Elon Musk opening new Tesla plant in Tilburg on Friday

The CEO of American electric car manufacturer, Tesla, officially opens a second Tesla factory in the Netherlands on Friday evening, alongside the Minister of Economic Affairs, Henk Kamp. The nearly 50,000-square meter factory hires 180 workers, and stands alongside an assembly line and test track for the electric cars. Tesla built the manufacturing capability to provide electric cars for the Netherlands as well as other European nations including Belgium, France and Germany. The first location opened in 2013, with a goal of ending the export of fully-assembled cars from the U.S. to those markets. Financial news media in the Netherlands also reported that Musk met with Kamp to discuss the increases in taxes in the Netherlands on electric and hybrid cars. A conversation on employment opportunities in the Netherlands is also expected. In addition to the unveiling in Tilburg, Musk also met with political leaders in northern Belgium. Politicians are lobbying for a battery manufacturing plant in their region, which Musk listed in his top five preferred European locales for expansion. "We currently have a lot of capacity in our factory in California, but in due time we will explore the possibilities for local production in Europe," he said according to De Morgen.