Tesla eyes Adelaide for battery factory

Embattled electric vehicle and battery maker Tesla is considering building a factory to repurpose Tesla batteries in Adelaide, however, it needs to first fix the contaminated site.

The Tesla factory would be located at the growing Tonsley Innovation District, a manufacturing hub built out of the former car making site, and could create up to 100 new jobs.

In its proposal, the developer said it plans to build a fit-for-purpose Tesla facility that not only repurposes the company’s batteries but also provides a servicing facility and showroom for Tesla vehicles.

The proposal added that it would provide significant financial benefits to the local area.

However, it noted that “the site has not been accessible to the public since 2016 due to contamination concerns”.

The onus of remediation would be on the developer to support the future development.

Tesla has been growing its footprint in Australia, with this latest proposal following an MoU between the electric vehicle company and the West Australian government to build a batter re-manufacturing facility in Collie.

This plant is slated o begin operations in 2026, producing Tesla’s Megapack battery technology.

Picture: Tesla Model 3 (2023) at Auto Zürich 2023 (credit Alexander-93)