Mexico wants Tesla to quicken work on Gigafactory. But will it happen?

Tesla officially confirmed in March of 2023 that Mexico will be where its next Gigafactory will be at. It was a moment of jubilation for the country and especially for the people of Monterrey in the north-eastern state of Nuevo Leon because of the employment such facilities tend to generate. But not much has happened in the past 11 months that would show that Tesla is in any rush to complete this facility, prompting Mexican authorities to nudge the US electric car giant to shift gears.

Tesla had said in October of 2023 that work on the Mexico plant will be slowed. The groundbreaking had not yet happened and the company at the time pointed to the slowing of the global economy as a reason. With EV sales not expected to rise at the same pace as in years gone by, the work on the Mexico Gigafactory may continue to be slower than what is usual.

The Mexican authorities aren't too pleased though. Speaking to local reporters recently, the governor of Nuevo Leon said thatTesla had pointed to some issues at the site of the plant and that he would look into these in order for Tesla to start construction as soon as is possible. “Today I spoke with… I’m going to say, with the management in Mexico, there is already the electrical issue, there is the water issue, there is the environment, they had requested an extension of the environmental permit because it seems that the plant is going to be more bigger than they thought," Samuel Garcia was quoted as saying. “I asked them for Tesla to come by March at the latest to make a groundbreaking announcement, and they didn’t say no, so I hope that very soon, in less than a month, Tesla comes, now the company is going to do the project."

Garcia further informed that his government has already started building roads and other support facilities in the area.