Amid the competition among European nations for significant investment opportunities in electric vehicle infrastructure, France’s Economy Minister, Bruno Le Maire, remains optimistic about potentially securing an investment from Tesla.
Le Maire’s confidence rests on the decisions of Tesla CEO Elon Musk. In a recent interview on the TF1 TV channel, Le Maire stated, “We have good hopes regarding Elon Musk’s decision. There are several options on the table,” reports Politico.
Le Maire believes that France has transformed its global economic image and assembled all the essential conditions to be highly attractive to investors. He asserted, “France is the place to be for foreign investors.”
Tesla’s investment decision is eagerly awaited as Musk is expected to announce the establishment of a new battery plant by the end of the year. France has been actively courting this prospect. In fact, French President Emmanuel Macron has held meetings with Musk twice, once in May and again in June, signifying the importance France places on this potential investment.
However, Le Maire acknowledged the challenges France needs to overcome to secure this investment. According to him, a crucial hurdle is to “offer viable land with rail or sea outlet for transporting energy infrastructure assets with sufficient power.”
Check out Le Maire’s interview below (in French):
🔴 "J'ai bon espoir de voir Elon Musk investir en France", déclare @BrunoLeMaire, ministre de l'Économie et des Finances
▶ En direct sur #La26 avec François Lenglet pic.twitter.com/scjGDLNqSi
— LCI (@LCI) July 9, 2023
Last week, the second Tesla V4 Supercharger in the world opened in–you guessed it–France. 12 stalls are now up and running at the Ibis Hotel in Clermont-Ferrand:
Breaking:
The second @Tesla V4 #supercharger worldwide has opened in France!❤️🤍🎉
Location: Ibis hotel in Clermont-Ferrand.
12 stalls
Congratulations @teslaeurope and Tesla France!
📷@TeslaClubFrance pic.twitter.com/JvZcoSFB2M— Esther Kokkelmans (@EstherKokkelman) July 7, 2023
