Tesla Gigafactory plans for Cape Town in development

[Jan]

Tesla Gigafactory for Cape Town in the works – report

South African born Elon Musk is planning to build a “gigafactory” in Cape Town to manufacture Tesla Powerwall batteries.

 

[Chevron]

Great news.

 

[biometrics]

Really?

 

[Dave]

From that report it sounds more like wishful thinking than a definite commitment by Tesla.

Western Cape MEC for economic opportunities Alan Winde told Times Live: “We very much want to have a Gigafactory here. If we get that right, it will make nuclear power generation

 

[Geoff.D]

Make in SA but sell products in USD ------?

 

[Bighit]

Finally, some good news this year, right behind Netflix

 

[Skerminkel]

Make in SA but sell products in USD ------?

Read again. That is for products to be imported.

 

[K3NS31]

And where, exactly, would they find the space? Maybe in the Karoo - except that's not Cape Town, is it?

Also, had a good LOL at the line about making nuclear power obsolete.

 

[ToxicBunny]

From that report it sounds more like wishful thinking than a definite commitment by Tesla.

Thats the way I read it as well.

Like someone is going 1+1 = 50....

 

[JStrike]

And where, exactly, would they find the space? Maybe in the Karoo - except that's not Cape Town, is it?

Also, had a good LOL at the line about making nuclear power obsolete.

It would be in Atlantis

 

[Geoff.D]

Read again. That is for products to be imported.

Assuming this project proceeds and gets to a point where the factory is built, we then have to see how the marketing and sales systems are setup. IF this project follows what is fast becoming a norm is, is sales of products are done centrally based in USD. If this happens, products produced in SA will be priced in USD regardless and South Africans will end up buying those products based on converted USD prices even if they are shipped from the factory in SA.

So be very careful about making any assumptions on what the "economic" value will be to South Africans.

The first step is to get the project off the ground however .......

 

[Skerminkel]

Assuming this project proceeds and gets to a point where the factory is built, we then have to see how the marketing and sales systems are setup. IF this project follows what is fast becoming a norm is, is sales of products are done centrally based in USD. If this happens, products produced in SA will be priced in USD regardless and South Africans will end up buying those products based on converted USD prices even if they are shipped from the factory in SA.

So be very careful about making any assumptions on what the "economic" value will be to South Africans.

The first step is to get the project off the ground however .......

Completely correct. In the global economy prices should not differ much, even if a product is manufactured in the same county it is sold. With the current Rand fluctuation it is probably easier for companies to state the price in $, rather than increase the Rand price monthly.

The economic value is obviously the increase in jobs and tax, even if they do not sell a single unit here.

 

[K3NS31]

It would be in Atlantis

Don't really know the area - do they have enough space? This place would need several 10's of square kilometres of flat ground.

 

[JStrike]

Don't really know the area - do they have enough space? This place would need several 10's of square kilometres of flat ground.

Yes (Even though you are making the assumption a Gigafactory here would be of the exact same scale as the one is Nevada. Which I very much doubt)

 

[K3NS31]

Yes (Even though you are making the assumption a Gigafactory here would be of the exact same scale as the one is Nevada. Which I very much doubt)

Well, if they're planning to use solar as a primary power source for both manufacturing and charging of the batteries, it will need to be on a similar scale. Even a smaller factory would still need a shed-load of panels.

 

[JStrike]

Well, if they're planning to use solar as a primary power source for both manufacturing and charging of the batteries, it will need to be on a similar scale. Even a smaller factory would still need a shed-load of panels.

Luckily there a many solar plants popping up everywhere that can supply them

 

[konfab]

I really want this, but South Africa is not a good place for investment in industry.

1) Unions, you will have the Allied Sun,Solar and Helios Organisation for Local Employment union demanding that the guy who washes off the solar panels at the end gets paid R25000.
2) Government, you will have the EFF and co saying the Sun shining on South African soil is a national resource and harvesting it is Western Neoimperialism unless government has a 50% +1 stake.