Manoli Katakis 
California is falling apart. And Tesla’s quick HQ exodus to Austin, Texas couldn’t be more of a sign of the times. And the company is moving quickly, too. Because according to official documents Tesla prepared for the Request For Proposal stage, where contractors bid for various construction work, the electric automaker is targeting a “substantial completion date” by May 21, 2021. But most people in construction will tell you that deadlines are subject to change. But ultimately, what this means, is that we could see the Tesla Cybertruck production commence by late spring, if not early summer, of 2021.
As pointed out by CNET, the American Institute of Architects defines “substantial completion” as when the project sits at a point where the building can function as its intended purpose, but not entirely finished. Recent timelines pinned the range-topping tri-motor Tesla Cybertruck to roll off the assembly line by late 2021, followed by less powerful models in 2022. Tesla will also allocate Model Y production for eastern sales regions in the United States, freeing up space at its original plant in Fremont, California.
In terms of its competition, the Rivian R1T and R1S are scheduled to go online by June 2021 out of Normal, Illinois. A few months following will be the 2022 GMC Hummer EV out of Detroit-Hamtramck, Michigan. Deliveries of the Bollinger B1 and B2 electric SUV and truck are expected to take place in the first half of 2021. The Lordstown Endurance electric truck is expected to begin deliveries out of Ohio by early 2021. And the Nikola Badger fuel cell EV truck will be built by General Motors starting 2022.
Work has already begun at the site in Austin, but the real work will start as RFPs go out for electrical, plumbing, carpentry and HVAC this month, according to the documents. In November, the automaker plans to send RFPs for architectural interiors. According to Tesla, the entire construction will cost about $400 million.
Austin, Texas won Tesla over other cities such as Tulsa, Oklahoma. As with most major decisions that determine a location, it was incentives and tax breaks that Texas dangled in front of Elon Musk and company that locked things in. Not to be completely left out, Oklahoma nevertheless plans to try and woo the automaker’s supplier base as it prepares to begin production in Texas as early as next year.
The Tesla Cybertruck is expected to be a Class 2b or Class 3 truck. This means that it won’t be subject to processes such as crash testing, adding airbags, pedestrian safety, or range testing. In effect, costs are reduced. Whether or not this is a practice that should be followed is debatable.
