Is Tesla Moving Its Headquarters to Houston?

HOUSTON, TX – Tesla CEO Elon Musk took to Twitter on Saturday afternoon to announce his current dissatisfaction with California’s shelter-in-place orders regarding COVID-19.

Musk has been urging the state to re-open Tesla’s Fremont, California factory after the Alameda County’s Health Department previously denied the car maker from reopening due to local lockdown measures to limit the spread of the coronavirus.

On Saturday analyst estimated it could possibly take the company roughly 12 to 18 months to entirely relocate its manufacturing plant and product. 

Tesla filed a lawsuit against the county on Saturday, calling the current restrictions a “power-grab” by the county since California’s governor previously said on Thursday that manufacturers in the state would be allowed to reopen and resume operations.

 Musk later threatened to move Tesla’s headquarters and future operations from the state to Texas or Nevada after the company claimed Alameda was breaking federal and California constitutional rights, as well as defying the governor’s current order.

The threat to relocate the facility comes as Tesla aims to ramp up production of its Model Y sport utility vehicle at their Fremont location. Currently, Alameda County, is scheduled to remain shutdown through the end of May, with only businesses that are deemed essential allowed to reopen.

However, in a release from the company, Musk informed Tesla employees on Thursday that limited production would resume at the Fremont location on monday.