Tesla could form 1 million square Austin suburb into a battery facility

Tesla is linked to at least 1 million square feet of an industrial park in the south of Austin, Texas, which could be used to expand battery operations throughout the region.

Kyle Mayor Travis Michell said last year that the EV maker could lease three buildings at the Kyle/35 Logistics Park, about 20 miles south of downtown Austin.

The purpose of those leases includes warehousing and light assembly. The area of the lease was speculated to expand up to an entire 1.4 million square foot industrial park.

Findings from Austin Business Journal reveal that the EV company has leased 962,000 square feet with Buildings 2, 3, and 5 at the business park.

A filing from March 6 with the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation links Tesla to around 127,000 square feet of the 224,000-square foot Building 1. This will bring Tesla at least 1 million square feet from the 1.4 million-square-foot industrial park.

The site, which includes five buildings, is being developed by Houston-based Alliance Industrial Co. The site forecasted a $115 million capital investment and it could create around 1,500 jobs in the area.

What’s the plan?

Currently, Tesla has not shared any plans for the leased area but several job positions might give us some indications. Tesla has listed Kyle-based jobs for manufacturing and supply chain operations.

These include an incoming quality supervisor for cell manufacturing, an incoming quality technician for “cell battery” and a supervisor for supply chain quality engineering. All of the job recruitments are required for operations in Kyle.

This is expected to be another major expansion of Tesla in the state as it keeps on raising its supply chain and manufacturing capability.