According to information from Teslarati, Elon Musk will have a direct conversation with the president of Mexico, Andrés Manuel López Obrador (AMLO), to address the issue of the Tesla plant in Nuevo León. The report mentions that the talk can have completely different outcomes. The first, and most positive, is that López Obrador authorizes the construction of the factory. The other, that everything falls apart; at least for the aspirations of the aforementioned state in the north of the country.
Elon Musk and Tesla apparently had everything ready to announce the construction of a plant in Nuevo León. However, an unexpected obstacle stood in his way: President Andrés Manuel López Obrador himself. The president, during one of his usual “mornings”, He said that the factory could not be in a territory that has problems supplying water to the population.
Nuevo León, let us remember, suffered a water shortage the previous year. «If there is no water, no, there would be no possibility [de construir la planta de Tesla]Permissions are simply not given for that, it’s not feasible. We cannot continue with the same policy,” said López Obrador.
His words, of course, hurt not only Elon Musk’s plans, but also those of samuel garcia, Governor of Nuevo Leon. It is known that the aforementioned, since the previous year, has been dedicating efforts so that Tesla chooses Nuevo León as the headquarters of his next factory.
Evidently, García did not take long to respond to the president’s refusal. He promised that, if the plan goes ahead, they will work closely with Tesla and Elon Musk to prevent the operation of the factory from harming the water reserve destined for the population:
“We are going to work hand in hand with Tesla so that they can clarify and verify that they do not use water for human consumption and that the water they use is treated and is minimal.”
Samuel Garcia.
García stressed that Nuevo León has the capacity to treat more than 3,000 liters of water per second. Also, Tesla’s plant would not require more than 100. Therefore, The issue of water “will not be a problem”indicated.
Like Elon Musk, Samuel García’s intention was to initiate direct contact with Andrés Manuel López Obrador to talk about it. However, there is no information confirming that this conversation has already taken place.
Nuevo León would be the best option for Tesla and Elon Musk
Although there has been talk that the new Tesla factory could be installed in other territories of the country, even in Mexico City or in southern states (Isthmus of Tehuantepec), Those led by Elon Musk see Nuevo León as the ideal location. Because? Due to its geographical position. Nuevo León is very close to Austin (Texas), where Tesla has its headquarters. The proximity, of course, would facilitate logistics.
Even more important is that, according to information from Samuel García, a Nuevo León company is the largest supplier of aluminum for Tesla’s US plants. Consequently, a factory of the automaker in the northern state would not have any complications to supply itself with this metal.
Nuevo León intends to make a strong investment to build its Automotive Electric Cluster. In addition to Tesla, other companies interested in promoting electric mobility in North America could establish themselves in the region. Not only automakers, but also their suppliers. The takeoff of the project, of course, depends on the arrival of the company led by Elon Musk.
The report of Teslarati mentions that the announcement of the location of the Tesla plant in Mexico could be made during Investor Day 2023, which will be held on March 1. We will see if Elon Musk can unlock the situation after talking with Andrés Manuel López Obrador.
