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> Well, no state has been stronger on this issue than California, who sets fuel efficiency goals that are the most stringent. The same cannot be said of Texas a

by vageli 6y ago

> Well, no state has been stronger on this issue than California, who sets fuel efficiency goals that are the most stringent. The same cannot be said of Texas and Nevada; if anything the opposite is true. These are states where people take pride in driving big gas guzzling trucks and the government supports them in that. How is this anything but a non-sequitor? CA law only covers cars sold in the state, not produced. How does moving to a state that may be more favorable to the business for other reasons (tax purposes, operating during the pandemic, etc) change anything in that regard?

mft_ 6y ago
Indeed. And if building Teslas in Texas helps to move Texan opinion toward being pro-Tesla and pro-EV... that's a net win. Texans have strong state pride [1] - could do well to key into it. [1]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Don%27t_Mess_with_Texas https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Don%27t_Mess_with_Texas
alpha_squared 6y ago
California often sets standards that get adopted elsewhere/nationally not because it's some magical state but because of the sheer size of its economy. It used to be quite common that auto manufacturers would build a CA-approved version for their vehicles until it became too costly to maintain two versions. Some manufacturers still do this for vehicles that have a higher portion of their sales outside CA (mostly large trucks). Regardless of whether or not you approve, CA definitely sets the nation standard on fuel efficiency for general consumer vehicles. That said, if you're going to build a company in the American capitalism model where you inevitably interface with different layers of government, you probably would want to do it where those governments align best with your industry. If your goal is to build a car, MI is probably your best bet. If your goal is to solve fuel efficiency or an environmental problem, CA is one of the better places to be in; though maybe not the best. If your goal is to get people back to work ASAP, you'd want to go to a state with few(er) worker protections. I think it's clear where Musk's motivations lie, but I'm sure others are unconvinced.
- ralph84 6y ago
  > If your goal is to get people back to work ASAP, you'd want to go to a state with few(er) worker protections. Ha ha. Yes it's due to "worker protections" that workers at Amazon/Whole Foods can sell flowers but workers at a local florist can't.

by vageli 6y ago

mft_ 6y ago

Indeed. And if building Teslas in Texas helps to move Texan opinion toward being pro-Tesla and pro-EV... that's a net win. Texans have strong state pride [1] - could do well to key into it. [1]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Don%27t_Mess_with_Texas https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Don%27t_Mess_with_Texas

alpha_squared 6y ago

California often sets standards that get adopted elsewhere/nationally not because it's some magical state but because of the sheer size of its economy. It used to be quite common that auto manufacturers would build a CA-approved version for their vehicles until it became too costly to maintain two versions. Some manufacturers still do this for vehicles that have a higher portion of their sales outside CA (mostly large trucks). Regardless of whether or not you approve, CA definitely sets the nation standard on fuel efficiency for general consumer vehicles. That said, if you're going to build a company in the American capitalism model where you inevitably interface with different layers of government, you probably would want to do it where those governments align best with your industry. If your goal is to build a car, MI is probably your best bet. If your goal is to solve fuel efficiency or an environmental problem, CA is one of the better places to be in; though maybe not the best. If your goal is to get people back to work ASAP, you'd want to go to a state with few(er) worker protections. I think it's clear where Musk's motivations lie, but I'm sure others are unconvinced.

ralph84 6y ago
> If your goal is to get people back to work ASAP, you'd want to go to a state with few(er) worker protections. Ha ha. Yes it's due to "worker protections" that workers at Amazon/Whole Foods can sell flowers but workers at a local florist can't.