Elon Musk's Tesla Plans to Expand Gigafactory in Germany Hit a Roadblock — Here's Why Locals Vote It Down

By Giuliano De Leon

Feb 21, 2024 06:58 AM EST

Residents of the Grünheide town in Brandenburg, Germany, have rejected plans by Elon Musk's electric carmaker, Tesla, to expand its factory in the municipality just outside Berlin in a non-binding vote, the district administration said Tuesday.

(Photo : ODD ANDERSEN/AFP via Getty Images)
Tesla CEO Elon Musk uses his mobile device as he sits in the car arriving to the construction site for the new plant, the so-called "Giga Factory", of US electric carmaker Tesla in Gruenheide near Berlin, northeastern Germany.

Elon Musk's Tesla Factory Expansion in Germany Rejected by Locals

According to Reuters, residents were asked to take part in a survey on Tesla's plans to expand the 300-hectare factory site. About 100 hectares of forest would have to be cleared to make room for a new freight depot, warehouses, and a corporate kindergarten on an additional 170 hectares.

Around 70%, or a total of 3,499 of the 5,400 people who participated in the survey, voted against it, while 1,882 voted in favor of the expansion. The Grünheide administration noted that residents from age 16 who had lived in the town for at least three months participated in the survey.

The vote is reportedly not binding but is a vital indicator of whether district representatives will approve Tesla's plan for the expansion, which the company submitted last summer, Electrek reported.

Why Elon Musk's Tesla Gigafactory in Germany Expansion Is Being Opposed

Environmental activists oppose Tesla's plan for expansion due to the clearing of the forest and the fact that the area is within a water protection zone.

Tesla claimed that the region would benefit from the plan, saying the additional warehouse space would help increase supply security and jobs and that the freight depot would lower the burden on freight traffic.

With the expansion, Tesla aims to double its production capacity from the current interim goal of 500,000 cars yearly to one million. Some 12,500 employees currently working at the factory produce 6,000 cars weekly, which is equal to 300,000 vehicles annually.