Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla, and French President Emmanuel Macron met for the second time in a month this week. There are speculations that the California-based electric vehicle business may open another facility somewhere in Europe. Macron is asking Tesla to construct EVs in his nation. He tweeted a simple statement with a photo of himself and Musk.
“Let’s work together,” the tweet said.
Macron is juggling his ambition to bring a Tesla Gigafactory to France. On the other hand, there is a possibility of banning Twitter. If it does not comply with impending European Union Digital Services Act laws. Musk is the owner of both Tesla and Twitter.
“It will be great to have a Tesla factory in France, there has been a lot of effort and energy to make sure this is possible, and this can happen,” France’s digital minister, Jean-Noël Barrot, told CNBC. “We have also invested in an . . . entire sector of electric batteries, so we will try to convince him that France is the best possible place in Europe to establish the next Tesla factory.”
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At the Viva Tech event in France on Friday, Musk appeared in front of the public.
In Europe, Tesla presently runs one Gigafactory. Tesla established its first factory, the Gigafactory Berlin-Brandenburg, in Germany despite France’s efforts to recruit them. This week, Musk also had a meeting with Giorgia Meloni, the prime minister of Italy. Additionally, press sources have cited Spain as a potential new site for the Tesla Gigafactory.
China Is Apparently Another Choice.
“Today, France is more attractive than ever,” French industry minister Roland Lescure said during a radio interview this week. “But the competition with other countries is extremely fierce, so we’re bringing out all of our strengths.” Prior to mentioning Spain, Lescure listed France’s competitive advantages, which included affordable, environmentally friendly power and ready land.
France wants more EV companies to have offices there than only Tesla. The Chinese carmaker BYD declared earlier this month that it will begin selling five EVs in France by the end of 2023. They have been in contact with France. BYD is reportedly eyeing France, Spain, or Germany for its first European facility, according to Automotive News Europe. In 2025, BYD plans to begin EV manufacturing in Europe.
