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Tesla Giga Canada makes sense: Canadian Minister emphasizes auto industry’s new “supplier of choice” [Opinion]
Tesla Giga Canada is starting to make more sense. At the 2022 Shareholders Round-Up, Elon Musk announced that Tesla might share the location of its next gigafactory by the end of the year. Musk teased that Canada could be a potential location.
Just last week, Canada’s Minister of Innovation, Science, and Industry François-Philippe Champagne visited Tesla’s Markham facility to talk to Tesla. Champagne’s visit suggested that Tesla Giga Canada has some potential to reach fruition.
There are two main reasons Canada would be a good location for Tesla’s next gigafactory. CDN seems to be hyper-focused on developing its green supply chain and catering to the auto industry. Also, the recently signed Inflation Reduction Act encourages automakers—legacy and startup alike—to secure supply chains in North America.
Canada becoming EV “supplier of choice”
Recently, Volkswagen and Mercedes Benz signed separate agreements with Canada for battery EV materials.
Volkswagen’s deal with Canada involves sustainable battery manufacturing, cathode active material production, critical mineral supply, and others. It also includes a Canadian office for VW’s PowerCo, its battery company. Through PowerCo, Volkswagen plans to develop and research EV batteries and ramp in-house cell production and recycling.
Canada’s agreement with Mercedes Benz seems more open-ended. However, it will focus on enhancing collaborations between the legacy OEM and Canadians companies along EV and battery supply chains.
Minister Champagne explained that talks between Canada and the two legacy automakers started in May when he visited Germany.
“Canada is quickly becoming the green supplier of choice for major auto companies, including leading European manufacturers, as we transition to a cleaner, greener future. By partnering with Volkswagen and Mercedes, Canada is strengthening its leadership role as a world-class automotive innovation ecosystem for clean transportation solutions. Canada is committed to building a strong and reliable automotive and battery supply chain here in North America to help the world meet global climate goals,” said Champagne.
The 2022 Inflation Reduction Act
VW and Mercedes Benz signed deals with Canada a week after President Joe Biden signed the Inflation Reduction Act, and it doesn’t seem to be a coincidence.
The Inflation Reduction Act takes effect in December 2022, but EV automakers and suppliers have already started preparing for it. For instance, South Korean battery suppliers have also started preparing to move production to the United States. The law introduces a new system of EV tax credits with a specific set of requirements. It includes a battery requirement that would affect automakers and suppliers directly.
Under the Inflation Reduction Act, 40% of materials used in batteries should be sourced from North America or a U.S. trading partner by 2024. By 2029, 100% of materials used in batteries should come from North America or U.S. trading partners; otherwise, the vehicles will not qualify for EV tax credits.
The law would affect automakers like Volkswagen. VW, for instance, aims to break into the U.S. pickup truck market with an all-electric Scout vehicle. EV tax credits would help VW’s EV Scout sales in the future.
What about Tesla?
The U.S. Department of Energy’s Alternative Fuels Data (DOE) published a list of electric vehicles eligible for the new EV tax credit of $7,500. According to DOE’s list, Tesla’s entire S3XY line will qualify for the tax credits starting January 1, 2023.
Tesla hasn’t qualified for EV tax credits for quite some time since it already hit the 200,000 cap in the old system. The strong demand for Tesla cars suggests that the lack of subsidies isn’t really hurting the company. But, EV tax credits would help the company’s primary goal: accelerating the advent of sustainability.
Tesla has become a leader in the global EV space and market. It has shown legacy automakers that electric vehicles are the future. To keep traditional OEMs motivated, Tesla needs to keep pushing forward. Complying with the Inflation Reduction Act would be a good way of keeping legacy OEMs on their toes.
Tesla’s aims to produce 20 million vehicles annually by 2030. Elon Musk explained that Tesla would need about a dozen gigafactories to make 2 million vehicles per year and achieve its 20M goal.
Currently, Tesla has Giga Texas, Giga Berlin, Giga Shanghai, and the Fremont Factory producing cars. It would make sense for Tesla to choose Canada as the next location of its newest gigafactory given the Inflation Reduction Act’s requirements. By choosing Canada, Tesla could produce more cars and qualify for the EV tax credits in the United States–hitting two birds with one stone.
The Teslarati team would appreciate hearing from you. If you have any tips, contact me at maria@teslarati.com or via Twitter @Writer_01001101.
Elon Musk
County vote hands Elon Musk’s Vegas tunnel network a huge new target
Clark County approved 19 more Vegas Loop stations, pushing Boring Company’s entitled total to 123.
The Boring Company just got permission to nearly double how far Vegas Loop can reach. Clark County commissioners approved 19 additional stations for the underground transit system, bringing the total entitled to 123, the company said in a post on X thanking the county for the vote. Elon Musk’s tunneling company also flagged the direction it sees the project heading long term. “Because Loop is point-to-point with no intermediate stops, in the limit, one could have a Loop station in every driveway,” the company wrote.
That framing captures how far the ambitions have moved. The Vegas Loop opened its first stretch of tunnel in 2021 and has grown its footprint through a string of county approvals since. In 2023, commissioners signed off on 18 additional stations, part of a plan that later doubled the system’s target to 69 stations across 65 miles. By the end of that year the company was describing a build out closer to 93 planned stations. Last year the long term design called for 104 stations across 68 miles of tunnel. The new approval pushes that number to 123, another jump in a project that keeps outgrowing its own blueprints.
The Boring Company gets approval for more stations in Las Vegas
Station count on paper is still well ahead of what riders can actually use. As Teslarati reported earlier this month, the network has about 11 open stations and has carried more than 4 million passengers since it began running, with newer stops at Fontainebleau and Sahara among the latest additions to the Strip corridor. A tunnel connection to Harry Reid International Airport remains under construction and has already slipped past its original first quarter target. The company is also racing to finish a Westgate to Paradise Road segment that Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority CEO Steve Hill has said it hopes to have running in time for November’s Formula 1 race.
The gap between entitled stations and operating ones is where the real story sits. Regulatory approval gives Boring Company the legal runway to keep tunneling toward new resorts, residential pockets and eventually the airport, but building each connection still comes down to boring machines, fire safety sign offs and construction timelines that have slipped before. The company’s Prufrock series machines set an internal record in March with a 2.28 mile tunnel near Westgate, evidence that construction has been picking up even as the list of approved destinations grows faster than the tunnels themselves.
Musk’s driveway comment reads as aspirational rather than a near term plan, but it fits how Boring Company has talked about Vegas Loop from the start: treat every approval as a floor, not a ceiling, and keep pushing county officials for room to dig.
SpaceX announced today that it would expand its launch capabilities into a new U.S. state: Louisiana.
Today, SpaceX, in conjunction with the Louisiana Economic Development Office, said that it will establish a new launch facility, which it will call Starbase, Louisiana. It will be located near Vermilion Parish, supporting thousands of launches each year, at least eventually.
CEO Elon Musk commented by stating, “Starbase Louisiana will ultimately have over a dozen launch towers, enabling more than 30 Starship flights per day and making it the biggest launch site on Earth!”
Starbase Louisiana will ultimately have over a dozen launch towers, enabling more than 30 Starship flights per day and making it the biggest launch site on Earth!
SpaceX makes sci-fi real. https://t.co/C7Ht0U12ba
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) August 25, 2026
The expansion is SpaceX’s latest move to push its launch cadence to be more frequent than ever. SpaceX said that Starbase, Louisiana, will be built to “support thousands of Starship flights a year,” with the first coming in 2029.
SpaceX announced the new facility in partnership with the Louisiana Economic Development Office as it will bring a major influx of jobs and investments into the area. Currently, it will produce more than 3,000 new jobs in Louisiana, and SpaceX plans to invest at least $100 billion into the entire facility, ensuring that many jobs are created as a result.
Environmental Responsibility
SpaceX acknowledges the impact launches could have on marshlands, local wildlife, and water sources. Here’s how the company plans to help with the issues in Vermilion Parish:
- Restoring the Shoreline: “In Vermilion Parish, the shoreline is eroding between 3.3 and 23 feet per year. We’re partnering with state and federal agencies to expand Louisiana’s Coastal Master Plan and Coastal Wetlands Planning, Protection and Restoration Act projects, including Gulf shoreline protection breakwaters designed to reduce wave energy and slow loss along the Gulf edge.”
- Rebuilding the Marshlands: “In working with the state, we’re planning thousands of acres of marsh creation using beneficial-use placement of dredged material and offshore sediment sources. Restoration will also include interior marsh bank stabilization and rebuilding marsh in remnant canals. These projects can reconnect fragmented wetlands, restore natural buffers against storms, and return habitat that has been lost to erosion and historic canalization.”
- Preserving Coastal Wildlife: “Pecan Island and nearby wetlands are high-value habitat for migratory waterfowl, shorebirds, wading birds, and other coastal wildlife. SpaceX is not developing the full footprint of the land and will preserve wetlands and wildlife habitat. At existing launch sites, waterfowl and other birds continue to use nearby habitat during operations. Working with wildlife agencies, landowners, and conservation groups, SpaceX will support monitoring and management so this habitat stays productive and hunting, fishing, birding, and other recreational activities that are part of this coast’s culture can continue.”
SpaceX shares rose about 2.5 percent on the news.
Tesla Cybertruck trims saw a big price change, at least on two of the three available to consumers, as demand for the all-electric pickup appears to be increasing.
Tesla bumped up its Base All-Wheel-Drive trim level up to $74,990 from $69,990 and the Premium All-Wheel-Drive configuration from $79,990 to $84,990. The Cyberbeast price remains unchanged at $99,990.
🚨 Cybertruck prices went up as Tesla bumped them 7%
– Tesla Cybertruck AWD is now $74,990
– Tesla Cybertruck Premium AWD now $84,990
– Tesla Cyberbeast now $99,990 https://t.co/MYJbaw56GL— TESLARATI (@Teslarati) August 25, 2026
Despite questions of demand for the truck, Tesla is bumping its two least expensive trims up $5,000 to signal that there are plenty of buyers. Although SpaceX has been buying Tesla Cybertruck units to utilize as company vehicles, it is no secret that the Cybertruck is among the most sought-after Tesla models out there.
The issue has always been pricing, at least for the most part. When Tesla initially launched the Cybertruck AWD at $59,990 a few months back, the company stated that price would remain intact for just ten days due to the influx of orders it received.
Cybertruck Sales: Is It the Product or Pricing?
Depending on who you ask, you will likely hear one of two explanations for relatively low Cybertruck sales: either the product itself or the pricing.
Yes, this is the best-selling all-electric pickup on the market. However, there are people who simply hate the look of it, which I understand, but do not agree with. Look is totally subjective, and I love the look of the Cybertruck.
Some people will not buy the Cybertruck because of the look, but I am under the impression that sales would be much better if this truck were priced lower; something that might not be possible considering Tesla’s need to make money on its products. When it was unveiled in 2019, its most expensive trim level was $69,990. Now, the cheapest trim level is more expensive than that.
I would be in a Cybertruck if it were more affordable. I LOVE my Model Y, but Cybertruck is the best vehicle Tesla makes, and it’s not particularly close. Even in the base model, the steer-by-wire, the space, storage, and performance make it more desirable than the Model Y to me. I cannot be the only Tesla owner without a Cybertruck who feels this way.
If you’re interested in buying a Tesla vehicle, use my referral link.
County vote hands Elon Musk’s Vegas tunnel network a huge new target
SpaceX announces new Starbase for ‘thousands of Starship launches annually’
