Tesla scouting for out-of-work Aussie car workers

Tesla Model S set for launch Down Under. 

It has been a rough few years for the Australian car industry with Toyota, Ford and General Motors all ceasing development and manufacturing operations in the country. The end result will be perhaps 200,000 unemployed but skilled car workers trying to find work in new industries. There is hope though and it is coming from Tesla Motor Corporation who has been reported to be holding open-house interviews in Melbourne, the city that was formerly the home of the Aussie car industry. Unfortunately, the positions they are looking to fill would require a move to California but they are looking for a wide range of engineers from crash and cooling engineers to body and interior specialists.

There will probably be some positions for Tesla Australia, with the impending launch of the Model S in Australia priced at AUD97,000 (not cheap, by Aussie standards). There is a need for a nationwide supercharger network; Australia is by far the sunniest continent there is and so it would make sense that Elon Musk, who sits on the board at SolarCity, would naturally favour solar power. According to a report in RenewEconomy, the first batch of Aussie Model S owners will all have to have a solar-powered home.

However, all is not well in the land Down Under when it comes to investment in renewable energy, where investment in the sector has dropped by 70% and the country has now gone from leader to laggard in energy projects. A damning report entitled Lagging Behind: Australia and the Global Response to Climate Change details the lack of clear government direction leading to a loss of potentially valuable business, both now and in the future, for Australia. Many countries such as the USA are rapidly exploiting the global shift to renewable energy by introducing a range of incentives to investors and even the likes of China are actively retiring old inefficient power stations in an effort to reduce CO2 emissions.

If Musk can achieve a (mostly) solar-powered super-charger network, he would go a long way to achieving a real zero emissions vehicle and be a true eco-warrior in the land Down Under.

image: caradvice.com.au