A month ago, Elon Musk tweeted that Tesla was looking for a location to build its Cybertruck factory, noting it would be located in the central part of the United States.
Scouting locations for Cybertruck Gigafactory. Will be central USA.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) March 11, 2020
Joplin, Missouri, is pretty darn close to being in the center of the United States. It is only 377 miles southeast of Lebanon, Kansas, the geographical center of the country. It has responded to Musk’s tweet by putting together a package of incentives it says is worth $1 billion to lure the Cybertruck factory there. It’s all laid out on a website created to show the details of the package.
On April 13, Toby Teeter, who heads the Joplin Chamber of Commerce, tweeted the URL for the site to Elon Musk. Unfortunately, the graphic embedded in the tweet failed to load properly, a detail the sharp-eyed Mr. Musk will undoubtedly notice.
@elonmusk, Joplin is offering a $1 BILLION package of incentives and savings to land @Tesla's new #gigafactory that will manufacture batteries and #Cybertrucks. Tesla should #ChooseJoplin, the home of battery technology. Offer: https://t.co/FgMqGVYQhN
— Toby Teeter (@tobyteeter) April 13, 2020
The website features this introductory language: “Enjoy a low cost of living, supportive community, outdoor lifestyle, proximity to destination markets, and more. Whatever it is, it’s possible in Joplin, Missouri.” It goes on to say, “Joplin is built on a heritage of innovation and entrepreneurship. New tech startups, savvy e-commerce companies, and business incubators are continuing this legacy. Our growing manufacturing and healthcare industries, coupled with a thriving business community, have created a diverse job market suited for the driven self-starters, hard-workers, and leaders of the business world.”
A report by CNBC says the package Joplin has put together includes a discount on a 1,042-acre site with retail access, as well as many other state and local tax credits. It also touts the low cost of labor in the area, where the prevailing average hourly wage is $27.86 — far below other likely target cities such as Nashville and Austin. The cherry on top is a claim that there are potential battery suppliers already nearby and more than 150 battery engineers living in the city.
No doubt, Tesla will receive a number of offers from other communities. It has received substantial financial packages for other factories from the states of Nevada and New York and has met every requirement of those incentive packages, albeit just in the nick of time with regard to Gigafactory 2 in Buffalo. So far, Tesla has not commented on the offer from Joplin.
Wrap Your Cybertruck!
Henry Ford famously said his customers could have their Model T automobiles in any color they wanted so long as it was black. So far, you can have your Cybertruck in any color you want so long as it’s stainless steel. Painting stainless steel can be done but it might detract from some of the benefits of using that material in the first place — resistance to dings, dents, and scratches, for instance.
But Elon has a solution for those who want to customize their Cybertruck. Wrap it! Such a good idea, and if you grow tired of one look, you can always unwrap it and do it again in a different color or add your favorite graphics. It’s not clear whether this might be a factory option, something done by local Tesla stores, or something customers would arrange on their own. All we know at the moment is what Elon said in this latest tweet:
You will be able to wrap it in any color or pattern
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 14, 2020
Featured photo by Kyle Field/CleanTechnica
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