Tesla's next electric car factory will be located in Mexico unless the company decides to break ground on another location soon. The factory near Monterrey is expected to go up in record time, though a recent announcement makes it clear it might take longer than some early speculation assumed.
Tesla has already shared that it plans to build EVs in Mexico on a new, smaller platform that will significantly reduce costs and result in lower prices. The goal is much like that of Tesla's recent price cuts, to make electric cars affordable for the masses.
After we read and shared reports of Tesla's potential plans to build the Mexico-based EV plant in record time, it seems it may take much longer than the company's Giga Shanghai. Tesla built the China factory in just nine months, which is much quicker than its factories in Germany and Texas, and much quicker than most factories across the globe.
According to a recent report by Teslarati, Governor Samuel García Sepúlveda admitted that it's likely to take at least a year longer to get the Mexico plant ready than it did in China. However, this is because Tesla's upcoming factory will be the first to move to produce EVs on a brand-new platform. Sepúlveda reportedly explained:
“In the beginning, there was talk that [Tesla] wanted to break the nine-month Shanghai record, but with the meetings, we have been having, the model they want to bring out, which is the economic model that is going to be sold massively, is going to require a whole new production line."
The Mexican government official went on to explain that Tesla's new production line is in a sort of workshop mode so that the company can get together renderings and make plans for the factory. He estimates it could take 12 to 15 months to get everything wrapped up with the new production line thanks to the large amount of factory space it will consume.
That said, space isn't a concern for Giga Mexico. Giga Texas is currently Tesla's largest Gigafactory and its headquarters. The building and property in Texas are absolutely massive, and the upcoming factory in Mexico will be even bigger.
Sepúlveda also shared that everything else related to the future Tesla factory has been moving forward very quickly, so there's no hold-up on that end. The city has reportedly taken care of the necessary requirements related to water, electricity, and gas for the factory. He said Mexico is ready and will just wait on Tesla's final render to start as soon as the company gives the green light.
