Tesla to open Berlin gigafactory on Friday, delivery event planned

Tesla’s Grünheide electric vehicle and battery cell gigafactory near Berlin is expected to start making Model Ys for delivery to customers within weeks, with final approval for manufacture expected by Friday.

The exclusive report from German news agency Tagesspiegel revealed that with final approval now imminent, it is expected that an official Tesla delivery event will take place towards the end of March after Tesla boss Elon Musk arrives in Germany mid-month.

While a number of pre-production Model Ys have already been made by the EV maker ahead of approval, production of customer vehicles may not begin until a few weeks after this according to the news agency. It is understood that at the opening ceremony, around 30 customers will take delivery of their brand new Berlin-made Model Ys.

The event is also expected to host 500 guests according to Tagesspiegel, including German chancellor Olaf Scholz and other officials.

For Australia and other Pacific markets, Giga Berlin’s opening is a very important milestone because the EV maker is currently exporting its electric cars mainly from China to Europe. A local launch has been delayed for the Model Y, and wait times for the Model 3 are now stretched out to July at the earliest.

As soon as Tesla is able to ramp up production in Grünheide, other markets such as Australia could be served with vehicles from Tesla’s Shanghai factory.

At the same time, the announcement that Tesla is looking for a site for a second gigafactory in Shanghai also bodes well for the company’s longer export strategy, and for markets like Australia. In January, the China Passenger Car Association  (CPCA) said that Tesla made almost 60,000 electric cars and exported two-thirds of these.

According to reports, Tesla’s goal is to expand production capacity to two million vehicles per year in Shanghai alone. This alone would help the carmaker achieve a tenth of its declared long-term goal is the production of 20 million electric cars per year.

In Berlin, preparation for an official production launch is well underway. Rows and rows of finished Model Y models are parked outside the factory walls as Tesla tests out its new production methods including giant casting machines called “Giga-Presses” that will be used to make whole rear and front body pieces, reducing assembly costs, weight and complexity.

The official approval for Giga Berlin comes after months of delays due to legal battles and hold ups over issues such as concerns about the region’s water supply. A court ruling is expected on March 4th – possibly at the same time as the approval is handed over – however Tesla reportedly does not consider the ruling to be a concern.