Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla, has been travelling around Europe this month looking for a place for the company to build a new Gigafactory. Musk met with Giorgia Meloni, the prime minister of Italy, and Emmanuel Macron, the president of France, on their own this week. Macron wrote “Let’s work together” on Twitter, which Musk owns, which Musk also read. This week, Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla, and Emmanuel Macron, the President of France, met for the second time in a month to discuss the possibility of Tesla building an enormous factory in Europe. Macron posted a picture of himself with Musk and a short statement asking Tesla to move its factory there. The tweet said, “Let’s work together.” While French officials think about banning Twitter until it meets the upcoming standards of the European Union Digital Services Act, Macron is still trying to bring a Tesla Gigafactory to France. Musk owns both Tesla and Twitter. France’s technology minister, Jean-Noel Barrot, says, “It would be great to have a Tesla factory in France. Many people have worked hard to make this possible, and it can happen.” We will try to convince him that France is the best place in Europe to put the new Tesla factory because we have invested money into the electric battery business. Musk was seen by many people at the Viva Tech meeting in France on Friday. The only Gigafactory that Tesla runs right now is in Europe. France tried to get them to move there, but Tesla chose Germany for its first plant, the Gigafactory Berlin-Brandenburg. This week, Musk also met with Giorgia Meloni, the leader of Italy. Press reports have also said Spain might be a good place for the Tesla Gigafactory. China looks like another choice Last week, France’s Industry Minister Roland Lescure said on the radio, “Today, France is more attractive than ever.” But because other countries are so competitive, we use every advantage. Before discussing Spain, Lescure spoke about France’s competitive benefits, such as cheap, eco-friendly electricity and ready land. France wants more than just Tesla to set up shop in the country. A Chinese car company called BYD said earlier this month that it would start selling five electric cars in France by the end of 2023. Automotive News Europe says BYD is considering building its first European factory in France, Spain, or Germany. BYD plans to start making electric vehicles (EVs) in Europe in 2025.
