Lokesh for Tesla unit in Anantapur

Vijayawada: IT and electronics minister N. Lokesh went to the headquarters of electric vehicles (EV) giant Tesla, in Austin, US, on Monday, pitching Anantapur as a good location for the company's manufacturing.

In talks with Tesla CFO Vaibhav Taneja, Lokesh said he wants to make Andhra Pradesh an EV manufacturing hub. He listed Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu target of generating 72 GW of renewable energy by 2029.

Disclosing the details of his discussion with Taneja, Lokesh said Tesla is presently manufacturing electric vehicles, battery storage equipment for power storage from home to grid, solar panels and providing clean energy solutions.

Lokesh said world-class companies like Tesla would help Andhra Pradesh with its green energy targets.

Later, the minister called on chairman of real-estate major Perot Group and Hillwood Development, Ross Perot Junior, in Dallas and discussed with him on how AP’s coastal region had an ideal environment for developing industrial and logistics parks on the lines of their Alliance Texas project.

Perot Group has developed Alliance Texas, a 27,000 acre master-planned community.

Lokesh said they were looking forward to collaborate with Perot Group for developing smart city projects and the development of larger cities in AP.

Lokesh said that they were planning to set up aviation university in Visakhapatnam and wished the experience and support of Perot Group.