Elon Musk Talks to Media Outside Giga Berlin: Rave Cave, Tech and His Son’s Name

A video of the full chat has emerged online, and you will find it at the bottom of the page. Elon is speaking to what seems like a large group of people, taking questions shot at him at rapid fire and doing his best to address most concerns. It’s a chaotic situation without mediation from any PR-type, and it speaks to Musk’s desire to be the people’s champion.

Among other things, he talks about why Tesla in such a hurry to build this factory, saying we can no longer afford to wait for stuff to happen gradually and revealing how they’re using prefabrication as a means to speed up the process. We need to accelerate the transition to sustainable energy, he says. To that end, the Berlin Giga will be building more than cars: it will also have a research center, and will build batteries and cells.

Musk also addresses the water shortage concerns in the area and talks about recent controversy that, at one point, threatened to halt the construction. He also takes a question about his son, admitting that, indeed, X Æ A-12 does sound more like a password than a name. For his next visit to Germany, Musk is considering to bring his son along, assuming, of course, the health crisis has passed by then.

Other details disclosed in this interview include Tesla’s plan to build two train stations that will connect the factory to Berlin and thus encourage more people to get a job here and commute daily. A rave cave is “culturally necessary,” Musk explains, touching on a subject he first discussed on Twitter, as he is known to do.

There will also be a paint factory, and Musk says Giga Berlin will probably be better than the U.S. version.

Critics often say that Musk’s people’s champion stance is more or less a marketing strategy meant to ultimately sell cars. This video should prove the contrary.