In an effort to lure Tesla Inc (NASDAQ:TSLA) into building a factory in Lithuania, entrepreneurs in the Baltic state have built a virtual factory inside a video game. The efforts of the entrepreneurs to build a virtual plant in the Minecraft game seem to have paid off as the issue has attracted global attention.
This follows an announcement that had been made by the chief executive officer of Tesla, Elon Musk, last year that the electric carmaker was looking to build its second plant in Europe. It took about 35 hours for the 40 or so Lithuanian gamers to construct the virtual replica of the factory in the video game.
From Nevada to Lithuania
While the original factory had been located in the state of Nevada, the gamers situated their replica in Lithuania before posting a short clip on YouTube in which they showed off their virtual factory that had everything ranging from electricity generators to solar energy panels. In the 3D video, viewers can get to tour every part of the plant.
As the video garnered views, executives at Tesla took notice and acknowledged the work that had been done by the gamers by saying that they had been impressed. The executives, however, made no commitments.
Stiff competition
The Lithuanian entrepreneur behind the initiative, Vladas Lasas, admitted that the Baltic state would have to square off intense competition from, at the minimum, ten other European countries. He added that if Tesla built the plant in Lithuania, the economy of the country would benefit greatly. Such an investment would also create jobs for young people and prevent them from emigrating to other wealthier Western European nations.
Currently, Tesla’s only plant in Europe is in Norway. Mindaugas Sinkevicius, the Lithuanian Economy Minister said the effort by the gamers would mark the start of a campaign to have Tesla build a plant in the Baltic state.
“This non-governmental initiative proves that our IT specialists are not only talented but also inventive enough to surprise the world,” Sinkevicius said.
On Friday Tesla Inc fell by 0.09% to close the day at $251.33 a share.