Tesla quietly launches Czech operations, now looking for employees

Two years ago, Tesla founder Elon Musk announced plans to build the electric car pioneer’s second giant production and assembly plant, then dubbed Gigafactory 2, somewhere in Europe.

He even hinted that the location could be in the Czech Republic, at a location north of Prague in the Ore Mountain range that was naturally high in lithium, a major component in the production of electric batteries.

Since that time, a second major Tesla plant in the US has taken the title of Gigafactory 2, while a Gigafactory 3 is set to open in Shanghai later this year.

A European Gigafactory is still on Tesla’s radar, however – though whether it might open in the Czech Republic is still unknown. Germany has also been rumored to be a location for the next Tesla Gigafactory.

According to Czech business server E15, however, Tesla quietly began operations in the Czech Republic late last year. A branch of Tesla Europe, headquartered in the Netherlands, was officially registered in the Czech Republic at the end of 2018.

While this is not indicative of the next Gigafactory heading to the Czech Republic, it’s the first official step the company has taken on the Czech market.

Tesla also does not have showrooms in the Czech Republic, and in many cases potential buyers go to nearby Austria to purchase Tesla vehicles.

While speculation on whether the company intends to begin sales in the Czech Republic or open a production facility runs hot, Tesla has yet to release any official statement on the scope of their Czech operations.