Tesla Inc. may be considering Ontario as the site of a new Canadian manufacturing plant, Electric Autonomy writes in an exclusive report.
The electric vehicle giant “has initiated talks with the Ontario government about improving the province’s competitiveness for attracting manufacturing facilities,” the news story states, citing lobbyist registration documents.
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Electric Autonomy says suspicions of an Ontario presence for Tesla “have long been brewing,” driven by “passing remarks” from founder Elon Musk.
“Throughout the spring and summer Musk dropped multiple hints about Canada being a potential location for a future Tesla plant,” Electric Autonomy writes. “The latest was at [last] week’s annual shareholder’s meeting. Musk polled the attendees about where the next Tesla factory should go and mused aloud, ‘We get a lot of Canada. I am half Canadian, maybe I should?’”
Now, the speculation has been reinforced by a July, 2022 provincial lobbying disclosure.
Tesla’s new objective, the document says, is to “engage with the government and its agencies to identify opportunities for industrial and/or advanced manufacturing facility permitting reforms with the intent to increase the competitiveness of Ontario and its ability to attract capital investment through establishing approvals timeframes that are competitive with high-growth manufacturing locations in North America, while also working with government to identify or align incentives programs that could further increase the attractiveness of Ontario for industrial and/or advanced manufacturing investment.”
Electric Autonomy traces Tesla’s recent activities in and around the province, including the purchase of a battery cathode technology company in 2020, the January, 2021, renewal of a research contract with Dalhousie University battery pioneer Jeff Dahn, a factory opening in November, 2021, and confirmation in May, 2022, that Tesla had signed a deal with nickel miner Vale to secure Canadian product.
Though Electric Autonomy could not wring out details or confirmation of Tesla’s plans, the publication points to a wider track record for EV manufacturing in the province. “That Ontario has been able to build out a near-complete EV battery supply chain in just under two years is a point of pride for the provincial government,” writes managing editor Emma Jarratt.
