The German Gigafactory, Tesla's long-in-the making German factory, is nearing the production of its first electric car. Bloomberg reports that Elon Musk, the company's chief executive, told attendees at the October 9th event in Berlin that Model Y crossover production should begin in November or December. Musk said that the challenge was getting production to a healthy level.
However, the CEO predicted that the Berlin Gigafactory could produce 5,000 to 10,000 vehicles per day by 2022. He said that the facility will likely source batteries in China until a German-built cell plant is available. This factory won't be a significant contributor to Tesla's earnings for some time.
This assumes that the Gigafactory goes ahead as planned. Tesla still faces lawsuits and complaints about the effects of the plant on the environment. A public consultation process will not conclude until October 14th. Officials might refuse final approval or demand further promises.
Tesla has pledged to reduce the environmental impact of its factory by planting more trees than the factory removed. It doesn't matter if that's enough for authorities to approve, Tesla's European plans are at a turning point. The next few weeks will determine whether Tesla succeeds or fails to beat reenergized incumbents.
