Elon Musk will visit Tesla’s German gigafactory in February, he tweeted today, with news emerging that thousands of the Model Y electric crossover will be built starting next month.
The news that Elon Musk will visit Tesla’s Berlin EV factory in February came in response to an article that claimed the Tesla boss would be visiting Germany later this week.
The article also said that he would be transported from the airport in Berlin in a German-made Model Y; but in his response to the tweet he only refuted the timing of the visit, hinting that the rest of the article’s claims are correct.
“I obv can’t comment on every rumor, but this isn’t true. Am headed to Berlin mid Feb, not this week,” Musk tweeted.
The implicit confirmation that Musk will ride from the airport in a German-made Model Y, plus images also posted on Twitter of a line of Model Ys at the company’s Texas EV factory, signal both factories are gradually gearing up to commence production.
German media confirms that in Berlin, at least, production of 2,000 Model Ys has been approved and in mid-February production may commence in earnest. The factory’s construction has experienced multiple delays due to environmental concerns.
But news site Manager Magazin reports that Brandenburg official Abdulrahman Abbas, who is in charge granting permits for the Tesla factory construction, gave approval for the initial production units in early January.
Meanwhile, Tagesspiegel reports that while a production start was originally planned for December (according to Tesla watcher Sawyer Merritt, it had made 240 units as of December), it is now likely to commence in mid-February.
Images of a row of Model Ys outside Tesla’s Austin EV factory, posted online, suggest that first vehicles may also be rolling off the line in Texas, although this could not be verified.
New Model Ys at Giga Texas! #ModelY #Tesla pic.twitter.com/ZcFyyiMNZl
— Jeff Roberts (@peterdog15) January 17, 2022
For Australian drivers waiting for Tesla to make the Model Y available for order locally, a start in Berlin is encouraging news.
As noted by The Driven in November, Tesla is currently shipping Model Ys from Shanghai to Germany. Once the EV maker is making Model Ys in Germany, Shanghai inventory will undoubtedly be freed up for other markets.
In the first days of January, some right-hand-drive Model Ys were spotted in the UK – another signal that a local launch may not be far off.
Bridie Schmidt is associate editor for The Driven, sister site of Renew Economy. She has been writing about electric vehicles since 2018, and has a keen interest in the role that zero-emissions transport has to play in sustainability. She has participated in podcasts such as Download This Show with Marc Fennell and Shirtloads of Science with Karl Kruszelnicki and is co-organiser of the Northern Rivers Electric Vehicle Forum. Bridie also owns a Tesla Model Y and has it available for hire on evee.com.au.