Tesla Plans New Battery Factory; Will Employ 6,500

[Purveyor]

PALO ALTO, Calif. (AP) -- Electric car maker Tesla Motors is considering sites in Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas for a massive battery factory that would employ around 6,500 people.

Tesla plans to start construction this year and complete the factory in 2017.

The Palo Alto, Calif.-based company expects the factory to supply enough batteries for the 500,000 cars it hopes to make by 2020.

Tesla and partners including battery maker Panasonic will invest between $4 billion and $5 billion to build the factory, which would supply battery packs to Tesla's Fremont, Calif., assembly plant.

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