Tesla opens its new factory in Berlin, the brand's first on the European continent

After more than two years of complicated bureaucratic procedures, the North American brand has just officially opened its first Gigafactory on the European continent, which, once it reaches full capacity, will be tasked with producing around 500,000 vehicles per year, making it the fifth most important factory for Tesla.

Furthermore, to celebrate its opening, the South African-born magnate Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla, personally handed over the first 30 units of the Tesla Model Y assembled at the plant to their owners.

To get it up and running, the electric car brand had to disburse 4.5 billion euros, the largest investment in the automotive industry ever made in Germany, creating more than 12,000 jobs across the 300 hectares the site will occupy.

A strategic European hub

Tesla’s plan for this Gigafactory is to supply vehicles to all European markets where the brand has a presence. To that end, it has begun producing units of the Model Y and the Model Y Performance, the most performance-oriented version of the mid-size electric SUV, which offers a range of up to 514 kilometres, dual motors and a price of around 70,000 euros in Spain.

One of the most notable parts of the new plant will be the section dedicated to manufacturing cells for its batteries, which will generate more than 50 gigawatt-hours per year and will allow the manufacturer to use the latest technologies to deliver the highest possible performance and efficiency.

Both Robert Habeck, Germany’s Federal Minister for Economic Affairs and Climate Action, and Musk highlighted the major economic impact this factory will have on the region and how it will increase Tesla’s weight on the continent, given that the market is currently led by the Volkswagen Group with a 25% share of the electric vehicle market, compared with the 13% held by Tesla.