Gary Zhou 
Matt Mackowiak, Chairman of Travis County GOP, strongly opposed Tesla’s plans for its Cybertruck Gigafactory in Travis County, Texas. Mackowiak urged Texas to stand up for Musk in a snapshot of The Statesman that refers to the CEO’s reputation, SpaceX’s ongoing activities in the state, and the challenges facing New York Gigafactory.
Mackowiak warned that Elon Musk has a “spotty” history of looking for subsidies and voiced his stark opposition to Texas’s generous incentives for Tesla. This includes $68 million in the 10-year property tax bill for Tesla and an additional $14.65 million for the 10-year property tax rebate for Travis County. The GOP official argued that New York, which hosted Tesla’s Gigafactory 2, struggled to have the economic impact on the region.
“After investing almost $900 million on the new facility, a recent audit found that the value of the facility is only $75 million. The factory was more controversial as it struggled to prove that it satisfied the site criteria for hiring. Worse still, the factory struggles to have the economic impact it has committed to justify the costly deal for the taxpayers in the state. The Lone Star State will see millions of dollars in public funds to support a business that seems willing to abandon its promises and go wherever incentives go,” Mackowiak wrote.
Mackowiak also argued that the activities of SpaceX in Texas were not good for the state, as the company had been “spending years causing headaches for the people of South Texas.” The official noted a number of complaints against SpaceX, such as road closures and noise disturbances, which Mackowiak argued had disrupted the “Once Peaceful Village of Boca Chica.”
Unfortunately, for the vocal Mackowiak, other Texas officials seem to be very welcome to Tesla. In the midst of the company’s troubles with Alameda County last month, Tesla and Elon Musk received open letters of support from Hidalgo County Judge Richard F. Cortez, Governor Greg Abbott, Dallas, TX Mayor Eric Johnson, all of whom invited the electric carmaker to set up shop in Lone Star State. Governor Abbott, for one, specifically emphasized Tesla’s potential tax savings if he moves his headquarters to Texas.
As for Gigafactory New York, the facility had a relatively slow ramp due to the company ‘s focus on its electric vehicle business , particularly during the Model 3 ramp. However, the facility is now ramping up, particularly as Tesla is now looking to expand the reach of its Energy business with its flagship Solarglass Roof V3 tiles. Supercharger V3 stalls, which are also built in Gigafactory New York, are also being ramped up worldwide. This suggests that Tesla’s Buffalo, New York facility, will only become even more busy in the near future, and will not be long before its positive economic impact on the area is felt.
It should also be noted that other states are willing and willing to welcome Tesla and her upcoming Cybertruck Gigafactory. Apart from Texas, Tulsa, Oklahoma is speculated to be shortlisted for the site of the electric pick-up plant. Other countries, such as North Carolina, have also expressed interest in hosting the next US-based manufacturer of electric cars.
Reported by Teslarati.
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