Tesla Motors has been searching for a place to call its gigafactory home, and it looks the American electric car manufacturer might have made its final decision. A “contributor” to Forbes and the Reno Gazette-Journal are reporting that Tesla has acquired a evacuation and surface air permit in Reno, NV. But there hasn’t been official word from Tesla.

From RGJ:

The work is being done at the Tahoe-Reno Industrial Center in Storey County, just east of the Reno-Sparks area. The Reno Gazette-Journal was the first to report in June that Tesla was likely the company working on the land at the industrial center.

Thursday, The Daily quoted the Mayor Jonathan Rothschild’s plead to Tesla “Attached is a City of Tucson permit, ready for your signature.”

If Rothschild’s memo and Tony Ford’s video doesn’t work then I don’t know what will.

This article appears in Jul 24-30, 2014.

14 replies on “Has Tesla Settled on Reno?”

  1. Nah! Gimme a good old-fashioned gas guzzler forever! Electric cars are about as functional for most people as a horse – and takes so much more of your “hay” for even less use!

  2. While it would be great for Tucson if Tesla built their ‘gigafactory’ here, I wouldn’t blame them for not wanting anything to do with Arizona.

    The state legislature and Governor have gone out of their way to make sure Arizona has one of the least-educated work forces in the country, has the least-maintained road infrastructures on the continent, and continues to ‘balance’ the state budget by sweeping any and all funds due to counties and municipalities and leaving said entities to fend as best they can.

  3. We deserve what our politicians have given us, nothing. All they care about is their office.

  4. Henry B.

    A great article–worthy of your talents. Don’t let them make you do the stupid stuff any more!

    If anyone thinks Tucson was ever in the mix for the Tesla plant they need their head examined. We can’t even keep our streets repaired. they used us (like grand Canyon College) to get a better deal with Reno. Just think what the neighborhoods and the Council members would demand if they were to really come here.

  5. Yeah, well it might help if you could sell the cars in Arizona, but “pro-business” Jan, made sure that wasn’t going to happen. Would you put a plant with 5,000 jobs where you couldn’t even sell your products?

  7. Although it’s not an entirely meaningless gesture it doesn’t mean that Reno won the lottery. This is from the July 31 letter to Tesla shareholders…..

    “In June, we broke ground just outside Reno, Nevada on a site that could potentially be the location for the Gigafactory. Consistent with our strategy to identify and break ground on multiple sites, we continue to evaluate other locations in Arizona, California, New Mexico and Texas. The final site for the first Gigafactory will be determined in the next few months, once we have full visibility and agreement on the relevant incentives and processes for enabling the Gigafactory to be fully operational to meet the timing for Model 3”.

    Maybe Tesla pulls a stunt like that to encourage others to sweeten the pot even more.

  9. I think Tucson would have been a great location. Rail service, close to Mexico, lots of dazed folks (wearing black, against all logic) wandering the streets in the noon day sun.

    I did not know there was enough flat land in Reno to build a big factory?

  10. The Mayor offers them free access but I add some square footage and they fight me to the death. Fines, delays, red tape. This City is poorly run. Start over.

  12. businesses won’t locate here because of anther reason, too. We do not have enough trauma centers for Pima county, let alone Tucson specifically.

  13. …and we never will not that they have passed the ACA. Hospitals will sound like schools crying for money.

    Had enough government yet? Don’t vote for democrats.

  14. In a conference call with Wall Street analysts Thursday, Tesla CEO Elon Musk said of the grading work at TRIC and the urgency of the endeavor: “We’re going to be doing something similar in one or two other states. It makes sense.”

    Wait a minute. What about that endangered little owl? Isn’t anybody going to say anything?

    You’re right. He is weaning us off of fossil fuels. Maybe we should let him blade a couple of those under populated birds under.

    This is how it works with socialism.

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