Tesla has had a tense year so far. Falling sales, turbulent stocks, and the tarnished image of Elon Musk have kept the brand in the headlines. However, bad press hasn’t been enough to stop Tesla from making moves in Australia, as the automaker plans to open a showroom and factory in Adelaide. But, even with council approval, not everyone is happy with the initiative. 

Adelaide, Australia, is set to be the site for a Tesla battery factory, but not everyone is on board

The city council of Marion, a suburb of Adelaide, Australia, recently voted to approve Tesla’s plans to develop a showroom and a battery repurposing plant there. It’s a victory for Tesla and its controversial CEO, Elon Musk. However, Tesla and the council haven’t convinced everyone that a factory in Adelaide is a good idea. 

According to The Guardian, an anonymous group of activists in the south of the country remains determined to prevent the electric car marque from setting up the battery recycling and repurposing plant. But it’s not because the group has an explicit penchant for Chinese EVs on Australian streets. These protestors submitted almost 1,000 opposition documents to the council. Of those submissions, most held an “anti-Tesla and anti-Elon Musk” view. 

The anonymous group isn’t the only one, either. “Trees not Teslas” is fighting the council approval, citing the trees and green spaces that the project would kill. “We’re very pro-electric vehicle and pro-green energy,” an anonymous member of “Trees not Teslas” said. “But the industry that destroys green spaces is… green in name only.” 

The council, however, is amenable to the battery factory. If the figures ring true, the Tesla factory could create around 100 jobs in South Australia. It also suggested that the plant would generate millions of dollars for the surrounding community. “If we didn’t proceed, it would have cost 100 jobs to local residents, but it would have had no impact on Elon Musk,” Mayor Kris Hanna of Marion said. 

Despite a rollercoaster of volatile sales and stock prices, Australia isn’t the only growth sector for Tesla. The electric automaker recently leased a 300,000-square-foot site in Austin, Texas. While that doesn’t sound too unlikely, it’s in addition to Austin’s Giga Texas, a factory with over 10,000,000 square feet of floor space responsible for rolling out the Cybertruck and Model Y.