New Cybertruck factory planned

Tesla is seeking a “central USA” site to build a new factory for its Cybertruck.

The company’s plan was revealed on Twitter by Tesla chief executive Elon Musk, adding it’s also considering the East Coast for Model Y SUV production.

Most of its EVs are built in the US at its Fremont factory in California and batteries at the Nevada factory.

Tesla’s Gigafactory Shanghai is producing Model 3s and Model Ys, while construction of another factory in Germany is underway.

The Cybertruck electric ute was revealed in November and variants are due to enter production from late 2021.

Musk has been reported as saying initial orders exceed expectations – it got more than 250,000 pre-orders in the first week.

The unusual looking Cybertruck is expected to be priced from US$39,900, have a more than 800km range, tow around 6300kg, carry a 1600kg payload and accelerate to 96km/h in under 2.9 seconds.

Its launch included showing how an electric quad bike Tesla also plans to produce can be stowed in the rear compartment.