Photo: Twitter/Elon Musk
Tesla does have somewhat of a history of missed deadlines, but if you’re wondering, the opening of the Berlin Gigafactory won’t be one of them. At least, it doesn’t look like it.
Tesla is currently building its fourth Gigafactory – and the first one in Europe – in Berlin, Germany. It is scheduled to start operations in the summer of 2021, and in typical Tesla fashion, progress has been rapid, despite initial drawbacks resulting from legal disputes and other unexpected obstacles. The latest video from Tesla CEO Elon Musk confirms that.
Musk shared the video on Twitter (where else?) and, while it doesn’t exactly reveal much of the sprawling structure since it’s mostly covered in snow, it does offer an appreciation of its sheer size and current state. The drone footage also reveals that the render Musk shared last summer is now close to being real.
Also real is that rumored rave cave, which Musk will supposedly build on the roof of Berlin Giga and which will feature a pool and woofers the size of a car. In an update, Musk is now saying “it will be filled with graffiti art,” with “it” meaning either the rave cave or the whole factory. When you’re the number one EV maker in the world, this is the kind of eccentricity you can afford.
Speaking of “affording,” Tesla is one of the recipients of state aid as part of the European Battery Innovation project, as reported by Bloomberg last week. The EU is giving away €2.9 billion (approximately $3.5 billion at today’s exchange rate) in state subsidies to a variety of projects from several companies meant to support “research and innovation in the battery value chain.” Reports in the local media note that Tesla could get a €1 billion ($1.2 billion) chunk of that money.
Tesla plans to build the Model Y for Europe at Berlin Giga, but also the new 4680 battery, with Musk saying last year that he hoped to turn the plant into “the largest battery-cell plant in the world.” Production goals for the Model Y are similarly ambitious: 500,000 units of the Model Y a year, with hopes to increase the number in the following years.
Musk shared the video on Twitter (where else?) and, while it doesn’t exactly reveal much of the sprawling structure since it’s mostly covered in snow, it does offer an appreciation of its sheer size and current state. The drone footage also reveals that the render Musk shared last summer is now close to being real.
Also real is that rumored rave cave, which Musk will supposedly build on the roof of Berlin Giga and which will feature a pool and woofers the size of a car. In an update, Musk is now saying “it will be filled with graffiti art,” with “it” meaning either the rave cave or the whole factory. When you’re the number one EV maker in the world, this is the kind of eccentricity you can afford.
Speaking of “affording,” Tesla is one of the recipients of state aid as part of the European Battery Innovation project, as reported by Bloomberg last week. The EU is giving away €2.9 billion (approximately $3.5 billion at today’s exchange rate) in state subsidies to a variety of projects from several companies meant to support “research and innovation in the battery value chain.” Reports in the local media note that Tesla could get a €1 billion ($1.2 billion) chunk of that money.
Tesla plans to build the Model Y for Europe at Berlin Giga, but also the new 4680 battery, with Musk saying last year that he hoped to turn the plant into “the largest battery-cell plant in the world.” Production goals for the Model Y are similarly ambitious: 500,000 units of the Model Y a year, with hopes to increase the number in the following years.
It will be filled with graffiti art
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) February 1, 2021
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