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Tesla CEO Elon Musk threatened on Saturday to remove the factory and company headquarters from California in a growing dispute with local officials that have prevented the company from reopening its electric vehicle factory.
On Twitter, Musk also threatened to sue over Alameda County Health Department coronavirus restrictions that have prevented Tesla from restarting production at its factory in Fremont, south of San Francisco.
“Frankly, this is the drop that fills the glass,” he tweeted. “Tesla will now move its headquarters and future programs to Texas / Nevada immediately.”
He wrote that whether the company maintains any manufacturing in Fremont depends on how Tesla is treated in the future.
Musk has been ranting about the stay-at-home order since the company’s first-quarter earnings on April 29 were released, calling for fascist restrictions and urging governments to stop taking people’s liberty.
Frankly, this is the drop that fills the glass. Tesla will now move its headquarters and future programs to Texas / Nevada immediately. Whether we even retain Fremont’s manufacturing activity will depend on how Tesla is treated in the future. Tesla is the last remaining automaker in California.
An order in the six-county San Francisco Bay Area forced Tesla to close the Fremont plant beginning March 23 to help prevent the spread of the virus, and it lasted until the end of May. Public health experts say the orders have reduced the number of new COVID-19 cases across the country. California Governor Gavin Newsom allowed Bay Area counties to continue the restrictions while easing them in other areas of the state,
Emails seeking comment Saturday from the Alameda County Public Health Officer and Newsom have not been returned.
On Friday, the Alameda County Public Health Department said it told Tesla that it did not meet the conditions for a company to reopen.
“The Bay Area began with a higher disease burden than the rest of the state, which may mean tighter restrictions than the rest of the state for some time,” the department said in a statement. “Restoring all daily activities too soon risks a rapid increase in cases and would jeopardize the relative stability we have seen in our health and hospital systems.”
Despite the threat, it would be costly and difficult for Musk to quickly move Fremont production to another building in Texas or Nevada. The Fremont facility, which was previously jointly managed by General Motors and Toyota, is currently the only vehicle assembly plant in the US. USA From Tesla, and the company would lose critical production if it closed the plant to move equipment.
As CA advances to Stage 2, low-risk companies begin to reopen.
The retail, manufacturing and logistics sectors may reopen as long as they follow new state guidelines to reduce the risk of infection.
Find the complete list of guidance: https://t.co/snYe5vmHg6 pic.twitter.com/DV1V4IjhI8
But Musk plans another American factory to increase production, possibly in Texas, and could move production once the plant is operational.
At the moment, Fremont’s continued closure is costing the company’s revenue. In a conference call last month, Musk said the company only has two auto plants and that the Fremont facility produces the majority of its vehicles.
“We are a little concerned that we cannot resume production in the Bay Area, and that should be identified as a serious risk,” he said.
Coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms for most people. But it has killed more than 77,000 people in the United States, and the death toll increases.
Musk’s tweets occur when competing automakers start reopening factories in the US. USA Toyota will restart production on Monday, while General Motors, Ford and Fiat Chrysler plan to gradually restart their plants on May 18. Tesla is the only major automaker with a factory in California.
Musk’s threats came after a series of strange tweets earlier this month, including one that said Tesla’s stock price was too high. Musk also published parts of the United States national anthem and wrote that he would sell his houses and other possessions.
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