Tesla may face delays at Gigafactory Berlin over lack of permits, Elon Musk gets involved

A new report from Germany states that Tesla may face some delays at Gigafactory Berlin over difficulties securing permits.

Elon Musk is getting involved.

As we previously reported, Tesla moved ahead with construction at Gigafactory Berlin without final approval for the project.

Instead, the automaker was able to move forward with construction through individual permits, but now its luck might be running out.

Germany’s Automobilwoche came out with a new report claiming that “Tesla is currently unable to continue building as planned” due to the lack of permits for further clearing of the forest and the paint shop (translated from German):

The construction work on the new Tesla plant in Grünheide is currently not progressing as planned. The reason is a lack of permits for further clearing and the paint shop.

However, the magazine also stated that people familiar with the project still aim for a start of production in July 2021.

Recently, we reported that Tesla fired “Mister Gigafactory,” the engineer in charge of Gigafactory Berlin project.

Now Elon Musk is apparently getting involved.

As we reported last week, Musk went to Tesla Gigafactory Berlin to boost hiring effort and personally interview candidates.

Now we learn that he also met Brandenburg’s minister of economic affairs Jörg Steinbach (SPD) to discuss the situation with the permits and schedule.

Tesla’s completion of Gigafactory Berlin is extremely important for the automaker.

It will enable Tesla to launch Model Y in Europe after it has already been in production in the US for over a year.

Furthermore, Tesla also plans to introduce some new technologies in the Model Y produced in Berlin, including its 4680 battery cells and new structural battery pack design.