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Tesla plans to build a new car factory in Texas

arstechnica.com

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Re: Tesla plans to build a new car factory in Texas

#51

Post by chubot »

api wrote: post #37

I'm astounded that they ever tried to operate a factory in the Bay Area to begin with. Forget about regulations and taxes. The real issue is cost of living. You're going to have to pay all employees 2-3X what you'd have to pay them elsewhere, and it's not like they're keeping any of that. It's all going to rent/mortgage payments.

I wouldn't assume that... The employees Tesla hires are somewhat disjoint from the ones that VC-backed startups/FAANG are hiring (with some software overlap, but I'm not sure where they do software). And the employee pool surrounding the Fremont area is somewhat disjoint from the pool surrounding SF/Palo Alto as well.

Re: Tesla plans to build a new car factory in Texas

#52

Post by pmorici »

explorigin wrote: post #34

Likely, but not yet decided. The other front-runner is Tulsa.

There was a reddit post two days ago from a user claiming he had found land purchase records showing Tesla had purchased 1000 acres in Hutto Texas a northern suburb of Austin. The parcel was adjacent to a rail depot that had been recently developed.

Re: Tesla plans to build a new car factory in Texas

#54

Post by asdfgininio »

eloff wrote: post #30
outside1234 wrote: post #6

"But Musk is said to want to start construction extremely soon and aims to have Model Y vehicles coming out of the plant by the end of the year." That is just delusional.

I think the rule with Elon Musk is all his estimates are extremely optimistic and you need to multiply them by two or three to get closer to reality. But I'm sure it serves a purpose in giving his employees an aggressive target to aim at. Even if they miss it, at least they probably got there sooner.

It always stuns me what people are able to explain away when it comes to these Captains of Industry.

If we can realize the goal is ridiculous, surely the engineers who work on this full time will realize it's ridiculous.

Re: Tesla plans to build a new car factory in Texas

#55

Post by FreedomToCreate »

api wrote: post #37

I'm astounded that they ever tried to operate a factory in the Bay Area to begin with. Forget about regulations and taxes. The real issue is cost of living. You're going to have to pay all employees 2-3X what you'd have to pay them elsewhere, and it's not like they're keeping any of that. It's all going to rent/mortgage payments.

They don't pay Tesla assembly workers much, very comparable to what GM and Ford pay in the Detroit Metro Area. Ford pay 13-30 dollars(source:payscale.com) while Tesla pays 18-30 dollars (source - father in law who works on the line). Most people are older men who never got a college education or younger men following the same path. They all live in multifamily units in the bay area, and thats how they afford it. Even with the sky high cost, these people see the bay area as their home and are not going to pick up and leave, so they is always labor available for manufacturers.

Re: Tesla plans to build a new car factory in Texas

#56

Post by rconti »

lolsal wrote: post #48
chrisan wrote: post #38

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Probably also more lax in TX than CA

What makes you think this?

Part of the state's business model is bragging about businesses "fleeing" high-tax, high-regulation states like CA.

Also, there was a thread a few days back about OSHA requirements; the Federal government sets minimum standards but each state's OSHA is free to set higher standard on top of that.

There is a line of thinking (at least, among Tesla apologists) that CalOSHA is "the reason" that Tesla has the "most reported safety incidents" of auto mfgrs.

Re: Tesla plans to build a new car factory in Texas

#57

Post by dahfizz »

asdfgininio wrote: post #54
eloff wrote: post #30

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think the rule with Elon Musk is all his estimates are extremely optimistic and you need to multiply them by two or three to get closer to reality. But I'm sure it serves a purpose in giving his employees an aggressive target to aim at. Even if they miss it, at least they probably got there sooner.

It always stuns me what people are able to explain away when it comes to these Captains of Industry. If we can realize the goal is ridiculous, surely the engineers who work on this full time will realize it's ridiculous.

And maybe their takeaway is the same as ours: "This is a big priority and I need to get it done ASAP". Isn't that exactly what Musk is trying to get across?

Re: Tesla plans to build a new car factory in Texas

#59

Post by seltzered_ »

delfinom wrote: post #41
api wrote: post #37

I'm astounded that they ever tried to operate a factory in the Bay Area to begin with. Forget about regulations and taxes. The real issue is cost of living. You're going to have to pay all employees 2-3X what you'd have to pay them elsewhere, and it's not like they're keeping any of that. It's all going to rent/mortgage payments.

Austin is comparatively better but not a whole lot. The big three cities in Texas are getting extremely expensive with ridiculous traffic to boot.

Fully Automated Luxury Traffic Jams

Re: Tesla plans to build a new car factory in Texas

#60

Post by ctdonath »

wastedhours wrote: post #28
tech-historian wrote: post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Well, construction in China != construction in the US. US has permits, environmental reviews, inspections, labor laws, etc etc that all add time.

Didn't they also have a factory that was a glorified tent whilst they were finishing one of their previous builds?

For comparison: SpaceX builds rockets in tents.
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