Tesla will need to increase production in its Nevada Gigafactory, resulting in the rise of harmful air pollutants.
Just a couple of weeks back, some of Tesla’s Gigafactories were “losing billions of dollars” due to a shortage of supplies. But now, the Nevada Gigafactory wants to expand production — quite the contrast, isn’t it?
The truth is that Tesla sales are increasing with each passing day, resulting in a greater demand to ramp up production. For instance, Tesla sold over 936,000 vehicles in 2021 and 500,000 the year before that. And with such a rapid sales increase, it is obvious that the company faces production obstacles along the way.
In this case, Tesla looks to gain approval from the state of Nevada to release more pollutants during the manufacturing process. Notably, emission levels are monitored through classification levels, and Tesla’s Nevada plant currently sits in Class II air quality permit. As a result, Tesla can emit up to 100 tons of any regulated pollutant annually and 25 tons of hazardous air pollutants consisting of carcinogens (cancer-causing substances) and other harmful-to-health elements.
With the new Class I air quality permit, Tesla could emit over 100 tons of regulated pollutants and more than 25 tons of hazardous air pollutants per year.
However, NDEP (Nevada Division of Environmental Protection) assured strict standards would be followed even with a change in class and subsequent increase in emissions. It said, “The proposed permit still requires Tesla, Inc. to maintain compliance with state and federal regulations and ambient air quality standards, and also requires the facility to conduct regular monitoring and reporting.”
Moreover, the NDEP seeks public comment until August 17 before issuing the new permit to Teslas Gigafactory. The idea is that EVs significantly reduce pollution after use, particularly when compared to internal combustion vehicles.
Tesla always manages to be in the news, and not often in a good way. Regardless, we can’t take anything away from Tesla’s progress. It has simply taken the automotive industry by storm, be it through the introduction of autopilot tech or its affordable but performance-heavy EV tech. However, wanting to pollute more never fares well for a brand’s image, does it?
