Photo: Sergei Bobylev\TASS via Getty Images
Tesla is very interested in expanding its presence worldwide, which also includes a possible location in Russia. During an event for students in Moscow, speaking by videoconference Tesla CEO Elon Musk said that as part of global expansion, his company may eventually look for a place for a factory in Russia.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk spoke positively about Russia during the New Knowledge forum, a Kremlin-sponsored student event. “There’s a lot of talent and energy and Russia,” he said. "Hopefully that energy continues into the future, and I would just like to strongly encourage people to strive to make the future better than the past and to be optimistic about the future." Musk's talk lasted around 45 minutes, during which he answered questions that covered everything from his hiring practices to AI and the future of human consciousness.
Musk also said that Tesla is close to establishing its presence in Russia, because in the framework of global expansion, in the future, it will potentially look for a place to locate its factory here. “I think we’re close to establishing a Tesla presence in Russia, and I think that would be great,” he said. "Over time, we will look to have factories in other parts of the world, potentially Russia at some point."
Of course, at the moment, Russia is not a good and welcoming market for electric vehicles. With a population of nearly 147 million, there were only fewer than 5,300 used and about 700 new electric vehicles registered in 2020. By comparison, neighboring Ukraine, with a population of 44.5 million, registered about 7,000 used and about 600 new electric vehicles in 2020. However, Russia could potentially become a big market for Tesla. In addition, the country is rich in underground resources, so it can be a good manufacturing site for an automobile or battery factory.
H/T @kirsanovp_/Twitter
© 2021, Eva Fox. All rights reserved.
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Article edited by @SmokeyShorts, you can follow him on Twitter
About the Author
Eva Fox
Eva Fox joined Tesmanian in 2019 to cover breaking news as an automotive journalist. The main topics that she covers are clean energy and electric vehicles. As a journalist, Eva is specialized in Tesla and topics related to the work and development of the company.
