From Waco to Boca Chica: Elon Musk – TIME’s 2021 Person of the Year – and his impact in Texas – WFAA.com

Tesla's endeavors in Texas are poised to bring more economic growth and jobs.

TEXAS, USA Elon Musk can add one more title to his portfolio alongside "innovator," "CEO," "Texas resident" and "billionaire" -- TIME's 2021 Person of the Year.

Musk has made plenty of moves in the Lone Star State over the past year, developing properties, moving his businesses and creating new ventures.

Gov. Greg Abbott welcomed Tesla to Texas, calling it "one of the top innovators in the entire world." He said it would spur economic grown and an "even brighter future" for the state.

"Elon Musk and I have been discussing this relocation and the unmatched competitive advantages our state can offer," Abbott said.

Tesla's endeavors in Texas are poised to bring more economic growth and jobs.

Texas has been a focal point in the new era "space race" with Jeff Bezos and his Blue Origin flights earlier this year from Van Horn. Musk's SpaceX also made its first private voyage in September from south Texas.

Here's where Musk has made his mark.

Angleton

About 40 miles south of Houston, a Tesla subsidiary Gambit Energy Storage LLC is building a mega-battery in Angleton, according to a report from Bloomberg.

The 100-megawatt energy storage project in Angleton would have the capability to power about 20,000 homes on a hot summer day.

The same battery technology used to power cars is what Tesla wants to use to power homes. The benefit to being in Angleton is a substation that forms a critical entry point to Texas energy grid.

Musk has another energy-related project, called Tesla Energy Ventures. It'snow officially licensed to sell electricity to retail customers across the state.

The approval of Musk's license comes months after Bloomberg reported about Gambit Energy. At this time, however, it is unclear if either project is connected to one another or how they might be connected if they are.

Boca Chica

Starbase is the rocket production facility and test site for SpaceX in Boca Chica, just 20 miles east of Brownsville along the coast and near the border with Mexico. In June, Musk tweeted that he was living in a $50,000 tiny home near SpaceX at the time.

Starbase is home to tests of new prototypes and other launches, leaving the small town's residents with entertainment or slight nuisances, depending on who you ask.

Any time I doubt anything SpaceX says theyre going to do, they do it. So I should just stop doubting, saidspace exploration aficionado Tom Hawes.

It's where Musk unveiled the spacecraft designed to carry a crew and cargo to the moon and Mars (or anywhere else) back in 2019.

Central Texas

Tesla officially moved its headquarters to Austin earlier this month -- just one of many California companies moving to Texas.

Tesla is working on its Gigafactory just east of Austin city limits. The $1.1 billion factory will produce the Model Y electric SUVs as well as the Cybertruck. Production is expected by the end of the year.

Tesla is planning to employ more than 10,000 people for that location. The company plans to work with local colleges to recruit students.

"This is Austins seminal moment: we are now the hub of the tech industry, and we arent going anywhere, the Austin Chamber of Commercesaid in October.

Tesla's latest factory isn't the only project Musk has under his belt in the Austin area. The Boring Company is developing properties in both Pflugerville and Bastrop, and Neuralink also recently posted jobs in the area.

There are also plans to expand a new plant in McGregor, just outside of Waco, to focus on producing Raptor 2 rocket engines.

SpaceX already has one campus in McGregor that employs around 500 people.

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From Waco to Boca Chica: Elon Musk - TIME's 2021 Person of the Year - and his impact in Texas - WFAA.com