Tesla won more than $330 million in tax breaks from Nevada on Thursday for the company’s commitment to a massive expansion of its sprawling vehicle battery facilities east of Reno, including the construction of a new electric semi-truck factory.
Approval from the Governor’s Office of Economic Development came as Gov. Joe Lombardo cited the benefit of good-paying jobs and a nearly decade-long boost to the local economy around Tesla’s huge Gigafactory.
Critics said Thursday that working-class families have been left out of the equation because the state agreed in 2014 to provide more than $1 billion in tax breaks to lure Tesla to Nevada.
The deal is the latest to mark northern Nevada as a focal point in the U.S. transition to green energy, as Democratic President Joe Biden’s administration seeks to move away from gas-powered vehicles in the larger fight against climate change.
“Tesla has far exceeded every promise they made going back to 2014,” said Lombardo, a Republican who chairs the board made up of top state elected, education and business officials.
