After failing to win a new Tesla Gigafactory, the state of Oklahoma plans to make a new program aimed at targeting the automotive industry. The Oklahoma Commerce Department has launched the Oklahoma Automotive Accelerator Program with hopes of locating automotive companies in the state.
The program comes after Tulsa — and by extension the state — lost out on the Tesla Gigafactory ultimately awarded to Austin, Texas, and the experience gained at the state level by going after the project.
Oklahoma Secretary of Commerce and Workforce Development Sean Kouplen hosted a conference call with members of the state’s automotive industry and other economic developers to discuss the experience with Tesla, what the state learned, and how the state can better market itself in the future.
Kouplen said everything began after Tesla CEO Elon Musk sent out a tweet stating his intention to build a new Gigafactory somewhere in the central part of the country. This was quickly followed by tweets from Gov. Stitt, Kouplen himself, and thousands of other Oklahomans inviting Tesla to consider Oklahoma as the site.
Source: The Ardmoreite
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