Tesla Inc TSLA executive Rohan Patel said on Wednesday that the company’s expansion efforts at its gigafactory in Berlin, Germany, will continue despite the local community rejecting a proposal to cut down trees for the purpose.
What happened: “There is no impact on any future expansion plans,” Patel said in a post on X, formerly Twitter. The executive added that the company will continue to work with the community and stakeholders. Patel is vice president of public policy and business development at Tesla.
The executive argued that the zoning changes planned for the site do not pose problems of excessive water use. The factory can recycle 100% of the treated water, he said. Additionally, the plans could potentially shift more freight traffic to expanded rail infrastructure, thus benefiting the environment, Patel said.
“I expect Elon Musk and the team to continue to invest in our people at Giga Berlin, in new innovations and improved products – and we will continue to strengthen the connection between Tesla and our local and regional educational and community institutions,” Patel said.
Because matter: Local citizens near Tesla’s gigafactory in Berlin voted against the electric vehicle giant’s plans to cut down trees to make room for the factory’s expansion earlier this week.
This vote, while non-binding, represents a significant challenge to Tesla’s plans to double the plant’s capacity for battery production to 100 gigawatt hours and car production to 1 million units per year. The decision is now left to local authorities.
According to Tesla’s 2023 annual report, Tesla’s Berlin factory has a currently installed annual vehicle capacity of 375,000 Model Y SUVs. Earlier this month, it was reported that Tesla would likely hit a weekly production of 6000 Model Y vehicles Y in the factory.
Giga Berlin, courtesy of Tesla Inc
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