RideLust

The Model S.

Tesla is going against the grain in California, which is losing high-tech manufacturing jobs (like the NUMMI GM/Toyota plant, scheduled to close at the end of the month) to other states at an alarming rate, by building a new manufacturing facility in the middle of Silicon Valley. The new three-building Palo Alto facility will employ 350, with space for up to 600 in the future, and will produce drivetrain components for its Roadster and Model S cars. The new facility is largely the result of the federal funding that Tesla received being invested to increase production capacity. Tesla seems to be defying the odds to make a real run of it, but with stiff competition in the form of the Fisker Karma, they’re going to need more than simply a headstart in order to succeed. We’ll let you know more as it becomes available.

[Source: AP and OC Register]