Tesla Starts Clearing Trees for Giga Berlin Expansion

Tesla’s set to begin preparing for an expansion of Gigafactory Berlin according to a statement from the automaker on Friday reported by Berliner Abendblatt (via @alex_avoigt).

The company says this particular expansion will increase production capacity, and to do so, Tesla will begin clearing trees away from a nearby pine forest starting on Friday.

Tesla said it would be clearing 70 hectares of the pine forest land, and that the automaker’s implementing or has already implemented forest and species protective measures. Additionally, Tesla’s putting an application together for the expansion, but hasn’t yet submitted official plans.

Jörg Steinbach, Minister for Economics, Labor and Energy of the State of Brandenburg, said on Friday morning he is “pleased Tesla will proceed.”

I am pleased that @Tesla will proceed. This is a good sign: Tesla is focusing on Brandenburg. Our country is developing into a place of modern mobility. As already the largest industrial employer and trainer in Brandenburg, Tesla has played a decisive role in this.@Elonmusk

— Jörg Steinbach (@joergstb) October 28, 2022

This is just one of the automaker’s expansion plans, with Tesla beginning a 250-hectare expansion at Giga Berlin in May.

Tesla also plans to expand the Grünheide facility to include a battery plant, which the town’s mayor confirmed again last month.

Following the confirmation, however, a new report surfaced a few weeks ago saying that Tesla will now wait until 2024 to begin work on its battery cell plans at Giga Berlin.

During Tesla’s Q3 earnings call, the automaker announced plans to introduce front castings and 4680 battery cells at Giga Berlin before the end of the year.

Last week, Tesla announced free color upgrades for Model Y customers from the Giga Berlin paint shop including “midnight cherry red” and “quicksilver”.