Tesla Grünheide: One Million E-Cars Per Year – The Plan

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Tesla wants to submit the next approval step for the expansion of its factory in Grünheide this year. A company spokesperson told the German Press Agency (DPA) that the goal is to submit the second partial approval for the expansion to the authorities by the end of the year. Tesla is currently in internal preparations for this. RBB and the "Märkische Oderzeitung" first reported on this.

A new hall – and the goal behind it

The plan is to build a new production hall on the grounds of Elon Musk's only European e-car factory. How large the hall will ultimately be is not yet known. What is clear, however, is where the journey is headed: According to current plans, Tesla wants to double production in Grünheide from a targeted 500,000 cars per year to one million vehicles per year – although the half-million mark has not yet been reached. In parallel, battery cell production capacity is to grow significantly, according to earlier plans to 100 gigawatt-hours per year in the future. According to the company, no additional forest needs to be cleared for the expansion.

Why Tesla is now pushing the pace

The expansion plans are not new. Tesla did not bury them even during a significant sales slump, but initially put them on ice and tied them to a better market situation. This condition now appears to be met: demand is rising again, and Tesla is hiring employees against the trend. Some 2,000 additional employees have already been hired in recent months, the spokesperson said. According to Tesla, 12,600 people currently work at the plant, which began operations in March 2022 – the number had at one point slipped below 11,000.

The path to a million in two stages

Before the big goal takes effect, Tesla is taking a smaller intermediate step: Production is to increase to 7,500 vehicles per week in two stages – equivalent to around 375,000 cars per year. To this end, 2,000 new employees are to be hired. In addition, more than 1,500 additional employees will be hired for the expansion of battery cell production. In total, Tesla is therefore planning around 3,500 additional jobs in Grünheide.

What has already been approved – and where the resistance lies

Already two years ago, the State Environmental Agency in Brandenburg issued an initial environmental approval, but only for modifications and optimizations to already-built facilities. In the second stage, the new factory hall including logistics areas is to be built, followed by the installation of machinery in a third stage. However, there is resistance to the expansion: environmentalists and residents have concerns because parts of the site lie in a water protection area – an issue that comes up anew with every expansion. As long as concrete timelines, investment sums, and the status of the ongoing approval process remain open, the announcement remains an announcement with a clear direction – but not yet a groundbreaking.