Elon Musk, co-founder and chief executive officer of Tesla Motors.
Yuriko Nakao | Bloomberg | Getty Images
Tesla CEO Elon Musk has blamed Brexit as the reason why the firm chose Germany rather than Britain as the country to launch its new Gigafactory.
Musk told trade magazine Auto Express that uncertainty over the U.K.’s decision to withdraw from the European Union “made it too risky” to establish its European battery facility in the country.
The new plant is set to be built in Berlin, while Tesla also plans to create an engineering and design center in the German capital. Musk said another factor behind the decision to place it there was due to Germany’s engineering prowess — the country is home to two of the world’s largest carmakers, Volkswagen and Daimler.
It will be the company’s fourth Gigafactory. The original Gigafactory was set up in Reno, Nevada, to build batteries for Tesla’s electric cars, while its second U.S. facility was built in Buffalo, New York. It’s set to open a new car plant in Shanghai, China, soon.
You can read the full report on Tesla’s decision to build its European Gigafactory in Berlin here.
