The next gigafactory could be in Canada > teslamag.de

Tesla’s current six factories won’t last long. After new Gigafactories went live in Germany and the US this year, CEO Elon Musk wants to announce next year’s location by the end of the year, as he said at the company’s annual general meeting in Texas on Thursday evening. He specifically mentioned Canada as a possible location for this. However, in the long term, Tesla needs even ten to twelve gigafactories, said Musk, who presented himself in a good mood at the shareholder meeting (see photo).

A musk concert is more than a public meeting

Each of those should be capable of 1.5-2 million electric cars a year, the Tesla boss continued, without specifying a target date. Overall, the company can produce 15 million to 24 million vehicles per year, making it the world’s largest manufacturer based on today’s figures. Tesla’s official goal is to produce 20 million electric cars by 2030. At the start of the public meeting, board boss Robin Denholm said good progress was being made on the way there.

After the event, the head of investor relations wrote that it was a public meeting and a rock concert for Tesla supporters. As usual, the official part was handled quickly. According to the preliminary results, the shareholders approved the increase in the number of shares in preparation for further demerger. However, two Tesla proposals requiring a two-thirds majority did not pass: reducing the board’s term from three to two years and repealing special rules for certain votes.

Tesla CEO Musk, as usual, was full of confidence, humorous and engaged in an intense conversation with the audience. After noting that there might be an announcement for another gigafactory later this year, he asked where it would be built. Several places were shouted from the crowd, and Musk noted that Canada was often heard. He’s half-Canadian himself, “Maybe I should?” said. This is obviously not a definition. But according to reports, Musk has already confirmed internally that another Tesla factory is planned for North America, naming the US, Canada or Mexico as possible locations.

Tesla boss: 12 factories would be perfect

So news about it may be out soon. But even with six Gigafactories (only four of which produce electric cars), Tesla still doesn’t have enough capacity for its 20 million target. In a question-and-answer session later at the shareholder meeting, Musk said 12 factories, each up to 2 million vehicles a year, is “the right number,” so it looks closer to the high end of the range. The CEO described the flagship plant in Fremont as an outlier. It’s not called a Gigafactory because it doesn’t manufacture batteries or integrate them into rechargeable batteries. It can’t be expanded yet, but according to Musk it can make at least 800,000 electric cars a year.