Tesla has filed yet another application with the City of Austin to expand Giga Texas. The application doesn’t provide much detail on what exactly the automaker is planning to do with the expansion, but according to CEO Elon Musk it will be to add the “ecological paradise” he promised would be around the factory.
The application was filed with the city on September 20, 2022, and when compared to a previous filing shows Tesla wants to expand the ‘limits of construction’ at 12733 Tesla Rd by some 522,720 square feet.
The application further states the proposed land use will be manufacturing, but according to Musk it will actually be for “ecological paradise plans from south portion of Giga Texas to [the Colorado] river.” Musk clarified the plans in a tweet to Teslarati, which first reported the new application.
Musk added that the lands at the southern portion of the factory complex “will be next-level great” and also confirmed the area will be open to the public.
Tesla’s long term goal for the area is to have “a boardwalk with amenities that goes all the way to downtown Austin, so you can walk, bike or kayak,” Musk explained.
He even teased that Tesla might develop and build small electric boats to use along the river “with a retro-futuristic Victorian design.”
It will still be a while however until we see these plans come to fruition. According to Musk work on the ecological paradise will only begin once the factory is “financially on its feet.”
Ecological paradise plans from south portion of Giga Texas to river look great, however we must first get the factory financially on its feet
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) September 21, 2022
Musk first revealed plans for an ecological paradise around Giga Texas when he announced the location of the factory back in 2020. With Giga Texas largely complete and already producing cars, some environmental groups had questioned whether Tesla was going to follow through on Musk’s vision.
Based on this application it looks like they will, it will just take longer than some were hoping.
