In the desert of Nevada, electric car manufacturer Tesla, in partnership with Panasonic, is planning to erect a multi-billion dollar “gigafactory” to mass produce batteries.

The factory, which could begin construction within the next few years, would more than double the company’s workforce as it plans to pump out 500,000 lithium-ion battery packs annually, each pack with thousands of battery cells. The factory would increase production dramatically — the company expects to sell just 35,000 of its luxury Model S vehicles this year, and sold fewer last year. But in the future, Tesla could roll out a smaller, more affordable car for the average consumer.

Nevada seems to be the front-runner for the plant's location, although Arizona, California, Texas and New Mexico are all under consideration. The factory, like Tesla’s cars, could be designed to run off of clean energy, including wind and solar.