We’ve all been expecting this news, but it became official today: Tesla Motors selected a plot of land in southeast Austin, Texas as the location of the factory that will make the Cybertruck.
The Reuters coverage of the announcement made no mention of battery production, although during the site selection process, it was expected that the new factory would also host the largest battery production facility Tesla has built anywhere. Instead of being called a gigafactory, this one was supposed to be called a terafactory. I guess time will tell on that…
Austin is the capitol of Texas and a jewel, nestled in central Texas, in an area known as the “hill country.” It is renowned for lakes and rivers with crystal clear water, naturally filtered by the Edwards Aquifer. One of my favorite places near Austin is Hamilton’s Pool, a swimming hole that was once housed in a cavern. Half the roof over the pool caved in leaving this for Texans to enjoy.
Austin is also known as a “blueberry,” nestled in the center of the state. This refers to the progressive leanings of those who live in the capitol of our deeply red state. Oddly enough, when I was a young boy, Texas was a reliable state for the Democratic Party (remember LBJ?).
If you want to check out the location in Google Maps, the address of the plot is 13101 Harold Green Rd, Austin, TX 78725.
Although Texas may be better known for Houston and oil, or Fort Worth and cattle, we are very proud of our capitol city. It is also known as the live music capitol of the world. and the site of the SXSW (south by southwest) festival. Texas is also the #1 state, in the production of wind energy, generating twice what California generates and its capability is growing. Today, with the advent of energy storage, large commercial solar energy generation facilities will continue Texas’ leadership in green energy. I think this make Texas the perfect location for Tesla, but I’m a little biased…
The land selected has a cement plant located on part of it, owned by Martin Marietta Materials. I recently found the location, in preparation for this announcement. Here it is on a map:
Here’s a satellite image of the same area:
As you can see on the images above, the factory will be located adjacent to the Colorado River, which flows just through the southern edge of downtown Austin. The Congress Avenue Bridge, which crosses the Colorado, is known for the largest urban colony of bats , in the world. The north end of Congress Avenue dead ends at the state’s Capitol Building and picks up beyond it, to end at the southern border of the University of Texas.
On Summer nights people gather to witness the gigantic cloud of bats, heading out into the evening sky to get some dinner.
Texas is the perfect place to make an electric pickup truck and my hope is that, being made here, the Cybertruck will attract Texas drivers who may have originally been put off by its wedge-like design. I know it is one of the electric vehicles I am considering, for when my 2018 Volt’s lease ends in November 2021…
Welcome to Texas, Tesla Motors!
