Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk is being actively courted by the French government to build his next Gigafactory on French soil. France hopes to become a key player in the electric car sector and has already inaugurated its first battery factory this year. At the same time, a showdown is taking place between the European Union and Twitter, owned by Elon Musk, regarding compliance with new regulations. To discuss these issues and other topics, a meeting is planned between Emmanuel Macron and Elon Musk on the occasion of the VivaTech show.
For some time, an unexpected idyll seems to be taking shape between Elon Musk, the dynamic CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, and France. It is certainly paradoxical to see a businessman both courted for his industrial activities and criticized for his sometimes controversial positions. However, one thing is certain: France wants Elon Musk, and not just to see him speak at Vivatech.
Indeed, the French government has not hidden its interest in Elon Musk building his next Gigafactory on French territory. Not long ago, Emmanuel Macron had also met the tech magnate on May 15, 2023 to discuss “ the attractiveness of France and significant progress in the electric vehicle and energy sectors “.
Today, France is stepping up its efforts to convince Musk to make this project a reality. In a statement to the CNBC media, the Minister Delegate in charge of the digital transition and telecommunications, Jean-Noël Barrot, affirmed that France was ready to welcome the billionaire’s investment: ” It will be great to have a Tesla factory in France, there has been a lot of effort and energy to make sure this is possible and can happen “, he told Charlotte Reed at the VivaTech conference in Paris.
This courtship takes place in the midst of a showdown between the European Union and Twitter
France is thus positioning itself as a serious contender against other nations, such as Spain. However, this courtship comes in the middle of a showdown between the European Union and Twitter, bought by Elon Musk, about compliance with the new regulations of the European Union. The social network platform, owned by Elon Musk, is indeed under pressure from the European Union, which threatens to ban it in the absence of reinforced control of illegal content and misinformation.
In its desire to become a hub of the electric car industry, France inaugurated its first battery factory for electric cars this year. In addition, the operation of the ecological bonus for the purchase of an electric vehicle will be reviewed in order to take into account the carbon footprint and favor French and European factories. Elon Musk, meanwhile, is seeking to expand its network of Gigafactory factories, in addition to the production sites already present in the United States, Germany, China and soon in Mexico.
In this already busy context, a new episode of this Franco-American saga is expected: Emmanuel Macron and Elon Musk have planned to meet at the end of the week for the VivaTech trade show, one of the leading events for innovation in France. Elon Musk is expected there not only as a guest, but also as a speaker. This new meeting between the two men could mark a crucial step in the negotiations around the future Gigafactory.
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