September 26, 2024 – Tesla’s expansion plans for its Berlin factory are facing strong opposition from environmental organizations. Local residents and environmental activists are concerned that the expansion will damage the local forest ecology and have a negative impact on the environment.
Earlier this year, residents of Grunheide, where the Tesla Berlin factory is located, voted against the expansion plan. The plan requires the cutting down of over 100 hectares of forest to make space for the factory’s expansion. Despite local officials having approved the plan, members of the environmental organization “Stop Tesla” remain steadfast in the forest, employing a “tree hugging” strategy to block the logging work.
Previously, the Tesla Berlin factory was forced to suspend production due to an attack. The attackers damaged the factory’s power grid facilities, resulting in a halt in operations. In addition to protests from environmental organizations, the factory faces another issue: the discovery of World War II-era bombs on the construction site, which require demolition.
According to German media rbb24, Tesla has recently made some progress. To construct a railway leading to the factory, they needed to cut down some trees. In the early hours of Tuesday local time, Tesla, under police protection, cut down approximately 3,000 trees.
The environmental organization “Stop Tesla” stated that the logging work began around 2 am. Employees of the railway company and police appeared in the forest, fencing off the logging area and using heavy machinery to cut down trees. The organization views Tesla’s choice to conduct logging work in the middle of the night as a “provocation” due to the intimidating presence of police and the noise from heavy machinery.
However, the German railway company denied these accusations, stating that they had to start work in the middle of the night to prepare for the arrival of workers the next day.
It is understood that Tesla is seeking to expand the production scale of its Berlin factory to support the production of future models at the site. Tesla CEO Elon Musk recently indicated that the company may produce the Tesla Semi electric truck at the Berlin factory to meet demand in the European market.
