Israel has invited Elon Musk’s Tesla to submit a bid for providing electric cars for the country’s top government officials, a senior Israeli official confirmed on Thursday.
“We aren’t going to bow to woke trends,” the official told JNS. “Teslas are great cars and we look forward to studying their bid.”
In response, Musk said on X, “much appreciated.”
This move comes as Israel continues to advance its electric vehicle goals. The Energy and Infrastructure Ministry has projected that by 2030, there will be 1.3 million electric vehicles on Israeli roads, with the aim for all 6 million private cars to be electric by 2050.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been a vocal supporter of Musk. Following criticism against Musk earlier this year, Netanyahu defended him, stating Musk had been “falsely smeared” and praised him as “a great friend of Israel.”
Musk visited Israel after the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack and has publicly supported Israel’s right to self-defense. Netanyahu also personally invited Musk to his July 2024 address to the U.S. Congress.
In September 2023, Netanyahu and his wife, Sara, visited Tesla’s Fremont, California, plant. They toured the production facility, observed the assembly line, and were briefed by Musk about company developments. They also posed for photos in front of a Tesla Cybertruck.
Tesla’s bid for the Israeli tender will be studied alongside others, as the country moves towards its long-term goal of full electric vehicle adoption.
