President Macron received Elon Musk at the Élysée on May 15. A meeting that looks like a second attempt for the head of state, while France had failed to attract the boss of Tesla to it in 2016 for the construction of a first Gigafactory in Europe. Does Tesla plan to manufacture electric cars or batteries in France? It is not impossible.
Soon Tesla batteries made in France or vehicles of the American brand assembled in France? There is no doubt that talking about it was one of the reasons for the meeting of President Macron and Elon Musk on May 15. Passing through Paris as part of the Choose France summit, the leader of Tesla was invited this morning to the Élysée to discuss with the Head of State ” the attractiveness of France and significant progress in the electric vehicle and energy sectors “, tweeted Emmanuel Macron shortly after the interview.
An approach commented at the same time by Bruno Le Maire, invited for his part on the set of BFMTV. ” There are negotiations going on, he’s not just there to take advantage of Versailles “, confirmed the Minister of the Economy. Still, for Emmanuel Macron and his government, this visit to France sounds above all like a second chance to convince after the failure of the previous government.
France and its “clean” energy finally considered by Elon Musk?
In 2016, under François Hollande, negotiations had indeed been undertaken with Tesla. Ségolène Royal, then Minister for the Environment and Energy, had notably proposed to the firm to convert the nuclear site of Fessenheim, recall our colleagues from Numerama. The idea? Transform the old power station (then being closed) into Gigafactory. A proposal that had not long held the attention of Elon Musk. Soon after, the Berlin-Brandenburg site was chosen for the construction of Tesla’s first factory in Europe.
With @ElonMusk, we talked about the attractiveness of France and the significant progress in the electric vehicle and energy sectors. We also talked about digital regulation. We have so much to do together. See you this afternoon at the #ChooseFrance Summit! pic.twitter.com/wkdwjv45OG
—Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) May 15, 2023
Seven years later, the context seems a little more favorable to Tesla setting up on French territory, in one way or another. Not only is Elon Musk increasing the construction of Tesla factories around the world, in order to achieve his growth objectives, notes Numerama, but France seems to better highlight its assets compared to other European countries, especially against Germany.
Among them, its affordable and mostly carbon-free energy thanks to the French nuclear fleet, which is gradually being restored to battle order. An argument that has already favored the establishment of four battery factories in the North of France. The Chairman also indicated that he wanted to reduce the time required for the examination before the launch of industrial projects.
This administrative flexibility should also prove to be beneficial for improving the attractiveness of the tricolor: instead of the 18 months of formalities currently required, a period of only 9 months will be required in the future. It remains to be seen whether the French social climate will not have the effect of compromising these efforts with regard to foreign investors.
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