Tesla CEO Elon Musk rules out Gigafactory in Russia for now
Months after Tesla CEO went to Russia and announce that his company is planning to set up an EV hub there, Elon Musk has denied that the electric vehicle manufacturer has any plans to set up a facility there any time soon.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk took to Twitter to clear any doubts about it when he replied to one of the users seeking his reply on Tesla's Gigafactory plan for Russia. Musk replied, “Tesla has not yet decided on a fourth Gigafactory location," putting an end to any further speculations.
Tesla is currently working to set up its first Gigafactory in Europe, which is located in Germany. The facility, located near Berlin, is expected to be up and running in the next few weeks. Musk had also hinted that the company aims to set up its second facility in Asia after China. Tesla already has two functional Gigafactories in United States, located in California and Texas. Its third one, the only outside its home turf, is near Shanghai, China.
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Elon Musk's denial comes amid reports by a section of the Russian media that Tesla has agreed to build a Gigafactory in the country. According to reports published in one of the Russian web outlets Argumenti, the decision to set up a Gigafactory in Korolev, an industrial city near capital Moscow, was made at the Kremlin.
Earlier in May, Elon Musk had urged the United States and the Russian government to hold talks to overcome strained ties post-Cold War lows. At a forum on Russian education in Moscow, Musk was heard saying, "There is a lot of talent and energy in Russia and I think there should be more dialogue and communication between Russia and the United States." He had also said, ""I think we will soon be present in Russia. I think it will be amazing. We also need to look more broadly at Kazakhstan and other CIS countries. This is important to us."
Tesla is currently also in talks with the Centre as it plans to launch its electric cars in India soon. It is awaiting government's response to its request to lower import duties on electric cars. Though the government has sought Tesla's manufacturing plans in India first, Elon Musk or his company is yet to come out with any official response to that.
