Gigafactory has become giant: Tesla wants to expand its car factory in Grünheide

Tesla wants to expand its car plant in Germany. According to the Brandenburg state government, the US electric car maker plans to expand the site in Grünheide, near Berlin. “The state government is aware of Tesla’s plans to acquire additional land east of the Tesla site,” Department of Environment spokeswoman Frauk Zelt said Thursday upon request.

Rundfunk Berlin-Brandenburg (RBB) reported Citing unspecified authorities, the company wants to buy about 100 hectares east of the auto plant for a shipping warehouse and storage space. The Ministry of Environment stated that the administration does not have a concrete offer at the moment.

Tesla is gradually increasing production

The Tesla site so far covers about 300 hectares. On March 22, Tesla opened a new car factory in Grunheide in Brandenburg – in the presence of Chancellor Olaf Schultz (SPD) and company president Elon Musk. In the first expansion phase, 500,000 vehicles per year are scheduled to roll off the assembly line. However, according to the company, it is only gradually increasing production – it remains unclear when this number will be reached.

A planned battery factory, which Musk wants to make his own modern battery cells, is currently under construction. The state of Brandenburg approved the car and battery plant in March.

But no cargo terminal?

In the updated Tesla app from last year, there is no mention of the freight depot. It only says that there is a major route in the GVZ Freienbrink business district with a direct connection to the Berlin-Moscow road and the Berlin railway loop. There is siding there in the factory buildings. RBB wrote that six hectares of the site planned for purchase belong to the electric company Edis and the rest to the state of Brandenburg. Tesla initially did not comment on the report. However, such a site should be designated as an industrial zone, which requires an updated development plan.

Environmentalists fear negative consequences

Environmentalists fear negative consequences with the settlement. Tesla has not yet met all the requirements, but according to the Brandenburg state government, it only needs to check the requirements for system parts for continuous operation. The release of a water pollutant at the paint shop caused an uproar in April. According to Environment Minister Axel Vogel (Greens), there was absolutely no danger of it entering groundwater or the sewage system.

(Makky)