Tesla May Be Planning its Next Gigafactory in Canada, Company Activity Hints

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Tesla may be planning the next gigafactory in Canada. Lobby activity of the company in Ontario points to this, according to a local news publication.

Tesla is lobbying the Ontario government for a potential new plant, according to a lobbying report obtained by Electric Autonomy Canada. In Canada, companies are required to disclose all their government lobbying efforts, so this information has been made available.

Last month, Tesla revealed information that outlined a new goal. In particular, the company has spoken of working with the government of Ontario to explore the possibility of locating manufacturing facilities there.

“Engage with the government and its agencies to identify opportunities for industrial and/or advanced manufacturing facility permitting reforms with the intent to increase the competitiveness of Ontario and its ability to attract capital investment through establishing approvals timeframes that are competitive with high-growth manufacturing locations in North America, while also working with government to identify or align incentives programs that could further increase the attractiveness of Ontario for industrial and/or advanced manufacturing investment.”

Tesla has been teasing the new location for a while now. A lot of people assumed that it would be Canada, which would be convenient for the company. The demand for Tesla cars in the country continues to grow, and it would be wise to have a factory there that would satisfy the demand in the local market. In addition, the province has seaports, which is great for exporting cars to other countries. Canadian companies also supply Tesla with materials for production, which is also an important factor in locating a factory there.

During a shareholder meeting held on August 4, Tesla CEO Elon Musk said the manufacturer would announce the location of the new factory later this year. In addition, he said the company is considering manufacturing sites in North America, including Canada.
“We are looking at sites, but we are considering some sites options more broadly in North America, so including Canada and Mexico, and the US as well.”

Federal Minister of Innovation, Science and Education (ISED) François-Philippe Champagne’s office replied to Electric Autonomy Canada’s report with the following statement:

“We know how important the auto industry is for Canada‘s economy and for the hundreds of thousands of Canadians employed in the sector. That’s why Minister Champagne has been tirelessly working to secure the future of Canada’s auto industry, including by bringing more companies into Canada and into the entire EV ecosystem.”

“It’s good to see our government’s investments are gaining attention from automakers and companies from around the world and we’ll continue to do everything we can to make sure Canadians are benefiting from the global shift to EVs.”

© 2022, Eva Fox | Tesmanian. All rights reserved.

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