The Silver State could be just the place Tesla is looking for to create an even more innovative, energy efficient electric car. Reportedly, Nevada is offering the electric car maker $1.3 billion in tax breaks along with other financial incentives spanning a 20 year period, if Tesla aggress to set up shop there.
State lawmakers have yet to approve tax breaks and incentives, but Governor Brian Sandoval said this was a “monumental announcement that will change Nevada forever.” Having taken a major beating from the 2008 recession, this move will help Nevada bring its sunken economy out of the water. Sandoval says the proposed “gigafactory” – where Tesla hopes to build more affordable electric cars – will bring in more than 22,000 jobs and more than $100 million to the state’s economy. Naturally his claims come with naysayers on both sides of the aisle, but Sandoval is going to push this partnership as far as he can.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk has been meeting with multiple state leaders for a while, noting that Nevada was surpisingly not the state that offered the best incentives for business. However, Musk says that major financial incentices aren’t his primary goal. Instead, he wants a working factory by 2017 and batteries that are cost-effective. Sandoval convinced him that Nevada can make it happen.
“It’s a real get-things-done state,” Musk told reporters. “Nevada is it.”
Tesla’s plan is to make an electric car that is both attainable and affordable to the consumer. The goal is to make a battery charged car that can run 200 miles before a recharge, costing buyers around $35,000, and saving them thousands of dollars that would be normally spent on fuel. New Mexico, Arizona, Texas and Tesla’s current California home base were all in the running to host the gigafactory before Nevada cinched the deal this week. This agreement will not only boost Nevada’s economy, it will provide lonterm benefits to American consumers and the environment as well.