On Tuesday, Elon Musk formally launched Tesla’s first production site in Europe, as the company seeks to relieve strain on its other operations in the United States and China. “This is a great day for the factory,” Musk said, before hailing the launch as “another step in the direction of a sustainable future,” according to Reuters.
Musk then dusted off his dance moves from the Giga Shanghai launch as he presided over the handover of Tesla’s first German-made vehicles to 30 clients and their families at the carmaker’s 5 billion euro ($5.5 billion) facility in Germany.
Tesla expects the Berlin factory to churn out up to 500,000 vehicles per year. According to the German journal Auto Motor Und Sport, the Tesla facility is aiming to produce 2,000 electric cars in its first few weeks of production.
The company expects car output to reach 1,000 per week six weeks after commercial production begins, and 5,000 per week by the end of 2022. Demand for EVs remains high in Europe, and Tesla can now rely on some production on the continent rather than relying primarily on shipments from China.
Giga Berlin has been in the works for some years. It is critical to Tesla’s worldwide expansion ambitions following the late-2019 inauguration of its Gigafactory 3 facility in Shanghai. Tesla has also recently begun manufacturing for the Model Y at another factory in Austin, Texas, but the location has yet to be officially opened.
