Tesla Motors is moving into a huge building in Palo Alto, where it will hang a "help wanted" sign and start cranking out drivetrains for the Roadster electric sports car.
The Silicon Valley automaker has signed a lease for a 369,000-square-foot facility on 23 acres in the Stanford Research Park. It will over the next several months move its entire operation into the building, where it will do R&D work and build EV powertrains. The building once housed Hewlett-Packard and Agilent Technologies, and it is just minutes away from the garage where Bill Hewlett and Dave Packard build their first audio oscillator.
“Silicon Valley and the Stanford Research Park are synonymous with innovation and entrepreneurship,” Tesla CEO Elon Musk said in a statement. “It’s an ideal place for a new car company trying to rethink many aspects of the traditional automotive business.”
Tesla didn't say how much it will pay to lease the building, but you're helping pay the tab. Financing will come in part with money Tesla received from the Department of Energy. The government has loaned Tesla $465 million to develop electric vehicles and the powertrains the propel them.
In addition to building powertrains for the Roadster, Tesla is providing batteries and chargers to Daimler's budding Smart EV program. Daimler recently bought nearly 10 percent of Tesla. The Silicon Valley company says it expects to announce other powertrain deals "in the coming months."
Some 350 people will work in the building, which has room for 650. Tesla says it is "rapidly" recruiting new employees. It is still searching for a factory in which to build the forthcoming Model S sedan and expects to make an announcement on that soon.
Photos: Tesla. The Roadster is shown above. The site in Palo Alto is shown below.
