Car factory in Grünheide: Thousands toured the new Tesla plant on the open day

A few weeks before the expected start of production, the US electric car manufacturer Tesla presented its first European plant to the public on Saturday. In front of the car factory in Grünheide near Berlin (Oder-Spree), thousands of people romped around in the afternoon at the “Country Fair” on a kind of fairground with a Ferris wheel and sausage stalls.

Guided tours of the Tesla site were offered throughout the day. Visitors were able to tour the interior of the factory under construction with its production lines and test drive the Model Y. During the tour, Tesla specifically addressed the discussion about the factory’s water consumption.

With a water tank on display, the company emphasized that an average of 2.2 cubic meters of water should be used in the production of a car. In view of the maximum amount of 1.45 million cubimeters of water that Tesla is allowed to consume per year and the targeted production volume of up to half a million e-cars annually, this seems realistic. In addition, Tesla announced that other manufacturers use at least three cubic meters of water for a car. This could not be verified at first.

In the early evening, Tesla boss Elon Musk came on stage. After initial technical difficulties, he answered questions viewers had previously sent to Tesla via Twitter. Musk reaffirmed that his company plans to build the first cars in Grünheide in November or December of this year.

However, the multi-billionaire also emphasized that the real challenge now lies in producing large quantities. He announced that the Brandenburg plant should produce up to 10,000 cars a year by the end of next year. Then the battery factory, which, in contrast to the car factory, has not yet been nearly finished, should also produce large numbers of batteries. Until then, the batteries for Grünheider production will come from China, says Musk. Musk also said solar panels should be installed on the roof and possibly next to the factory. The aim is for the factory to only work with renewable energies. Experts consider this target to be realistic in 2030 at the earliest.

Musk defended his project against concerns that the production was diverting too much water from the region. “Our factory uses very little water,” he said. Tesla’s mission is the fastest possible transition to renewable energies and climate protection. At the same time, he recruited qualified employees from all over Europe. “I’m a little worried that we won’t be able to hire enough people,” said Musk.

Alexander Riederer, a selected Tesla employee who was on stage with Musk, also announced that Tesla would plant up to 300 hectares of mixed forest by the end of the year – to replace the 170 hectares of pine forest that were felled for the factory.

Tesla had obtained two special permits from the responsible district of Oder-Spree for the open house in order to be able to organize the “Country Fair” on the construction site, which is located in a drinking water protection area. In addition, 9,000 visitors were approved by the authority. Actually, according to the Corona Ordinance, only a maximum of 5,000 would be allowed.

On the area directly on the eastern Berlin Ring, the 3G regulation applied, i.e. adults had to present vaccination or recovery certificates. Visitors had to wear masks for guided tours indoors. It was not possible to stop by the Tesla plant on the spur of the moment: Only people who had previously registered online were allowed in.

The event was well received by many visitors. “The whole production is impressive. It is really fascinating how many robots and ideas and how much brains are behind it,” said Kornelia Kretschmar from Grünheide, who visited the Tesla plant with her family. “We got vouchers for the children to eat and play with. It’s a dream.” Kretschmar’s husband was also impressed and, according to his own statement, hopes for good jobs for his children and grandchildren at Tesla.

But there were also other voices: around 20 critics from a local citizens’ initiative stood in front of the factory. “Water and forest not for private profits,” read a poster that was attached to a fence. According to her, the critics fear that Tesla’s water consumption will dry up the region. They also worried that, in the event of accidents at the plant, toxic chemicals would get into the groundwater, which is processed into drinking water just a few kilometers away. “We want to draw attention to all the problems again. We are heading with Tesla towards an environmental disaster with a focus on water,” said spokesman Steffen Schorcht the rbb.

Manu Hoyer, a member of the citizens’ initiative, criticized that the 814 critics at the factory had not found a place for a public discussion with reference to the corona situation and that an online consultation was therefore called. “And 9,000 people are allowed to meet here. That has nothing to do with democracy and citizen participation,” said Hoyer.

The first section of the 300 hectare industrial complex is practically finished. The final approval by the state of Brandenburg is still pending. Tesla has so far only built with the help of several early approvals.

Musk announced the factory in late 2019. In the future, around 12,000 employees will build around 500,000 electric cars a year there. According to Musk, he wants to start production this year. A battery factory is built next to the car factory. Critics complain that the industrial building is partly being built in the water protection area. You fear environmental dangers. Hundreds of objections to the planned construction of a battery factory are still being discussed. Associations and individuals can submit further objections until mid-October, after which they will be examined. The local citizens’ initiative against the project expects approval before the end of the year.

The car factory on the outskirts of Berlin is one of the most important industrial projects in East Germany. Musk originally estimated the construction costs at 1.1 billion euros, but said in the meantime that the budget would be exceeded. For the battery factory, Tesla has the prospect of public funding, which, according to media reports, could also amount to 1.1 billion euros. Overall, according to company information, a “mid-single-digit billion sum” is to be invested. Speculations about four to five billion euros are not wrong, it said on Saturday. There was no more detailed information.

Broadcast: Brandenburg Aktuell, October 7th, 2021, 7:30 p.m.

With material from Philip Barnstorf

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