Tesla CEO Elon Musk held a virtual meeting Mongolia’s Prime Minister Luvsannamsrai Oyun-Erdene on Tuesday to explore potential expansion and investments in the Asian nation.
According to a statement from the Mongolian government, the meeting centered around the possibility of establishing an electric vehicle (EV) battery factory in Mongolia, capitalizing on the country’s abundant reserves of copper and rare earth elements crucial for electric vehicle batteries. Mongolia boasts substantial deposits of copper, gold, and coal, making it an ideal location for Tesla’s potential expansion.
In addition to discussions surrounding the battery factory, the pair also discussed bringing Starlink to Mongolia. Starlink has already registered as a company in Mongolia in 2022 and is expected to launch its satellite internet service later this year, a move which would enhance communication infrastructure and connectivity within the country.
A productive and insightful discussion with @elonmusk today, exploring opportunities for mutual collaboration. We discussed potential partnerships, including securing internships for talented Mongolian engineers at @Tesla. #Mongolia #Innovation #Partnership
We discussed the… pic.twitter.com/OEd87c1mAm
— Л.Оюун-Эрдэнэ (@OyunerdeneMN) June 6, 2023
This meeting with Mongolia’s leader is Musk latest meeting with high ranking government officials in Asia. Last week Musk visited China for the first time in three years. The visit aimed to foster friendly business relations between Tesla and China amidst ongoing tensions with the United States. Musk also paid a visit to Giga Shanghai, where he praised workers for building the best quality EVs, and where he reportedly got to see the first Project Highland Model 3s rolling off the production line.
