Tesla officially opened its Austin, Texas-based Gigafactory, where the company will likely begin production of its long-delayed Cybertruck.
CEO Elon Musk celebrated the opening with a ‘Cyber Rodeo’ event, in which Musk pranced around in a cowboy hat. Tesla invited some 15,000 people to listen to live music, eat food, and as The Verge describes it, “pay homage” to Musk and Tesla.
Musk described the opening of the factory as “entering a new phase of Tesla’s future.”
At the event, Musk showed off a new version of the Cybertruck that will go into production at the Gigafactory, as well as a new Roadster vehicle slated to start production next year. Moreover, Musk teased a “futuristic” robotaxi but didn’t share any other details.
The Gigafactory is Tesla’s fourth in the U.S., joining the vehicle factory in Fremont, California, a battery factory in Sparks, Nevada, and a solar factory in Buffalo, New York. Tesla also has a vehicle factory outside Shanghai, China, and recently opened a factory near Berlin, Germany.
Last year, Tesla Canada revealed it would locate a manufacturing facility in Markham, Ontario, to produce manufacturing equipment for use at the company’s Gigafactories.
Tesla’s Texas factory opened less than two years after Musk decided Austin would be the home of the company’s Gigafactory. Tesla plans to hire up to 5,000 workers at an average salary of $47,147 USD (roughly $59,378 CAD), with entry-level positions starting at $35,000 (about $44,080 CAD).
The Gigafactory is expected to help Tesla meet its goals of building 1.5 million vehicles in 2022, and will likely be the site where the company builds its Cybertruck starting in 2023.
It’s also worth noting the company secured millions in tax breaks from local governments, with Travis County approving a deal worth at least $14.7 million USD (about $18.51 million CAD).
Tesla’s Austin Gigafactory has also faced resistance. Last week, local conservationists tried to block Tesla’s Cyber Rodeo celebration. The company has also faced broad criticism over labour practices and workplace safety, much of it focused on the Fremont factory. California’s civil rights agency sued Tesla, saying the company’s Fremont plant was “segregated to the lowest levels.”
Header image credit: Tesla Cyber Rodeo video screenshot
Via: The Verge
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