Technology - February 23, 2022

When Will Elon Musk Launch a Tesla Plant in His Home Country South Africa?

In 2016, the South African government urged Tesla (TSLA) to establish manufacturing facilities in the country.

February 23, 2022

4 min read

Speculations have surrounded when the world’s richest person, Elon Musk, will launch a Tesla manufacturing plant in his home country, South Africa. This follows the call by Southern Africa’s richest country to its illustrious son, Musk.

In 2016, the South African government urged Tesla (TSLA) to establish manufacturing facilities in the country. Tesla “expressed interest in investing in South Africa” during a brunch event in Washington.

It was revealed in January 2022 that Elon Musk will create a Tesla Motors office in South Africa, which will be run by Evan Rice, the CEO of GreenCape, an organisation formed to assist expand the renewable energy industry in the Western Cape.

The Tesla venture in South Africa will begin with just one person. However, Rice told Hypertext that, “if we can find some solid business cases and get them going, we will be expanding”, hinting at further announcements for the company’s presence in South Africa and the rest of the continent later in 2016.

Rice said Tesla’s aim in South Africa will be to establish a market for the Powerwall, the company’s industrial-scale battery pack. Musk first revealed it to the public in 2015. Musk described the breakthrough device at the time as, “The most suitable and cost-effective way to manage energy grids and supplement renewable energy sources for both industrial and home markets”.

While Tesla has no plans to bring the company’s electric automobiles to South Africa, the projected success of the Powerwall home battery system in the nation, which is no stranger to power outages, may push plans to offer the extremely popular vehicle in the country forward.

Musk and a group of Silicon Valley engineers launched Tesla Motors in 2003 with the goal of improving the performance and lowering the cost of electric motors. The concepts of the AC induction motor, developed by inventor Nikola Tesla in 1888, are the defining feature of Tesla automobiles and the Powerwall. The resultant Tesla Roadster not only established a new benchmark for zero-emission automobiles, but it was also the world’s fastest and most cost-effective electric vehicle.