INDIANAPOLIS — Big industrial projects are underway across Indianapolis with one of those new developments coming to the south side of town where a new Tesla facility is being built.

“They’re building a combination of a maintenance and sales facility,” said Kevin Brinegar, the president and CEO of the Indiana Chamber of Commerce. ”This is a good deal. This is further putting Indiana’s stake in the ground with respect to electric vehicles.”

This new facility will be located near the I-65 ramp on County Line Road. The plans to build it were approved by the city’s Metropolitan Development Commission earlier this year, and now with construction just getting started, plans are turning into reality. 

“I am actually excited to see it,” said Savannah Whitted, an Indianapolis resident. “I feel like they’ve been doing a lot of construction around me, and it definitely looks nicer. I feel like the area is going to show a bit more.”

Tesla’s facility is being built at a time when the demand for electric vehicles is booming. According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, the number of electric vehicles on the road has jumped from 22,000 to over 2 million in the past decade, and those numbers are continuing to climb.

“It’s going to be interesting to watch in 10, 20, 25 years from now whether the majority of cars are gas-powered, electric-powered, or hydrogen-powered,” Brinegar said.

This facility is one of many infrastructure projects happening throughout the city right now and people living in the area say this is just one more project that will help the city continue to grow and prosper.

“I think adding new places, which is what they have been doing recently, is actually a good idea,” Whitted said. “It can bring in a lot of income for a lot of different people and it can provide new opportunities for people.”

There is not yet a set date for when the Tesla facility will open.