Elon Musk Still Considering Tulsa For New Tesla Factory
So here we are two months later. While it seems like it was so long ago that Elon Musk visited Oklahoma looking to build a new Tesla factory, it wasn't. It just feels that way since so many things have happened in that time frame.
The Good News: Elon is still flirting with state officials and Governor Stitt about bringing his manufacturing power to our state.
The Bad News: Oklahomans are bickering back and forth about whether it would be a good thing or not.
Now before you hop on the train of this topic choosing political lines, it really isn't. Surprisingly, it's the left that seems to paint the dimmest picture of the possibilities. Many on that side (in my feed anyway) would much rather see Musk take Tesla to Austin.
Why? Apparently, because the oil and gas industry heavy state of Oklahoma isn't deserving of an EV manufacturing plant? Which makes no sense to me at all as Texas is, well, a bigger Oklahoma. I think those few individuals are just so unhappy, they want to make everyone else just as unhappy in that bleak outlook on their current state of life. We've had this conversation before, if you're unhappy living here, move... but understand, you'll also be unhappy wherever you land. People complain about living in Hawaii, and that is probably the closest to paradise I've ever been.
They also see these "meetings" between Elon and state officials as a chess move to pull more benefits out of the Austin city officials... which I sort of agree with. The move to Tulsa doesn't seem like a good fit for a giant progressive sciency company the same way that move to Austin would be. Then again, it's all about money, and if Oklahoma is the cheaper route, Tulsa has a real good chance. People tend to forget that Elon Musk doesn't make electric vehicles to save the planet... He makes EV's to make money. That's the green energy he's really talking about. It's the hippies that make a $100k luxury car sound like a responsible choice.
The Wildcard: People on the right are really excited at the prospect of Tesla Motors moving to Tulsa. The world is completely upside down... but these people tend to understand the value of manufacturing jobs. Mundane, yes, but they flow tax revenues into communities like no other industry. Just look at what Goodyear has done for Cache.
No matter what Elon Musk decides, he's done with California and looking to make a move to a state that's more central to the country, cheaper overall, and has leadership that is friendly to big business rather than tyrannical in their approach.
We'll have to wait to see how this whole thing plays out.