California courts Tesla for battery factory

California is back on the map as a potential site for Tesla Motors' proposed battery factory but remains a long shot, the electric car company's Chief Executive Elon Musk said Wednesday.

Musk said the automaker is working through a number of issues with Gov. Jerry Brown's staff but fears the company would not get the various environmental and other permits in time to get the factory built and running quickly.

Tesla, which has been hampered by a constrained supply of batteries for its electric cars, needs to have the so-called gigafactory in production by 2017, about the time that it plans to launch a lower-priced model that will sell for around $40,000.

Its current car, the Model S sedan, sells for $70,000 to more than $100,000 depending on options.

http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-hy-tesla-earnings-20140508-story.html

Considering California sounds nice, but it's more likely an Elon Musk PR stunt to get buyers in Tesla's primary marketplace off his back. I don't see California making an exception to the permitting process for Tesla, considering the environmental impact of building a battery gigafactory. I do think it implies Nevada and Arizona are the most likely locations for the battery factories, though.