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Tesla Motors, whose sleek, flashy roadsters have become a visible emblem of Bay Area’s growing electric-car industry, is moving its headquarters to Palo Alto.
The company announced Tuesday that it plans to lease the 350,000-square-foot former Agilent Technologies Building in Stanford Research Park. The company would develop and manufacture components for its electric vehicles at the 23-acre site, located at 3500 Deer Creek Road — midway between Page Mill and Arastradero roads.
Tesla has a showroom and sales operation on El Camino Real in Menlo Park.
The company said it plans to bring 350 employees to Palo Alto initially, while the facility has space for up to 650 workers. The three-building facility was formerly occupied by Hewlett-Packard and Agilent Technologies.
Tesla said it plans to relocate its corporate headquarters from San Carlos to Palo Alto later this year. The move comes a month after Tesla posted profits for the first time in the company’s history.
“Silicon Valley and the Stanford Research Park are synonymous with innovation and entrepreneurship,” Tesla CEO and Product Architect Elon Musk said in a news release. “It’s an ideal place for a new car company trying to rethink many aspects of the traditional automotive business.”
Tesla plans to begin renovating the Stanford Research Park facility in early fall.
The financing for Tesla’s new site will come, in part, from $465 million the company received in loans from the U.S. Department of Energy. The loan was part of a federal program designed to encourage manufacturing of affordable electric vehicles.
The company is in the midst of developing its Model S — an all-electric sedan that will sell for about $50,000.
The company will be joining a research area that already houses some of the city’s leading experts on electric vehicles and power generation. The Electric Power Research Institute — a leading think-tank specializing in electricity technology — and Better Place, a company trying to build networks of charging stations and battery-swap stations around the world, are both based in Stanford Research Park.
The company’s chief technology officer, J.B. Straubel, also cited Tesla’s proximity to Stanford University as a major incentive for relocating.
“Tesla is rapidly recruiting new employees, and this fabulous working environment and proximity to Stanford University will give us excellent access to top engineering talent,” Straubel said in a news release.
City Manager James Keene said the city is “extremely pleased to welcome Tesla in Palo Alto” and noted that the city is committed to promoting sustainability and green technology. He hailed Tesla’s move to Palo Alto as another indicator of the city’s leadership position.
“Stanford, its Research Park and Palo Alto have always been at the forefront of new technological discoveries and inventions, as well as fostering practices and ideas that increase environmental sustainability,” Keene said.
“Tesla’s move is another indicator that Palo Alto is the place to be for the green tech and alternative energy companies that will help solve the daunting global environmental challenges of the 21st century,” Keene said.
Keene told the Weekly that Stanford and Tesla officials had been in contact about space in the Research Park. He said he looks forward to the city “engaging actively” with Tesla during the renovation of the buildings.
“What better place than Palo Alto?” he asked about a site for the headquarters of a future-oriented “green technology” firm.
Related stories:
Charging ahead (Palo Alto Weekly cover story, June 19, 2009)
Another one that got away. But Menlo Park could have never been considered seriosuly because the current council does not want any growth for any reason even if it contributes to the prestige and coffers of Menlo Park.
Palo Alto loves Menlo Park. We make it so easy for them to attract new business. As long as we have Heyward Robinson and Richard Cline on the Council the door is shut for increased tax revenues.
Thank heavens for Nicholas Jellins, Lee Duboc & Mickie Winkler. They brought in the Rosewood Hotel which was vigorously opposed by Andy Cohen. Kelly Fergusson got a bye because her husband works for Stanford and had to be recused from voting. But given her anti-growth stance one can be reasonabbly sure that Kelly would have voted the same way as Andy.
We now have TWO business development staff members, the second was supported by the same council that Mr. Lawrence chooses to bash. Seems to me that this was an investment in encouraging revenue-producing businesses to Menlo Park. Since it looks as if they were unsuccessful (or might not even have tried), they and City Manager Rojas, should be held accountable for this missed opportunity.
Most of the Bus. Dev. manager’s activities seem to be around property development, often offices that will produce no sales tax revenue, instead of business development that will. Time to make him shape up or ship out?
“Another one that got away?” Or another synapse that failed to fire, Hank? Do we even know if any other city or location was in the running with Tesla? Did Tesla contact Menlo Park (or anyone) about possible sites for their headquarters? And could Menlo Park offer a location as attractive (to Tesla) as Stanford Research Park? The Tesla dealership remains in Menlo Park, far as I know, and it’s clear you used this feature with the sole intent of taking yet another cheap shot at the current council. Your credibility (such as it is) declines with each such missive, Hank.
Gern
Credibility has to exist in order to decline. Amidst the phony Russian names, the references to Kool-aid and mind-altering drugs, and the rapid fire blathering about socialism we have to endure whenever Hank unleashes his silliness on us, how can any credibility have survived?
To you naive and myopic ingenues,
A Business Development Manager can not do much when you have a vehemently anti-business City Council tying his hands. Most businesees won’t even give Menlo Park a glance. Gern Blanston, Why should Tesla even bother to give Menlo Park a look. The City’s anti-business reputation precedes it.
There is no question that Dave Bohannon could have put together a very attractive package for Tesla. But Tesla can’t afford to wait 2 years until we can restore sanity and balance to the City Council. Not to mention those frivilous lawsuits brought on by Heyward & Rich’s supporters. Businesses have had it with Menlo Park.
We need to vote out Robinson and Cline and vote in Council members who can expand our tax revenue base. All Robinson and Cline want to do is to raise the tax rates. Typical leftist thinking. The fault lies in the Council not in our BD stars.
So what have the “BD stars” accomplished? Why would they not know about Tesla and bring something forward?
What is so anti-business about Menlo Park? I would guess that almost every resident and business owner supports economic growth. Most just don’t agree that it’s ok to violate the city’s zoning laws and General Plan anytime someone asks. Mr. Lawrence’s buddies (Jellins/Duboc/Winkler) thought it was fine, even if the projects generated no tax revenue.
Uh, it was actually San Carlos (where Telsa’s HQ was located) and San Jose (who had been openly wooing them) who “lost out,” not Menlo Park, whose dealership is still “open for business.”
But who has time these days to do fact-checking when there’s slanderous things to be written! (“MP city council members support Obama’s death panels; only Boyle doesn’t want to kill you!”)
Heyward, Rich, Andy & Kelly do not want to kill us because dead people pay no taxes. We evil Republicans have living trusts to shield estate taxes whereby we can pass our wealth to our spouses without the greedy statists trying to suck them dry and turn them into street urchins.
However, if that happened, ACORN would come to the rescue by having our indigent spouses voting for the leftists candidates of their choice numerous times for the big payday.
Isn’t socialism great!
Hank, Hank, silly Hank, you want to push our buttons, but can you really believe we take you seriously? You might try logic and the art of honest debate, but that would require you to abandon your ideology, that which keeps you snug and smug in a blanket of dumb comfort. Not likely. So keep braying, Hank. I’m sure you’re keeping someone amused.
Hank Lawrence opined: “A Business Development Manager can not do much when you have a vehemently anti-business City Council tying his hands. Most businesees won’t even give Menlo Park a glance. Gern Blanston, Why should Tesla even bother to give Menlo Park a look. The City’s anti-business reputation precedes it.”
Where is the 23-acre site in Menlo Park that rivals the Stanford Research Park property, Hank? One that may be occupied later this year, and one that offers strategic neighbors such as the Electric Power Research Institute and Better Place? Did you read the article in question? And to your, “Why should Tesla even bother to give Menlo Park a look” query, there’s the certain fact of the Tesla dealership already located in Menlo Park. Or is that merely a facade thrown up by the current council majority and the leftist, socialist-loving taxmongers who, without question, have designs on your Republican estate, with the secondary but no less urgent purpose of rending your spouse and leaving them a hapless street urchin?
It’s truly amazing how one individual can render an entire thread a pointless farce, one with little or no entertainment value, even.
Gern
I hope they leave enough space to build the Asylum.
It must be the water.
Dear Mr. Blanston. The Tyco Property in Menlo Park that GM was going to purchase would fit the bill. So why did Tesla turn down lower value property? Could it be that it did not want the hassle of dealing with the most difficult City Council on the Peninsula. Most developers avoid Menlo Park like the plague much to the delight of the current council majority is. It’s position is increase the tax rates not the tax base.
Menlo Park is cooperative with small development projects that bring in tax revenues. But consider large industrial use? Why that would be asking too much.
Mr. Blanston you need to wean yourself from the Kool Aid
David Johnson, the city’s business development manager, details the city’s efforts to get Tesla to locate in Menlo Park in an e-mail to the City Council log:
http://ccin.menlopark.org/4079.html
Hank:
The Tyco property has a chemical contamination problem associated with it – Telsa wants to build cars, not clean up dirty land and water!
Does anyone really believe that Tesla is going to be anything more than a passing shadow, that will throw away the 400 million they are getting from the Feds (probably getting insiders off the hook for their up to now worthless investment.
This is a company that Menlo Park should really be happy is going elsewhere. Remember the Edsel?
I agree with the observer who mentioned the Edsel. How many of you who are taking the time to defend/support Tesla actually own one? Have any of you actually driven one? Do you think it’s a smart buy? I’d be interested to know.