American manufacturer of electric vehicles and batteries Tesla Motors could build its second Gigafactory plant on Czech soil, north of Prague, reports Czech Television.
Construction of Gigafactory1, a site for the production of lithium-ion batteries, is currently underway in the US state of Nevada; upon completion it stands to claim the title of largest building in the world.
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Czech Television cites as its source the Space Invader blog, a science and technology website which reported the story last week.
Tesla head Elon Musk recently announced plans to open a European Gigafactory that would produce both batteries and electric vehicles following a visit to Germany.
Aside from its high reserves of lithium, cheap and skilled labor force and low cost of property and resources, it has been rumored that the country’s location in the heart of Europe makes it an appealing option for construction of the new factory.
While the factory is not a foregone conclusion say Czech trade officials speaking with Info.cz, Trade and Industry Minister Jan Mladek has said he would welcome the manufacture of electric cars in the Czech Republic.
Apart from the Czech Republic, Musk is also said to be looking at Poland, Hungary, and Romania.
Some 330,000 tons of lithium can be found underground in Dubí, a town of almost 8,000 residents in the Ústí nad Labem region near Teplice in the Ore Mountains.