Tesla CEO Elon Musk is being urged to build an electric vehicle gigafactory in Scotland, with politicians arguing it would be “the perfect site”.
Ash Regan, leader of the Alba party in Holyrood, has written to the world’s richest man, to convince him to build a new Tesla gigafactory in Scotland.
She said Scotland would be a good choice for the next gigafactory thanks to its transport links, port access and connection to the rest of the UK and Ireland.
Tesla only has one European factory – the Gigafactory Berlin-Brandenburg – which produces Model Y electric vehicles. There is hope that it will produce “batteries and more” in the coming years.
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Elon Musk has been urged to build a new Tesla gigafactory in Scotland
REUTERS
With Tesla’s continued success, Musk could be looking to expand its operations across Europe, as noted by Regan, who called Scotland a “strong case” for having a gigafactory.
Writing in The Herald, she said: “There will be nothing ‘just’ about a transition that sees Scottish industry left behind and the high quality jobs of today gone tomorrow.
“Already we are seeing the real possibility of the value added skills at Grangemouth going, with the quality jobs carried out abroad with only service jobs left behind.”
The MSP for Edinburgh Eastern warned that the Government’s electric vehicle targets could force skilled work to be completed elsewhere, harming the Scottish economy.
The Tesla Berlin Gigafactory began production in March 2022
REUTERS
She added: “If Elon Musk took up my offer to explore expansion into Scotland it would be a game changer for our manufacturing base, bring billions to our economy and create thousands of highly skilled and well paid jobs.”
Elon Musk previously warned that Brexit “made it too risky to put a gigafactory in the UK”, but failed to rule out future investment.
Musk, who also owns social media site X and SpaceX, has become a polarising figure over the last year, aligning himself with President-elect Donald Trump, Reform UK and far-right party Alternative for Germany (AfD).
The 53-year-old has used his own social media platform to spread views about immigration and crime, claiming that the UK was heading towards “civil war” during the Southport riots, as well as attacking Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
Nigel Farage called Elon Musk ‘a bloody hero’ after a meeting earlier this month
REFORM
The Tesla CEO has also floated the idea of donating millions of pounds to Reform UK, a prospect welcomed by the party’s leader Nigel Farage.
Elon Musk met with former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak at the UK’s first AI summit in November last year, where he said London could be a hub for AI and technology.
The South African billionaire was also engaged in a bitter X spat with former First Minister Humza Yousaf, who he called “super, super racist” adding that the SNP politician was a “scumbag”.
Tesla’s Berlin-Brandenburg factory has been dubbed its “most advanced, sustainable and efficient facility yet” and has been operational since March 2022.
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The Berlin Gigafactory has been met with criticism from campaigners
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In 2024 alone, the Gigafactory Berlin produced 400,000 Model Y vehicles. There are hopes the plant can be expanded to produce one million vehicles per year in the future.
It was estimated that the development of Gigafactory Berlin cost between €4billion (£3.3billion) and €5billion (£4.1billion) and has been met with criticism from environmental groups.
Eco-activists frequently target the factory over concerns that its operations contribute to water pollution. Protests in the nearby woodland area are also common and have led to clashes with the police.
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