Tesla’s Model S Plant 99% Certain to Be Built in Downey, California

Written by Susan Kraemer
Published on November 24th, 2009
2 Comments
Posted in Climate change, Electric Cars (EVs)

If the city council of Downey, CA, approves it tonight, Tesla’s new factory to build the upcoming Model S sedan will be at the site of Downey Studios, just outside of Los Angeles. The plant is expected to initially create up to 1,200 much needed jobs in a city with high unemployment.

Under the DOE’s Advanced Technology Vehicles Manufacturing program (ATVM) Tesla received $465 million in government funding to build the S-sedan (previous story). The company has been scouting for local plant sites. Unlike the Roadster body, which was designed and built by Lotus, the second (and possibly third) generation Tesla bodies are to be be designed and built in the US.

The ATVM program was intended to build new clean vehicles to move us off fossil fuels; but to also help  redevelop existing car plants (think Detroit) where unemployment approaches 38%. But Southern California, like Detroit, is also struggling with extremely high unemployment. The state already has to choose between supplying drinking water and growing crops. Farm workers now have rates reaching 40%. There has already been a sharp decline in agriculture in California due to our ever worsening drought.

California is in its third decade of increasing temperatures (NOAA data). Indirectly, the unemployment caused by our persistent dependence on the fossil auto industry has had ripple effects all over the country. Drought is a symptom of climate change, which is caused by our use of fossil fuel.

As with many other innovations covered here at Gas 2.0, each cheaper iteration of the carbon neutral Tesla brings us closer to a future without fossil fuel.

It was only in April that the first Roadsters started rolling off the little California startup’s assembly-lines for the lucky few making enough money to afford a $100,000 car—albeit one that would be run off much cheaper electrons, giving it a lifetime affordability rating much higher

But the business model is bearing fruit as Tesla now prepares, as planned, to build the next lower priced electric car at $50,000 with the ultimate goal of eventually getting an electric car on the road for a more reasonable $20,000.

Image: Tesla
Source: Downey Patriot

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2 Responses to “Tesla’s Model S Plant 99% Certain to Be Built in Downey, California”

  1. ChuckL Says:
    November 24th, 2009 at 10:25 pm

    I wonder just how many people could be employed building and installing desalination plants as used in our navy ships. Aircraft carriers are equivalent to cities of over 6000 persons.

    Yes it would take a lot of desalination plants, but this would provide redundancy and stop taking water from the farms where our food is grown.

    WE have the capability. The plants could be scaled up considerably. We have provided them to other countries that need fresh water. Why do we not use them ourselves?

  2. Susan Kraemer Says:
    November 25th, 2009 at 8:00 am

    That’s a great idea, Chuck.

    Solar powered desalination off the California coast could bring us the water for crops we can no longer count on as our snow melt goes and the Colorado dries up.

    There’s plenty of infrastructure needed as climate changes – and jobs building it.

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