Tesla’s German Gigafactory on Track for December Opening

Radha Patel
International Business Editor

The global automotive supply chain has been experiencing some difficulties in the past year due to a chip shortage. This will inevitably have an impact on the German car manufacturing industry, as Germany has one of the largest production values in the world and has global connections. The US electric car manufacturing company Tesla announced that it is closing in on its plans to manufacture Model Y cars in a factory near Berlin. The factory has already been constructed, but all that is left to do next is receive an operating permit. The plan has sparked some controversy, as Germany traditionally produces combustion fuel vehicles, while Tesla vehicles operate on electrical energy. Critics of the opening of this “Gigafactory” by Tesla interpret Tesla’s actions as a declaration of war against auto industry companies, such as Volkswagen, BMW, and Mercedes.  

However, that has not stopped Tesla, as it already had to get past a delay on the production of its Model Y after locals rejected the opening of a factory in their neighborhood. The electric car company does not plan to stop there. There are additional plans to build a large battery cell production plant also near Berlin. Although objections are once again expected, the plant is projected to open this December or next January.  

Contact Radha at radha.patel3@student.shu.edu