Since spring 2020 the Tesla Gigafactory Berlin-Brandenburg under construction. The start of production was originally planned for mid-2021. In the meantime, however, it is clear that it could still be some time before the first components actually roll off the assembly line. So even now some authoritative approvals are still missing. The carmaker should not receive this before March.
Tesla Gigafactory near Berlin operational from March?
A number of factors have delayed the construction of the new Tesla factory in Grünheide, Brandenburg. Nature conservation organizations, voices from politics and local residents have not exactly made it easy for the US automobile company. Nevertheless, the Gigafabrik near Berlin should finally start production – as soon as all the necessary permits have been obtained.
The process is already “in the final phase,” quotes the German Press Agency (dpa) Axel Steffen, responsible department head in the Brandenburg Ministry of the Environment (via Handelsblatt). “But that doesn’t mean that the decision can be handed out tomorrow. That will take some time.” Referring to Rundfunk Berlin-Brandenburg (rbb), it is said that production can start in mid-March at the earliest, but Steffen neither wants to confirm nor deny this.
Even with the approval, Tesla cannot immediately start making electric cars for sale. Because even then, the company still has to meet other requirements and provide evidence. According to the head of department, “if in doubt, it will take a few more weeks”.
Goals of the Tesla factory
Originally, work in the production plant was supposed to start in July last year. If it is fully operational, it should produce up to 500,000 electric cars a year for the European market. It remains to be seen when the Gigafactory near Berlin will achieve this goal. As early as June 2021, the first pictures appeared showing the Tesla factory from the inside for the first time.
Source: Handelsblatt