German environmental groups officially object to a permit Tesla received to build a bulky electric vehicle and battery factory near Berlin. It is another setback for Tesla, which has been seeing construction of its Berlin factory delayed for some time.
Automotive News Europe reports that Gruene Liga and NABU object to the permit issued by the Brandenburg environmental authority. The environmentalists argue that Tesla is not providing enough clarity on measures it is taking against toxic gas emissions from the factory.
'Permit application amended'
Gruene Lige and NABU also argue that Tesla amended its permit application to allow it to produce batteries at the factory. However, the US carmaker allegedly does not have the permit required for this purpose.
Gruene Liga and NABU want Tesla's permit to be revoked in the near future. The movements are threatening to go to court if this is not done by 16 June.
Multiple setbacks
It is not the first setback for Tesla surrounding the construction of its German so-called gigafactory. The company has been working for years on the factory, which should be operational from the end of 2021. The US carmaker wants to build the Model & and Model 3, among others, at the factory. Eventually, 500,000 cars per year should roll off the assembly line.
However, there is opposition to the arrival of the factory. For instance, environmentalists and local residents previously filed a series of lawsuits against the state of Brandenburg. These concerned, among other things, the plant's expected water consumption and possible noise pollution. Impacts on the environment and the expected increase in traffic were also grounds for complaints. In February 2020, the felling of trees on the site where the plant is being realised had to be stopped. This as the felling had already started before Tesla had official permission to build the gigafactory. Later that month, the court ruled that the felling could resume.
'Less bureaucracy'
Elon Musk, Tesla’s chief executive, had previously expressed his frustration at the way things were going. “I think there could be less bureaucracy, which would be better. There should be some sort of active process for removing regulations. Otherwise, regulations pile up over time and you end up with more and more of them, until eventually you can’t do anything at all,” Musk told Reuters and others in May.
Author: Wouter Hoeffnagel
