Speculation for months about where Tesla would make the batteries to power its Model 3 EV electric vehicles has finally ended, with confirmation today that Elon Musk has decided where to erect his Gigafactory. The big winner? Nevada.
Although Nevada has been rumored to be the destination, Tesla held a press conference today announcing the decision. Musk also announced that the state has proposed a $1.25 billion tax incentive for the automaker. The factory will make batteries for an estimated 500,000 cars by 2020 and will reportedly be a "net-zero energy" manufacturing center, with the help of Panasonic.
The losers today are New Mexico and Arizona, which were also considered to be front-runners for Musk's dollars. And it's also a bittersweet day for California, which wanted to taste the Tesla juice so badly it was about to waive its environmental regulations. Although I suppose that's a win for the environment. [Jalopnik]