Germany: Tesla mulling expansion of premises at recently opened Gigafactory near Berlin
Tesla is seeking to expand its premises near Berlin, which is the first European hub for the firm. The development has been confirmed by local administration.
- Republic Business
- 2 min read
Electric mobility giant Tesla is currently seeking to expand its premises near Berlin, which will be the first European hub for the firm. Speculation regarding Tesla's plans to purchase more land for the aforementioned reason has now been confirmed by the government of Brandenburg. Germany's Environment Ministry spokeswoman Frauke Zelt stated that Tesla is further intending to acquire additional land to the east of the site, DPA reported.
The Environment Ministry further revealed that the car manufacturing company has made no concrete offer so far. Notably, Tesla's Gigafactory is located in the Brandenburg state of Germany and covers around 300 hectares of land, as per DPA news report. The launch of the plant had been delayed for eight months owing to local authority licensing problems. The car plant worth €5 billion, which is being set up in Brandenburg is reportedly the biggest investment in the recent history of Germany.
Tesla opens Gigafactory in Germany
Earlier on March 22, the EV major opened its first European facility in Berlin's Brandenburg. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz attended the opening ceremony of the Tesla factory in Gruenheide, according to AP. Meanwhile, the opening ceremony of the brand new Tesla Gigafactory for electrical automobiles also had in attendance Tesla CEO Elon Musk. The tech mogul was beaming with joy at the introduction of his Gigafactory electric vehicle plant close to Berlin. Elon Musk danced his heart out after the first car from the factory was rolled out for delivery. According to Tesla, they will employ 12000 people in Gigafactory and make 500,000 vehicles a year once the plant becomes fully operational.
The company revealed that their initial manufacturing in the factory will focus on tesla's Model Y compact sport utility vehicle, as per the AP report. After the inauguration ceremony, Musk tweeted "Danke Deutschland!" (Thank you, Germany) along with emoticons of German flags. It is pertinent to mention here that Tesla started commenced the construction of the Gigafactory less than three years ago in Brandenburg. According to Tesla website, Gigafactory is their "most advanced, sustainable and efficient facility yet." It will be the first factory in Europe to produce cells in-house together with electric vehicles. Environmental activists have reportedly raised concerns over the factory and warned that it could affect drinking water supplies in the region. However, the warnings by activists have been dismissed by Tesla.