Are Tesla and Texas a perfect match? It’s questionable
Tesla’s move from Silicon Valley to Texas makes sense in many ways: Tesla CEO Elon Musk and the conservative lawmakers who run the state share a libertarian philosophy, favoring few regulations and low taxes. Texas also has room for a company with grand ambitions to grow.
“There’s a limit to how big you can scale in the Bay Area,” Musk said Thursday at Tesla’s annual meeting hosted at its new factory near Texas’ capital. “Here in Austin, our factory’s, like, five minutes from the airport, 15 minutes from downtown.”
But Texas may not be the natural choice that Musk makes it out to be.
Tesla’s stated mission is to “accelerate the world’s transition to sustainable energy,” and its customers include many people who want sporty cars that don’t spew greenhouse gases from their tailpipes. Texas, however, is run by conservatives who are skeptical of or oppose efforts to address climate change. They are also…
