Tesla Closing in on Indonesian Manufacturing Plant: Reports

According to multiple media reports in Asia, Elon Musk’s electric vehicle (EV) manufacturer Tesla is close to agreeing a deal to establish an EV factory and other production facilities in Indonesia.

A potential Tesla plant would produce as many as 1 million cars a year, in line with Tesla’s ambition to have all its factories globally reach that capacity, news service Bloomberg reports.

In the last couple of years, representatives from the EV maker’s business operations have visited Indonesia on a number of occasions to appraise the possibility of investing in car battery production and EV ecosystem facilities.

The draw for Musk to establish a production plant in Indonesia is reinforced by the fact that the Southeast Asian nation has one of the world’s largest nickel reserves, and produces about a million metric tonnes a year. The metal is the main material in the production of lithium-ion battery cathodes for EVs.

Last year Indonesian President Joko Widodo met with Musk at one of the Space X facilities when he visited the company’s rocket production facility in Boca Chica, Texas.

The most recent discussions media reports claim, include plans for multiple facilities in Indonesia, serving different functions across production and the supply chain. To date however a deal has not been endorsed and the agreement could still fall through, Bloomberg said.

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