Lithuanian entrepreneurs eager to woo Tesla Motors to their shores have built an entire factory inside Minecraft video game to impress the electric carmaker.
Lithuanians badly want Tesla Motors to build its next giant factory on their soil, so to grab the attention of the California tech company they built a virtual version of a facility inside the "Minecraft" video game.
Vladas Lašas, who was behind the project, says they wanted to send a message to Tesla CEO, Elon Musk, that Lithuania ‘has plenty of skilful’ people as well as a perfect factory site. He said that 41 computer geeks spent two days building the virtual factory in Kruonis, in central Lithuania near a hydroelectric plant and two airports.
The gamers then posted a 2:28-minute video on YouTube, showing off their model, which is complete with solar energy panels and electricity generators.
‘The idea of Tesla Giga Factory quickly attracted a lot of attention and participation from society. Everyone asked if this is possible and if so what can I do? So this weekend a newly formed team made virtual Giga Factory.’, said Lašas.
Tesla tweeted: Lithuania knows the way to our heart.
‘If two months ago no one believed in the idea, now we more boldly discuss how and in what form we could do that,’ reacted Lašas.
Lithuanian Minister of Economy Mindaugas Sinkevičius recently has hailed the initiative and appointed several people to coordinate it.
‘The good will, state’s determination, persuasion or activism is not enough. We need to prepare and put proposal on the table telling what promise the state can make’ recently said Sinkevičius.
Tesla electric cars company announced last year that it plans to build a second so called Giga factory in Europe. The first one is located in the US State of Nevada.
Sound bite (Lithuanian)
VLADAS LAŠAS, entrepreneur who initiated the idea ‘of bringing Tesla to Lithuania:
The idea of Tesla Giga Factory quickly attracted a lot of attention and participation from society. Everyone asked if this is possible and if so what can I do? So this weekend a newly formed team made virtual Giga Factory.
Sound bite (Lithuanian)
VLADAS LAŠAS, entrepreneur who initiated the idea ‘of bringing Tesla to Lithuania:
If two months ago no one believed in the idea, now we more boldly discuss how and in what form we could do that. We can make a lot of things just by shifting our attitude towards those novelties and by participating.
Sound bite (Lithuanian) not from today, but recent
MINDAUGAS SINKEVIČIUS, Minister of Economy:
The good will, state’s determination, persuasion or activism is not enough. We need to prepare and put proposal on the table telling what promise the state can make.
