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Published in July 5, 2020 |
by Steve Hanley
July 5, 2020 by Steve Hanley
Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt arranged for a visit by Elon Musk and Craig Hulse, Tesla’s director of policy and government affairs, to an undisclosed location near Tulsa on July 4. The couple was in Oklahoma to discuss the possibility of locating a Tesla factory in the area, suggesting that Austin, Texas does not yet have a lockout to be the site of the new facility, a facility that will likely be used first to build the Tesla Cybertruck.
We had a great visit with @elonmusk yesterday talking about @Tesla in Tulsa!
Oklahoma is the right place for Tesla and I thank all Oklahomans who have shown overwhelming support. Keep going! # Tulsa4Tesla pic.twitter.com/eVhIeCIvwv
– Governor Kevin Stitt (@GovStitt) July 4, 2020
Oklahoma Secretary of Commerce Sean Kouplen says Tulsa world“To maximize our time together, we had installed a tent, a table, chairs, some snacks and water on site,” said Kouplen. “You can see the center from the site, we are on top of a hill, it really is a beautiful day. So basically we are having our conversation for just over an hour in the middle of the field. “
Stitt and Kouplen discussed the project with Musk in May when they traveled to Florida for the launch of the SpaceX rocket that took astronauts to the International Space Station. Stitt invited Musk to visit Tulsa recently to get an idea of where the plant would be built. “The site is very important to Elon. He likes to get an idea of it. It really is based on your kind of personal feeling, ”said Kouplen. “So that was a big part of it, just letting him experience the journey from downtown to site.”
“We showed him the site plan, how it would look on the site. Obviously we talked about things like access to public services and access to water and natural gas… all the basics of the entire site and we really tried to visualize what a Tesla plant would look like in that particular terrain. ” The factory would be built on a 1,500-acre parcel near Tulsa and would generate 7,000 jobs in the area. Once fully operational, up to 20,000 people could be employed there.
Kouplen said he feels very good about Tulsa’s opportunity to land the electric vehicle giant, but that the work continues, although he noted that Tulsa is not as well known as Austin.
Tulsa Mayor GT Bynum noted that Tulsa’s investments in quality of life are part of what makes the city ideal for Tesla. “There are still so many ongoing projects that will further elevate Tulsa as a world-class city. We have spent several years in the city of Tulsa reforming our development processes to make this the best environment for a fast and reliable return on investment. ” So, there is still a chance that Elon and Tesla may one day be living in Tulsa Time.
Editor’s Side Note: If you know a bit about Tesla’s history and culture and aren’t too offended by a certain F-word, I recommend this site for a laugh.
Top photo by Kyle Field, CleanTechnica
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About the Author
Steve Hanley Steve writes about the interface between technology and sustainability from his homes in Florida and Connecticut or anywhere else Singularity can take him. You can follow him on Twitter but not on any social media platform run by evil lords like Facebook.
