Business · Companies · 12 hrs ago
Tesla moves ahead with expansion plans at its Grünheide factory
Tesla plans a new production hall at its Grünheide factory near Berlin, its only car plant in Europe.
The company wants to move ahead with expansion plans that had been put on hold during a sales downturn.
Its long-term goal is to make up to one million cars a year at the site, though its existing planned capacity of 500,000 has not yet been reached.
In an intermediate step, Tesla aims to raise output to about 375,000 vehicles a year and plans to hire around 3,500 people for vehicle and battery production.
The factory already employs 12,600 people, according to Tesla.
The expansion has raised concerns among residents and environmental groups because part of the site is in a water protection area.
Tesla aims to submit the next permit application by the end of 2026, and a construction start for the new hall is planned for 2027.
Tesla plans to expand its Grünheide factory, with the long-term goal of producing up to one million vehicles a year.
The plans include a new production hall, which t-online reports would cover about 536,000 square metres.
Tesla aims to submit the next partial permit application by the end of 2026, with construction of the hall planned for 2027, according to reports.
The expansion also includes higher battery-cell production capacity and a planned wastewater treatment facility at the site.
Environmental groups and local residents have raised concerns about the factory and its expansion, including its location partly in a water-protection area.
- Who
- Tesla, the US electric-vehicle maker.
- What
- It plans a major expansion of its Grünheide factory, including a new production hall. Its long-term target is to produce up to one million vehicles a year.
- When
- Tesla aims to submit the next permit application by the end of 2026. Construction is planned for 2027.
- Where
- Grünheide, Brandenburg, near Berlin, Germany.
- Why
- Tesla wants to increase production, as demand is picking up again.
Tesla
Environmental groups and local residents
Expansion and environmental impact
Tesla
Tesla plans to expand production and says no further forest needs to be cleared for the earlier expansion plans. It also plans an on-site wastewater treatment facility.
Environmental groups and local residents
Environmental groups and local residents have concerns about the factory and its expansion, including because parts of the site are in a water-protection area.
Tesla outlined a staged expansion in a partial permit application and presented its environmental impacts, according to the company.
The expansion was found to be generally eligible for approval, according to t-online.
Tesla plans to submit the required applications to authorities, according to rbb information cited by t-online.
Construction of the new production hall is planned to begin, according to t-online.
- Long-term vehicle target
- Up to 1 million vehicles per year
- Planned new hall
- About 536,000 square metres, according to t-online
- Current planned production capacity
- 500,000 vehicles per year, a target that has not yet been reached
- Battery-cell capacity
- 100 gigawatt-hours per year under earlier plans
- Current workforce
- 12,600 employees, according to Tesla
- Planned additional hires
- 2,000 for vehicle production and more than 1,500 for battery-cell production