Rich Pedroncelli / AP
Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla Motors discusses the company’s new Gigafactory Tuesday, July 26, 2016, in Sparks.
Wednesday, Dec. 5, 2018 | 10:30 p.m.
CARSON CITY — Tesla's battery factory in Northern Nevada has created more than 7,000 jobs — 40 percent more than promised — and an additional 8,200 jobs in other local businesses since it opened east of Reno in 2014.
The Governor's Office of Economic Development said in a report Wednesday that 7,059 employees were working in the Tesla/Panasonic gigafactory as of June 30 with average hourly wages of $25.78.
The report says the companies have invested $6 billion in the factory that produces high-tech batteries for electric vehicles and home-power supplies.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk pledged to employ 5,000 in exchange for more than $1 billion in state tax incentives.
Gov. Brian Sandoval says the world-class facility has disrupted the automotive and energy industries in just four years. In addition to jobs, he says it has "had an extraordinary effect on perceptions about Nevada."
