In the presence of German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Tesla CEO Elon Musk , the first production site in Europe was opened in Grünheide (Brandenburg) . Compared to the branches in the USA and China, the Gigafactory in Germany should be the most advanced, sustainable and efficient so far, according to Musk . The $ 5.5 billion industrial complex is the largest of its kind since German reunification.
Up to 500,000 cars per year
Tesla began construction of the car and battery factory on the site in May 2020 with preliminary permits. Since the German authorities have not yet guaranteed that a final permit will be obtained because a battery factory has been added to the site, approval was not granted until March of this year . This also explains the postponement of the start of production , which was actually planned for 2021 .
In Grünheide, the carmaker wants to produce around 30,000 Tesla vehicles in the first six months . In the medium term, the capacity should level off at almost 500,000 cars per year . Tesla is currently lacking employees for this, however, when it opened, 2,600 of the 12,000 jobs were occupied. Incidentally, the Gigafactory should also generate 50 gigawatt hours of battery power.
Automotive industry in Germany in upheaval
In the field of electromobility , Volkswagen is currently ahead in Europe . The VW Group has a market share of 25% and Tesla's is 13% . With the new Gigafactory in Brandenburg, however, Tesla could catch up very quickly . In 2022, Volkswagen will have 95,000 orders for electric cars. If you compare that to Tesla's production capacity , that's just a fifth .
Since Volkswagen is also planning a new electric vehicle production facility for 2026 , both "big players" are prepared for a competition for the crown in the field of e-mobility.
Source: interestingengineering.com
