Tesla wants to expand its car factory in Germany. According to the Brandenburg state government, the American electric car maker is planning to expand the site to Grunheide, near Berlin. “The state government is aware of plans by Tesla to acquire additional land east of the Tesla site,” Environment Ministry spokesman Frauk Zelt said Thursday upon request.
Rundfunk Berlin-Brandenburg (RBB) reported Citing unspecified officials, the company is looking to buy about 100 hectares east of the car factory for a freight depot and storage space. The Environment Ministry said that the department does not have any concrete proposal at present.
Tesla is gradually increasing production
The Tesla site has covered about 300 hectares so far. On March 22, Tesla opened the new car factory in Grunheide, Brandenburg, in the presence of Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) and company boss Elon Musk. In the first expansion phase, 500,000 vehicles are to be taken off the assembly line annually. According to the company, though, it’s only gradually ramping up production — it’s still unclear when the numbers will reach that.
The planned battery factory, in which Musk wants to make his advanced battery cells, is currently under construction. The state of Brandenburg approved the car and battery factory in March.
But no freight station?
Tesla’s updated application from last year makes no mention of a freight depot. It only states that the GVZ is a main track in the Freienbrink commercial area with a direct connection to the Berlin–Moscow route and the Berlin Railway Ring. There is a siding in the factory premises. The RBB wrote that six hectares of the site planned for purchase belonged to the electricity supplier Addis and the rest to the state of Brandenburg. Tesla initially did not comment on the report. However, such a site would have to be designated as an industrial area, which requires an updated development plan.
Environmentalists fear negative consequences
Environmentalists fear the negative consequences of the settlement. Tesla hasn’t met all the requirements yet, but according to the Brandenburg state government, it only needs to test the requirements for system parts of ongoing operation. Water-polluting material was released in the paint shop in April. According to Environment Minister Axel Vogel (Greens), there was never a risk of groundwater or sewage entering the system.
(MKI)
