Tesla picks Texas for its largest auto assembly plant and Elon Musk says the 2,100-acre site along the Colorado River will be an 'ecological paradise'

Tesla has picked Texas as the site for its largest auto assembly plant where it has vowed to employ at least 5,000 workers and will get more than $60million in tax breaks from Travis County and a local school district over the next decade.
Work on the plant, which will be over 4 million square feet, is already underway, Tesla CEO Elon Musk said during the company's second-quarter earnings call on Wednesday evening.
'It's going to be an ecological paradise ... open to the public,' he said about the new factory on a 2,100-acre (85-hectacre) site along the Colorado River, which is about 13 minutes from downtown Austin.
Employees will build Tesla's upcoming Cybertruck pickup and will be a second US manufacturing site for the Model Y small SUV, largely for distribution to the East Coast. 
Tesla announced it has picked the Austin, Texas area as the site for its largest auto assembly plant employing at least 5,000 workers. This Martin Marietta property at Texas 130 and Harold Green Road was previously reported as a possible location for the new Tesla
Tesla announced it has picked the Austin, Texas area as the site for its largest auto assembly plant employing at least 5,000 workers. This Martin Marietta property at Texas 130 and Harold Green Road was previously reported as a possible location for the new Tesla
Musk has reportedly been happy with Texas where Republican Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (left) has not allowed cities and counties to impose local orders that would close businesses due to coronavirus
Musk has reportedly been happy with Texas where Republican Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (left) has not allowed cities and counties to impose local orders that would close businesses due to coronavirus
The new factory will be Tesla's biggest so far, although it may not employ as many workers as the 10,000 at its factory in Fremont, California (pictured)
The new factory will be Tesla's biggest so far, although it may not employ as many workers as the 10,000 at its factory in Fremont, California (pictured) 
Musk did not put a number on how many vehicles the facility would produce. 
'Long term, a lot,' Musk said.  
Tesla doesn't have a lot of time to get the factory running if it wants to meet target production dates. The company says on its website that the Cybertruck will be available starting late next year. Tesla has often missed promised production dates in the past. 
It was previously reported that a Martin Marietta property at Texas 130 and Harold Green Road was a possible location for the new Tesla manufacturing plant. 
The new factory will be Tesla's biggest so far, although it may not employ as many workers as the 10,000 at its factory in Fremont, California. The electric car maker has said it wants the new factory to be in the center of the country and closer to eastern markets.

The Fremont factory currently is Tesla's only US assembly plant. It has a second US factory in Reno, Nevada, where it builds batteries for its vehicles and employs about 6,500 people. 
Tesla also has a factory in Shanghai and another one under construction in Germany.
Musk has been unhappy with California, where earlier this year he flouted local orders to stay closed to help stem the spread of the novel coronavirus. 
Musk has threatened to move the company's headquarters out of Palo Alto and all future vehicles out of the plant in Fremont, a reworked factory that once was run jointly by Toyota and General Motors.
Musk has reportedly been happy with Texas, where his SpaceX rocket company has operations in Brownsville and in McGregor north of Austin. 
Employees will build Tesla's upcoming Cybertruck pickup. Visitors wearing face coverings view the Telsa Cybertruck at the recently reopened Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles, California on July 1
Employees will build Tesla's upcoming Cybertruck pickup. Visitors wearing face coverings view the Telsa Cybertruck at the recently reopened Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles, California on July 1 
Musk has reportedly been happy with Texas, where his SpaceX rocket company has operations in Brownsville and in McGregor north of Austin (pictured)
Musk has reportedly been happy with Texas, where his SpaceX rocket company has operations in Brownsville and in McGregor north of Austin (pictured)
Musk has been unhappy with California (the Tesla Reno plant is pictured), where earlier this year he flouted local orders to stay closed to help stem the spread of the novel coronavirus
Musk has been unhappy with California (the Tesla Reno plant is pictured), where earlier this year he flouted local orders to stay closed to help stem the spread of the novel coronavirus
Republican Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has not allowed cities and counties to impose local orders that would close businesses as the virus began surging to record levels this summer. 
Musk appeared in a picture with the governor,  posted Wednesday. Both men raised their hands with the 'Hook 'em Horns' gesture.
The state did not give Tesla any additional financial incentives, Abbott spokesman John Wittman said.
'Tesla is one of the most exciting and innovative companies in the world, and we are proud to welcome its team to the State of Texas,' Abbott said in a statement.
'Texas has the best workforce in the nation and we've built an economic environment that allows companies like Tesla to innovate and succeed.
'Tesla’s Gigafactory Texas will keep the Texas economy the strongest in the nation and will create thousands of jobs for hard-working Texans. I look forward to the tremendous benefits that Tesla’s investment will bring to Central Texas and to the entire state.'
Texas has no corporate or individual income taxes. 
It also touts the region's young workforce as one of the most educated in the country. Nearly 47% of adults have at least a bachelor's degree, pushing Austin into the top 10 among large metro areas, the site says. 
But at present, Tesla can't legally sell its vehicles in Texas. A state law requires cars to be sold through franchised dealers, not company stores like Tesla operates.
How SpaceX is taking over a small Texas town
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Tulsa made a bid for the factory but on Wednesday Musk said Tesla would consider the city, for future production. The Golden Driller, painted as Tesla founder Elon Musk, is seen during a news conference for Tulsa for Tesla at Expo Square in Tulsa, Oklahoma, on May 20
Tulsa made a bid for the factory but on Wednesday Musk said Tesla would consider the city, for future production. The Golden Driller, painted as Tesla founder Elon Musk, is seen during a news conference for Tulsa for Tesla at Expo Square in Tulsa, Oklahoma, on May 20
Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt wished Tesla the best in its new home of Texas on Wednesday
Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt wished Tesla the best in its new home of Texas on Wednesday
The area that's home to the University of Texas at Austin and tech companies such as Dell Inc. was a candidate for the plant all along, but Tulsa, Oklahoma, emerged in mid-May as another possibility.
Both states offered hefty incentive packages, including tens of millions of dollars in tax breaks, in efforts to woo what is now the world's most valuable automaker, as measured by stock market capitalization. 
Oklahoma boasts about its low tax rates and cost of living, particularly low utility costs. Musk even visited the Tulsa site earlier this month.
Oklahoma hasn't had an auto manufacturer in the state since General Motors shuttered its Oklahoma City facility in 2005, but Tulsa is home to an American Airlines maintenance facility that employs about 5,200 workers.
Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt wished Tesla the best in its new home of Texas on Wednesday. 
Musk said Tesla would consider site runner-up Tulsa, Oklahoma, for future production. 
The company has pledged to invest $1.1billion and said it will pay a minimum wage of $15 per hour to employees. Tesla said it will provide health insurance, paid leave and other benefits.
Tesla also has a factory in Shanghai (pictured) and another one under construction in Germany
Tesla also has a factory in Shanghai (pictured) and another one under construction in Germany
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