Tesla on Wednesday abandoned its federal lawsuit against Alameda County, California over pandemic-related restrictions on business operations that affected its factory in Fremont.
Details: Tesla did not provide immediate comment. But the case filed May 9 appears to be a fait accompli at this point.
Tesla reportedly told employees a few days ago that county officials approved resumption of operations, and already Tesla had reopened the plant in defiance of the local government.
The big picture: The lawsuit against county orders was part of CEO Elon Musk’s broader, contentious battle over public health restrictions during the pandemic that he called excessive.
- Musk has also threatened to move the company’s HQ and “future programs” from the state, but the status of those plans remains unclear.
- Even before the pandemic, Tesla was planning to build an additional factory to produce Model Y crossovers for East Coast delivery, as well as its planned Cybertruck.
- The company is reportedly eyeing Austin, Texas and Tulsa, Oklahoma for that plant.
