Real progress at Giga Berlin
The new Tesla plant in Germany, with advanced technology, is well underway
BY RON FREUND: ELECTRIC AUTO ASSOCIATION BOARD MEMBER
Since the announcement that Tesla would build another giant factory in northern Germany at N52.4° for the European market in November 2019, the progress has been fast and furious. Located on 750 acres in the state of Brandenburg southeast of Berlin in what was once a ready-to-harvest plantation-planted pine forest, the site has easy access to rail and highway connections.
The site is the result of discussions Tesla conducted with government officials to locate a factory to produce batteries, battery packs, and powertrains, and to assemble the Tesla Model S and Model Y. With a proposed start of production in early summer of next year, it is expected that 10,000 local jobs will be generated. Strategically, this is an excellent move for the company.
After clearing the forest with clever harvesting machinery (see video link below), leveling construction work began. Unexploded WWII-era bombs (some American) are commonly discovered in German soil, and 85 kg of such munitions were found and eliminated in January.
The snapshots below represent imagery captured by drone by twin brothers at Wolfpack_Berlin, local Tesla enthusiasts.
Early construction material delivery features a rail spur along the eastern edge, allowing easy off-loading of prefabricated concrete beams and steel products.
February, showing harvest of plantation-planted pines (additionally, see video below.)
March (showing rows of stumps to be removed)
June (the start of drive unit assembly building in upper right; start of three-floor paint shop in top center)
August (left side of paint shop has a roof, right side coming together.)
September (drive unit building is now enclosed, two of three bays of tall paint shop visible.)
Oct (middle bay of Paint Shop visible, part of general assembly structure gets roof. More construction offices.
Innovation at the speed of thought
While legacy automakers implement new features on a new model year basis, Tesla innovates year-round. In fact, a late 2020 delivery may include different components than the same model delivered at the beginning of the year. This means that, even during creation of the very factory that builds the products, changes are implemented as errors are discovered. German contractors have noted they are finding this approach different than what they have previously experienced.
One significant improvement is coming in the form of the paint process, the result of Tesla’s partnership with Geico Taikisha, a leader in the design and construction of a turnkey automated auto body paint shop. As Tesla Founder and CEO Elon Musk noted, “Giga Berlin will have [the] world’s most advanced paint shop, with more layers of stunning colors that subtly change with curvature.” The company has tentative plans to retrofit the Fremont Factory and Giga Shanghai once this technology is proven.
The video below is by Tobias Lindh.