
Tesla aims to double production capacity in German Gigafactory,
targeting 1 million EVs annually
If Tesla's plans are approved, the site will become Germany's largest automotive plant, ahead of Volkswagen's historic stronghold in Wolfsburg.
US carmaker Tesla has submitted an application to double the production capacity of its German plant, aiming to manufacture 1 million electric vehicles annually, the company and local authorities said this week.
In a statement, Tesla said it wants to double "production capacity to 1,000,000 vehicles" annually. It also plans to ramp up battery storage production capacity at the Grünheide gigafactory from 50 gigawatt hours annually to "100 gigawatt hours".
As well as enlarging the existing facilities, the proposals would require the construction of a new production hall. The number of employees could rise from around 10,000 currently "to possibly 22,500", Tesla said.
The electric automaker wants to produce a million cars a year at its plant near Berlin, a step that would make it Europe’s largest car factory.
Volkswagen and other German automakers, including BMW and Mercedes-Benz, have spent years fumbling their attempts to produce electric cars that can compete with Tesla in price and popularity. Across the continent in June, new registrations of electric cars increased more than 66 percent from a year earlier, outselling diesel cars for the first time, according to the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association.
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