Current: New Tesla facility in Grünheide reportedly set to produce more electric vehicles and batteries starting in mid-2027
Image: Tesla
At its facility in Grünheide near Berlin, Tesla appears to be preparing to produce a second electric vehicle alongside the Model Y. This is at least what plant manager Andre Thierig said at an Automotive Week conference: “If we build another factory there, it won’t be another Model Y factory,” he said according to a report in the magazine, adding more interesting details about its Gigafactory Berlin.
Tesla Grünheide’s Batteries
Brandenburg state had already made public in mid-2023 that Tesla intended to expand its electric vehicle and battery capacity in Grünheide by doubling it. Previously, the state approved buildings and facilities for producing 500,000 Model Y vehicles per year; according to Tesla, equipment capable of manufacturing 375,000 vehicles has been installed so far. This capacity was supposed to be fully utilized for the first time in October, but this goal appears not yet to have been reached: per the report, the German Gigafactory is “approaching” the required rate of 7,500 Model Y vehicles per week.
According to Thierig, Tesla has just hired 2,000 new employees in Grünheide for this purpose. To increase production volume, manufacturing was accelerated to produce one Model Y every 45 seconds; in other German car factories, 60–90 seconds is typical. The plant manager also provided a more specific date for the start of battery cell production: mid-2027. The facility for this purpose already exists and is currently being used to store components for the production of 4680 batteries in the U.S.
“Not just Model Y” from Giga Berlin
Regarding the expansion of the facility, Thierig reiterated information from this October stating that Tesla intends to submit initial applications this year for another building in Grünheide. Reports mention a second production facility to the north of the existing one, more than twice as large at 536,000 square meters, also capable of producing up to 500,000 electric vehicles per year.
Tesla has not made public the exact purpose of the second hall. The Gigafactory manager also avoided specifying it at this time, but according to Automobilwoche, in the long term, Grünheide should not be used solely for manufacturing the Model Y. The report then includes the exact quote “not another Model Y factory.” In this context, it likely does not mean Tesla will abandon construction, but rather that a different electric vehicle than the Model Y will be produced in the new hall.
But another Tesla Model Q?
Some reports from October already suggested that the second large Gigafactory hall was intended for “another vehicle.” Tesla CEO Elon Musk had previously mentioned various options for Giga Berlin to employees, ranging from the Cybercab and the robot Optimus to the semi-truck Semi. The more likely option would be the Model 3 (see photo above), which is currently produced in China for the European market. Alternatively, Tesla might bring a compact electric car, as many hope for a “Model Q,” and which, according to recurring rumors, is already in the planning stages.