BUFFALO — Tesla doesn't seem all that excited.
After years of examination that stretches back to the Obama administration, President Donald Trump's trade representative announced a new tariff on Chinese-made solar cells.
In his announcement, US Trade Representative, Robert Whitehizer, said the Chinese government has been subsidizing it solar cell makers and in turn, those manufacturers had flooded the US with solar panels, wiping out must of the US industry.
From 2012 to last year, the number of American solar cell manufacturers went from 25 to two. That appears to have been before Tesla started production last fall at its mega-factory in South Buffalo.
Seemingly, Tesla is ramping up its solar production just as the government forces up the price of Chinese-made cells high. But the brief response from a Tesla spokesperson is almost matter-of-fact.
"Tesla is committed to expanding its domestic manufacturing, including Gigafactory 2 in Buffalo, New York, regardless of the solar tariff decision today.”