Tesla Cybertruck Factory In Tulsa Still A Viable Option Says State Official

Featured Image Credit: @fablabtulsa/Twitter

Tesla Giga Tulsa is still a viable future for the EV automakers Cybertruck and Model Y factory. While most media outlets have already discounted Oklahoma, seemingly favoring Texas, the people of Tulsa aren’t giving up so easily.

Oklahoma’s Secretary of Commerce, Sean Kouplen, had a few words of hope for Tulsa last week after most media outlets touted Austin, Texas as Tesla’s final choice for its Cybertruck and Model Y Gigafactory. 

“I am in constant contact with Tesla executives, and they have assured me that there has been no decision made yet. They are simply going through the same process with Austin that they went through with Tulsa, and once they have accumulated all of the data and all of the facts they will make their decision,” said Kouplen. 

Tesla Cybertruck Gigafactory Contenders Oklahoma & Texas Are Trying Really Hard To Woo Elon Musk https://t.co/PZEmxXZnye pic.twitter.com/ciH9Vw1WNx

— Tesmanian.com (@Tesmanian_com) May 20, 2020

Last week, Tesla made a formal pitch to Texas for its next Gigafactory—or Terafactory. According to Tesla’s presentation, it estimated that the Cybertruck and Model Y factory could bring up to 5,000 middle-skill jobs to Travis County in Texas. Giga Texas employees could receive an annual salary north of US$47,000. Given Kouplen’s words, Tesla might have offered a similar proposition to Tulsa. 

The states, rather than Tesla, could decide the final location of the Cybertruck Gigafactory. Tesla’s potential move to Texas has been met with mixed emotions. According to the Statesman, local residents and labor groups are hesitant about approving Telsa’s tax cuts in Travis County, citing the now-debunked news about the company's workers sustaining more injuries and illnesses than any other auto plants, among other things.

"Before you approve a tax cut, work to demand legally binding agreements for how they should treat their workers. Tesla is promising the world, but they have yet to promise that our students are going to be treated right,” said one local resident of Texas, Alex Murphy. 

Meanwhile, in Tulsa, most of the community seems to firmly stand behind Tesla’s potential Cybertruck factory and welcome the EV automaker with open arms, as evidenced by everything the locals have done so far.

consent is keyhttps://t.co/O2OYF8Jvdy

— Big Fucking Field in Tulsa, OK (@BigFuckingField) June 27, 2020

“I do think it is very important for Tesla to understand that our community effort — the whole community, not just me, not just the mayor, but everyone pitching in ... all of the things that our community has done, that is the reason they love Tulsa…It is almost as if we have kind of forced ourselves into the equation, you can’t really ignore us, and they love that, they admire that,” said Kouplen.

Some have called Tulsa’s attempts to show Tesla and Elon Musk its support shameless. Whether it is or not may be up for debate, but it is clear that Tulsa wants Tesla.