moved its headquarters to the site of its $1.1 billion Central Texas facility in late 2021 and held a grand opening for the facility in April 2022, when it delivered the first Model Y vehicles made in Austin.
During the grand opening in Austin, Musk said the plant would also make Model 3 vehicles and semi-trailers, but the company had yet to list Austin as a location for semi-trailer production. As of October, Austin is due to build the Cybertruck starting this year, along with batteries.
Tesla recently slashed the price of vehicles sold in the United States, cutting prices by 6-20% for the Model 3 and Model Y SUVs, as well as some more expensive models. The price drop means some models are now below the threshold required to qualify for the electric car tax break.
Tesla had lower-than-expected deliveries for 2022. Tesla is expected to release its quarterly earnings report on Wednesday, but has already announced that it sold 1.3 million vehicles last year, a record for the company but falling short of Musk’s goal of boosting sales. by 50% every year.
