Photo: Tesla
Tesla has announced plans to expand Giga Berlin in 2022, but now it wants to double production capacity without extending the factory footprint. Tesla also said it would not need to increase water consumption thanks to the efficient treatment and reuse of wastewater generated during production.
Tesla has yet to ramp up production at Giga Berlin to the planned level of 500,000 cars per year. That didn’t stop the EV maker from already making expansion plans. Last May, Tesla announced its intention to buy more land near its gigafactory in Gruenheide. Tesla wanted to double the production capacity in Germany and had already started legal proceedings to get the necessary permits for the expansion.
There was one problem, though, as doubling the production would strain the scarce water resources in the region even more. In December last year, Tesla said it was looking for new water sources by drilling the wells themselves. The information has alarmed environmentalists and Brandenburg authorities. We don’t know whether Tesla got to drill its water wells, but new reports from Germany indicate that the American carmaker has found a way to double production without increasing water consumption. Even better, it can do so without expanding the factory’s footprint.
According to rbb24.de, Tesla has submitted an initial application to the environmental agency of the Brandenburg state (LfU). The application relates to changes to the existing factory that would allow increased production without expanding the footprint or increasing water consumption. A spokesperson for LfU confirmed that Tesla wants to double the production capacity to one million vehicles per year.
In the application, Tesla claims it has optimized planning and production processes so that the amount of freshwater it previously contracted (1.4 million cubic meters) would be enough to support the production increase. Tesla claims it completely treats and reuses wastewater generated during production. Thus, it doesn’t need additional water resources to build 1 million cars per year. Moreover, the necessary production facilities would be erected on existing factory premises, not adjacent land, where Tesla planned an expansion in May 2022.
It will be impressive if Tesla manages to double the production at the existing facility with no massive new buildings on site. Doing it without increasing water consumption would be even more impressive. Environmentalists, German media, and water suppliers have claimed insufficient water supplies in the region to support Tesla’s expansion plans.
According to information Tesla supplied to investors during the Q4 2022 earnings call, Giga Berlin had an installed annual vehicle capacity of 250,000 units. The actual production is lower than that, as Tesla announced a production milestone of 4,000 vehicles per week on February 28. The company has struggled to recruit personnel in the region, which forced it to shelve plans for a third shift.
There was one problem, though, as doubling the production would strain the scarce water resources in the region even more. In December last year, Tesla said it was looking for new water sources by drilling the wells themselves. The information has alarmed environmentalists and Brandenburg authorities. We don’t know whether Tesla got to drill its water wells, but new reports from Germany indicate that the American carmaker has found a way to double production without increasing water consumption. Even better, it can do so without expanding the factory’s footprint.
According to rbb24.de, Tesla has submitted an initial application to the environmental agency of the Brandenburg state (LfU). The application relates to changes to the existing factory that would allow increased production without expanding the footprint or increasing water consumption. A spokesperson for LfU confirmed that Tesla wants to double the production capacity to one million vehicles per year.
In the application, Tesla claims it has optimized planning and production processes so that the amount of freshwater it previously contracted (1.4 million cubic meters) would be enough to support the production increase. Tesla claims it completely treats and reuses wastewater generated during production. Thus, it doesn’t need additional water resources to build 1 million cars per year. Moreover, the necessary production facilities would be erected on existing factory premises, not adjacent land, where Tesla planned an expansion in May 2022.
It will be impressive if Tesla manages to double the production at the existing facility with no massive new buildings on site. Doing it without increasing water consumption would be even more impressive. Environmentalists, German media, and water suppliers have claimed insufficient water supplies in the region to support Tesla’s expansion plans.
According to information Tesla supplied to investors during the Q4 2022 earnings call, Giga Berlin had an installed annual vehicle capacity of 250,000 units. The actual production is lower than that, as Tesla announced a production milestone of 4,000 vehicles per week on February 28. The company has struggled to recruit personnel in the region, which forced it to shelve plans for a third shift.
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