Tesla, darling of the electric vehicle world, will reportedly set up an electric vehicle (EV) manufacturing unit in the southern Indian state of Karnataka, according to various media reports over the weekend.
As is often the case in situations where the only information comes from anonymous or unnamed sources, there are not a lot of specifics.
Two separate reports, one from Reuters and another from the Press Trust of India, revealed over the weekend that Tesla would set up a manufacturing unit in Karnataka.
Reuters referenced “a government document” the news outlet had seen as confirming the creation of a manufacturing unit in Karnataka, while PTI referenced comments from Karnataka State Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa, who reportedly said that “American firm Tesla will set up the car-manufacturing unit in Karnataka”.
The comments by Yediyurappa were framed by the promise of the creation of an industrial corridor in the city of Tumakuru, in Karnataka, at an investment of ₹7,725 crores and create 280,000 jobs.
Tesla registered its subsidiary Tesla India Motors and Energy in January which started out with an authorized capital of ₹1.5 million ($AU26,500) and a paid-up capital of ₹100,000 ($AU1,800).
In response, Karnataka Chief Minister B.S.Yediyurappa Tweeted, “Karnataka will lead India’s journey towards Green Mobility.
Electric Vehicle Manufacturer Tesla will soon start its operations in India with an R&D unit in Bengaluru. I welcome @elonmusk to India & Karnataka and wish him all the very best.”
Without explanation, however, the Tweet was later deleted. Separately, Elon Musk said “As promised” in a Tweeted response to a Tweet from a Tesla-focused blog reporting on the news of the creation of its Indian subsidiary.
Tesla’s main EV operations are based in the US, but it has also created a huge manufacturing facility in China and is building a similarly sized plant in Germany.
Joshua S. Hill is a Melbourne-based journalist who has been writing about climate change, clean technology, and electric vehicles for over 15 years. He has been reporting on electric vehicles and clean technologies for Renew Economy and The Driven since 2012. His preferred mode of transport is his feet.