Elon Musk hopes that the necessary permits to start production will be given the green light in the coming weeks and that the plant, which is scheduled to produce 500,000 electric cars annually, will start soon. Although Tesla says the plant will bring Germany closer to achieving its e-mobility goals, some local residents and environmental groups are unhappy with the entrepreneur’s stance, which they say goes against German business culture.
Tesla is investing €5 billion in a 50GWh battery plant near the site, ahead of Volkswagen’s planned 40GWh site in Salzburg.
The CEO offered 9,000 tickets for the current festival, which gave preference to local residents living in the Brandenburg region.
The last public consultation on the construction of the plant ends on October 14, after which the Ministry of Environment will decide whether to reject or approve it. However, the Brandenburg Minister of Economic Affairs has already estimated the chances of approval at 95 per cent.
According to the plans, the first cars could roll off the production line next month, their capacity is expected to reach 5-10 thousand per day, and battery production could begin at the end of next year.
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