It was a construction in record time: Despite the German authorities, protests and critics, Tesla built its new electric car plant in Grünheide within 861 days of the announcement.
The company wants to deliver the first 30 Teslas made in Brandenburg on Tuesday. BZ explains what happened between the first planning and the starting shot.
The Tesla Chronicle:
September 26, 2019: Brandenburg’s Economics Minister Jörg Steinbach (65, SPD) gets on a plane with a Tesla manager at Schönhagen Airport and flies over the site in Grünheide.
November 12, 2019: Tesla boss Elon Musk (50) lets the cat out of the bag. As part of the Golden Steering Wheel in the Axel Springer building in Kreuzberg, he announces the construction of the European gigafactory in the Berlin area. One of five production sites worldwide and a sensation!
November 22, 2019: The state of Brandenburg founds the Taskforce Tesla. Task: The quickest possible approval of the car factory.
December 20, 2019: Tesla and Brandenburg agree on a purchase agreement for the 300-hectare site on the A10. Cost: 43.3 million euros. Tesla submits 1500 pages of application documents.
January 6, 2020: The plans are becoming more concrete: Tesla wants to produce half a million cars a year from July 2021.
January 16, 2020: The water association Strausberg-Erkner warns for the first time of a bottleneck due to the water consumption of the Gigafactory.
January 18, 2020: For the first time, 200 Tesla opponents demonstrate against the construction of the factory.
January 19, 2020: Tesla signs the purchase agreement for the property.
February 13, 2020: The first machines arrive and the clearing of the 92-hectare Tesla forest begins.
February 15, 2020: The clearing must be stopped for the first time. Reason: Complaints from the Green League environmental association. Again and again there are delays and the trees are occupied by activists.
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June 8, 2020: Start of construction! Work on the Tesla factory begins without a groundbreaking ceremony or celebrities. There is no building permit yet.
October 2, 2020: After eight days, the marathon hearing of more than 400 conservationists and residents ends in the Erkner town hall. One concern: protected animal species.
November 6, 2020: The first job interviews for the car factory begin, part of which Tesla boss Elon Musk conducts personally.
April 27, 2021: Tesla amends permit application. So far, construction has been carried out with twelve partial approvals. Part of the new 11,000-page proposal: the construction of a battery factory. This also postpones the start of production.
May 19, 2021: The State Environment Agency issues another permit. Tesla is now allowed to install machines and units in final assembly.
June 11, 2021: Green League and NABU file an objection to the 15th early admission. On July 14, the application fails.
August 26, 2021: There are now 809 objections to the work.
October 9, 2021: Tesla welcomes 5,000 visitors to its open house.
October 16, 2021: The water association warns of drinking water shortages due to the new plant.
November 2021: Five cars will be built at the factory for trial purposes.
March 15, 2021: The water association wants to supply the new plant.
March 22, 2022: Tesla starts operations, the first 30 cars are to be delivered.